Most of us have tried and enjoyed a latte in the past: the delicious one or two shots of espresso with steamed and foamed milk on top. Yet, there’s a whole other world of flavors for lattes that you might not have ventured into.
You guess it. It’s the world of flavored lattes. There’s practically no end of flavored syrups you can try in your caffe latte to change the taste and sweeten it.
Whether it’s vanilla, pumpkin spice, caramel, coconut, gingerbread, pistachio, or any other flavor you can imagine! It’s a little like Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans in Harry Potter.
Well, maybe not quite, as you won’t order an Earwax flavored latte. At least we hope you won’t…
Let’s look at some of the most popular latte flavors that you can get. And, earwax is NOT on the list!
Most Popular Latte Flavors
No matter what flavors we add to this list, there will undoubtedly be somebody who does not find their favorite latte type. Usually, these flavored lattes will be mixed by adding flavored syrup to the shot of espresso (How Much Caffeine is in a Shot of Espresso?) before pouring the milk into the cup.
Other methods include using flavored powder mixed into a regular latte. Or, the fanciest version is to use flavored milk when mixing the latte.
No matter how it’s made, here’s the list of the commonly mentioned most popular latte flavors.
Caramel Latte
Caramel is the most popular latte flavoring together with vanilla. It brings a very distinct and smooth taste to your latte.
Using caramel syrup in a latte adds quite a bit of sweetness on top of its buttery and rich taste. The caramel counters the bitter notes of the espresso perfectly and gives a creamy and smooth finish.
Simply add a little caramel syrup to your espresso before adding the milk. You can either use syrup (Best Espresso Syrup – How to Sweeten and Flavor your Coffee!) bought at the supermarket or make the caramel yourself. All you need is to mix sugar, cream, and butter over heat until it’s all blended. Just make sure that you’re not using too much heat as it will burn the caramel!
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Vanilla Latte
Vanilla is pretty much as popular as Caramel when it comes to sweet flavors added to your latte. It provides sweetness to balance the bitterness of the coffee.
Vanilla is a natural flavor that goes well with coffee. Its distinct flavor is a staple in every bakery, and you’ll have to search hard to find anyone that doesn’t like vanilla.
Vanilla might be the perfect companion for your latte. It usually won’t overwhelm the coffee flavor but instead, complement it.
Making a vanilla latte is as easy as mixing the flavored syrup into the coffee. However, you can also steam and foam vanilla milk and use it for your latte. Some swear by that as being the best coffee drink that exists – Best Non-Dairy Milk for Coffee
Mocha Latte
You guessed it: Mocha Latte uses chocolate as the flavoring. The minor difference in preparation is that typically chocolate powder is mixed with the milk during the steaming and frothing (Frothed Milk vs Steamed Milk – What are the Differences?), rather than adding chocolate syrup to the espresso. The steamed chocolate milk is combined with the espresso to produce one of the most decadent latte flavors you can imagine.
You can even mix different kinds of cocoa powder into the milk. Whether you prefer regular cocoa, white chocolate, or even the rich taste of dark chocolate. Simply try the different variations until you find your heavenly mocha latte just the way you want it!
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Hazelnut Latte
Hazelnut is a delicious companion to coffee. Look at all the flavored creamers or coffees you can find blended with hazelnut flavor.
When making a hazelnut latte, you’re usually using a syrup, similar to making caramel or vanilla lattes. However, with the increased availability of nut milk, you can also use hazelnut milk instead of dairy milk for your latte.
You will end up with the distinct hazelnut flavor while saving on the sugar found in the syrup. Either way, try which method you prefer for your hazelnut latte by mixing hazelnut syrup or using hazelnut milk.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Pumpkin Spice Lattes are typically a more seasonal flavored coffee drink. Many coffee shops offer them in the fall leading up to Thanksgiving.
There’s something to be said about the taste of pumpkin spice that reminds you that it’s starting to get colder outside. It’s warming you up inside and lets you enjoy the season.
It’s not a highly complex beverage to make but does require a few more ingredients than just splashing some syrup in with the espresso. You need some pumpkin puree, sugar, pumpkin pie spices, and a bit of vanilla extract. Heat that and mix it with the espresso before pouring the milk. Just like that, you’ve made your Pumpkin Spice Latte!
Cinnamon Latte
Cinnamon is one of the spices that goes excellent with coffee. You can even mix cinnamon into your regular coffee to give it some warm notes.
If you get your cinnamon latte at a coffee shop then you’ll most likely get cinnamon syrup mixed in with the latte. This is a bit counterproductive as cinnamon itself is sugar-free and provides a number of health benefits!
However, when you make a cinnamon latte at home you can use cinnamon powder that you add to the espresso. You can also add cinnamon sticks to your milk and let the aroma infuse into the milk that you’ll use for your latte. Let the cinnamon sticks in the milk for a while before brewing your cinnamon latte!
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Coconut Latte
If you like the nutty taste of coconut, then you’ll end up loving a Coconut Latte. While it’s not one of the most popular latte flavors, it’s a refreshing and nutty take on a latte.
It’s as simple to make as it can be as you get your coconut syrup and mix a splash of it into the espresso. Top it off with the steamed and foamed milk, and you’re good to go to enjoy a delicious cup of coconut latte!
If you want a more extravagant version, simply use coconut milk instead of dairy milk. It’s sweet and creamy and works great with your bitter espresso aroma!
Pistachio Latte
Starbucks gives a spike in popularity to the Pistachio Latte every year when they introduce this limited-time offering in the winter. And, a perfect winter drink it is!
The subtle nut flavors of pistachio work excellent with the aromas of coffee and milk. Starbucks uses pistachio and brown butter flavors to make their famous pistachio latte.
However, you can simply use pistachio syrup to create your Pistachio Latte at home. A splash or two of the syrup mixed with the espresso make it a delicious winter treat!
You can also use pistachio milk instead of dairy milk as a somewhat less sugary alternative. It foams nicely and is a great method to add the nutty flavors into a Pistachio Latte!
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What Flavored Lattes does Starbucks have?
Starbucks wouldn’t be Starbucks if they wouldn’t have a large selection of flavored lattes available. Yet, their most popular one is still the good old plain Caffe Latte!
The year-round flavored latte offerings at Starbucks that you can get are:
- Cinnamon Dolce Latte
- Starbucks Reserve Latte
- Starbucks Reserve Hazelnut Bianco Latte
- Blonde Vanilla Latte
- Caffe Mocha
- Starbucks Reserve Dark Chocolate MOcha
- White Chocolate Mocha
In addition to that, Starbucks does offer many seasonal choices that include:
- Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Pistachio Latte
- Peppermint Mocha
- Gingerbread Latte
- Eggnog Latte
- Caramel Brulée Latte
This list of regular and limited-edition Starbucks Lattes is undoubtedly not exhaustive. Check your local Starbucks to find different varieties at different times during the year!
Final Thoughts on Flavored Lattes
See, we promised that there’s no Earwax Latte on the list. You might find that at Harry Potter’s favorite coffee shop, but it’s not high on the popularity list!
The list of latte flavors above is not exhaustive. There are many more flavored lattes you can imagine making at home or buying at your favorite coffee shop.
The most popular latte flavors are caramel and vanilla. You can get them at any coffee shop or make them at home!
No matter what flavored latte you prefer, there’s one for you. Try a few of the ones listed above and get your taste buds dancing in your mouth!
