Caffe Misto is also known as café au lait. This drink has an incredible combination of milk and brewed coffee and a robust coffee taste. It differs from other milk drinks like Macchiato, cortado, and latte.
So many coffee flavors are available, and it has become almost impossible to taste and enjoy every coffee taste. If you dislike consistently drinking highly flavorful sweet coffee, you can move towards more subdued, less sweet coffees. One of the great options available in smoother taste is the Caffe Misto.
In recent times this coffee taste has gained popularity among true coffee enthusiasts. For this reason, Starbucks has recently added it to its menu. Since Starbucks is so meticulous about different coffee tastes, it makes these flavors with its required ingredients.
I have often made and tasted this Misto coffee, which has become one of my favorite drinks. A coffee taste that usually adds no flavors. Also, this drink is easy to make at home and doesn’t require many ingredients.
Also, you surely need to check Americano Misto.
In this article, I will explain everything about the Caffe Misto recipe and how it differs from other beverages.
What is Caffe Misto?
The Caffe Misto originates from France. It is prepared with an equal amount of brewed coffee with steamed milk. A question comes to mind: How does it differ from Cappuccino and Macchiato? Well, The only difference is that these drinks add espresso shots, while Caffe Misto prepares with drip coffee.
Espresso and drip coffee have different tastes and aromas. Espresso is a more concentrated drink, whereas drip coffee is smoother coffee. Anyone who loves espresso will never compromise with the taste of espresso. Similarly, if you don’t like strong espresso shots, the better option should be brewed coffee.
Now, what are the ingredients needed for this coffee? It is simple to drink prepared with equal milk and coffee. I mean half a cup of coffee and half a cup of milk to make a perfect balance. In fact, this coffee doesn’t need adding any flavors.
Since this coffee flavor is made with drip coffee, you don’t need expensive espresso machines or a French press. Any traditional coffee-making machine will work fine. Also, anyone with a basic knowledge of coffee can make Caffe Misto.
If you want to know about antoher excting drink check Bone dry Cappuccino.
If you like latte drinks, read this interesting article about Spanish latte.
How to make Caffe Misto at home?
You can make this coffee easily at home. This delicious drink takes only 7 minutes to complete. It takes 5 minutes for preparation and only 2 minutes to cook.
Which coffee beans are the best for Caffe Misto?
Well, this flavor is made with brewed coffee, so you need to get Arabica coffee beans. I like arabica coffee beans for drip coffee due to their less intense taste. However, robusta coffee beans are also an option if you prefer.
But when you visit a coffee shop, you will notice they use light-roasted coffee beans for drip coffee. Since this coffee is considered a milder in taste than espresso, it usually prefers to be made with lightly roasted coffee beans.
Having discussed all the options, the best coffee beans for drip are the ones that you prefer most. All coffee beans make you brewed coffee, but you also need to check the caffeine content in different coffee beans.
Whatever coffee beans you prefer, Caffee Misto only requires 20 gm of coffee.
Ingredients
- Coffee 100 grams
- Milk 100 grams
Instructions
- First, brew coffee; you can brew any coffee of your choice. Any drip coffee maker will work fine.
- While the coffee is brewing, start heating the milk. The milk shouldn’t be boilingly hot.
- When the coffee is brewed, add the hot milk to it. Now Add some milk foamed milk at the top. The steamed and foamed milk should be combined equally to brewed coffeee; it is an important factor while brewing Caffe Misto.
- Your delicious cup is ready to drink.
How to enhance the taste of Caffe Misto?
Caffe Misto is an easy drink to brew but can be made with certain changes to make it more delicious and flavorful. Here I am going to discuss different variations you can apply during brewing. However, these variables are optional, and you can apply them if you’d like a customized drink.
- You can add more coffee if you want a more potent drink. However, according to the recipe, you can only add an equal ratio of milk and coffee to your drink. But you can change it according to your choice.
- Similarly, you can add more milk to make it sweeter and less intense. However, you can sweetener to make it sweeter, but it may reduce the sheer taste of Misto.
- People also use non-dairy products instead of milk. And non-dairy products will not disappoint you with taste. Adding almond, oat, and soy milk are good options in Caffe Misto. However, you can add any non-dairy product of your choice.
- Also, you can add a heavy layer of milk foam or light cream to your drink. It will make your drink rich and delicious. But this will add more fat to your coffee.
Can I make Caffe Misto with Espresso?
As I have discussed, caffe misto brews with drip coffee, but the important question is, can it be prepared with espresso? The answer is Yes; you can prepare it with espresso shots, but it will need a more solid coffee drink than brewed coffee.
It is the personal choice of an individual to brew it with espresso. Espresso has a much more robust and bitter taste than coffee. But still, brew with an equal ratio of steamed milk and espresso.
How to make an iced Caffee Misto?
Ideally, everyone prefers less intense but cold coffee in summer. But which cold coffee should replace hot coffee? I don’t think much better options are available than iced Caffe Misto in summer. But do we need to add more ingredients to it? Caffe Misto needs no change; it only requires iced cubes in the glass once the coffee is ready.
Here is the sequence to make iced Caffe Misto.
- First, make a cup of brewed coffee.
- In next step, Add ice cubes to make the hot coffee cooler.
- Lastly, add cold milk to it. You can also add milk foam at the top. Your iced Caffee Misto is ready to enjoy.
Even though this cold coffee can be added with add-ins, that will make coffee more flavorful.
How to make iced cortado at home.
What does Caffe Misto taste like?
This coffee doesn’t prepare with espresso. As we know, espresso has a strong bitter taste. Caffe Misto is a coffee and milk beverage. Caffee Misto has a balanced and milder taste. The use of milk makes it a smooth, enjoyable drink. You can make it at home and enjoy it any time of the day.
