What Kind of Drinks Can I Make?

Espresso Is The Starting Point.
A coffee specialty drink by any other name is still espresso. Nearly any caffeinated beverage you sip at the coffee shop or make at home has this one common ingredient, but by varying the ingredients you add to espresso you can produce a latte, cappuccino or your own unique beverage.
The information below will get you started on your coffee-brewing adventure by providing some of the most popular recipes for espresso-based drinks. Also feel free to be inventive and use these ideas to create coffee specialty drinks that fit your special occasion.

Espresso Can Go Solo.
Most of us know that espresso is simply pressure-brewed coffee. However there is often confusion over what size an espresso drink should be. Generally speaking, a single shot of espresso is about 1 to 1.5 ounces, while a double shot measures 2 to 2.5 ounces. All shots of espresso should take about 20 to 25 seconds to brew. If you find that your shots pull too quickly, too slowly, or taste bitter refer to the Golden Rule for some trouble-shooting guides.

There are also those coffee connoisseurs who like to vary the size of their shots, brewing a smaller shot known as the Ristretto, or a larger shot called the Lungo.

-The Ristretto or the “little one” is the smallest shot of espresso due to the restricted water flow. The Ristretto will be about 0.75 to 1 ounce.

-The Lungo is a long pull, meaning that about twice the amount of water is pulled through. Instead of having a 2 to 2.5 ounce double shot you would have a 5 to 6 ounce shot.
What’s The Difference Between A Cappuccino And A Latte?
The basic difference between these two espresso-based drinks is the type of milk used. A cappuccino has frothed and steamed milk, whereas the latte contains steamed milk only. A variety of flavorings can also be added to a cappuccino or a latte. The recipes for these two drinks are shown below:

VARIATIONS:
-A Dry Cappuccino is a double shot of espresso with little or no steamed milk, but frothed milk on top.
-A Wet Cappuccino is a double shot of espresso with more steamed milk than frothed milk.

Espresso With A Twist
You can also use your espresso machine to make Café Americano and Café Crema.
-Café Americano is a single shot of espresso with 6 to 8 ounces of hot water added to it. It is a little sweeter tasting because hot water is added to the shot, not run through the coffee grounds. Although more water is used to make Café Americano this process still produces a full-bodied cup of coffee.
-Café Crema is a single shot, but it is a long pull. Instead of pulling 1.5 ounces of water through coarsely ground espresso you pull 6 to 8 ounces.
Other Specialty Drinks

How to make a cappuccino coffee

What is a Cappuccino coffee?

A Cappuccino is espresso coffee, that is finished with frothy steamed milk। This recipe is designed for people who don't own an espresso machine and refuse to spend $4 for an Espresso coffee from Starbucks
ingredients

• 1% of skimmed milk
• sugar
• coffee

directions

• brew the coffee for the cappuccino drink
• mix sugar and milk together, then heat for 2 minutes on high
• whip heated milk and sugar in your blender for 1 minute (or until foamy frothy)
• the last step is to fill the coffee cup 2/3 with coffee & and then add the heated milk foam to the top of the coffee

It's a very basic recipe that is great tasting, mmmm enjoy! Save your money and drink coffee at home, Starbucks doesn't need your business they are already very rich.

How Coffee Affects Weight Loss

Coffee is a very popular beverage both in the United States and throughout the rest of the world. In fact, most people who drink coffee drink numerous cups throughout the day. Many people believe that coffee will help them lose weight. This article will seek to show the truth about whether or not coffee serves any purpose as far as weight loss is concerned.
Coffee contains caffeine, which is a powerful and addictive stimulant. Caffeine is a drug that makes people nervous and fidgety. Caffeine alters blood sugar levels. Caffeine causes people to be hungry and crave food. Caffeine disrupts sleep. Excess caffeine causes headaches, nausea, accelerated heartbeat, and anxiety.
Because coffee alters a person's mood very randomly, it is not a good beverage to drink while trying to lose weight. Coffee has the ability to cause a person to feel hungry without a moment's notice. When the effects of coffee are tapering off, a person will generally feel depressed and want to binge on junk food. The practice of binging on junk food can be counterproductive to your goal of losing weight, depending on how much junk food you eat when binging.
Another reason that coffee is a terrible beverage to drink when trying to lose weight is that coffee adds toxins to your body. When you are trying to lose weight, your body is trying to flush out all toxins from your body.
Coffee is a toxin that shuts down the cleansing process of the body and locks other toxins such as fat inside the body. Therefore, it is wise to quit drinking coffee if you are serious about losing weight.

