How to Make a Coffee Misto (with Pictures)

Coffee misto" is a term introduced into the coffee lexicon by the Starbucks Coffee Company. The drink is actually a take on the French coffee drink _café au lait_, which can be prepared in several different ways from country to country. Most often, the term refers to a drink made from equal portions of strong brewed coffee and steamed milk, which differentiates it in U.S. usage from a latte, which is made using espresso. Learning how to make a coffee misto at home is as simple as brewing your favorite coffee and heating milk on the stove.
STEPS

1

BREW A STRONG BATCH OF COFFEE. Half of your coffee misto will be made from brewed coffee. You can brew this at regular strength, but this tends to let the coffee flavor disappear beneath the large amount of milk in the drink.
To brew a more authentic and flavorful cup, double the strength of your usual brewed coffee. This can be done easily be simply adding double the amount of ground coffee using the same amount of water.
The coffee misto prepared by Starbucks utilizes coffee brewed at normal strength. To imitate the drink as precisely as possible, brew at regular strength.

2

BEGIN HEATING MILK ON THE STOVE. The other half of your coffee misto is made from heated milk. You can use any type of milk or nondairy product based on your own preferences. The best vessel for heating the milk is a small saucepan.
Traditionally, European _café au lait_ is served without frothing the milk, but simply heating it. A version of the drink popularized in New Orleans actually utilizes scalded milk - that is, milk heated past its boiling point and allowed to form a skin.
Starbucks, however, uses frothed, steamed milk in the coffee misto. To replicate this frothy texture, you can whisk the milk vigorously in the saucepan while it is heating.
The milk can be heated to any temperature you like. 160 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) is the most popular temperature for steaming milk.

3

POUR THE BREWED COFFEE AND HEATED MILK INTO YOUR MUG. When both parts of the drink are prepared, you simply pour them into your drinking cup in equal parts. You can vary the ratios to your taste, of course.
Traditionally, the coffee and milk are poured into the cup side by side (holding the coffee pot in 1 hand and the saucepan in the other). This is done to ensure adequate mixing, a proper ratio, and for dramatic flair.

4

SWEETEN THE COFFEE TO TASTE. You can add any sweeteners you like to your freshly poured coffee misto. In fact, the _café au lait_ is one of the few coffee drinks that is traditionally sweetened by European drinkers.
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TIPS
The word _misto_ is Italian for "mixed." So, while _café au lait_ means "coffee with milk," the Starbucks drink name actually means "mixed coffee."
For the most flavorful cup of _café au lait_, use a darkly roasted coffee. Dark roasts from Sumatra or Java, for example, hold up well against the large quantity of heated milk.
THINGS YOU\'LL NEED
Ground coffee
Water
Coffee brewer
Saucepan
Milk
Whisk (optional)
SOURCES AND CITATIONS
http://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/brewed-coffee/cafe-misto
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Café_au_lait
http://muddydogcoffee.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/how-to-make-an-authentic-french-cafe-au-lait/
ARTICLE INFO
Categories: Starbucks Coffee
Recent edits by: Catdog
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