• Home
  • What is Espresso?
  • The Right Espresso Machine
  • Free Recipe Book!
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Contact Us
LOVE MY ESPRESSO!

Caramel Soy Latte...How I Make One Of My Favorite Hot Drinks!

5/9/2013

1 Comment

 
Yes, I'm an espresso lover!

I started my journey back in the late 80's with a simple cup of steamed milk with almond flavor.  However, that drink quickly turned into my first latte the day I added that first shot of espresso.  When that moment happened, I was hooked for good!

I loved it so much that I even thought about getting my own espresso stand and selling the tasty drink to the public until I priced the venture and checked out all of the details involved, so that goal was one that I put way on the back-burner.

However, I've come to be proficient at making my own hot, foamy lattes and have purchased my own machine for the job.  I use an inexpensive espresso machine I bought for about $30 that helps me save tons of money that I would've spent inside one of those infamous coffee houses.  I might not be making and selling espresso drinks to the public, but I'm very happy with satisfying my own espresso jones!

I buy my beans in bulk already flavored at one of the local major grocery store chains, so I rarely think about buying syrups.  The beans run about $8 a pound.  I usually purchase the caramel beans and/or the vanilla beans.  I buy my soymilk at my other favorite national retailer, which at the time of this writing, is about $3 for a half-gallon.  I figure that every time I make a latte for myself, I'm saving at least $4 a cup.

When I make each latte, I grind the beans in my inexpensive personal grinder.  I generally grind them three times.  I'm not sure why at this point, but I know that doing that makes them the consistency that I love.  I use the fine setting, and one scoop usually makes two huge venti-sized lattes.

I absolutely love steaming the soy milk and watching the foam grow.  I love to watch the milk thicken, and when I hear the sound of the foaming process change, I know exactly the moment when it's just the right temperature.  That deep, roaring sound gives it away!

Then comes the agave nectar, which I prefer, or sugar stirred into the cup.  Finally, I pour half the espresso I made into my cup and save the rest for the next day.  Or, if I happen to have a friend enjoying a cup with me, I'll make another one immediately.

Every time I make a fresh latte, it's just like the first time, and it never ever gets old! 

1 Comment

Espresso Benefits to Your Health 

5/2/2013

2 Comments

 

There are probably hundreds of millions of people all over the world that wake up to a freshly brewed serving of a pot of coffee or espresso.  If you are one of these people then you're probably going to be happy to find out that espresso is actually very good for your health.  Coffee actually has some of the same benefits as well naturally, but we'll get to why some coffee drinkers are not reaping the full benefits of the coffee beverage that they love.

The Benefits

Scientists and researchers have done studies to indicate just how beneficial a cup of espresso or coffee in the morning can be.  From the prevention of Parkinson's disease to lowering your chances of getting Diabetes and colon cancer, there are plenty of benefits from that caffeinated beverage in the morning.  In addition, though, espresso and coffee drinkers are able to enjoy better overall mental performances as well as better immune system.  But you may be wondering where all these benefits come from.  After all, you've probably heard over and over that consuming too much coffee each day can actually be damaging to your heart.

The Source of the Benefits

However, there is one part of the coffee that is the best for your health as is described above and that is the fresh flavor that is derived from the coffee beans. The reason that the fresh flavor is the culprit of most of the health benefits is because the freshly brewed coffee beans contain very rich antioxidants that are great for your health.  One of the reasons that espresso is even better for you than regular coffee is because that the steam that is pushed through the ground coffee beans occurs so quick that much of the flavor and antioxidants are in that single cup of espresso. 

On the other hand, regular black coffee drinkers may gain some of the benefits from the antioxidants, although the most beneficial cup of coffee to your health that you will ever have is the first cup!  After the first cup of the regular coffee is squeezed out then the benefits of the coffee diminish because there are less antioxidants in the second, third, or fourth cups!

Even though many people may disbelieve that espresso is good for your health, many researchers has shown that drinking at least one serving of the espresso a day can be beneficial to your health. However, having an espresso is good on one hand, but doctoring it up with all sorts of sweeteners, creams, and cinnamon is something that will simply lessen the effects of the good benefits of espresso. This is not to say that you can't have a sweetened espresso and maybe having more than 1 serving of espresso each day wouldn't be so bad after all.  In this way one will be able to have all the good benefits of a regular espresso along with the good tasting stuff in one serving as well!
2 Comments

The Best Espresso at Starbuck's

5/2/2013

1 Comment

 
The Best Espresso at Starbuck's

There are plenty of espresso beverages that one can enjoy these days, however, many people consider retail coffee shops the best place to get their daily cup of espresso.  In fact, the popular retail coffee shop that has attracted millions of customers worldwide is the Starbucks brand.  Starbucks has always made great coffee, but the beginnings of Starbucks wasn't actually espresso, however, it was just plain old coffee that Starbucks specialized in. However, with the increase of popularity of espresso beverages among both the young and the old, Starbucks got the message and included espresso on their menu.  Today, Starbucks is known for their coffee and espresso drinks and many people consider Starbucks to be the absolute best when it comes to drinking their espresso!

The Espresso Base

With the incorporation of the espresso beverage at Starbucks shops all across the country, Starbucks has since made espresso practically the number one product that they sell because they incorporate the espresso base into pretty much the majority of all their coffee beverages!  For example, many of the holiday coffee products and lattes that can be purchased from a Starbucks coffee shop use espresso as the main ingredient.  In addition, there is an Organic Espresso beverage that Starbucks has introduced. 

However, this retail coffee shop can do pretty much anything with espresso that you want them to.  If you want cinnamon added to the top of your espresso then chances are they already have a product for you.  In addition, many of Starbucks' espresso beverages come already prepared with a dollop of whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top!  All of these additions and flavors that can be added to espresso beverages at Starbucks have already made millions of people satisfied with their favorite coffee brand! 

Starbucks Vs. Other Brands

When compared with other brands of coffee and espresso, though, Starbucks is the place to win out in the end!  A couple of the other popular brands of coffee that also make espresso as a large part of what they sell includes Caribou Coffee and Seattle's Best Coffee just to name a couple of the popular brand names. 

However, many people who have tried both of these coffee and espresso brands have said that Starbucks truly knows how to make and perfect the espresso down to the last sip.  Perhaps this is because Starbucks is dedicated to giving its customers exactly what they want; however, the fact of the matter is that the coffee and espresso products that Starbucks serves has made them the most popular chain coffee shop in the world!  In addition, their coffee products and mixes can even be purchased in grocery stores throughout the United States!

In the end, though, all it really comes down to experience and the availability of resources that Starbucks can get its hands on.  Starbucks has some of the world-class coffee beans and brews in the entire world and they continue producing excellent coffee products and espresso beverages for their customers throughout the whole world!

1 Comment

    Espresso Lover

    I had my first latte in the 80's, and everytime I make that smooth, creamy drink, it's just like the first time!  Yum!

    Archives

    May 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.