Brewing Joy

This snow-induced 9-day weekend has been an absolute blast! These nine days of zero classes, time with friends, movie marathons, snow playing, road trips & snuggle fests have been fueled by warm beverages. Hot chocolate, coffee, tea, you name it -- I've been living off of it. 

Since I live on campus in a sorority house, I have to abide by TCU policies on dorm appliances. That means I can't have a coffee maker or anything of the like. However, my roommate and I found a loophole, and that beautiful loophole's name is Keurig. I use that little wonder of a machine every morning to brew a trusty cup of coffee (let's be honest: two) each morning. The downside to this shortcut is that you can only get so much room to be creative.

The future homemaker in me was longing to mix creativity and domestication into my morning routine. I decided to bring the coffee shop home and learn how to make four-dollar-worthy drinks. Once I got my hands on some essential supplies, I let some online recipes guide me through the land of espresso.

If you're not really sure what espresso is, here is a great explanation of the difference between drip coffee & espresso. Spark Notes version: espresso is basically a much finer grind, tons stronger than coffee & you need almost boiling water to make it.

getting started:

Essentially, I needed an espresso machine, milk, espresso and a mug. I used some extras to experiment with: sugar-free Torani flavoring syrups (hazelnut, vanilla & caramel), almond milk, and white chocolate syrup.

First, I tried making a vanilla/hazelnut latte:
Latte = 2 oz espresso + fill ¾ of mug steamed milk + remainder with foam
With no particular measurement, I dashed in some vanilla & hazelnut syrup.

Next, I made a caramel cappuccino:

Cappuccino = 2 oz espresso + fill ½ of mug steamed milk + remainder with foam

 The only difference between a cappuccino and a latte are the amounts of milk... lattes have more than a cappuccino. How can you remember this fun fact? Because there's a latte milk in a latte. I'll be here all night. 

Next, I tried an Americano.

(This is a variation on my regular Starbucks order: grande americano with two pumps white mocha & two pumps toffee nut. SO GOOD, low calorie & strong. That's my kinda drink.)

Americano = espresso + fill mug with water

then I added in a little bit of white mocha syrup and hazelnut.

My Favorite:
Hazelnut Latte with Almond milk

Follow the instructions for the latte, but steam almond milk instead of 2% and add some hazelnut syrup before brewing.

Lastly, I whipped up a variation on a macchiato.
I even tried a little foam art!

Caramel Macchiato = 2 oz espresso +2 tsp vanilla syrup + fill ¾ of mug steamed milk + foam dollop + pour espresso OVER foam + top caramel sauce

These concoctions made for some very happy roommates! The drinks were pretty simple, and made for some good conversation and smiles, which I'm thinking is the real magic behind coffee -- the experience of drinking it in good company.

I'll leave you with a favorite quote of mine:
"A morning without coffee 
is like sleep"
... so keep calm & brew on!