A well-brewed cup of coffee is great for waking you up, but a latte is for people who are really looking for a treat. Many coffee-lovers settle for going to a café when they’re craving their favorite creamy latte, but you might not have to. Believe it or not, you can enjoy this tasty drink in the comfort of your own home, and you don’t even need to buy extra equipment to do it. All you’ll need is a Keurig coffee maker and a little bit of knowledge. Here, we’ll discuss how to use your Keurig to make lattes at home and a few important facts to know about your machine.

What Is a Latte?

If you’re going to make a latte that rivals that of the best café in town, you’re going to need to know what it is. Lattes are drinks that are approximately one part coffee and two parts milk blended together. These drinks typically use espresso—a highly concentrated form of coffee that comes from adding pressure during the brewing process—as their coffee element. This pressure pushes the water more forcefully though the grounds, resulting in a small quantity of liquid that’s packed with flavor.

However, since espresso can be difficult to make without a designated device, you may not want to use it in your brews at home. Fortunately, you can make plenty of tasty drinks without an espresso machine. You don’t even need to change up your K-Cup blend of choice.

Keurig Features and Functionality

Before crafting the perfect latte, make sure you devote some time to familiarizing yourself with your Keurig. There are several different Keurig models on the market, and each has its own features, so knowing the basics can make a large difference when you need your caffeine fix quickly. Here are a few common features and functionality quirks to know.

Different Brew Sizes

Something that every Keurig model comes standard with are a few different beverage sizes to choose from. Whether you have the original model with three options or a newer device with more, having these selections is a great way to control how strong your coffee is. This will come in especially handy when you’re making smaller portion sizes for your latte. These standard sizes are 4 ounces, 6 ounces, 8 ounces, 10 ounces, and 12 ounces. Smaller sizes are useful for teas, while the larger options can accommodate brews for your travel tumbler.

Brew-Over-Ice Setting

More current Keurig systems also have a brew-over-ice setting that makes it easy to produce perfectly balanced iced coffees in a short amount of time. This button lets your machine know that you’re using ice in the crafting of your drink. As such, it will make the coffee extra-hot to draw out its full flavor. When it cools down over the ice, even the subtler notes will still come through in your beverage.

Strong Setting

The strong setting allows the machine to draw out more flavor from the coffee during particular preparations. This setting brews the coffee warm and slowly, extracting as many flavors from the coffee grounds as possible. This adds about 30 seconds of additional brewing time, but it’s well worth it for that extra shot of caffeine you’re looking for.

Removeable Drip Tray

All Keurig machines have removable drip trays to rest your mug or cup on. This component detaches for easy cleaning and also helps you make additional room for larger glasses if you want to increase your quantity. Simply take out the tray and place your large travel mug for perfect access to the drip spout.

Key Steps to Making a Keurig Latte

Now, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty of using your Keurig to make a perfect latte at home. No matter your preferences for this drink, making it just right every time takes only a few key steps. Here’s what you need to do:

Steam Your Cup of Milk

Start off your latte-making process with the milk. Because milk is thicker than water and has more fat, it will take longer to get up to the temperature you need. As such, you should always start by steaming your milk in a home steaming appliance. Depending on your Keurig model, yours may have this built in. If not, you’ll need to get a separate machine to do the job. Once you’ve thoroughly heated your milk, set it aside.

Brew Your Coffee

Next, it’s time to brew your coffee of choice. As we mentioned, lattes typically use espresso. However, you can make this drink with any type of coffee as long as you prepare it in the proper manner. Start by placing your K-Cup in the brewing chamber. Make sure the closing latch locks into place before starting your Keurig. Then, hit the power button, using the smallest size brew available. On standard Keurig models, hitting the 4-ounce button will be enough. But if you have a Keurig with a strong setting, you may want to push that as well to draw out the most flavor.

If you’re crafting yourself an iced latte, you should hit the brew-over-ice button and the smallest ounce pour your machine has. This way, the temperature will be just right for your drink.

Combine the Ingredients

Once you have your heated milk and small-batch coffee prepared, combine the two in a glass. Tilt the glass slightly to reduce the amount of foam you get along the top of your finished drink. From here, you’re free to add whatever sugar, creamer, or ice you’d like.

As you can see, you aren’t limited to a handful of drinks when using your Keurig coffee maker. In fact, the fun is only just beginning. At 11th Street Coffee, it’s important to us that everyone has access to the knowledge and coffee products they need to enjoy their favorite beverages as often as they want. That’s why we sell premium Keurig K-Cups from only the top brands in the coffee, hot chocolate, and tea industries. Whether you’re in the mood for an old-fashioned cup of joe or a velvety-smooth latte that satisfies, we have just the coffee blends you need. Browse our site today to find the perfect selection for your latte-brewing endeavors.