Coffee latte is a unique drink from Rhode Island made with coffee syrup and milk. The syrup was invented in the 1930s and can be purchased or made at home. It is used in other foods and drinks and is considered a treasured part of Rhode Island’s cultural traditions.
Coffee latte is a popular drink in and around Rhode Island. It is made by combining coffee syrup with milk. Some restaurants serve lattes on tap, and coffee syrup can be purchased at some stores to make the drink at home. The drink is relatively unique to Rhode Island and usually cannot be found in stores or restaurants that are not located in or near the state.
The syrup used to make coffee latte was invented in the 1930s in Rhode Island. Its inventor is unknown, but there have since been many manufacturers of the product, including Autocrat®, Silmo® and Eclipse. Initially, the syrup for the drink was made at the places where it was served using leftover coffee grounds. The syrup can still be made at home, but most people choose to use a store-bought syrup. Autocrat® is the most common current maker of coffee syrup other than smaller competitors, having purchased the only remaining major competition in 1991.
The instructions for making coffee syrup are extremely variable. Some directions recommend passing the same liquid through the coffee grounds, dispensing it several times with the same water, then adding sugar and boiling it. Others argue that coffee grounds should be left in boiling water with sugar and then filtered. The formula used by Autocrat® is unknown, but it includes high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar.
In addition to real coffee latte, there are other beverages and foods that are advertised as flavored with coffee latte. These are usually milk based and use coffee syrup as a flavoring. Smoothies, also called “cupboards,” have a popular coffee flavor. Similarly flavored ice cream is also available in areas where the drink is popular. The syrup itself has a number of additional uses in recipes and desserts, although these may not taste like coffee milk if milk isn’t a main ingredient.
This beverage is considered a treasured part of Rhode Island’s rich cultural traditions. It was named the official state drink in 1993. The drink is served on tap at Brown University in Providence, and many school lunch programs in the state occasionally offer coffee lattes as part of their lunch menus. Many Rhode Islanders have grown up with this drink and strongly believe it is part of their unique state heritage, taking considerable pride when they talk about it with people from out of town. Coffee latte can be considered a representative symbol of Rhode Island culture.
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