Café au Lait: What It Is, How to Make It & Café au Lait vs Latte
A café au lait is the breakfast coffee of France — strong drip or French press coffee combined with an equal volume of hot milk, traditionally served in a wide bowl big enough to dunk a piece of bread. In New Orleans it’s the local café drink: the same drink, but made with a coffee-and-chicory blend. Despite the French name, this is not an espresso drink. That’s the single thing most people get wrong. A café au lait is regular brewed coffee, scaled up, and topped with hot milk — which is exactly why it tastes different from a latte, cappuccino, or café con leche even though all four are technically “coffee with milk.” ...