If you dislike the taste of espresso, Caffe Misto is a great drink to replace it.
How many calories per serving?
In comparison to other milky coffees, the calorie content in Caffe Misto is less. Since it has balanced milk and usually doesn’t contain any flavors. I calculated a cup of Misto contains around 50 calories. However, it depends on many factors, for instance, what type of milk is used. Also, Is it contain any add-ins?
So if it contains whole milk, the calories will increase upto 83 calories. But a better option would be skimmed milk since it has fewer calories. A coffee misto with skimmed milk can contain around 45 calories.
How much caffeine content is in a cup?
The caffeine content depends on the type of beans you use for coffee. And drip Coffee consists of a good amount of caffeine. A cup of Caffe Misto of 16 ounces contains around 140 mg of caffeine. However, you should prefer a small cup of Caffe Misto to get less caffeine.
Similarly, use darkly roasted coffee beans instead of lightly roasted beans to get a less caffeinated drink.
Can you customize Caffe Misto?
You can customize this coffee. I always prefer to add extra flavor to make my Caffe Misto flavorful. If you like, you can add hazelnuts, caramel, and chocolate syrups to your drink. Similarly, you can also add sugar to it. However, adding flavors will increase the calorie content in your glass.
Furthermore, This coffee flavor is also available at Starbucks; you can customize it. You may add caramel, hazelnut, and other syrups to your Starbucks drink. However, A Starbucks Misto typically excludes added sugars or flavors.
Difference between Caffe Misto and other drinks, Summary table
| Ingredients | Caffe Misto | Latte | Cappuccino | Flat white | Macchiato |
| Espresso/ Ristretto/coffee | 20 grams coffee | 1/3 espresso | 1 ristretto shot | One espresso shot | 1 espresso shots |
| milk | The ratio of milk and coffee is 1:1 | 2/3 steamed milk | half cup of milk | 150 to 200 ml of steamed milk and milk foam | Steamed milk |
| Cup size | 160 ml cup | 230 ml glass | 160 ml cup | 200 to 220 ml glass | 90 ml cup |
Caffe Misto vs café au lait
Both these drinks are the same. The word Caffee Misto is an Italian word that means coffee with milk. And The word café au lait is a French word that means coffee with milk. So both these names can be used interchangeably. However, at Starbucks, it is called Caffe Misto.
So in France, forget Caffe Misto when entering a coffee bar, except you should ask for café au lait instead.
Caffe Misto vs latte
Many believe that these two are the same drink. But this is not the case; both have different milk-to-coffee ratios. A Caffe Misto adds freshly brewed coffee with steamed milk. And a latte prepares with an espresso shot, steamed milk, and milk foam at the top.
The two drinks have a significant difference in the use of milk. The latte drinks always comes with more milk. A latte uses 1/3 espresso and ¾ steamed milk. So you can’t expect the same taste and texture from these drinks.
Caffe Misto
Caffe Misto prepares with an equal part of milk and brewed coffee. It tastes more like black coffee.
Latte
The latte also has some other qualities that will not be available in other coffee tastes. A latte adds unique art that differentiates it from other beverages. The latte art not only makes the drink pretty but also it becomes tastier.
If you like milk drinks, you should go for a latte; otherwise, Misto is a more balanced and fantastically tasty drink.
Caffe Misto Vs Cappuccino
The difference between Caffe Misto and Cappuccino is the ratio of milk to coffee. Also, the other significant difference is the use of coffee; Cappuccino brews with espresso and Misto with drip coffee.
A cappuccino has an espresso and steamed milk. Cappuccino has more frothed milk than a latte or Misto. In cappuccino, milk is equally divided between steamed milk and frothed milk. If you see a Cappuccino appearance, it looks more foamed at the top than any other milky coffee.
Do you know what is bone-dry cappuccino?
In contrast, Caffe Misto is comparatively less strong than Cappuccino because it adds brewed coffee. But when we look at taste and aroma, both drinks have unique features that make them worthy of trying.
Caffe Misto vs Flat white
Apparently, both these drinks look the same. However, there are a few exciting differences between Caffe Misto and flat white. Flat white uses more hot milk with a milk frother. In comparison, Caffe Misto adds less milk frother at the top.
Caffe Misto is unique from all these known coffee drinks in the use of brewed coffee. Flat white is an amazing flavorful drink, but it differs from Misto in many ways.
Usually, we make a flat white with one or two concentrated ristretto shots, steamed milk, and milk foam at the top. It has a smoother and milky taste. A flat white is a delicious option if you want a more milk-dominant drink with a sharp espresso flavor.
Related topic.
Milk powder coffee: what is it & How to make it? a detailed guide
Final thoughts
I discussed many coffee flavors, but this one is my favorite. You may not like the drip coffee concept in Caffe Misto, but believe me, it has an even better taste than espresso. Also, you can replace espresso with drip coffee.
This is especially a dream coffee for those who don’t like espresso flavor and want something different and smoother in taste; the Misto with brewed coffee is the best available option.
It is a different flavor from other known flavors that we usually discuss, but this one is unique and better than other known drinks. And more interestingly, it has fewer ingredients and an easier brewing process.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is there any difference between Caffe Misto and American Misto?
Americano Misto brews with espresso and hot water. In comparison, Caffe Misto adds brewed coffee and milk. Even though the milk-to-coffee ratio is the same in both drinks.
Is Caffe Misto good coffee?
The milk in this coffee makes it a balanced beverage. It adds drip coffee which makes it a unique but better option. So strong coffee gets milder by adding milk to it. You can add flavors to make it sweeter.
Does Caffe Misto have sugar?
This coffee usually prepares without sugar. However, you can add sugar to it. Starbucks Caffe Misto also comes without any sugar added to it.
