redge Senior Member Joined: 8 Dec 2010 Posts: 27 Location: NL Expertise: Just starting
Posted Fri Dec 10, 2010, 7:35pm Subject: What is a café crème?
Widely served in Paris, as either a petit crème or grand crème. There's almost no information about this drink on the Internet. Is it the same as a café au lait, or something different?
fwtechwiz Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2010 Posts: 528 Location: Fort Wayne, IN Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Gaggia Evolution Grinder: Hario Skerton
Posted Sun Dec 12, 2010, 7:28am Subject: Re: What is a café crème?
According to this Espresso field guide a cafe creme is espresso with 1 oz. heavy cream added. Cafe au lait is a much larger drink, half espresso and half milk.
Posted Sun Dec 12, 2010, 3:35pm Subject: Re: What is a café crème?
Cafe creme doesn't have cream in it. Rather it is an espresso style coffee, but pulled very long in about the same 25 seconds or so as a classic Italian espresso (some people run it a bit longer). It is ground coarser to achieve this. Drink size varies, but about 200ml is about what you would expect. As far as I know there isn't any standardised definition as there is for espresso, but as that is often ignored anyway, perhaps it matters little ;o)
Cafe Suisse is similar.
I like it.
It is a little confusing, because before Espresso became the generic term for coffee produced under pressure, its Italian translation "Caffe Crema" was the name given to it when the modern method of espresso making was first introduced, and some early machines (gaggia ?) had that term on them.
Cafe au lait is traditionally strong filter coffee and hot milk - proportions vary, as when served properly it will be poured into the cup (or possibly bowl) from 2 separate jugs according to the taste of the customer.
I like that too, although mine isn't strictly traditional as I usually make it with Moka pot coffee.
redge Senior Member Joined: 8 Dec 2010 Posts: 27 Location: NL Expertise: Just starting
Posted Mon Dec 13, 2010, 4:29pm Subject: Re: What is a café crème?
I can say from personal experience that a French café crème is served in a bowl and contains milk (not heavy cream). It is ordered as "un crème" or "un petit crème" for a standard serving or as "un grand crème" for a large serving. I had a grand crème every Saturday and Sunday morning the entire time that I lived in Paris. It was an expensive drink, but worth it. Unfortunately, I never asked how it was put together, and there seems to be precious little information about it on the Internet - surprising given that it is served in just about every brasserie in Paris.
Eiron Senior Member Joined: 12 Nov 2007 Posts: 332 Location: Loveland, Colorado Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Quick Mill 0930 Grinder: Quick Mill 031, Solis 166 Drip: TechniVorm KBTS Roaster: frying pan & wooden spatula
Posted Thu Dec 16, 2010, 12:55pm Subject: Re: What is a café crème?
__________ Said:
Cafe creme doesn't have cream in it. Rather it is an espresso style coffee, but pulled very long in about the same 25 seconds or so as a classic Italian espresso (some people run it a bit longer). It is ground coarser to achieve this. Drink size varies, but about 200ml is about what you would expect. As far as I know there isn't any standardised definition as there is for espresso, but as that is often ignored anyway, perhaps it matters little ;o) ...
john_ Senior Member Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 239 Location: USA Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: La Spaziale, Cremina Grinder: Mazzer Major, Pavoni PGC
Posted Thu Dec 16, 2010, 1:25pm Subject: Re: What is a café crème?
I think there is some confusion here between a café crèma (which is a coffee-like drink made with an espresso machine, no milk, as Keepitsimple describes) and a café crème (which in Paris is an espresso with steamed milk). The two drinks are very different.
Morenito Senior Member Joined: 16 Mar 2013 Posts: 2 Location: Canberra, Australia Expertise: Pro Barista
Posted Sat Mar 16, 2013, 7:49am Subject: Re: What is a café crème?
Hi, I know this is a very old thread now, but I'm trying to find out how to make a 'petit creme' as I used to have every day whilst in Paris. I can't find ANY information on the net.
I remember it seemed to be a cup of espresso prepared entirely of very silky milk froth. The silky foam lasted all the way to the bottom of the cup/bowl without separating into liquid milk. Could it really be a coffee made with just silky foam?
It has come to be my holy grail...
Thanks for your advice.
Tomás (El Morenito) www.theflamencocentre.com.au ...combining art and movement in a process of continual refinement.
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