History of Lattes

The latte has been said to be several centuries old. However, the term caffé latte was first used by author William Dean Howell, who posited that the latte was created in regions in Italy where many American tourists traveled to. It took some time but the caffé latte found its way to northern Europe in Scandinavia in the 1980’s (in some cases by the name café au lait).

As for the US’s encounter this concoction of caffeinated love in a cup, it is said to have originated in the 1950s at Caffé Mediterraneum in Berkeley, CA. It was later in Seattle (where Starbucks began) that lattes began to catch fire and its popularity spread throughout the US.

Fun fact: If you order a latte in Italy, you will literally get steamed milk!

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