The Latte Lab
Stack espresso, milk, foam, syrup and ice and watch your cup fill. We'll tell you what you made (latte? flat white? cortado?), the ratio, a caffeine estimate and what it costs at home versus the café.
Latte
01Start from a classic
02Make it yours
That's $0 over 5 years. Keep the café for treats; it's the everyday cup that adds up.
At these prices the home version isn't cheaper. Check your café price, or enjoy the ritual.
*Café prices are illustrative typical U.S. prices, not quotes; type your own. Home costs assume $16 for 340 g (12 oz) of beans, 9 g of coffee per shot, $0.03/oz dairy milk, $0.07/oz plant milk and homemade syrup at about $0.05 a pump. Caffeine uses about 63 mg per 1 oz shot of espresso and about 13 mg per fl oz of cold brew; real drinks vary a lot. General information only.
Latte vs cappuccino vs flat white vs cortado
Most café drinks are the same two ingredients, espresso and milk, in different proportions and textures. That's why the Latte Lab can name what you build. Here's the cheat sheet it uses:
| Drink | Built as | Typical size |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso / doppio | 1 or 2 shots, nothing added | 1–2 oz |
| Macchiato | Espresso "marked" with a spoonful of foam | 2–3 oz |
| Cortado | Espresso + about equal steamed milk | 4–5 oz |
| Flat white | Double shot + thin, silky microfoam | 5–6 oz |
| Cappuccino | Espresso, steamed milk and thick foam in thirds | 5–8 oz |
| Latte | Espresso + lots of steamed milk + thin foam | 8–16 oz |
| Americano | Espresso + hot water | 6–12 oz |
| Mocha | A latte with chocolate | 8–16 oz |
Café sizes vary a lot, so treat these as guides rather than rules. No espresso machine? Use about 1 oz of strong coffee from a moka pot or a piston press per "shot" and froth milk with a handheld frother. Here's how to make a latte without an espresso machine.
What your café drink really costs at home
Less than most people guess. With a $16 bag of beans (340 g), each 9 g shot costs about 42 cents. Eight ounces of dairy milk adds roughly 25 cents, plant milk around 55 cents, and a homemade syrup costs pennies per pump. So a 12 oz vanilla latte usually lands between $1.10 and $1.60 at home, against a typical $5 to $6.50 at a café once you add syrup or oat milk.
| Home drink (example) | What goes in | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| Latte, 12 oz | 2 shots + 8 oz milk | $1.10 |
| Iced brown sugar oat latte | 2 shots + 8 oz oat milk + syrup | $1.50 |
| Cold foam cold brew | 9 oz cold brew + cold foam | $1.65 |
| Americano | 2 shots + hot water | $0.84 |
Set "drinks a week" to your real habit and the lab shows your yearly and five-year savings. Swapping even two café drinks a week usually saves a few hundred dollars a year. Keep one café ritual you love; it's the everyday cup where home brewing adds up. If you're planning where that money goes, the free Steady Sums budget calculator helps you give coffee its own line.
How much caffeine is in your drink?
Milk, foam and syrup add no caffeine; it all comes from the coffee. The lab uses about 63 mg per 1 oz shot of espresso, a widely used average from USDA nutrient data, and about 13 mg per fluid ounce of ready-to-drink cold brew, which varies widely with the recipe. For your whole day, including tea and soda, use the caffeine calculator. General information only, not medical advice.
Syrups for pennies
Pick a flavor and the recipe steps link straight to a scaled homemade version: vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin spice and honey syrups all take about ten minutes. Scale any batch with the syrup recipe calculator.
Questions people ask
What's the difference between a latte, a cappuccino and a flat white?
They're all espresso plus steamed milk. A cappuccino is small with a thick cap of foam (roughly equal parts espresso, milk and foam). A flat white is small and strong with thin, silky microfoam. A latte is larger and milkier with a thin layer of foam.
What is a cortado?
A cortado is espresso "cut" with about the same amount of lightly steamed milk, usually around 4 to 5 oz in total. It's stronger and less foamy than a flat white.
How much caffeine is in a latte?
A latte's caffeine comes from its espresso. A single shot typically has about 63 mg, so a 2-shot latte is around 126 mg. Milk and syrup add none. Real drinks vary with the beans and the shot.
How much does a latte cost to make at home?
Usually about $0.90 to $1.60, depending on your beans and milk. With $16 beans (340 g), two shots cost about $0.85 in coffee; 8 oz of dairy milk adds roughly $0.25 and plant milk about $0.55.
Can I make these drinks without an espresso machine?
Yes. Use about 30 ml of strong coffee (moka pot, piston press or a 1:8 concentrate) per "shot" and froth milk with a handheld frother or a jar. See our guide to making a latte without an espresso machine.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type or create is sent to us; favorites are saved only on this device.
More from Play & Brew
Coffee personality quiz
10 quick questions, 8 coffee personalities, one signature drink recipe and a card to share.
Play →CreateHome café menu maker
Name your home café, set your (joke) prices and print a menu board worthy of the coffee station.
Play →BrewGuided brew timer
Bloom, pour, drawdown: a hands-free timer that calls out every stage and target weight.
Play →