How to Make Sea Salt Caramel Latte

What you need

• espresso machine
• milk pitcher
• milk frother or steam wand
• kitchen torch
• two 12 oz cups

Method

1. Make the sea salt cream: combine 30 ml fresh milk and 30 ml heavy whipping cream in a small pitcher, add 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, and froth until the mixture is thick enough to float on top of a drink

   This quantity covers two 12 oz drinks; multiply proportions for larger batches

   Expert tipThe cream should be pourable yet dense — it needs enough body to sit on the surface rather than sink through the milk below

2. Pull two espresso shots, aiming for about 40 g of espresso output for the hot version

   One shot also works for the hot version if a milder coffee flavour is preferred

3. Steam the milk to a smooth microfoam — no need to create a latte art texture since the surface will be covered by the sea salt cream

4. Assemble the hot drink: pour the espresso into a 12 oz cup, fill almost to the top with steamed milk, then slowly pour the sea salt cream over the back of a spoon or directly on top to float it

5. Cover the sea salt cream with a generous layer of brown sugar and use a kitchen torch to caramelize it until it turns deep caramel brown

   The caramelized crust is solid enough to chew — use more sugar rather than less for a fully caramelized top

6. For the iced version, pull a double shot of espresso aiming for 45–60 ml

   The higher espresso volume compensates for dilution from the ice

7. Assemble the iced drink: fill a 12 oz cup with ice, add fresh milk, then pour in a combination of sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk, pour the espresso over the top, and float the sea salt cream last

   The intended layering is milk at the bottom, espresso in the middle, and sea salt cream on top

8. Sprinkle a generous amount of brown sugar over the sea salt cream on the iced drink and torch to caramelize

   Caramelize immediately before serving so the crust stays crunchy

Why this works

Keeping the sea salt as a concentrated cream layer on top rather than stirring it throughout the drink means the salt hits the palate first on each sip, creating a more deliberate sweet-salty contrast. The equal-parts milk-and-cream base gives the topper enough fat to remain buoyant while still being pourable. Using a kitchen torch to caramelize loose brown sugar directly on the cream builds a thin, crunchy crust that dissolves gradually, releasing caramel flavour sip by sip. In the iced version, pulling a slightly larger espresso volume — 45–60 ml versus about 40 g for hot — compensates for the dilution that melting ice introduces over time.

Where beginners go wrong

1. 1

   Sea salt cream sinks into the drink

   Froth the milk-and-cream mixture longer until it thickens noticeably before pouring. The cream needs enough body to sit on the surface; under-frothed cream will blend straight in.

2. 2

   Brown sugar does not caramelize evenly

   Spread the sugar in an even, generous layer across the entire surface before torching, and move the torch slowly and steadily rather than holding it in one spot.

3. 3

   Drink is not salty enough

   Taste the cream before assembling and add a little more sea salt to the mixture before frothing. The salt level can be increased incrementally to preference.

4. 4

   Iced drink tastes diluted

   Pull espresso toward the higher end of the stated range (closer to 60 ml) and do not under-pour the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk combination, which adds sweetness and body to counter ice melt.

What you should taste

Sweet and salty in every sip — the espresso and caramelized brown sugar provide sweetness while the sea salt cream delivers a clean, briny contrast. The torched sugar on top is dense enough to chew, giving a crunchy textural layer against the warm milk or cold, layered iced drink underneath.

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