Published by Programme B
There are a lot of people who are willing to pay good money for a cup of coffee at a café. That is because these coffee drinks are made by baristas and coffee professionals, who know how to make a good cup of coffee. But will it surprise you to know that you can also be your own barista? With the help of a coffee machine, high-quality coffee beans, and a little bit of coffee education, you can be your own barista at home. Here are the items you need to make coffee at home, and some coffee recipes that you can try out.
What You Need to Make Coffee at Home
Before you start making these recipes at home, you will need a few items to ensure the best results. The first thing you will need is a good coffee machine, for your espresso shots. If you have your own coffee machine at home, you can easily make good espressos for any coffee drink. You can also use a Moka pot or a French press, but it will not give you the best espresso.
You will also need good coffee beans and coffee grounds for your drinks. You can get bags of coffee grounds at the grocery store or get them from a coffee roastery. This is the place to go if you want to find perfectly roasted coffee beans, so that your drink later tastes as good as the one at the coffee shop. Some roastery will grind the beans for you, but you can also do it yourself with a coffee bean grinder.
Most coffee drinks have milk in the recipe so look for quality milk before making your drinks. You want whole milk for your coffee because that will froth up the best. If you cannot consume dairy, oat milk, soy milk, or almond milk are excellent alternatives for coffee drinkers.
Coffee Drink Recipes
Latte
Let’s start with the most popular coffee drink: the latte. A latte is usually made of one part espresso to two parts steamed milk and topped off with a thin layer of milk foam. You can make different variations of a latte just by adding in different flavored syrups, like vanilla syrup for a vanilla latte, or pumpkin spice syrup for a pumpkin spice latte.
For this drink, you will only need 4 ounces of espresso and 8 ounces of steamed milk. With your coffee machine, make 2 shots of espresso and add them into a 12-ounce mug. Set the espresso aside while you steam the milk. Add the milk into a frothing jug and use the built-in steaming or frothing wand of your coffee machine to heat the milk and froth it. You will want to aim for tiny and uniform bubbles.
Gently tap the bottom of the jug and lightly swirl it to pop any large bubble in the milk. This will also help to even out the texture of the milk so you will get a smooth latte. Pour the milk over the espresso in a slow, narrow stream. What you will end up with is a nice cup of latte, with a smooth layer of foam on top.
Cappuccino
The cappuccino is somewhat like the latte in terms of ingredients, but a cappuccino is lesser in volume and there is an added milk foam layer on top. It is a classic Italian coffee drink, and it is great both on its own or with to accompany a nicely toasted flaky pastry. The focus of the cappuccino is the milk foam, so get high-quality milk and practice mastering the steaming wand.
For your cappuccino, you will need 2 ounces of espresso and 4 ounces of milk. Add a shot of espresso to your cappuccino mug and set it aside while you work on the milk. As usual, add the milk to a frothing jug and use the steaming wand of your coffee machine to heat the milk. For a cappuccino, you will want bigger bubbles that are light and airy.
Once your milk is done, remove the jug from the wand and firmly tap the bottom against the counter to compress the foam. This will ensure that your foam will stay airy as you pour the milk into the espresso. While you pour the milk, aim for the middle of the mug and continue with a circular motion, moving towards the rim. If you can master this pouring technique, you’ll have a lovely cup of cappuccino with a nicely topped milk foam.
Frappuccino
The frappuccino is not necessarily a classic café drink but it sure is popular! The blended coffee drink is great for hot days or when you want a sweet treat with a coffee kick. There are tons of frappuccino variations, like vanilla or mocha, but they are all easy to make at home, with just a few ingredients.
To make a standard frappuccino, you will need 4 ounces of espresso, 8 ounces of milk, and a cup of ice. Add everything into a blender and blend until you get a smooth, thick slush. You can add more coffee, milk, or ice, to suit your preference. Pour your frappuccino into a tall glass and top it with some whipped cream and caramel sauce.