Lovely Latte powder - and baileys latte tips! (Douwe Egberts Skinny Latte)

Member Name: flodombey

Product:	Douwe Egberts Skinny Latte
Date:	13/02/09 (81 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great texture and flavour, can be experimented with

Disadvantages: Not as strong a caffeine kick

I do love my lattes, especially on a sunday morning to accompany the newspapers, however, living in rural Shropshire I cant just nip into the nearest coffee house chain to satisfy this desire.

I found this powder in Tesco about a year ago and have been using and experimenting with it ever since. Of all the 'instant' latte powders I have tried this is the closest to an authentic flavour and texture that you can get, in my opinion.

Basically you measure out around 5 spoonfuls into a mug (I use 6/7 if using a tall latte mug) and you add a little cold water to mix this into a smooth paste. You then fill the rest of the mug with hot (not boiling) water and, voila! you have a lovely latte ready to drink.

Heres the interesting bit; if you like a really creamy latte (although this is the skinny powder!) you can heat milk in the microwave or in a pan and use this instead of hot water, or you can use a mixture of cold milk and hot water. One of the benefits of using cold water and/or milk is that the coffee is at a drinkable temperature straight away.

It has become popular in recent years to be able to order a Bailey's latte as an after dinner coffee in many restaurants; we experimented and found that with this powder you can also make a Bailey's latte and it works really well, here is how you do that:

Add the same amount of powder that you usually would into the mug, add literally a drop or two of water to loosen it into a mud texture (not runny just dampened) now add a shot of baileys to the mug (I measure by eye) and mix into a paste, its very important not to use boiling water with the baileys as it can cause it to split, also pour the water in slowly and stir while you are adding to ensure it mixes well. There you have it! Tastes as good as in a restaurant if you ask me.

I havent tried making other spirit coffees with this powder but I would imagine the process would be roughly the same.

This is a great substitute for a latte from a proper coffee machine or made by a barrista, for me it ticks all the boxes. You get about 12 tall latte's out of a bag but you would get more if using smaller mugs, I keep mine in an airtight tub in the fridge once its opened and it seems to keep fresh. I always make sure we have some in if we go out for dinner so that we can come home and have a baileys latte without paying £3-4 for the privilege.

The only criticism I would have of this product is that it never quite gives you a caffeine kick like you get with a barrista made coffee, I guess because the coffee itself is diluted into the powder and you cant really control how much you are getting. If you are a real caffeine head you might notice it doesnt give you the buzz you look for.

In the current economic climate, if you cant do without your morning latte, then buying a thermos beaker and a bag of this might be an acceptable and money saving compromise!

Summary: Great product, very good value and the baileys version rocks!