MADE is a paid partnership with Little Lake County.
Welcome to MADE in Lake County! MADE introduces you to the people and stories behind local Lake County businesses. Today Shannon Rosberg from The Latte Cafe & Bakery in Antioch is here to share with you some coffee knowledge that will make finding your favorite drink (and ordering it!) that much easier!
Mmmm coffee. From light roast drip coffee to an americano, we can agree on one thing – coffee is life. But if you’ve ever wondered about just what it is you’re drinking, you’ve come to the right place. We are here to share our coffee knowledge and inform you a little bit more about just what is in that magical cup we’ve all come to love.
Roasting
To begin, let’s discuss the roasting process. The coffee beans are roasted at high temperatures to remove the water content from the beans, then cooled rapidly to stop the roasting process. The beans go from 400 degrees to being able to be touched by hand in under one minute. The longer a bean is roasted, the darker it becomes. This means the dark roasts actually have less caffeine – the beans are roasted for longer allowing the caffeine to evaporate. And let us stress this one point about the coffee beans – you want them as fresh as possible for the best-tasting flavor.
Espresso
When it comes to espresso, you’re dealing with how the bean is prepared. An espresso machine uses hot water and high pressure and allows the bean to be ground much finer, resulting in a smaller, more intense drink. You may ask which has more caffeine – a cup of coffee or a shot of espresso, but the truth is a little more complicated than that. Though typically your cup of coffee will be stronger, keep in mind it has to do with size; espresso does have a higher concentration of caffeine per ounce. And let’s not forget the crema: the flavorful, aromatic froth made when air bubbles combine with fine-ground coffee’s soluble oils.
So what are the different drinks you can make with a shot of espresso? Here’s a quick rundown of the most popular:
- Latte: espresso with steamed milk and foam
- Mocha: a latte with chocolate
- Americano: espresso and water
- Cappuccino: espresso with steamed and frothed milk
- Traditional Macchiato: espresso with a “mark” of frothy steamed milk
- Caramel Macchiato: a layered drink with vanilla, milk, and “marked” with espresso and caramel
This is just the beginning of the world of coffee. We invite you to come and try our selection of coffee and espresso drinks! In addition, we have freshly baked pastries, made to order sandwiches, soups, and salads.
Time for a coffee break!
The Latte Cafe & Bakery are offering our readers Buy One, Get One Half Off all drinks!
Did you miss meeting Shannon and Anna? Read all about how Shannon and Anna MADE The Latte Cafe & Bakery.
The Latte Cafe & Bakery
1185 Main St., Antioch, IL 60002 | (224) 788-5076
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Disclosure: The Latte Cafe & Bakery is our featured Business of the Month. This series is part of a paid promotion partnership with Little Lake County. If you are interested in featuring your locally-owned business in our series, please contact the sales team.
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