Coffee with milk is probably the most popular combination among coffee drinkers. In the origins of coffee, such as Ethiopia or the Arabian Peninsula, this combination is rather a foreign concept. In these countries, coffee was more likely to be refined with sugar.
Today, the mixture of fresh coffee with milk is indispensable. Whether as a cappuccino, flat white or latte macchiato , coffee with milk is now available in almost every country and is extremely popular. You can find out where this combination comes from and what other backgrounds there are to this popular fusion in this blog article. Elias Fischbacher from the Wildkaffee Rösterei wishes you lots of fun discovering. Let's begin!
Coffee with milk - in Arab countries prefer with sugar
As mentioned at the beginning, milk was not normally found in coffee in the countries where coffee originated. In Arab countries, coffee is more likely to be refined with sugar . This type is known today as Turkish coffee or mocha. In this type of preparation, a pot filled with finely ground coffee is poured over with water and boiled on a stovetop. Sugar is then optionally added.
The launch of coffee and milk
But now back to coffee with milk. While in the Arab, Turkish and Balkan countries people preferred to drink mocha with sugar, in Europe people were looking for a solution to balance out the bitterness and acidity . Due to the lack of knowledge about coffee at the time, incorrect cultivation and less than ideal roasting, the taste of coffee at that time was nowhere near the level we know it from today.
In the 17th century, when the first cafés opened in Europe, it took a while before the first brave person dared to try mixing coffee and milk. Although dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt were already very popular, the start was somewhat hesitant. However, in the new coffee houses in Paris, this combination of milk and coffee finally caught on. People used the milk as a neutralizer and thus the history of milk-based drinks began.
Breakthrough in Europe, from there into the world!
The real breakthrough of coffee with milk in Europe only came in the 19th century , when Viennese coffee house culture really took off. Even today, coffee houses still invite you to linger for hours and were a meeting place for artists, intellectuals and writers - and also a place for coffee with milk. The historic recipes such as the Kaiser-Mélange or the Kapuziner , which is served with a large portion of cream, come from the coffee houses.
The breakthrough
During the First World War , Austrian soldiers brought the capuchin coffee with them to Italy . In Italian, it became the cappuccino. Cappuccino is the diminutive form of the Italian word for hood - cappuccio. The Italians then modified the preparation to create the cappuccino with foamed milk that we know today. The first coffee with milk was born.
In the 1960s, when Germans discovered Italy as a holiday destination, this trend spread to Germany. Previously, coffee was drunk black and with sugar, but the taste of Italian coffee recipes with milk captivated them so much that they brought it home and happily served the coffee with milk .
It was also the cappuccino that ushered in the global triumph of coffee and milk. In the early 1990s, the cappuccino was offered in coffee shops in the USA as the coffee specialty par excellence. People took to this taste and took the cappuccino in particular, but also other coffees with milk, out into the wide world. Today, everyone is probably familiar with it.
Development to date!
Today, coffee with milk is still evolving, but the old favorites such as the cappuccino, Viennese melange or the café au lait from France are still very popular . But new, modern coffee with milk is also enjoying great popularity. The flat white in particular, which consists of a double espresso and foamed milk, is becoming more and more fashionable and is now available in most cafés. The flat white comes from Australia and New Zealand and has been drunk there since the 1980s. Today, there are no limits to coffee with milk. From pumpkin spice latte to salted caramel iced coffee, there are now all kinds of combinations... Some people like them, others less so. But we at the Wildkaffee Rösterei prefer to rely on the natural taste of the coffee and its versatile notes.
Coffee with milk at Wildkaffee
Oh, by the way, our dark roasts like the Wilderer Espresso , the Hausepresso or our Wildsau are perfect for preparing all coffee with milk drinks. Just try it out at home. You can find other suitable accessories for making coffee in our online shop . #staywild
