How to Make High-Concentration Coffee for Lattes at Home

 Stir it a bit and let it soak for a while, and you will get a highly concentrated coffee that can be used to make a latte!

Yesterday, while I was selling beans in the shop, a customer friend suddenly turned his head and asked me, “Do you know that it’s trending to brew coffee in reverse recently?”
“Brew… in reverse?”
Only after I asked in total confusion did I learn that this so-called reverse brewing refers to a method where you first put the coffee grounds and water into a container to complete the extraction, and then use a paper filter and dripper to filter out the coffee grounds.
Through this method, you can get a highly concentrated coffee that can be used to make a fragrant milk coffee.
Then I searched and found that this method is indeed quite popular recently.
But honestly speaking, this method is no longer in the category of “brewing,” but soaking.
In this method, the paper filter and dripper simply serve as filtering tools, and the extraction is mainly completed through immersion.
So strictly speaking, this method is not really brewing coffee in reverse, but an immersion extraction similar to a Clever Dripper or a French press.
I have shared the same method in my previous articles.

It is undeniable that this method can indeed bring us a portion of highly concentrated coffee.
If you’re someone who doesn’t have an espresso machine or a moka pot—these kinds of pressure-based extraction tools—at home, you can use this method to satisfy your occasional craving for milk coffee.
So today I’m going to share how we can easily make a pot of highly concentrated coffee that can be used for milk coffee.
Why must we use highly concentrated coffee to make milk coffee?
Some friends may wonder why I keep emphasizing “high concentration”—can’t regular black coffee/hand-brew coffee be used to make milk coffee?

Of course it can!
Regular black coffee can also be used to make milk coffee.
For example, café au lait from France is made with hand-brewed coffee and milk.
But doing it this way has a rather obvious drawback, which is that because of the high water content, the milk coffee made this way will not have high concentration, so the taste will be thinner, and the flavor will be weak.

Some friends might prefer this kind of milk coffee that isn’t too strong, but I believe that the majority of people want milk coffee that has higher concentration, richer flavor, and a smoother, fuller texture.
So we need to increase the concentration of the coffee and reduce the water content in the coffee, so the flavor and texture won’t be overly diluted, allowing us to drink a milk coffee with outstanding flavor and mouthfeel.
And the specific method for getting a portion of highly concentrated coffee is as simple as I described at the beginning: just pour the coffee grounds and hot water into any container, stir it a bit and let it soak, and finally filter out the grounds using a paper filter and dripper or any filtering tool, and you will get a portion of concentrated coffee.
The only thing everyone needs to note is that although the coffee made this way has relatively high concentration, this concentration is only relative—it's absolutely no match for the highly concentrated coffee extracted with pressure from a moka pot or an espresso machine.

At the same time, without the help of pressure, it is hard to extract a complete coffee flavor using only a small amount of hot water, so the milk coffee made with this concentrated coffee will be far less delicious than the one made with a moka pot or espresso machine.
But as an alternative version, its performance is quite good.
Alright, without further ado, let me share how to make this cup of concentrated coffee!
Although this method works for all coffee beans, I still recommend using beans with a darker roast or deeper fermentation.
This is because both types of beans have richer flavors and are easier to extract, allowing more flavor compounds to dissolve from the coffee.
In other words, we can more easily make a milk coffee with a stronger taste.
Therefore, when you make this, you should try to choose these two types of beans.
For example, in my bean list, suitable medium-dark or dark roast beans include: my Espresso · Basic / Classic / Commercial / Specialty Blends, my Sumatra · PWN Golden Mandheling, Brazil · Queen Estate, etc.

And if you want to choose deeply fermented and flavor-rich beans, my list includes: my Strawberry Candy · Gesha Blend, Demarcation Line Estate · Jizhua / Big Belly, Elida Estate · Anaerobic Natural Catuai.
These are all great options and can be purchased directly on Taobao and Tmall (also available in offline stores).
Interested friends can check them out.
Here, I’m using my Strawberry Candy · Gesha Blend, and the extraction parameters are very simple:
Coffee dose: 20g;
Grind size: the finest setting on your grinder to produce flour-like particles (see picture);
Water temperature: anything above 95°C works;
Brew ratio: 1:4;
Extraction time: depends on your grind size and stirring time.

First, pour 20g of finely ground coffee and 80ml of hot water together into any container.

Then start your timer and begin stirring with a spoon.
Stir for about 30 seconds, then let the coffee soak for 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes, stir again for another 30 seconds, and then soak again for 3 more minutes.

If your grind is not as fine as flour, I recommend extending the stirring and soaking times appropriately.
You don’t need to worry about over-extraction at all!
When the liquid reaches a certain concentration, the dissolution rate of flavor compounds decreases significantly.
Because of this, we occasionally need to stir to increase the dissolution of flavor compounds.
Once the time is up, prepare a paper filter and dripper to filter out the grounds, and you will get a portion of relatively concentrated coffee.

As I mentioned earlier, the concentration and flavor of this coffee are not as strong as espresso made with an espresso machine.
So when mixing with milk, the ratio can be slightly higher.
My ratio here is 1:3.5, and since the final coffee liquid I got was 36ml, the milk added is around 126ml.

Finally, we can enjoy the milk coffee!
Although this milk coffee is not as good as the one made with an espresso machine, it still reaches the standard of being delicious.

The milk and coffee are balanced just right, the texture is smooth, the flavor is harmonious, and you can clearly taste the flavor characteristics of Strawberry Candy—such as strawberry gummies, white floral notes, and a hint of berry.
So that’s all for this sharing.
Interested friends can try making it at home!