How to make lattes

Starbucks Iced Latte!

2008-10-31T12:22:00.000-07:00

Making an iced latte is very easy to do.

Ingredients

fresh chilled coffee
cinnamon
whipped cream
homogenized milk

Directions

make a fresh cup of coffee and then place in your refrigerator until it's chilled
add homogenized milk to the coffee
add the amount of sugar you take in your coffee
stir contents until thoroughly mixed together
top of your cold latte with whipped cream
finish your iced latte with chocolate sprinkles or cinnamon if you want

* If you want to make a pot of iced latte follows the directions listed above and just add more of everything according to what your preference is.

http://www.coffee-makers-n-espresso-machines.com/200-iced-latte-recipe.html

How to make a perfect latte

2008-09-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

Knowing how to make a latte will stop you from spending so much money. You know those frothy beverages are well worth large sums of money, but it would be even more fulfilling if you could make one on your own, right? All you really need to become an independent latte drinker are the basic steps on how to make a latte. You should learn how to make the best latte.

Grinding espresso beans

Begin creating a latte by creating a great espresso. And the first step to this is grinding your espresso beans properly. If you don't grind them enough, your grounds will be too coarse. The end result will be espresso that is thin and weak. On the other hand, if you grind your espresso beans too much, your grinds will be too fine. Your espresso will then be bitter. Why even bother with a grinder, you ask? Grinding your own espresso beans, using a special espresso grinder or burr grinder, is recommended by all the espresso experts in the know! It might take you a few tries to get it right, but once you know how coarse of fine you like your coffee beans, then you're good to go.

Start your machine

Start your machine after you have sufficient espresso beans. It should take 15 to 20 seconds to brew if you have a good pump. When it comes out, the espresso should have darkish-brown foam on top, that is called crema by people who know how to make a latte. (You want to become like these people, remember?) Make sure to stop the whole process once the liquid flowing out of the machine becomes whitish-brown. This stuff will ruin your latte. Forcing more water through the grounds at this point will only give your drink a bitter taste.

Prepare milk

Froth and heat your milk when you are ready to. You could heat the milk in a microwave or by stirring it in a pan on top of your stove. Of course, if you really want to learn how to make a latte, then you must do it as the pros do it. This means using the steam heating tools on an espresso machine. These are highly efficient, fast, and tasteful but expensive to buy, so you must really love your lattes!

Add some flavor

You can get some great flavor syrups that you can add to your latte. Flavors like vanilla and different kinds of nuts will add a unique flavor to your latte. Be sure to try them out!

Source: Free Articles

Coffee Drink Basics

2008-09-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

When you enter a coffee house, you have a multitude of drink choices like latté, cappuccino, straight shot and caffé mocha just to name a few.

Sometimes knowing what to order can be overwhelming unless you know what you are getting. After all, who wants to pay an outrageous amount of money for a mystery drink that you may not even like?

So http://www.perfectcoffees.com has come to the rescue, and after you read this, you'll have a basic understanding of how the most popular coffee drinks are made and what they are made of.

Most coffee drinks start with espresso and espresso is just coffee that is brewed a certain way. It is finely ground to almost a powder then very hot water is forced through the grounds under intense pressure.

The brewing process is timed so that the flavorful and aromatic oils are extracted from the coffee and not the bitter components. This produces a strong flavored, but not bitter, concentrated shot of coffee.

Straight Shot

The straight shot refers to espresso coffee and the secret to good espresso is the extraction time, volume, and golden crema which is a thick light brown layer of frothed coffee oils that float on top of a properly extracted espresso.

The short shot or ristretto is extracted to a volume of three-quarters of an ounce. The shorter restricted pour magnifies the essence of the coffee and the chance of any bitter elements being extracted is minimized. If you have ever ordered an espresso shot in Europe they usually serve the ristretto.

The long shot or lungo is extracted to a volume of one and one-half ounces.

The double shot is a 2 ounce shot using twice as much coffee in the portafilter.

The correct way to serve a straight shot is to extract it directly into a warmed demitasse cup. The warm demitasse cup will keep the straight shot warm and prolong the crema. A straight shot is best enjoyed immediately after brewing.

It is rare to see people drinking straight shots of espresso in the US. Most people here drink variations using steamed milk mixed with the shots to make the different coffee drinks listed here.

Espresso Macchiato

The Espresso Macchiato starts with a shot of espresso and then a small amount of foamed milk is spooned over the shot. Macchiato in Italian means "marked," as the espresso is marked with foam.

