Espresso to Milk Ratio in a 330ml cup

Hi Barista Hustle,

In Matt’s 10 Questions with Matt Perger - Barista Hustle video, Matt states that the espresso to milk ratio should be 1 part espresso and 4 to 5 parts milk.

Does this mean that a large 330ml cup should (ideally) have at least 55 grams of espresso (assuming we were to fill the cup to the rim)? If so, what dose would you recommend?

You’d want to keep your coffee to water ratio consistent. Let’s say you’re using 18g of coffee for a 36g shot, that’s a 1:2 ratio, so if you want 55g output you’d need 27.5g of coffee. Not easy to fit in the same basket, so you’d maybe want to use two of your standard shots instead.

Not to denigrate Matt’s statement, but 1 part espresso to 4 or 5 parts milk being the best is one man’s opinion. Try different ratios. Taste them, get other people to taste them. What do you want to serve?__

Thanks for the reply Alan.

I myself am a (recent) enthusiast home barista, and thought Matt’s comment was quite interesting.

I personally use an 18g VST basket and extract a 36g shot into a 330ml large cup, filling the cup to the rim with milk. This works out to be a 1:8 ratio, hence why I was curious to see if the 1:4 ratio was preferred amongst the Barista Hustle community.

Having said that, what’s your favourite/go-to ratio?

I’m not the biggest fan of milk, so if I’m drinking it, it’s usually more like 1:3.5. We use the same espresso base for a flat white and a latte in our cafe, so flat white ends up at 1:4 and a latte is almost 1:5. They definitely do give a good balance between the espresso and the milk, any higher and things get a bit too milky.

mass of steamed milk is about half. remember stretching it?

Everything in the coffee world depends solely on what your tongue reacts better. The more Wow you feel answers all your questions here. You will get people with 1:1 to 1:8 or may be 1:10 too, but were you stuck is all personal preference.

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