Ever heard about breve coffee and wondering what it’s all about? Want to know how breve differs from latte?
After reading through this guide, you’ll discover all you’ve ever wanted to learn about breve and latte coffees, including their differences.
What Does Breve Coffee Refer To?
Breve coffee is a type of espresso coffee. It’s made by mixing espresso with steamed half-and-half rather than milk. The product is a drink with creamy foam. The drink is sweeter and fluffier than regular latte, which is made with milk.
Breve is made as an Americanized Italian latte. Thus, it can be described as latte containing half-and-half.
The term breve means “brief” or “short” in Italian. Although you’ll find a drink listed as “B” at Starbucks to mean breve milk, it’s neither milk nor a form of milk.
Breve Coffee at Starbucks
If you happen to order breve coffee at Starbucks, you’ll be served with half-and-half without any espresso in the blend. The reason behind this is that breve refers to half-and-half at Starbucks rather than the real breve drink.
Most coffee shops dealing with specialty coffee serve breve as half-and-half mixed with espresso. However, to get the actual breve from Starbucks, you have to be specific that you need breve latte.
Caffeine Content in Breve
Essentially, the amount of caffeine in breve depends on the number of espresso shots you’re drinking and their size. If you’re taking one shot of breve latte, you’re consuming about 75mg caffeine.
Tall and short breve lattes sold at Starbucks contain 75mg caffeine while venti and grande contain 150mg caffeine.
Calories in Breve
Breve contains a high amount of calories. For instance, a breve latte serving of 12 ounces contains 35g fat and 426 calories. Thus, breve contains about 3 times the calories of traditional latte drinks.
Latte vs. Breve
Latte and breve are prepared using the same process. However, breve is fluffier and creamier than latte. Also, breve is sweeter than latte. Thus, most people hardly add any sweetener to breve. However, breve has more calories than latte.
Mocha vs. Breve
Mocha comprises a blend of steamed milk, espresso, and sauce or chocolate powder. Both mocha and breve are very creamy and sweet. However, mocha has an extra chocolate taste.
The caffeine and calorie content of mocha and breve differ. For instance, tall mocha contains 95mg caffeine and 290 calories whereas tall breve contains 75mg caffeine and 426 calories.
Americano vs. Breve
Both Americano and breve are made with espresso. However, they’re completely different. Breve is both sweet and creamy and contains half-and-half. Making Americano involves diluting an espresso with very hot water. Also, Americanos don’t contain any milk. Americano is just a strong, black coffee without sweetness or creaminess. Americanos don’t have a lot of calories. A serving of 12 ounces only has 10 calories.
Cortado vs. Breve
Cortado contains two ounces of steamed milk and two ounces of espresso. The milk used in making cortado has a flat taste while that of breve has a rich and foamy taste. Breve tastes strong since cortado has less amount of milk.
Flat White vs. Breve
Flat white comprises whole milk that’s lightly steamed and ristretto shots. It doesn’t foam and has a relatively stronger taste than breve. Flat white in a tall serving comprises 130mg caffeine and 170 calories.
How to Brew Breve Coffee
You only need half-and-half to brew breve. Brewing requires any espresso machine that has an inbuilt steamer. If your espresso doesn’t have an inbuilt steamer, use a saucepan to heat the half-and-half, but don’t allow it to boil or simmer. It’s recommended to heat it to a temperature of about 150 degrees. Upon heating it, use a whisk or frother it until it froths.
Step #1
First, brew a single espresso capsule or espresso shot. Pour the espresso shot into a coffee mug or cup.
Step #2
Add half-and-half into the steaming pitcher and steam it. Ensure the pitcher is angled slightly. Submerge the steaming wand diagonally. Remember to keep the steaming wand submerged until you finish steaming. Ensure you steam it until the temperature reaches around 140 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step #3
Hold back the foam with a spoon as you pour the half-and-half into the coffee mug containing an espresso shot.
Step #4
Remove the foam on your drink by scooping it out.
In case you don’t own an espresso maker, use your regular coffee maker, but ensure you brew strong coffee. Heat enough half-and-half in a saucepan on a stovetop. Froth it with a whisk or hand frother. Add coffee (1/3 cup) and pour the half-and-half you’ve just steamed.
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