Espresso Con Panna

This is an Espresso Macchiato using whipped cream in place of the foamed milk. The drink gets its name Con Panna which means "with cream."

Caffé Americano

The Caffé Americano is a drink similar to American brewed coffee. It is made with a single or double shot of espresso combined with 6 to 8 ounces of hot water out of an espresso machine. The result is a very smooth cup of coffee that is much hotter than brewed coffee.

Cappuccino

Cappuccino is made with a fluffy, wet foam, mixed with espresso coffee upon the pour to create a blend of the two flavors. Cold milk is essential, as is expertise in the foaming process. Cappuccino has a large volume of foam making it a light weight drink and less filling.

Caffé Latté

Caffé Latté is similar to the cappuccino but with much less foam and more steamed milk. A latté is made by holding back the foam with a spoon while pouring the frothed milk from the steaming pitcher. The caffé latté is completed by being topped with a small amount of the held back foam.

Caffé latté gets its name from the addition of coffee to milk. For an iced latté, cold milk is combined with the espresso and then the ice is added.

Caffé Mocha

A caffé mocha is made by adding powdered or chocolate syrup to a hot shot of espresso and blended. Steamed milk is then be added to the espresso-chocolate mixture and usually it is topped with whipped cream.

Iced mochas are made with cold milk and the ice added after the coffee and chocolate have been blended.

Flavored Coffee Drinks

Some popular coffee flavors are: vanilla, Irish creme, almond, hazelnut, caramel and fruit flavors such as orange and raspberry. These drinks usually start with a flavored syrup that is mixed with hot espresso and stirred. Then steamed milk is stirred in like in a latté.

An iced version of these flavored coffees made with cold milk instead of steamed makes a delicious cold drink in the summer months.

So now that you know what's in the basic coffee drinks, try one you haven't tasted yet. Who knows, you might find a new favorite.

Article taken from:
http://www.dishadvice.com

How to make Latte Art

2008-09-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

Pour enough milk for one cup into the steam pitcher. Put the steam wand at the bottom of the pitcher. Turn on the steam, and slowly raise the wand until it is near the top of the milk. Lower the pitcher as the milk rises so the steam wand stays 1 cm away from the top of the milk. The milk should not stretch too much nor should there be any big bubbles. Create a smooth, velvety milk as opposed the foam that sits atop most espresso drinks.
Allow the milk to reach 80 ºF (27 ºC), then place the steam wand on the side of the pitcher, deep into the milk, positioning the pitcher to spin counterclockwise. Keep doing this motion until the milk heats to 150 ºF to 160 ºF (65 ºC - 70 ºC). Shut the steam and remove the steam wand and thermometer from the milk. Clean the steam wand with a wet cloth.
Vigorously swirl the milk. If you see any bubbles, pound the pitcher on the counter several times and go back to swirling the milk for 20 to 30 seconds. Do this even while the espresso is pouring.
Start pouring the milk into the espresso. To create a flower pattern, pour the milk into the bottom part of the cup, about an inch (2 cm - 3 cm) away from the bottom. Once the cup is about half filled, shake the pitcher back and forth while slowly moving it backwards. The flower design will move forward, filling the cup. Do this with a shaking motion originating at the wrist instead of moving your hand back and forth.
Once the foam reaches the top, pour the milk up the center of the pattern you created. Use a minimal amount of milk to avoid sinking the flower pattern.
Embellish the design using stencils, powder, and milk foam. This step is optional, as many prefer to limit their latte art to "free form" methods, but you may want to experiment with the possibilities added by "etching."
To write a word, such as "love" in the picture, melt milk chocolate and using a pin as a paintbrush drag the melting chocolate over the foamed milk. More commonly this is done by dipping said pointy object into the crema of the drink being decorated, and then transfering that crema stained foam to the pure white foam to 'draw' a design,

For pictures and more tips, click here.

How To Make Cappuccinos And Lattes

2008-09-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

Although cappuccino and latte are not the only drinks that coffee lovers crave, they are some of the most simple and mutable. A chocolate flavored latte is essentially a cafe mocha without the whipped cream. But I digress, let’s get to the drinks. We have to assume that you have the proper equipment first: a standard espresso machine capable of foaming milk, espresso beans that have been properly ground, milk (skim foam is best), and the flavoring of your choosing (if any).