Don’t let your gourmet coffee habit hit 10 bucks a day. Just follow our guide, and before you know it, you’ll be giving the local Starbucks a run for its money.
Here Comes the Bean
If you prefer a regular cup of joe, the most important flavor factor is the degree of the roast. Lightly roasted beans have a sharper, more acidic taste than darker roasts, which are more bittersweet and have a shorter shelf life. Labels such as “Viennese,” “French,” and “Italian” don't refer to the origin of the bean; they refer to the length of time the bean has been roasted. (The lighter the color, the shorter the roast.)
Coffee purists often bemoan the amount of shelf space taken up by flavored coffees. But if you crave amaretto in the a.m., nothing is more convenient because the beans are imbued with flavor before they hit the supermarket. You can find specialty flavors to suit almost any sweet tooth, and you don’t have to mix in sticky syrup.
Magna Cum Latte
What if you want a drink that packs more punch than regular coffee? All that jargon in your local java joint can be downright intimidating (double-skinny-whipless what?). But most specialty coffee drinks are based on a simple, single ingredient: espresso, which starts with a dark-roasted bean that’s finely ground and used in small, concentrated portions (usually one shot per serving). Master these buzzwords, and you’ll never be confused again.
Latte means “milk” in Italian and is the most popular espresso drink in the U.S. It’s a combination of one shot of espresso and a dense mixture of foam and steamed milk. (“Foam” is hot milk whipped with air; steamed milk is simply heated.) Mocha is a latte swirled with chocolate syrup and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. Cappuccino calls for less milk than latte and comes wet or dry. In a wet cappuccino, the espresso is mixed with equal parts foam and steamed milk. A dry “cap” is topped with just the foam. Macchiato is the Italian word for “marked” and comes two ways as well: espresso is marked on top with a spoonful of milk, or vice versa.
If you eschew milk, try an Americano, a shot of espresso diluted with one cup of hot water. Seeking a bigger jolt? A doppio combines two shots of espresso with one shot of water. All these definitions may vary somewhat by region.
True Brew
Now that you know the basics, it’s time to learn a few tricks of the trade. All of the drinks can be served in regular coffee mugs with the exception of espresso and doppio, which require a smaller shot-size cup. To get that ultrarich frothy foam, chill the milk in the fridge in a metal container before heating. (The colder the milk, the better the froth.) Then pour the heated milk slowly down the side of the cup into the espresso so the ingredients marbleize.
Technique aside, the biggest coffee mistake you can make is using stale beans. Buy as little coffee as is practical at a time and keep the beans in an airtight container.
Whip It Up
Now you’re ready to put theory into practice with your own espresso machine. For the casual espresso maker, we recommend Sunbeam’s Bar Espresso. It has all the levers and gauges to make a mean coffee drink without much fuss. For hands-on types who like to read instruction manuals, try La Pavoni Europiccola.
-- Christa Vagnozzi
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