Milk coffees

Cafe con leche (Spain)

Cafe con leche is the everyday Spanish coffee: strong espresso mixed with an equal amount of hot milk, served in a glass or a small cup.

  • Ratio 1 part espresso to 1 to 2 parts hot milk
  • Serve 180 to 250 ml, hot, in a glass or cup
  • Grind Fine

Written by the KAIVO team, Mumbai. Last updated 4 November 2026. Cite as: KAIVO, "Cafe con leche (Spain)", kaivo.in/pages/drink-spanish-cafe-con-leche

Cafe con leche means coffee with milk. In Spain it is made with strong espresso, often from a dark roast, and about the same amount of scalded or steamed milk, and it is usually sweetened with sugar. It is a morning drink that people take in a cafe with a pastry. The coffee is stronger than a typical latte.

How it is made

  1. 01

    Pull a double shot of strong espresso into a cup or glass.

  2. 02

    Heat about 120 ml of milk until it is hot and steaming.

  3. 03

    Pour the milk into the espresso, or the other way round.

  4. 04

    Add sugar to taste.

  5. 05

    Serve hot.

Brew it with Espresso machine, Moka pot

A KAIVO blend for this

The Daily Swing

The Daily Swing is a medium roast with hazelnut and nutmeg notes, which keeps this drink warm and mellow rather than harsh.

Medium roast, tasting of hazelnut, milk chocolate, nutmeg.

See The Daily Swing

Questions

How is cafe con leche different from a cafe latte?

It uses less foam, and the milk is usually only heated, not frothed. It is also often sweetened and made with a stronger coffee.

Is cafe con leche the same as a cafe au lait?

They are close. The French one is usually made with filter coffee, the Spanish one with espresso.

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