Photo by Holly Hollock - Los Angeles Times
Just like hundreds of other “fake” coffee drinkers, I love my grande “skinny” vanilla latte. Despite many nutritional articles stating the opposite, I order a “skinny” because I think I am doing myself a favor by cutting back on calories and sugar, and I am not alone. As I make a stop at my local coffeehouse and wait for my latte, I hear the barista call out orders. Almost all of the orders are for their non-fat, sugar free beverages, and I know the last thing I would ever hear is “Can I get a 12% full-fat vanilla latte to go?” However, Colleen King, head barista at famed SQIRL restaurant in Los Angeles thinks we should indulge.
Why go fat? In the article, “Getting Steamed Up Over the Best Milk for Your Coffee” by Rico Gagliano, Colleen says, “You want the fat to compliment the acid, and I mean, that’s why you add milk in the first place. If you drink a skim milk latte, the texture is completely different. It almost tastes like you are drinking something that is watered down.” At SQIRL, Colleen uses “Barista Milk” that contains 12% fat. One reason this type of milk is prized by baristas like Colleen is because it creates small, tight bubbles in the foam when steamed, perfect for expertly crafting those creamy delicious lattes and cappuccinos.
There are times when I think about ordering the full-fat version of my favorite “skinny” vanilla latte. How delicious would the perfectly balanced layers of creamy milk, espresso and vanilla taste? The problem is that I have been ordering “skinny” beverages out of habit for so long, it’s possible my brain has been permanently wired to order the same thing over and over again. Furthermore, I suffer from rushed-morning-itis, and right now it is being adequately addressed by the fast, consistent service I receive from my local coffeehouse. For now, my watered down skinny vanilla latte is sufficient to get me going in the morning. At some point, I may switch to the full-fat version, right after I get an extra half hour in the mornings to wait for an expert barista to perfectly craft my coffee, and a membership to the new GoodLife Fitness club that opened up down the road from my house.
