Fancy Coffee Variations and How To Make Them

If you are like many of us, you often swing by your favorite coffee shop and order coffees, cappuccinos, café mochas, lattes and espressos. And it isn’t the ambiance of the shop or the fancy coffee cups (or not) that makes you love the stuff, it’s the recipe of the coffee and of course the way it looks, that turns the trick. We all have a favorite style of coffee. Different types of coffee will taste different because of the origin and roast of the coffee bean, the grind, the amount of coffee used, the water, the temperature and a variety of other factors.

Maybe you, like I, have had a go at trying to reproduce the coffee goodness from the coffee shops at home, the way we imagine they are supposed to be done, but do we actually know the proper method to use to extort the captivating flavors perfectly? Below is a basic list of how to make those excellent coffees.

Cappuccino: This coffee product consists of equal parts steamed and frothed milk and a shot of coffee. The frothy milk is then poured on top of the coffee shot and dusted with nutmeg, cinnamon or chocolate powder.

Café Mocha: The easiest way to do this is to make it with quality hot chocolate, add a shot of coffee with steamed milk poured in and top with whipped cream, then lightly dust with chocolate powder. To achieve to best effect, use a clear glass-mug with a long stemmed spoon.

Latte: Foam and steam milk to 75 degrees (C). The ratio is worked out as half coffee and half milk. Slowly pour the milk down the side of the coffee cup or glass so it infuses with the coffee shot. The main difference between a latte and a cappuccino is a latte blends the milk and coffee together, whereas the cappuccino keeps the two apart.

Espresso: We have all had a foul espresso, right?. There are a number of possible causes for this, but the major cause of bitter espresso is using unsuitable coffee beans.

If you like espresso you are most likely a lover of all things coffee and know what makes a good coffee bean. So with this in mind, to make a good espresso coffee you need to follow these instructions:

• Finely grind the coffee beans
• You must use a special high pressure espresso pot, either a high pressure coffee machine or stove top model
• You must pack the espresso powder down firmly in the machine
• You must not try to make too much coffee at once
• You must see the crème (a golden-brown foam) floating on the top of the coffee shot
• You must use an appropriate espresso cup to keep the coffee warm as it is being drunk

When all is said and done, making coffee correctly is all up to you and the way your flavor buds take to the coffee taste. If you like coffee in a particular way, then make it that particular way. So do yourself a favor and learn the correct way to make coffees, lattes and espressos.

Read More