I wouldn't be surprised if 1/2 of my bloodstream consisted of coffee. Yes, I <3 coffee. Whether it's espresso, cappuccino, latte, or a straight-up cup o' coffee on a Monday morning, there's something about that chocolate-y rich hue and heady, roasty aroma of coffee beans that's irresistable.
Isn't that just beautiful? I should pursue a side job as a barista and make artistic cappuccinos like the one above for my new teammates at work.
There are so many topics to blog about when it comes to coffee, so I'll be featuring a new coffee-related blog post EVERYDAY this week. Such a phenomenal event deserves a title, so I'm calling this coffeefest "Clee's Ode to Coffee: More than just an infusion of ground coffee beans".
First topic... steaming & frothing your milk properly!
I am lucky enough to have an espresso machine at work, and once in awhile I'll be adventurous and make myself a capp. I've found that steaming the milk- while lots of fun- is quite challenging to get just right. Steam too little and you'll lack froth. Steam too much, and a cheesy flavor results in the milk. So what is a coffee lover to do? Well luckily, there's a GREAT site out there that provides extensive details on this very topic-- Coffeegeek.com. An excerpt from their frothing guide:
Remember that the creation of foam is an admirable goal but it is not the end all and be all. Especially the creation of huge volumes of foam, we need just a little bit. We do not want to create foam at the expense of the larger experience and so my preference is always for a fuller fat milk-always. :)
In Italy they use whole milk. If you were to order low-fat milk they’ll look at you like you’re some sort of bleeding heart, left of center liberal freak and obviously a tourist with no understanding of la dolce vita or proper café culture.
If you say nothing and drink the coffee as it is served to you, you will get whole milk, very likely enjoy the whole milk and come back home telling everyone how great the coffee is in Italy. It’s not just the coffee; it’s the milk too.
The milk is important, treat yourself.
For more, check out CoffeeGeek.com's Frothing for Newbies & Intermediates.
Isn't that just beautiful? I should pursue a side job as a barista and make artistic cappuccinos like the one above for my new teammates at work.
There are so many topics to blog about when it comes to coffee, so I'll be featuring a new coffee-related blog post EVERYDAY this week. Such a phenomenal event deserves a title, so I'm calling this coffeefest "Clee's Ode to Coffee: More than just an infusion of ground coffee beans".
First topic... steaming & frothing your milk properly!
I am lucky enough to have an espresso machine at work, and once in awhile I'll be adventurous and make myself a capp. I've found that steaming the milk- while lots of fun- is quite challenging to get just right. Steam too little and you'll lack froth. Steam too much, and a cheesy flavor results in the milk. So what is a coffee lover to do? Well luckily, there's a GREAT site out there that provides extensive details on this very topic-- Coffeegeek.com. An excerpt from their frothing guide:
- Non-Fat Milk will be the easiest to foam. It will not however be as decadent a combination with your coffee and for this reason I don’t ever really like to use non-fat milk.
- 2% Milk will foam quite easily and is a nice balance between ease of foaming and some fat in the milk making for a creamy and tasty drink
- Whole Milk is going to be the most challenging to create foam with. It will however be some kind of tasty when combined with coffee. The extra fat in the milk makes your latte or cappuccino a special treat.
Remember that the creation of foam is an admirable goal but it is not the end all and be all. Especially the creation of huge volumes of foam, we need just a little bit. We do not want to create foam at the expense of the larger experience and so my preference is always for a fuller fat milk-always. :)
In Italy they use whole milk. If you were to order low-fat milk they’ll look at you like you’re some sort of bleeding heart, left of center liberal freak and obviously a tourist with no understanding of la dolce vita or proper café culture.
If you say nothing and drink the coffee as it is served to you, you will get whole milk, very likely enjoy the whole milk and come back home telling everyone how great the coffee is in Italy. It’s not just the coffee; it’s the milk too.
The milk is important, treat yourself.
For more, check out CoffeeGeek.com's Frothing for Newbies & Intermediates.
