Raise your hand if you’re guilty of a Starbucks addiction! *hand raised*
Well, *was* addicted. I got this lovely coffee from my cousin during Thanksgiving. He’s a Deep Sea Navy Diver, Underwater Welder (any of you girls single? J ), and one of the most thoughtful guys ever. He brought these lovely Holiday coffee packs home to all the women in the family. I tried the coffee last week, and it just might be the most fabulous coffee I’ve ever had. I didn’t realize what it meant when people told me they thought Starbucks tasted like the beans were ‘burned’ or ‘over-roasted’… but this coffee is SO smooth and tasty!
The brand he brought was Hawaiian Isles Kona Coffee Co. You can order it online! My life is complete.
What I wanted to introduce to you today was how easy it is to make a latte and how much money you can save doing it!!! On average, a latte costs $4-5, right?
Here is my machine. It’s a pretty fancy one… we bought it at Crate and Barrel with all of the gift cards so generously given to us for our wedding. A true treat.
My parents have a simple one at home; you can get them on Amazon for twenty-five-buckaroos!
Alright. Let’s get started. Grind up your beans (you can get pre-ground; just make sure it’s finely ground, which is best for espresso).
I throw one heaping scoop of grounds into my espresso guy.
Take the end of your espresso scoop, and press lightly on your grounds (excuse the bandaid... my knuckle sandwich I was talking about showed me who's boss!).
It should look a little somethin like this!
Get your syrup or Creamer…
And place it in your cup!
PS… I LOVE Torani Syrup. You can get this huge syrup at Cost Plus World Market for $7 when it’s not on sale or $5 when it is on sale!
Then take about 1 cup of milk if you’re using syrup… ¼ cup if you’re using creamer… and throw her in the micro (you can steam it too if you’re feeling extra fancy). I wanted to save time this day.
Get a little cup for your espresso…
And let her roll!
In the meantime, get your frother (like this one I got from IKEA) ... for $1.99...
And fluff your warmed milk up!
Look at how big a ¼ cup of milk gets!
Toss your espresso into your cup (that already has your creamer/syrup in it)…
Almost there!!!
And then top her with a little fluffy froth!
So fancy! And CHEAP! And most importantly, Deeeeee-lish.
You guys aren’t going to believe this. This drink only cost me $0.88 to make at the most. The equipment is an upfront cost not considered in this cost, but the equipment lasts forever!
You can even print a coupon here for the Coffee Mate (I prefer Coffee Mate over other brands):
I hope you all go out and buy yourself an IKEA frother, and an espresso machine. It has saved me so much money, and allowed me to be so creative with these lovely coffee drinks!
QUESTION: What is your favorite kind of coffee? Coffee drink?
I LOVE a pumpkin spice latte! I get so excited when Coffee Mate releases their seasonal Pumpkin Spice Creamer.
Cheers!
Café Latte
Americano:
1 cup of water (hot)
2 oz. espresso
Combine the ingredients and stir.
Vanilla Latte:
2 tbsp Torani Vanilla Syrup
1 cup warm (or steamed) milk
2 oz. espresso
Pour syrup into a glass. Steam or warm your milk in the microwave. If you have steamed your milk, you should have a small amount of froth on top. If you have microwaved it, use a frother and fluff your milk. Make your espresso and pour into the glass. Pour milk and froth on top.
Variations (use the same instructions as above):
Latte made with Creamer:
2 tbsp creamer
1/3 cup milk
2 oz. espresso.
Carmel Macchiato (Yes… this is really how they make that expensive Carmel macchiato you’ve been paying $4 for. I confirmed with a Starbucks employee!):
1 recipe vanilla latte (above)
Carmel syrup on top (you can buy the Starbucks salty Carmel syrup at Starbucks!)
Mocha Latte:
2-3 tbsp chocolate syrup
1 cup milk
2 oz. espresso
