At the moment I prepare lattes at home as follows:
- 1/3 cup water + 1T ground coffee in Krups espresso machine (looks a bit like this one)
- 2/3 cup microwave-heated milk (the milk steamer on the machine doesn't work)
- 5 drops honey
It tastes nice, but not like a restaurant latte, and not just because there's no foam. What is needed to make coffee taste as good as restaurant coffee? This machine doesn't work properly so I'm prepared to buy some new equipment but obviously on a home budget not a restaurant one.
- Machine: better to get one that grinds beans?
- Ratio of ingredients: does it need to change?
- Coffee form: beans / ground coffee?
- Coffee strength: experimentation has settled on strong and milky, I don't think this needs to change
- Milk: does it have to be steamed? do you get hand steamers?
- Fat content of milk: fat free / 2% / full cream?
- Container: surely not, restaurant stuff tastes better even in a takeaway paper cup! :)
- Other variables?