Last updated on October 26th, 2023 at 20:26
Learn how to make a breve coffee better than Starbucks with the easy-to-follow recipe and instructions in this article!
A breve coffee, or cafe breve as it is also known, is so easy to make and decadent delight and when you have worked hard, played hard or studied hard you deserve to treat yourself with an indulgent coffee!
Keep reading for an excellent recipe and full instructions!
How To Make A Breve Coffee
Table Of Contents
Making a breve coffee is easy, very easy and is one of the easiest coffee drinks to make. The skill is in making the perfect espresso shot and steaming the half-and-half cream.
As always, at Latte Love Brew we advise the adherence of the baristas principle of using the best ingredient, the best equipment and the best methods to get the best results.
Seek out your best dark roast beans!
But first, let’s talk a little about breve coffee.
Read: What is breve latte?
What Is A Breve?
A breve coffee is a decadent and delicious coffee beverage made with a double shot of espresso and the same amount of steamed half-and-half cream.
By definition, a breve coffee, also called a caffe breve, is the same as the classic Spanish coffee drink the cortado, with the only difference being a cortado is made with steamed whole milk.
Breve Vs Latte
A cafe breve is different from both a regular latte and a breve latte as a regular latte is made traditionally with steamed whole milk and a shot or two of espresso using an espresso to steamed milk ratio of 1:2.
A breve latte is the same as a regular latte with the difference between the two drinks being that a breve latte is made using half-and-half cream.
- Cafe Breve: An espresso based drink made with a double shot of espresso and steamed half-and-half cream using an espresso to dairy ratio of 1:1.
- Breve Latte: An espresso drink made with a shot or two of espresso and steamed half-and-half cream using an espresso to dairy ratio of 1:2.
- Regular Latte: An espresso drink with a shot or two of espresso and steamed milk using an espresso to milk ratio of 1:2.
It is easy to see the slight difference between these three beverages, subtle, but it affects the whole coffee experience.
Read: Does a breve have coffee?
How To Make A Breve Coffee At Home
To make an amazing breve coffee at home it is advised that you use at least an espresso machine and freshly roasted dark roasted whole coffee beans. French roast and Italian roasts are particularly good for making a breve coffee.
Pulling The Perfect Espresso Shot
For making the espresso base you will need to pull a double shot. The better your shot and the better the quality of your beans, the better your breve coffee will be.
Weigh 40 grams of whole beans as we will be using a coffee to water ratio of 1:1.5 which is the Italian ratio.
Grind your coffee beans to a fine grind size of 200 microns using a conical ceramic burr grinder.
Grind in bursts of 5 seconds until all your beans have been ground.
Carefully tamp your coffee with an even pressure of 30 kg.
Pull your double shot and time the extraction time. Your extraction time should be 25 seconds with a variance of plus or minus 5 seconds.
If your espresso is within the allotted brew time for a perfect espresso, move to steaming your half-and-half cream.
If your brew time is not 100% correct and is pulled too quickly, adjust your grind size and use a slightly smaller grind to encourage greater contact between the water and your grinds.
If your brew time is too long, make your grind size larger to reduce the contact time and help the water to flow past and coffee grinds with greater ease.
Steam Your Half And Half Cream
It is your choice if you want to make your own half-and-half cream or to buy it ready-made.
If you want to make your own, simply use equal amounts of heavy cream and whole milk and mix them together well.
Steam your half-and-half cream using your steam wand using the same technique as steaming regular milk but only let your milk expand 25%.
Alternatively, you can froth your half-and-half milk by using an electric milk frother or your French press.
Frequently Asked Questions About How To Make A Breve Coffee
What Makes A Coffee A Breve?
The use of half-and-half cream is what makes a coffee a breve. Regular latte is made using whole milk.
The ratios are also different as a breve has an espresso to dairy ratio of 1:1 while a latte has an espresso to dairy ratio of 1:2.
How Is A Breve Made?
A breve is an espresso beverage with an equal ratio of steamed half-and-half which is poured onto the espresso shot with a layer of milk foam.
How Does Starbucks Make A Breve?
A Starbucks breve latte is a very easy drink to prepare. They use their signature espresso for this drink and half-and-half cream. The half-and-half is a mix of light milk and whole fat milk in equal ratios. The half-and-half is steamed and poured over the espresso shot with some froth, some foam added on top.
A breve at the world’s most popular coffee shop, to clear up confusion can be used with any coffee beverage with milk with breve cappuccino and breve latte being the two most popular requests. You can also order a breve macchiato or a breve mocha – any coffee drink at Starbucks you can replace the regular milk with half-and-half.
Read: Breve
Is Breve Just A Latte?
A breve coffee is a drink that is made with half-and-half cream using a 1:1 espresso to dairy ratio, and although referred to as a breve latte it does not use the 1:2 espresso to milk ratio of an espresso latte.
It is not an ordinary latte; it is a creamier, richer and more decadent latte with a greater and richer velvet-like texture.
How Much Coffee Is In A Breve?
A breve can be made with the number of espresso shots requested by the drinker. It’s usually made with one or two shots of espresso, meaning the caffeine content is from 75 mg to 150 mg.
What’s The Difference Between Americano And Breve?
The difference between these two beverages is that a café Americano is made with shots of espresso and then diluted with hot water while a breve is made with shots of espresso and half-and-half cream.
The result is two very different coffee beverages.
Is Breve Coffee Good For You?
While a breve coffee in all its formats, be it a breve latte, cappuccino or macchiato, it has an elevated amount of calories and fat content as long as you stay within the suggested healthy daily limits.
If you are on a diet, trying to lose weight or struggling with high cholesterol, it is not a good idea to have a daily breve.
What Language Is Breve Coffee?
Breve is a coffee that comes from the Italian language with Breve meaning short.
Final Thoughts – How To Make A Breve Coffee
If you have read this far, you will have learned how to make a breve coffee at home.
The benefit of making gourmet coffee at home is not only the time saving aspect of not having to travel to your nearest Starbucks or coffee shop or the money saving side of it, it is the ability to make your coffee beverages exactly as you want them.
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Derek Marshall
Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location
