What Is Café au Lait?

Because of the name, I always thought café au lait and cafe latte (popularized by Starbucks) were the same thing. However, they are different things.

When I was a little girl, I hated to drink milk. That hasn’t changed much. One day, my grandmother decided to let me try what she called “coffee milk” with milk and a little bit of her beloved Community Coffee.

She drank Community Coffee until her death at the age of 98 in October 2022, and said she credited her long life to her coffee habit. To her credit, many scientists do agree that a moderate amount of coffee (two to three cups) each day is beneficial and perhaps leads to a longer lifespan.

Community Coffee is an icon of Louisiana culture. The proper French for coffee with milk is “café au lait.” Many of course know café au lait best through the Café du Monde stand in the French Quarter of New Orleans with their world famous beignets.

Latte vs au Lait

To most people café au lait isn’t much different than a (café latte). Having been to Italy and France, I will tell you that the Italians and French will disagree.

Both are essentially coffee with steamed milk. The latte came first.

A café latte has one or two shots of expresso with five to six ounces of steamed milk and topped with foam. This also can’t be confused with a cappuccino, which has less milk and more foam. The foam for a latte is also a part of pride for baristas, because some have been known to create “foam art.”

Café au Lait is French

Café au lait translates literally from the French to English as coffee with milk. French roasted coffee usually is not quite as bold as the Italian roast and is definitely milder than expresso. I noticed that when trying to add pure cream to coffee in Italy, it generally turns gray instead of beige.

In my experience unless you order it as a café au lait, the coffee with breakfast is typically served with a carafe and a a pitcher with steamed milk. As is custom to make a true cup of café au lait, I make it with half coffee and half milk.

In America, particularly the South, chicory was added to coffee during the Civil War. The famous Café du Monde in New Orleans opened 1862 as a coffee stand at the edge of the French Market in the Vieux Carré. Their signature of blend of dark roast and chicory coffee served as café au lait along with beignets has been a staple for over 150 years.

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