The Latte Day 5: #WeDidIt

MakeFoodGreatAgain

Today’s toll:

  • 1 Tbl dark roast coffee
  • 1 frying pan
  • 1 course grind of coffee
  • 1/2 cup of this morning’s coffee
  • 1/3 cup filtered water
  • 1 French Press
  • 3 or 4 YouTube videos
  • 2 pots
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 1 almost caramel sauce
  • 1 sifter to filter out the chunks from almost caramel sauce
  • 1 milk frother wand thingy-majig (It is the manual one on the furthest left in the linked photo)
  • 1 microwave
  • 3 gas burners
  • 1 coffee cup
  • 1 failed milk and strong coffee with almost caramel sauce
  • 1 restart
  • 1 pint mason jar
  • 1 quart mason jar with extra wide mouth
  • 1 more Tbl dark roast coffee
  • 1 ice-cream scoop (don’t ask)
  • 1 fine grind of coffee
  • 1/4 cup filtered water
  • 1 more pot
  • 4 coffee filters
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/3-ish Tbl sugar
  • 1 disappointment at the fact that my French press cannot froth 1/2 cup of milk like the YouTube video showed, because I don’t have a small enough French press
  • 1 whisk
  • 1 more pot
  • 1 microwave
  • 1 more coffee cup
  • 0 “microfoam” so no heart shaped foam art
  • 1 SUCCESSFUL LATTE
  • 1 hour cooking/brewing/crafting/doing-whatever-verb-it-is-that-predicates-the-production-not-production-art-craft-of a latte
  • 3/2 hour writing blog
  • 1/2 hour washing dishes which will be procrastinated on until this blog is finished
  • 1 headache from drinking two cups of latte with quite a bit of caffeine
  • 1 butter knife still sitting on the counter
  • 1 softened stick of butter that never was used
  • 1 oven mitt
  • 15 unwashed dishes on the counter or in the sink
  • 5 unwashed dishes that were deemed clean enough to be placed back in their respective cabinets and drawers
  • unquantifiable stress

I did it. I actually did. There was a very delicious latte consumed today, but only after much disappointment, determination, and way too many dirtied dishes. I haven’t answered texts in a while. I also haven’t had the mental capacity to think about much else beyond latte. But hey, success.

Moral of the story: you can make a latte even if you don’t have any of the fancy tools, you really only need enough willpower and coffee filters to make your latte which probably costs a lot less than the EXCEL sheet predicted. The finished product will be worth it. I promise.

Today as I sipped on my fluffy, but not too fluffy; creamy, but still light; sweet, but not Candy-land; actual espresso, but no coffee grinds in my final product latte; I—for all of 37-milliseconds—contemplated if this journey was worth it, before I realized that I had arrived in Flavortown, USA. It is worth it. The cheap latte has officially been made great again. Next stop on this trip will be the cappuccino. Join me on maybe as late as the new year as I start my journey (come on I need a vacation, too).

Latte Day 5: #WeDidIt

  • Latte-ness: 10/10
  • Create-ability: 9.5/10
  • Fluffiness: 8/10 (again I think this is okay, because the latte is part steamed milk, part foam).
  • Flavor: Classic. I kept it simple. I was frustrated with all the failures so this was flavored with only espresso and a touch of sugar. Tasted amazing. I liked the textures that went on. The color was great. The espresso was actual espresso and not some fake attempt. The milk foam was not overwhelming, but the milk was creamy. The oils from the espresso added a nice color to the top presentation. I was in love.

Ingredients for Your Actual-Latte-Vetted-From-All-The-Bad-Mistakes-So-You-Don’t-Have-To-Do-All-The-Other-Stuff-I-Did

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 Tbl dark roast coffee
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/3-ish Tbl white sugar

Necessary Tools for you Actual Latte

  • 1 pint mason jar
  • 1 tightening ring for said mason jar
  • 1 quart mason jar with wider mouth
  • 4 coffee filters
  • whisk
  • 1 pot

How It’s Made

Boil the water. Finely grind the coffee. Place coffee and just under boiling water in the pint jar. Stir with a stirring tool. Place coffee filter over the pint mason and hold over with the tightening ring. Place over the quart jar. The filter will clog because of the fineness of the grind. Just replace as necessary, until you have ‘enough’ espresso. (I probably only used about 1/6 cup of espresso. It will be strong though, so don’t worry about it being too light.) Your espresso should not be translucent at all. It should have the color absorption properties of a black-hole. Warm up milk with the sugar. Whisk like you actually want that latte. Whisk like you have just failed at making your latte and so you really just want to make one right. About half milk, half froth. Pour into the espresso. You have your portions correct because you the color is real dark at the top after the foam has been poured. Sip slowly as contents may be hot. You are welcome world. Merry Christmas!

Unknown's avatar

Published by MakeFoodGreatAgain

A foodie through and through. He vowed to eat anything and everything once upon a time and has followed through since. His foodie lifestyle started with eating sandwiches. It then turned into making sandwiches. What began as hours of preparing said sandwiches during 8th grade, has become a passion pouring over from every part of his tastebuds. A good cook, but not a good recipe follower. Don't expect much more than super creative desperate measures of sustenance on this blog. Food should be graded on one scale—and one scale alone—Tortil-la-licious-ness.

Leave a comment