Traditional American Roast Names

There is another naming system haunting the aisles of coffee stores, however, one based on traditional American roasting terminology stretching back to the 19th century. It breaks out about like this:
1. Cinnamon (very light)
2. Light (light end of the American norm)
3. Medium
4. Medium-high (American norm)
5. City; high (slightly darker than norm)
6. Full city (definitely darker than norm; sometimes patches of oil on surface)
7. Dark (dark brown, shiny surface; equivalent to espresso or French)
8. Heavy (very dark brown, shiny surface; equivalent to Italian).

Coffee Drink Basics

When you enter a coffee house, you have a multitude of drink choices like latté, cappuccino, straight shot and caffé mocha just to name a few.
Sometimes knowing what to order can be overwhelming unless you know what you are getting. After all, who wants to pay an outrageous amount of money for a mystery drink that you may not even like?
So we come to the rescue, and after you read this, you'll have a basic understanding of how the most popular coffee drinks are made and what they are made of.
Most coffee drinks start with espresso and espresso is just coffee that is brewed a certain way. It is finely ground to almost a powder then very hot water is forced through the grounds under intense pressure.
The brewing process is timed so that the flavorful and aromatic oils are extracted from the coffee and not the bitter components. This produces a strong flavored, but not bitter, concentrated shot of coffee.
Straight Shot
The straight shot refers to espresso coffee and the secret to good espresso is the extraction time, volume, and golden crema which is a thick light brown layer of frothed coffee oils that float on top of a properly extracted espresso.
The short shot or ristretto is extracted to a volume of three-quarters of an ounce. The shorter restricted pour magnifies the essence of the coffee and the chance of any bitter elements being extracted is minimized. If you have ever ordered an espresso shot in Europe they usually serve the ristretto.
The long shot or lungo is extracted to a volume of one and one-half ounces.
The double shot is a 2 ounce shot using twice as much coffee in the portafilter.
The correct way to serve a straight shot is to extract it directly into a warmed demitasse cup. The warm demitasse cup will keep the straight shot warm and prolong the crema. A straight shot is best enjoyed immediately after brewing.
It is rare to see people drinking straight shots of espresso in the US. Most people here drink variations using steamed milk mixed with the shots to make the different coffee drinks listed here.
Espresso Macchiato
The Espresso Macchiato starts with a shot of espresso and then a small amount of foamed milk is spooned over the shot. Macchiato in Italian means "marked," as the espresso is marked with foam.
Espresso Con Panna
This is an Espresso Macchiato using whipped cream in place of the foamed milk. The drink gets its name Con Panna which means "with cream."
Caffé Americano
The Caffé Americano is a drink similar to American brewed coffee. It is made with a single or double shot of espresso combined with 6 to 8 ounces of hot water out of an espresso machine. The result is a very smooth cup of coffee that is much hotter than brewed coffee.
Cappuccino
Cappuccino is made with a fluffy, wet foam, mixed with espresso coffee upon the pour to create a blend of the two flavors. Cold milk is essential, as is expertise in the foaming process. Cappuccino has a large volume of foam making it a light weight drink and less filling.
Caffé Latté
Caffé Latté is similar to the cappuccino but with much less foam and more steamed milk. A latté is made by holding back the foam with a spoon while pouring the frothed milk from the steaming pitcher. The caffé latté is completed by being topped with a small amount of the held back foam.
Caffé latté gets its name from the addition of coffee to milk. For an iced latté, cold milk is combined with the espresso and then the ice is added.
Caffé Mocha
A caffé mocha is made by adding powdered or chocolate syrup to a hot shot of espresso and blended. Steamed milk is then be added to the espresso-chocolate mixture and usually it is topped with whipped cream.
Iced mochas are made with cold milk and the ice added after the coffee and chocolate have been blended.
Flavored Coffee Drinks
Some popular coffee flavors are: vanilla, Irish creme, almond, hazelnut, caramel and fruit flavors such as orange and raspberry. These drinks usually start with a flavored syrup that is mixed with hot espresso and stirred. Then steamed milk is stirred in like in a latté.
An iced version of these flavored coffees made with cold milk instead of steamed makes a delicious cold drink in the summer months.
So now that you know what's in the basic coffee drinks, try one you haven't tasted yet. Who knows, you might find a new favorite.

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