Author: Alain Rosa

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Give Your Beans a 2nd Life! How to Reuse Coffee Grounds

We all know brewing coffee from freshly ground beans is, without a doubt, the best way to prepare a cup of your favourite blend. But what about all those coffee grounds used up in the process, surely they deserve a better send-off than just being flung in the bin?

There is life after brew for your coffee, and here at Doubleshot we’ve tested all the weird and wonderful ways you can reuse coffee grounds. Keep reading to discover some of them!

Say Goodbye to Puffy Eyes!

We all know coffee is great for a little pick-me-up, but are you aware of just how powerful it can be when you apply it directly to your face? No, you don’t need to splash an espresso on your cheeks, just make a paste with your City Blend coffee leftovers while they are still warm and wet. As you sip that cuppa to get your brain in gear, you can spark up your appearance with a little coffee ground paste applied under your eyes.

Perfect for when you had a few too many the night before or if after a bad night’s sleep leaves you with dark circles around your peepers. You can also add other everyday ingredients like pepper and coconut oil to your coffee ground paste for an even more effective formula!

For a Softer and Tastier Steak!

Would you believe that used coffee grounds work brilliantly as a meat tenderiser! It’s true, so fire up the barbecue and great ready to rub that meat with your spent beans. Not only will it make a choice cut of steak more succulent thanks to the sealed crust it creates, but the acidity of coffee also does a great job of enhancing the flavour of the meat.

Your Fruit and Veggies Love Coffee Too!

Consider yourself a bit of a green thumb? Well those coffee grounds could send your herbs and mushrooms to the next level because they are packed full of nutrients that plants simply can’t get enough of.

And not only is used coffee a perfect fertiliser for fruits, vegetables, and fungi, but it’s also a natural insect repellant! That’s right, you can reuse coffee grounds to feed your garden and protect it from pests.

Clean Out the Fireplace the Easy Way!

If you have a fireplace you’ll know just how much of a pain it is to clean out the old ashes. Not anymore, with this awesome used coffee ground hack! Just scatter the grounds over the ash before you start sweeping it out.

Hey presto! The grounds weigh down the ash so it doesn’t lift up into the air in the form of dust clouds and travel around your living room. This makes removing all the ash much easier, quicker, and far less messy.

Don’t Ya Love the Smell of Coffee in the Morning All the Time!

Did you know that coffee is a fantastic deodoriser? Not only does it have a delightful aroma when you brew it, but those old coffee grounds will even absorb less pleasant odours afterwards. Just wait for the grounds to dry first, then start putting them in places that are a bit whiffy.

Take an old stocking or sock and drop a few handfuls of grounds in, then tie it up and hang it somewhere that needs freshening up, like a smelly shoe cupboard or under the kitchen sink. And talking of kitchens…

Natural Scrub for Your Hands and Pans!

Rub some coffee grounds between your hands and you’ll notice it feels a little bit like sand. Combine this exfoliating action with its deodorising capabilities and you have an earth-friendly way to get the smell of garlic, onions, and fish off of your mitts.

You can apply the same method to your cooking pots and pans that have food stuck to them. Just rub some coffee grounds in and it’ll help to break up anything that’s been burnt on and restore that shine.

Anything We’ve Missed? Tell Us How You Reuse Coffee Grounds!

That’s a pretty exhaustive list right there, but we know there are more! We want to hear about all the ways you put your used coffee grounds to work, so go ahead and add it in the comments below. And for those of you still chucking your soggy grounds in the bin, now’s the time to stop!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

So Good They Banned It – Times When a Cup of Coffee was Criminal

Brewing up a regular ol’ cuppa joe seems like such an everyday thing to do, but travel back across the antiquities of time and you’ll see just how dangerous a morning coffee used to be.

It’s surprising to think that a sip of your favourite blend could have got you roughed up, landed you in jail, or even put to death. A grim thought, but thankfully those times when a cup of coffee was criminal are well and truly over.

So if you haven’t already, go and fix yourself up with a nice cup of Foxy Brown or whatever coffee you have in the cupboard, and read on to discover what might have happened to you in another lifetime.

Because Coffee Makes You Feel Good

Let’s start in 16th century Mecca, where the city’s governor outlawed coffee and sent out his cronies to torch coffee stalls in the streets. The year was 1511, and Khair Beg believed the intoxicating effects of coffee put it in the same boat as booze, so drinking it seemed to fly in the face of the Quran. The ban didn’t last very long at all, just a couple of weeks, but other rulers soon followed suit.

Because Coffee is the Devil’s Drink

Coffee was banned in Italy?! Hard to imagine, but it’s true. This time around it was the Catholic Church that turned their nose up to caffeine. They didn’t like the strange energising effect it had on people. Also, it was from mysterious faraway lands, which immediately made them suspicious.

It’s no wonder then that they came to the conclusion it was a satanic beverage that must be condemned for eternity. That was until Pope Clement VIII had a taste, and promptly baptised the humble coffee bean to make it safe for Christians to drink!

