People often wonder if lattes have caffeine. The short answer is YES, lattes do have caffeine. A latte may contain even more caffeine than a single shot of espresso, if you were to order or drink a 16 oz latte, for example. 16 oz lattes typically contain 2 shots of espresso, while 8 oz lattes typically have 1 shot of espresso. Milk doesn’t dilute the caffeine in the latte.

How much caffeine do lattes have exactly?

On average, a single shot of espresso has about 63 mg of caffeine. Thus, a 16 oz latte made with 2 shots of espresso will have 126 mg of caffeine. The only difference is that you may not “feel” it as much right away because milk is added to it. 

In short, lattes have caffeine, and more caffeine in larger size lattes. 

Also, please note that espresso is not the same as a cup of “regular” coffee.  Coffee brewed with a drip coffee machine, for example, has about 12 to 16 mg of caffeine per ounce. So, a full cup (8 oz) has about 94 mg of caffeine.

Have I confused you?

Okay, what is espresso exactly? 

 An espresso is a coffee beverage—brewed with high steam pressure by way of an espresso machine. The “espresso shot” is pulled with hot water over finely ground espresso coffee and high steam pressure. Most espresso machines can pull a single shot, and some even a double shot. 

What is a latte?

How an espresso shot differs from a latte, is that typically lattes are made with an espresso shot(s), then milk is added and fills up the rest of the cup. The milk added is steamed with a steaming wand attached to the espresso machine or perhaps with a detached milk frother. The steamed milk has the texture that can then do latte art as the photo above.

Brief history of espresso

If you are not familiar with the history of espresso, it has been known that it was first created in Italy by a man named Luigi Bezzera who was from Milan. Therefore, Italy is the home of espresso. People often confuse this phrase. Meaning, they often think it means that coffee was discovered in Italy. That is not accurate and means something entirely different. As we discussed earlier, espresso is a coffee beverage brewed with a specific method. 

Coffee (the plant) originated from the continent of Africa.

Arabica was discovered in Ethiopia, and Robusta was discovered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I will be writing a blog post about the history of African coffee and where coffee grows in Africa soon, so be on the lookout for this on our blog.
Until next time!