The Latte. A coffee shop favorite that brings so much joy from the first sip to the last drop. Yet do you know what a latte is? A latte means milk in Italian. If you were in any cafe in Italy and asked for a latte, they would serve you a nice glass of warm milk, and you would be confused. The latte as we know it in the US, milk with an espresso shot or two, is more of an American adaptation. Italians call this a caffe latte. Caffe meaning coffee, and latte meaning milk. Americans assume the coffee is included because warm milk in the US is best served with cookies or honey.