this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2026
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How do I make a latte? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by ComicalMayhem@lemmy.world to c/coffee@lemmy.world
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I have an espresso machine, some shitty AI generated brand my mom bought me from Amazon (chefman it's called, and it's not actually all that shitty I don't think). Anyways every time I go to make a mocha or some other kind of flavored latte, I have no idea what I'm doing. I usually do two shots of espresso, then fill my mug about halfway or less with milk and flavor (choccy chips or one of the syrups I have), steam it for uhh like 60 to 90 seconds, then add the espresso in.

I find my lattes... or cappuccinos? I'm not even sure of what the end product is when I make stuff. Anyways I find them ok, but not as good as products from actual cafes. For example, starbucks mochas are better than my homemade ones, and the mochas at this random ass cafe in the local hospital are also, in my opinion, better than mine, though it's been a while since I had either. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, mostly because I don't know what I'm even doing. How much milk should I be using? How much flavorings, how much sweeteners, if any, do I pour the espresso shots into the cup after I steam the milk or do I pour the steamed milk over the espresso? How long do I steam it for? Is my machine actually shitty like I earlier described or am I being rude to my mother?

In short, how the hell do I get professional, cafe level mochas at home with my machine?

Edit: TIL I know nothing about espresso making...

Edit2: Ok here's my exact process.

  1. I get the bag/can-thing of preground espresso-designated coffee grounds I have in a cabinet.
  2. I scoop some out, and fill the designated 2-shot portafilter my machine came with to the very tip of the fill line (usually leaves the portafilter nearly entirely full). Then I tamp, and then put the grounds away. The exact amount is unknown to me, and I don't measure particularly well.
  3. I put the portafilter in the machine, then press the 2 shot button to serve the shots into a ramekin or some small dish large enough to temporarily hold the espresso. The machine has time settings for 2 shot servings, it pours liquid for some adjustable period of time but I left it on default. I don't recall what it is but I believe it's around 20 seconds?
  4. After the espresso is poured, I pour some milk into my designated espresso mug that I will drink out of once everything is done. I do not measure the milk; I just pour until I feel like I have enough milk. I also usually add some flavorings; syrups or chocolate chips, usually.
  5. I turn the machine's frothing mode on, wait for it to preheat (there's a preheating indicator), twist the knob that allegedly controls the steaming wand to max, and froth the milk for about 60 to 90 seconds, or until I can visibly see a layer of foam. The dial for the steamer is continuous, it's not a binary on-off or discrete off-min-mid-max thing, but I don't actually know what it controls besides on and off.
  6. Once the milk is frothed, I pour the espresso into the mug, stir, and drink.

Apparently I ought to be measuring the grounds before putting them into the portafilter, and measuring the espresso as it pours, though I have no control over how much is poured beyond the time the machine runs for. I don't know, I'm a scrub at this and all my espresso gear was gifted to me over the years, including the grounds. I apologize for being a heathen, please educate me on this art. I have no other resources besides the internet (which is 90% AI) and Youtube I guess.

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[–] Micromot@piefed.social 6 points 1 day ago

For the steaming I would recommend this video by James Hoffmann: (https://youtu.be/oaKRBBpA4fw)

It is really helpful, if you have a metal milk pitcher.

For now you can use up the pre-ground coffee for practising milk Frothing and when you get good coffee beans, you can experiment with the variables of the espresso.

[–] Robin@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

"gear was gifted to me over the years, including the grounds" I sure hope you don't mean to say the grounds are years old.

You're gonna have a rough time getting better coffee from preground than any random cafe that grinds fresh. A mediocre machine you can work around by getting to know it better and how to work with the limitations. But one of the parameters you would want to play with is grind size. People here are suggesting you measure your grounds but I don't think that will matter much for the preground stuff. It's likely too coarse to build up much pressure at any dose. I would suggest you look into a (hand) grinder if you want to get better coffee. Also keep in mind that if you don't need to get caught up in this expensive hobby if you're okay with your current results. Ice coffee is a lot more forgiving if you want to give that a try.