When Coffee Would Get You Killed

Moving onto the 17th century, and to what is undeniably the harshest crackdown on coffee the world has ever seen. Sultan Murad IV initiated a ban on coffee across the entire Ottoman Empire starting in 1633, which lasted for more than 100 years.

Legend has it that Murad would disguise himself as a commoner and roam the streets, sniffing out illegal coffee houses and decapitating criminal drinkers on the spot. When his successor Ibrahim took over, first offenders would get away with a nasty beating to recompense for their wrongdoing. But if you were caught a second time, you’d find yourself stuffed in a leather sack and unceremoniously chucked in a river to drown.

When Coffee Made Rulers Mad

Around the same time in England, London’s first coffee house opened in 1652, and within a couple of decades, King Charles II declared all coffee houses must close. But what was his concern with this new foreign brew?

Well, it was stimulating political discussions across the capital, sparking debates in which the monarchy was the butt of insulting jokes. Not one to be taken the piss out of, a proclamation to suppress coffee houses was published, however lawmakers saw to it that no ban was actually enacted.

Over in Prussia, now modern-day Germany and Poland, Emperor Frederick the Great had a different beef against coffee. He didn’t like the money pouring out of the country to pay for this exotic new drink, so he created a state monopoly over coffee imports and banned the public from roasting their own beans.

The Infamous Swedish Coffee Experiment

Numerous Swedish kings grappled with coffee for over 60 years, enforcing five separate bans on it between 1756 and 1817. All sorts of reasons were touted for why coffee was bad, all of them nonsense. Persistent offenders would have their coffee cups and saucers confiscated.

In a bizarre experiment to try and prove coffee was bad for your health, a pair of identical twins who had already been sentenced to death were summoned to be human guinea pigs. One twin was made to drink three pots of coffee a day while the other drank tea. Turned out the tea drinker died first, at the ripe old age of 83.

Honouring the Coffee Drinkers of the Past

The common theme to take away from all these historic coffee bans was that in every instance, it was a minority who were against it. For your average guy and gal, coffee drinking was enjoyable, a time to talk, relax, and have fun. Let’s thank our predecessors for sticking a finger up to the man so that we can drink coffee in peace today.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

How to write indignant cafe reviews online.

Let us come together and celebrate the amateur critic, laying waste to food establishments across the globe. Previously the sole domain of pompous, and mostly anonymous, professional food critics. This divine power to make or break a small business has been democratised by the internet. With the casual click of a mouse, anyone can twinkle a single star in front of a slack restaurant. A simple touch screen, enraged by a luke-warm beverage, can fling flaming misspelt rage into the ether.

Now friends, this is not to belittle the greasy fingers furiously jamming away at that smart phone. Please don’t misconstrue my prose as contempt. That dry bun may or may not have “had me choking and gagging for water”. The décor may have been “tired and desperately in need of an update”. This is of little interest to me. I am far more interested in the unsung art of the amateur review. It’s high time that reviews took their rightful place next to the works of Poe and stamped past the worn-out drivel of Shakespeare. So, in the interest of furthering this nascent artform, let us explore the ingredients of successful indignant café reviews.

 

  1. Rage – Like a musician, your review must be emotional and able to move your audience to tears. Tears of RAGE!! And nothing says rage online quite like the mighty caps lock. Sprinkle it liberally throughout the review. Second only to the caps lock is the hastily misspelt word of scorn! Grind it into your sentences like the pepper they forgot to season your dish with. Remember, you will not be graded on grammar, rather the salivating online hordes drink the sweet blood of insolvency direct from the jugular. “I will NEVER go back to that place. The cake was STALE!! And the manager ayte it when ia demanded MYMONEYBACKK!! “
  2. Jaded apathy – The artistry of turning searing rage into icy apathy requires the delicacy of a fluttering butterfly wing combined with the cold clammy hand of an undertaker. Apathy takes your reader on a journey from the highs of hate to lows of disgust! “and besides I don’t know what the fuss is about, starchucks has better coffee”   
  3. Snark – Irony’s Bitter Cousin – Lay it on thick. Sneer at the screen whilst you type. Imagine yourself as the cool kid at school who could never remember your name until it came to cribbing your homework.  “Thanks for showing me some snotty farmer’s bio, I really wanted to know whose dirty fingers picked my coffee. NOT”
  4. Hyperbole – If rage and apathy are the heart and soul of your review, then Hyperbole is its body. Flex your literary muscles by stacking your review with layers upon layers of hyperbole. No one wants to read about how “The coffee wasn’t anything special” when they could gorge upon “I nearly choked to death on the most disgusting stale croissant! Someone should shut these fascists down before they murder everyone”
  5. Authority – Own it! Write with resolve. Facebook, Yelp, Google and all the tech giants have entrusted you with the power of review. They know what they are doing. Look, they even won an American election. You don’t need to be a champion barista to critique the coffee, you just have to sound like one online. The guys who make tyres could do it, then so can you. “You do know that chai tea means tea tea, don’t you!?! Do some research before making stupid labels!” Facts are of no concern and should not impede your artistry. Whomever has the loudest voice is right. “Italians grow the best coffee in the world. Far better than your expensive crap!” “Robusta is the best coffee, far better than your Ethiopian beans.”
  6. Anonymity – The internet is kind of like your car. You can scream and threaten to crush the life out of other drivers from behind the comfort of your windshield, safe in the knowledge that there is little they can do to touch you. For added security choose a smart, witty pseudonym. This will help ensure that no angry chefs can find you and wring your neck like the hapless chicken in the salad you “almost threw up all over the floor because it was so DISGUSTING- signed @catch-sup-ontherye”. Intuitively you already know this, but I think it’s important to emphasise this for the sake of creativity and vitriol. Don’t worry about waiters spitting in your food or offending the 6 foot slab of steroid fuelled flesh blocking your path to the toilet. You’re online baby!! No one’s coming to get you, (clear your cache regularly just in case). Loosen up, let the creative juices pour through you and don’t hold back on the cuss words either.

