Thank you to all who indulged in my little question surveying yesterday :). You guys are awesome, and it’s so interesting to hear your thoughts on family, house, work… I have so enjoyed reading your questions. Feel free to still send one over here and let’s start a new discussion.
In love with good coffee I am. I go back and forth between a drip cup and a foamy latte in the morning, but lately I’ve been on a kick for the latter. It’s such a treat.
It saves me $ by making a latte at home and it’s actually very easy (even without a big espresso machine).
I suppose it’s not really a latte because of that reason, it’s more of a very strongly dripped half cup of coffee + steamy, frothy milk. That would technically make it a cafe au lait?
It’s the ritual that really I love most. The smell of freshly ground beans, steaming the milk, the first sip… I used to drink coffee right out of bed and then I realized that I was always drinking a cold cup after the girls were ready for the day. Now I almost always wait until it’s time to sit down at my desk and start my work day. Weekends still get an early cup (preferably with a newspaper or book).
I stopped using my coffee maker years ago and finally gave it away last month. Hadn’t been touched in ages and was using up precious kitchen space. This basic plastic cone filter has made a perfect cup of coffee (one cup at a time) for as long as I can remember. My mom first turned me on to drip coffee and now I can’t imagine anything else. So easy to clean, to store and so easy use!
Truly an awesome cup of coffee, too.
Step 1: heat a kettle of water (you can use a standard kettle or one made for pour over coffee like this Hario). Step 2: add a paper coffee filter to cone, fill with 2-4tb (I like it heavy) with your favorite roasted coffee grounds. Some swear by weighing out coffee grounds but I’m more of a can’t-have-too-much sort of scooper. Step 3: pour hot water over grounds slowly and evenly.
That and a quick splash of half and half is perfect. If I’m making a morning latte though, I’ll follow the above steps and make a very strong half cup of dripped coffee and then add steamed milk and foam.
I experimented and researched for months before I found a tool that can steam milk and make rich foam sans microwave, sans burning and sans a massive machine. I have used the Capresso frothPRO for about two years now and it’s been the greatest find! Somewhere along the line my lid went missing, but I top it with a saucer and it does the trick.
There are three settings: cold frothed milk, extra hot steamed milk and hot steamed milk. The milk foam for all three is so thick you could cut it with a knife.
I pour my steamed milk over my freshly brewed drip coffee and top it with several big scoops of foam. My morning latte is born. If you’re a flavor kind of person, a drizzle of vanilla or carmel is yummy. Or even a dash of half and half or creamer. Mostly I prefer mine as-is though.
I really can’t think of a better way to start the day :).