[–] Micromot@piefed.social 5 points 1 day ago

They probably have a pressurized Basket/Portafilter, so the main difference from adjusting dosage will be the taste as the pressure comes from the basket itself.

On some cheaper machines you don't even have the option to go non-pressurized and it's probably fine for a beginner

[–] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I think it might be easier for me to just explain what my process is rather than dissecting yours. Feel free to ask any questions. Note I’m still a beginner in this but I’ve made decent progress I’d like to think.

First off, I pull my espresso. My typical dose is 18g of beans, finely ground, and a target output of around 36g when pulled. Hopefully in roughly 25-30 seconds.

Then I pour milk into a pitcher, just to the bottom of the spout on my pitcher, and steam it. I’m still learning to properly steam milk but there was a great guide in the comments of another post of mine you should check out. If I think of it after writing this I’ll edit my comment to link straight to the guide.

I usually pull my espresso into a different glass than I drink out of for milk drinks since I don’t have a ton of clearance on my machine, so I pour my espresso into a latte mug, then pour the steamed milk on top of the espresso. If I want a sweet latte I’ll usually add syrup to the espresso and add milk on top, but you might find better results adding syrup last.

To me it mostly sounds like you don’t know how to pull espresso rather than make the milk drink. First off, espresso is hard. It’s unforgiving and takes practice. I’d highly recommend weighing every shot. Weigh your beans, grind your beans, weigh the grounds again after (you may have a higher retention grinder for example, this will tell you that). Add your grounds to the portafilter, do some sort of distribution (WDT tool is great and easy to make at home if you don’t wanna spend money, but other options exist), then tamp. Tighten the portafilter to the machine, place your scale underneath with an espresso glass on top, zero your scale, then start pulling your shot. It’s a good idea to start a timer too so you know how long it’s taking to pull. Start the timer when you turn on the pump, not when liquid first starts coming out. Ideally you’ll get around double the weight of liquid out as you had grounds, in around 25-30 seconds. Liquid should start to come out at around 7-9 seconds. If it’s slightly off it’s not a big deal. If it’s wildly off you may have an issue with grind size.

Note that this is a guideline, everyone’s tastes are different. Some folk love a fast shot, some love a really restricted shot. You’ll find out what you like as you do it more. That guide is just a pretty crowd pleasing shot and a good starting point.

[–] ComicalMayhem@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Huh, wow, I know nothing about this art apparently.

So, to clarify my procedure: I scoop out grounds from the pre-ground espresso stuff I got, then I fill the designated two shot capacity portafilter that came with my machine to just under the brim, tamp it down, then I latch it into my machine and press the designated two shot espresso button (I think it runs for about 20 seconds? Maybe a little less, I haven't adjusted the factory settings). I only have preground coffee, and I don't own a grindr. All the espresso stuff I've got was gifted to me over the years (including the grounds).

What do you mean by distribution? Also, I assume pull to mean you... I guess pull a latch or something to pour water through the grounds? With your machine, you control the amount of water manually, or adjust the timings until you've got what you require?

I suppose grinding beans for coffee is ultimately better than using pre-ground stuff, but since I was recently gifted more pre-ground espresso coffee, I suppose I'll have to make do until I get through it all. What do you recommend to do for pre-ground stuff? Still weigh it before putting it into the portafilter?

[–] Micromot@piefed.social 4 points 1 day ago

You should still weigh it. Pulling just refers to activating the water flow and stopping it when the desired amount of Liquid is achieved. A good ratio for traditional Espresso is around 1:2-1:2.5, that means for every gram of coffee you have two grams of espresso.

For Example, if you have 18g of ground Coffee in the basket, then you want to habe 36g at the end.

Different kinds of coffee, like lungo, use differen ratios.

For now you can mostly experiment with the amount of ground coffee you put in the machine. As soon as you have full beans you can also experiment with grind size. For now you should now that, if the coffee is too bitter/dry you should use less and if it is too sour and watery, you should use more coffee.

