What is the difference between raff and latte, how to distinguish one drink from another

There are many types of coffee and milk-based drinks, and they have many common features. But you can understand the difference between raff and latte without even trying it. The difference is immediately visible - the first is a homogeneous mass, while the second is divided into layers. However, the differences lie not only in the appearance of the drinks, but also in other criteria - preparation technology, ratio of ingredients, method of serving, taste, calorie content, etc.

How to distinguish raff from latte

Raf is often called “Russian coffee”, because it was invented in Russia in the 90s of the last century. In addition to our country, it is also popular in some republics of the former USSR, but is practically unknown in other countries.

The birthplace of latte is Italy. These days, this drink can be tasted in almost every corner of the world. Like Russian coffee, it is characterized by a soft and delicate taste due to the milk component. In addition, the caffeine content of both types of drinks is often lower than traditional espresso.

This is where the similarities end. And there are many more features that distinguish raff from latte.

Composition and proportions

Arabica and robusta are used to prepare Russian coffee, where the share of the first type is 70-80%. Lattes, like cappuccinos, contain one or more varieties of Arabica.Sometimes robusta is added to the drink, but not more than 10% of the total mass of coffee.

The milk component of raffa is cream with 10-15% fat content. Lattes are topped with milk, hot or cold. In addition, vanilla sugar, rather than regular sugar, is used as a sweetener when preparing Russian coffee. Moreover, more often they add not sand, but syrup, since in dry form it can give the drink unwanted bitterness.

Cooking method

When preparing classic raffa, syrup is first poured into the bowl, then one shot of espresso, and lastly, heated cream. The ingredients are whipped and heated in a pitcher (a pear-shaped container for milk or cream) to 65°C. The finished product is often sprinkled with cinnamon. And in the interpreted versions, various additives may be present - honey, lavender, coconut, citruses, caramel, halva, etc. There is also alcoholic Russian coffee with the addition of a small share of strong drink.

A latte consists of a shot of espresso and a cup of milk, warmed or cooled. A moka (geyser coffee maker) is used for preparation. The drink is characterized by a lush “cap” of milk foam. In coffee shops, a design is often applied to it, created by infusing the milk component in a special way. This type of art is called latte art.

Texture

Coffee and raffa cream are whipped together, resulting in a homogeneous, fluffy mass with a “smooth” consistency.

The ingredients for the latte are whisked separately and placed in a serving dish in layers that should not be mixed. Thus, the structure of the drink is clearly visible: milk is located at the bottom, coffee is in the middle, and the top is decorated with milk foam.

Feeding method

Raf is served in opaque ceramic mugs.Dishes can be either tall and narrowed or wide and “squat”.

Latte is poured into glass glasses. The transparent walls of the vessel allow you to see the layered structure of the drink and receive not only gastronomic, but also aesthetic pleasure. The glass is placed on a napkin or a small flat saucer.

Taste and aroma

In both raffa and latte, milk additives smooth out the taste of espresso, making the product softer and more delicate. But the difference is that in the first version the coffee tastes weaker. Some gourmets claim that the base component here is “practically not felt,” whereas in the Italian version of the drink it is clearly “audible.”

In addition, Russian coffee is often supplemented with various additives, which further mask the taste of the base. But this trait is more characteristic of original recipes, rather than classical execution.

Calorie content

Raffa contains cream, which is several times higher in fat content than milk. This makes the drink not only more tender, but also increases its energy value.

So, 100 g of Russian coffee contains approximately 85 kcal, which is almost twice the calorie content of the same amount of latte. According to this criterion, only moccacino can surpass raf, even in its classic version, without the addition of halva, caramel, nuts, etc.

Raf

The appearance of raf coffee is associated with the name of director Rafael Timarbaev, and the authorship is attributed to three baristas - Gleb Neveikin, Artyom Berestov and Galina Samokhina.

According to legend, in 1996 or 1997, Timarbaev, once again visiting the Moscow coffee shop “Coffee Bean”, asked to come up with some new version of coffee for him. The employees accommodated the regular customer, and this is how the coffee drink “for Raf” was born.The director liked its soft and sweet taste, and subsequently other visitors began to order the same coffee. The name was gradually shortened to “raf coffee” or simply “raf”.

The baristas used this experience to move on to work in other establishments, where they offered a new drink option to customers. Raf quickly gained popularity, and they began to prepare it not only in Moscow coffee shops, but also in the provinces. And by 2018, the recipe became widespread in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus. This version of the drink can also be found in some coffee shops in Poland, Israel and Indonesia.

Latte

The name of the drink is a truncated and anglicized version of the Italian “caffe latte”, which means “coffee with milk”. It is noteworthy that in the historical homeland it is customary to drink latte only in the first half of the day, before lunch.

Like raf, Italian coffee is often supplemented with various additives. But the difference is that they are not included in the composition, but only decorate the foam. The milk “cap” can be sprinkled with cinnamon, chopped chocolate or nut crumbs. The only exception is the alcoholic version of the drink - here amaretto syrup is added to one of the layers, usually to the coffee layer.

There are several similar drinks that are often confused with lattes. These are cappuccino, French Cafe au lait (“coffee with milk”) and latte macchiato.

The differences are as follows:

• The ratio of espresso, milk and milk foam in a latte is 1:2 (or 3):1, respectively, while in a cappuccino the proportions are equal. And also the last type of drink is distinguished by a denser “cap”.
• The French version is prepared not only with espresso, but also based on Americano. In a latte, the basic component can only be the first type of coffee.
• Latte and latte macchiato have the most similarities. The only difference is the order in which the ingredients are mixed. In the first case, milk is added to coffee, and in the second, vice versa. But some gourmets claim that their taste characteristics are also different, namely that the taste of latte is dominated by coffee, and in latte macchiato milk dominates.

Thus, the question of which is better, raff or latte, or maybe cappuccino or Cafe au lait, is not worth it, because there is no arguing about preferences. Any of the options can be prepared at home, and you can also add ingredients to your taste, adjust the proportions and create a unique, “signature” drink.