Science of Food | How to Make a Latte Without Milk or a Fancy Espresso Machine

(mood music)

[Narrator] What if I were to tell you

that you can make a latte at home?

Not only that, you don't even need one

of those fancy espresso machines.

All you need is some good old science.

Oh, and some xanthan gum.

Which, I guess, counts as science anyway.

Oh, and this latte is also dairy-free,

for those of you with disagreeable stomachs.

Here's what you do:

brew yourself some coffee and put it in a blender.

Depending on the volume of coffee you're working with,

add .1% xanthan gum.

That's about one gram per liter.

Then just slowly ramp up your blending.

You'll end up with a drink with all the consistency

of a latte, but none of the dairy.

But what your coffee does now have mixed in

is the excretions of many, many bacteria.

Manufacturers make xanthan gum

by feeding bacteria lots of sugar.

The sugar that the bacteria can't eat,

it oozes out as a coating.

This is the magic stuff that makes up xanthan gum.

It's great at boosting viscosity,

thus you get the texture of a latte without the milk.

And without ever having to call a medium coffee a grande.

I mean, let's be real.