Missing your favorite local coffee shop lattes? Make specialty coffees in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Becky Ellis
How much do you love your morning cup of coffee? Missing visits to your favorite local coffee shop since you’ve been working at home? You could go out and buy lots of expensive equipment and ingredients to make your own specialty coffees but it’s not necessary to break the bank to get a really good cup of coffee.
Begin with a really good bean.
One of the most important things to remember about coffee is that it all starts with a little brown bean. But with hundreds of coffee beans to choose from, how do you decide which one will suit your taste the best?
Love the coffee at your favorite local coffee shop? Chances are they sell their coffee in bulk. One of my favorite places to buy my java is Sweet Donkey Coffee. They sell bags of their Counter Culture Coffee “Hologram”, which is the same coffee they use as a base for many of their delicious coffee drinks. It is sold as whole bean and they will grind it for you. $12 for 12 ounces. (12 ounces of coffee will make 22 cups of coffee so you are only paying 54 cents per cup.)
Becky Ellis
If you don’t want to pay coffee shop prices for your everyday coffee, try Eight O’clock Whole Bean Columbian Coffee and grind it at home. Smooth and mellow, it’s a very good value. $5 for 11.5 ounces.
The Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op sells coffee by the pound so you can sample several coffees before deciding which one is your favorite. If you like a smooth and mellow coffee, Equal Exchange Organic Mind Body and Soul Coffee is for you. It has notes of milk chocolate, vanilla and nuts. $9.99 per pound.
Invest in a Milk Frother – Today!
Many specialty coffee drinks are made with espresso, but you can make fancy coffee drinks with your everyday coffee too. Warm milk foam makes a regular cup of coffee into a heavenly cup of coffee. Invest in an electric combination milk frother that warms and froths the milk. (You will love it, I promise!) I like the Miroco brand. Available on Amazon.com or Walmart.com $39 range.
French Press for a rich, smooth cup of coffee
A French Press coffee maker is a nice indulgence. This coffee maker steeps the coffee grounds which makes a more balanced, full-bodied almost creamy coffee. Use only coarse ground coffee in a French Press.
The Pièce de Résistance – Coffee Toppers
To some, what adorns the top of the mug is as important as the coffee in the mug:
Drizzle Torani caramel, dark chocolate or pumpkin pie-flavored syrup or maple syrup over your coffee foam (available at Kroger or on-line). Storied Goods makes deliciously fun Cinnamon Vanilla Sugar Cubes for coffee (available at Crystal Spring Grocery Co. or online).
Sprinkle grated nutmeg, cinnamon pumpkin pie spice or a mixture of cocoa and powdered sugar over your coffee foam or whipped cream on top of your coffee.
Crushed candy canes or shaved Andes chocolate mints (or both!).
After work treat – add a bit of Frangelico, Amaretto or Kahlua to whipped cream to top your coffee.
If you want to have designs on top of your coffee like they do at the coffee shop, you can purchase coffee design stencils on Amazon.com. Sprinkle cinnamon or cocoa over the stencil to make pretty patterns on top of your coffee.
About the Writer:
Following her career in healthcare dining and nutrition management, Becky Ellis followed her passion to create Bubblybee, a champagne and food blog. Her motto is "Don't wait to celebrate! Pop the cork now!" She loves to share tips for entertaining with bubbly. Find her creative recipes and champagne tasting notes at bubblybee.net and Instagram @cocktails_w_bubblybee.