Long before anyone in Louisiana said “latte,” there was café au lait — strong coffee and hot milk, poured together. No espresso machine in sight. It’s the most at-home-friendly drink on any coffee shop board, and it’s been made on stovetops around here for generations.
Five minutes, two vessels, done.
What you need
- Strong brewed coffee — your regular drip machine or french press is perfect. The one adjustment: brew it strong. Use about half again as much ground coffee as you normally would, because the milk is going to meet it halfway.
- Milk — whole milk froths and tastes best, but use what’s in the fridge. Half a cup per mug.
- A small saucepan (or a microwave and a jar — more on that below).
The whole method
- Start your coffee brewing.
- While it drips, warm the milk in a saucepan over medium heat. You want it steaming with small bubbles at the edge — not boiling. Boiled milk tastes scalded and won’t foam.
- Whisk the hot milk for 20–30 seconds until it’s a little frothy.
- Fill your mug half with coffee, half with milk — ideally pouring both at once, which is the traditional move and admittedly feels great. Adjust the ratio to taste; more coffee for a stronger cup, more milk for a rounder one.
The mason jar foam trick
No saucepan, no whisk? Pour cold milk into a jar (no more than half full), lid it tight, and shake hard for 30–45 seconds until it doubles in foam. Take the lid off and microwave it for about 30 seconds — the heat sets the foam so it holds. Spoon it over your coffee like you own a steam wand.
Make it yours
- New Orleans style: if you can find chicory coffee, use it — that’s the classic bitter-sweet edge.
- Sweet tooth: a spoon of sugar or a shot of vanilla syrup stirred into the hot milk dissolves better than sugar in the cup.
- Iced: chill the strong coffee, skip the saucepan, shake the milk cold, and pour both over ice.
A dark roast holds its own against all that milk — which is what our Java Square Blend was made for. Bags are at the bar and in the shop, whole bean or ground.
Or come let us pour the two streams for you at 103 W Landry St. We’ve had practice.