From the May 2016 Best New Restaurants issue:
A latte is about technique. Technique and freshly roasted beans. Technique, freshly roasted beans and lots of practice.
Besides understanding the mechanics of pulling a shot of espresso, baristas need to learn how to position and angle the steaming wand and how to inject just a little bit of air into that steamed milk. “In the old days,” says Tracey Powell, co-owner of Blend Coffee Bar with Mimi Backhausen, “there was a lot more foam” in a latte. Now, she says, “it’s a lot more creamy, almost like paint … like the top of a Guinness maybe.”
Michael Amouri, of his eponymous Caffe Amouri, roasts a blend of Brazilian, Ethiopian and Sumatra beans, dubbed Duchess, for the espresso shot within Blend’s latte. A short trip from Vienna to Ashburn surely helps with freshness.
There’s nothing ultimately defining about this latte. But damn, it’s good. // 43170 Southern Walk Plaza, Ashburn
(May 2016 Best New Restaurants 2016)
