The cappuccino should be your go-to coffee choice if you’re after a robust espresso taste! With less milk and more foam than its latte counterpart, this caffeinated beverage will undoubtedly wake up even the sleepiest taste buds.
Both are very popular forms of coffee and tend to be a more enjoyable choice for those who hate basic coffee. However, if you want to try out coffee and say you have given it all the opportunity, we recommend trying out a cappuccino and a latte.
Of course, it all comes down to taste. While a cappuccino is heavier in flavour and strength, a latte is usually a milky and creamy drink.
We all have our own choices, and it pays to look at both options. What, though, tends to be the stronger of the two? Most of the time, you will find that a cappuccino is a stronger drink than a latte. While it depends on how you make it and various other factors, you will likely get more out of a cappuccino in terms of strength. Lattes are often weaker due to the higher dilution, thanks to the added layers of milk.
What has more calories a latte or a cappuccino?
If you intend to keep those calories down, look at what one has less for you. The next time you get a coffee in a latte or a cappuccino form, you’ll want to go for a cappuccino. The calorie count tends to be much smaller, with around 40-60 calories in a cappuccino as standard when using non-fat milk.
With a non-flat latte, you take in as many as 100 calories. Add in stuff like sweeteners, sugar and syrups, and you can soon find that this goes even higher. So, don’t just assume that since a cappuccino is a bit stronger in taste that it’s also a bit heavier on the old waistline.
It’s not the case, so unless you load your cappuccino with every extra going and throw in full-fat milk, you can find that the latte will always give you more calories to deal with.
That’s a bit of an issue, and we recommend that you keep that in mind, as it can become a problem if you keep drinking lattes expecting them to be lighter in calories.
Is a latte or a cappuccino sweeter?
While it is determined by more than just the ingredient but the creation process, you will usually find that a latte is sweeter in most ways. The latte tends to have more in there that can satisfy the old tastebuds, but you will need to appreciate that this form of coffee has some significant differences that you need to consider.
For example, a coffee that is made with full-fat and creamier milk will usually be sweeter than one without. So you could drink a full-fat cappuccino and a non-fat latte and find the cappuccino far sweeter. So typically, you will find that you are in a position whereby you will normally find a latte – with all other things being equal – to be more or less as you would have expected.
Lattes are known for their sweet and mellow flavour. A cappuccino is usually more flavoursome on the coffee side of things, but we still recommend that you always see what is added. The popularity of things like sweeteners and syrups being used can always radically change the end taste of the drink in the first place, so be sure to keep that in mind.
Which is better a latte or a cappuccino?
There is no real answer to this. It all depends on what one looks for when it comes to a cup of coffee. For example, a latte is a much better post-meal coffee than a cappuccino. A cappuccino is quite heavy, so having around food in any capacity can be bad. They are typically thicker drinks which can make them a poor complement to a big meal as they can make you feel full sooner than you are.
However, you will find that a cappuccino is a better drink to start the day with in many ways. A cappuccino is a more enjoyable drink in the morning and gives you a more active start to the day. A latte tends to carry much extra sweetness in there, so you can find that it’s more likely to give you that sugar (and caffeine) crash more pronouncedly.
Keep that in mind, and engaging with a cup of coffee can be easier without fearing what the consequences will be for you. Each latte or cappuccino drink can be ‘better’ in the right or wrong circumstances.
How is a cappuccino different from a latte?
Typically, the main difference comes down to some very important specifics. The main difference is how they are made. Cappuccino drinks are typically made using far less milk content. As a result, lattes are very milky, which can be quite off-putting for people who are small milk drinkers. While a cappuccino tends to cut back on the milk in favour of a more flavoursome and powerful coffee hit, a latte uses the milky creaminess to make it easier to drink.
It’s a large reason why so many people enjoy a latte in the first place. A latte tends to come with a bit more charisma and quality in the taste due to its creamy & milky nature. A cappuccino is usually much more coffee-centric in taste. If you like that coffee taste to be front and centre during the creation process, you will want to tick the cappuccino.
If you prefer your drinks to be sweeter and lighter in terms of the coffee taste and the sense of fullness afterwards, you will want to stick with the latte. But, again, it’s different drinks for different occasions with the latte and cappuccino.
Which is healthier, a latte or a cappuccino?
You will find that since a cappuccino is usually more about the coffee and thus has less sweetened add-ons and milk, it can be ‘healthier’ for you. However, since caffeine limits calcium’s ability to bind with our bones, too, you don’t get anything like the benefits you could from taking in all that milk.
Therefore, it’s very important to appreciate that the concept of healthiness with either of these drinks is a little strange to get your head around. A cappuccino contains less milk; thus, it would be a better choice for anyone with any intolerance to dairy – though neither will be very enjoyable.
A cappuccino is probably the ‘healthier’ option as the onus is still on the coffee instead of anything else. However, don’t drink either form of coffee expecting it to be a significant health kick; the add-ons in both drinks mean that they aren’t primarily built on healthiness but taste.
Paul Mason
coffee blogger
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