Starbucks’ New Drink: Taste A Latte Macchiato
Starbucks announced the addition of a new drink to its menu, starting today.
The Latte Macchiato is made of two simple ingredients — milk and espresso. A description was given in a recent Starbucks press release.
Starbucks’ new drink begins with whole milk that is steamed. Espresso shots are slowly hand poured into through the milk, creating a signature espresso dot on top. This technique creates an “intensely bold and roast flavor” that highlights the espresso taste in the new drink.
Macchiato, pronounced “mah-key-ah-toh,” is an Italian term meaning “stained” or “marked.” A traditional Italian beverage, it refers to a drink made with one or two shots of espresso and a small quantity of steamed milk that then “marks” the espresso. However, in some regions, the process is opposite, and the steamed milk comes first with the espresso creating the mark.
Starbucks’ new macchiato drink will be a permanent member of the core espresso menu, which currently includes Caffe Latte, Cappuccino, Flat White, Caffe Americano, and Doppio Espresso.
The previous espresso drink to be introduced was the Flat White, which was added to Starbucks’ menu in January of last year. The Flat White has the same simple ingredients as the Latte Macchiato. The difference is in the way the two drinks are created, which then changes the highlighted ingredient. The Macchiato focuses on the bold flavor of the espresso, whereas the Flat White places emphasis on the steamed milk.
The difference is also evident by the appearance of the drinks, reports 1912pike.com. The Latte Macchiato starts with two shots of espresso in the bottom, followed by steamed whole milk. The milk is steamed for a longer period of time, creating a foam that has the texture similar to meringue. Then the espresso is poured into the middle, so your first sip is quite “robust.” An examination of the top of the drink shows the white foamed milk with a brown dot of espresso in the middle.
On the other hand, the Flat White starts with two ristretto espresso shots in the bottom of the cup. Ristretto shots are short shots of espresso made with the normal amount of ground coffee but with only half the amount of water, reports Wikipedia. They are basically the first portion of a full-length espresso, resulting in a sweeter, more concentrated serving.
Whole milk steamed quickly for a nice, velvety texture is poured in next, which then evenly mixes with the espresso for a “balanced first sip.” The color is a homogenous light brown color. The drink is finished with a small circle of white steamed milk marked in the middle.
These two Starbucks signature drinks lie in the middle of the espresso family flavor. On the bold end, the Doppio is simply two shots of espresso taken straight with no embellishments. Then comes the Caffe Americano, which consists of filtered hot water mixed with shots of espresso.
The Latte Macchiato and then the Flat White come next in the flavor family. The Cappuccino follows, with an espresso shot topped off with a large layer of foamy milk. Finally, the Caffe Latte is listed as the creamiest, with an espresso shot or two, a layer of steamed milk, and then topped with foam.
Practice makes perfection!! Marie has the #lattemacchiato @psmithstarbucks @jooedel @starbucksprtnrs pic.twitter.com/oTJAmsMK2g
— SbuxAikenAugusta (@starbucks7430) January 5, 2016
Starbucks opened with a small store in 1971 in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. From there, they have grown into an international coffee chain with over 22,500 stores as of June of last year. They have reached a goal of using 99 percent ethical sourced coffee and have committed to hiring 10,000 opportunity youth by 2018.
Their newly expanded menu now includes smoothies, teas, cookies, cakes, salads, breakfast, and snacks. Starbucks’ newest drink should be a success as well.
[Image via Starbucks]
