April 7, 2007

How To Make Great Espresso and Latte Drinks

Tip! The piston driven espresso maker is the grandfather of all espresso makers and the reason most espresso comes with a foamy top. Invented in 1938 by Achille Gaggia, the piston driven maker is still a good way to make espresso, though not often used.

Coffee drinks are quite the rage these days and the espresso and latte are among the favorites. Sure, you can get them at the local coffee house, but why not save some money and make them yourself?

Here’s some tips on foolproof methods to the best espresso drinks around.

First off, you want to start with a good quality machine. If you are serious about your espresso, you need to spring for the best machine you can get. One thing to look for in a quality machine is to make sure it has a built in grinder as the grind of the beans is key to good coffee.

When you grind your beans for espresso or latte drinks, make sure you give it a good medium to fine grind. If they are too course the drink will be very weak, on the other hand if you grind the beans to fine the drink will taste bitter. A little bit of practice makes perfect!

Tip! Delonghi Magnificia Automatic Espresso Machine: Available at around $600, this super-automatic espresso machine can make a variety of espresso. It can make espresso, cappuccino, coffee or even latte with this machine.

To brew your espresso should only take 15 to 20 seconds. While your drink is dripping out into the cup, a foam should form on the top. When you see that the water coming out is a whitish brown color it’s time to stop and reap the rewards.

The output should yield 1 ˝ fluid ounces. If you have made more than that then your drink may be bitter.

Now that you have your perfect espresso drink, you can use it to make a latte. Lattes are great and can be flavored to taste like the ever popular mocha latte.

A latte is really espresso and frothed milk along with the flavoring. So to make a mocha latte, you will mix in chocolate syrup.

Start with a coffee cup and our about 1 3/4 ounces of choclate syrup into the cup. Next add 2 ounces of espresso and then top that with the steamed milk. Now stir the drink from the bottom so that the syrup mixes in. You can get fancy and put a smidge of whipped cream on top and even some choclate shavings if you have them. Enjoy!

Tip! The brewing technique implemented to make espresso coffee is very exclusive. So as to force the water through the fine-ground coffee, the espresso coffee maker utilizes pressure that comes from heating water inside a sealed vessel.

Lee Dobbins is a writer for Online Gourmet Foods where you can
find out more about gourmet foods and coffee.

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