[–] SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

Look at all these folks with precision scales and scientific details! Eventually you may want all that.

On fancy machines you pull a lever, yes, and have some manual control over pressure and timing.

If you're using a portafilter basket and low end machine, you will have to figure out what works on that single machine. Most likely, you aren't filling the basket enough; try filling it with an awkwardly tall pile that looks overfull and like it will topple, then tap a couple of times on the side with the tamper to center it before tamping it down hard, quite hard maybe. It should sit just below the basket edge on most cheap machines.

Preheat the basket a bit by loading it into the warm machine while you are getting the milky stuff ready. Observe the output carefully and make sure you stop before it gets watery, if you can.

With a portafilter basket some people like to soak the grounds slightly by starting the shot for 1 second, waiting a couple of seconds, then finishing the shot.

Good coffee is important but fresh roasted is more important possibly, coffee roasted a year ago can be fancy labelled but degraded. I pay more for stuff that is locally roasted and stamped with a date, then grind it myself with a metal burr grinder I bought used for $40, and after experimenting with my current cheap machine get a decent shot out of it. I like roasted a week or two ago best.

For the foamy part there are cheats, like heating milk in a microwave and using a frother. Steamed milk is technique through lots of practice.

[–] BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Micromot answered you pretty well, but I saw your edit in your post and figured I should send another reply rather than editing my comment in case you don’t see the edit.

As another clarification, espresso really is quite hard. There’s a reason most people order their espresso-based drinks at cafes rather than making them at home. Making them is incredibly satisfying but they aren’t easy.

If you’re using pre-ground it’s going to be a lot harder but certainly not impossible. A scale will really help you achieve consistency, so that when you do get a really nice shot, you know what you did and can repeat it next time.

As for your questions, distribution just means how well mixed are the grounds. If you’re doing pre-ground it’s not as big of a deal, but if you’re freshly grinding your beans at espresso-fine, you’re likely to get static and you’ll end up with clumps of grounds. Water is lazy and finds the easiest path to leave the puck, so if you have higher and lower density pockets in your puck, the higher density will get under-extracted and the lower density will get over-extracted leading to a bitter and sour cup at the end. There’s lots of distribution tools available. WDT, which I mentioned, is probably the cheapest and easiest, but there’s tons out there. It’s one of the most important parts of puck prep (once you’ve got the basics covered) but not as important on pre-ground.

Pulling a shot just means forcing water through the puck to get your espresso at the end. It probably gets its name from lever style machines but I’m not too sure.

I’d highly recommend checking out some espresso videos on YouTube to see how us weird coffee people do it. Watching it happen will probably tell you way more useful information than reading a post online.

If there’s any other questions, reach out.

Edit: I missed the part where you asked about how my machine works. With mine, I have to start and stop the water flow myself. So I’ll flick the switch to turn it on, then flick it back the other way to turn it off. This allows me to make it exactly how I like. This is how most machines work, though obviously not all. Try to see if you can cut your shot short and then overshoot. So aim for 40 seconds for example and stop it early once you have what you’d like. You may find better results that way. If you can’t, I’d set it to 30 seconds and see how strong your drink is. If it’s too watery turn it back down to 20.

If you’re curious, my machine is the Gaggia Classic Pro. Feel free to look it up, that may help explain things too.

[–] AngryishHumanoid@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So it's gonna be hard to give you exact numbers to use to make a drink without knowing what you've been doing. I'll list some important aspects: grind size matters with an espresso vs a regular coffee, so if you're not adjusting that it could be an issue. What is getting added to what? You said espresso into the milk, normally it's the other way around. Milk amount, if you're going half milk that's a cappuccino, if you go 10 or 20 percent milk that's a latte.

[–] ComicalMayhem@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

My apologies, it seems there has been some miscommunication. I'll be editing the main post shortly with an update.

[–] AngryishHumanoid@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

No worries. The thing is there are so many variations and small changes you can make to get a different result. How about this, checkout James Hoffmann on YouTube. He does great videos on everything coffee related, and he definitely has ones on espresso and latte process.