There are a dozen ways you can make an iced latte, but one of our favourites has to be the combination of strong black coffee and sweet condensed milk. A prominent variant of this drink is the Vietnamese cà phê sữa đá, which is practically street food in the country as you can find it everywhere. An elegant expression can be had at Café de L’ambre in Tokyo, Japan, where you can sip on Blanc et Noir as jazz plays in the background. This drink’s extra fancy preparation involves flannel-filtered coffee, rapidly chilled and then topped with sweetened cream. Both beverages are common in that the base is a dark-roasted coffee, which is ideal for the flavour to punch through. This week’s recommended capsule, Orthodox by St. Ali, is a throwback to an Italian roast, and is the perfect coffee for our take on the sweet iced latte. Named for its delightful flavour contrast, the Black and White is as easy to make as it is to drink!
Ingredients:
- 60g or ml espresso (brewed from 2 capsules, about 30g each)
- 25g sweetened condensed milk
- 25g heavy cream
- good-sized ice for shaking
The first step involves chilling the coffee, so let’s bust out those shakers! Pull some espresso shots into the shaker along with some ice, and shake until cold. Strain into a wide-mouthed glass (such as a coupe or rocks glass), but hold back the foam as you pour. Before the next step, rinse your shaker as we will be using it again to make fluffy sweet milk. Pour the heavy cream and condensed milk into the shaker, along with one good piece of ice. Shake for a few seconds, and then slowly strain and pour the now-aerated milk into the glass with cold coffee. Include all the foam this time around. Tilt the glass while you pour to allow the milk to create a layer on top instead of sinking. Resist the urge to mix - we find the layered sweetness followed by potent bitterness to be the superior way to enjoy the beverage!
Recommended Capsule: Orthodox by St. Ali
Words & Photos by Jonathan Choi (@theheadbean)