The following are some exemplary reviews scoured from the web, that will hopefully inspire you to poison pen hights.

 

One sentence “haiku” review – “What are you dumb or stupid “– source @arse_hat1 Doubleshotsa Instagram.

 

“The chefs end up looking like demons stoking the fires of hell. The food makes you think you’ve arrived there.” nytimes.com dining

 

“Hi I recently visited this *** and was so disrespected by this asshole named victor, he had a bad attitude and was very unhelpful when I asked him for recommendations. My food was made very sloppy and burnt and it pisses me off, I didn’t waste my time staring at those shitty display bags to receive poorly made food. All I gotta say is DO BETTER!”  yelp

 

DO NOT EAT HERE. This place is awful. Ordered from a company named “breakfast burrito snob” on Uber eats and was given garbage from this trash establishment. They are deceiving customers into purchasing their sorry excuse for a breakfast burrito. DO NOT SUPPORT THEM.” Yelp

 

“The worst ***** location that ever existed on planet earth. I hope upper management come in and fix them.

Came here on a Friday morning, the cafe was completely understaffed. The man taking the orders was rude AND slow. How is that even possible? I told him I had ordered a sandwich through the *** app and he just gave me a cold stare and then barked over my head to the next customer for his order. The man behind me was a little shocked, as was I” Yelp

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

What is Chai Tea, and Why That Makes No Sense…

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ inner_width=”auto” inner_max_width=”1200px”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ custom_padding__hover=”|||” custom_padding=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.5″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” vertical_offset_tablet=”0″ horizontal_offset_tablet=”0″ z_index_tablet=”0″]

Every Chai lover has a story of when the bug first bit them. For some it’s a mother special comfort tea, or the visits to a happy, rotund auntie. For others, it was born in the buzz of street food vendors, and the sizzling clay cups poured by a chai wallah. For me it is London. London you say? That doesn’t sound very authentic. Where is the street market? Where is the adventurous tourist praying for death, as his stomach tries to wrestle itself away from him in search of a toilet? Nonetheless chai will forever be linked with London for me. Newly married, on honeymoon, walking with a fresh young wife and a steaming cup of chai latte along the overcast edge of the River Thames. It’s a hard memory to beat.

So, what is this magical marvel that has so indelibly imprinted into my memory, pushing aside space reserved for a now spicier spouse? Let’s start with the obvious.

Chai is the Hindi name for tea. Chances are the Hindi speaker taking your order for chai-tea is smiling at you out of sympathy. Not everyone was made to be a Microsoft engineer, she is thinking. Tea-tea is not a thing. Flex your barista muscle by order a masala chai instead. “Masala” being a spice mix.

But scoring that date with her will need a little more street cred. Let’s break down a list of spices you might find in a typical chai masala blend. That way you can soud either like a champ or chump- depending on how tall you are – when you suavely ask if she uses Sri Lankan cinnamon or Casia bark in her chai. Traditional blends are regional and often familial.

Most blends begin with green cardamom. Its perfetly ok to leave it at that, and many versions do so. Other popular spices include ginger, cinnamon, pepper, fennel, cloves, anise seed, star anise, mace, nutmeg, cumin, coriander seed, almonds, saffron, chilli and lemon grass. Some more modern twists include rose petals, orange peels, cacao, vanilla and liquorice root.

The quality of the spice, ratios and selection thereof are the difference between the Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Olivera of chai. Freshness is key, and worth the effort to secure. You can try livening older spices by pan heating them and grinding them before use, but there is only so much gallop you can get from a dead horse. Sourcing and choosing between a wide range of varieties of each of the spices is one of our ongoing challenges. Even when they are in peak freshness, different varieties of and origins of each spice can have a massive impact on the end result.

Let’s not forget the “chai” part of masala chai. Traditional Chai is brewed with a strong black tea, typically an Assam, but green tea is also used in regions such as Kashmir where lighter aromatic marsala blends are favoured. The native Indian tea varietal associated with Assam (Assamica ) is particularly well suited for masala chai, as its robust character and bold colour are not diminished by the addition of spices and milk. It is worth noting that true tea, tea derived from the Camellia sinensis plant, has caffeine. Assamica varietals are known to have higher levels of caffeine than their cousins. Because of its brisk and bold character, Assamica and its hybridized offspring are commonly grown throughout regions outside of India, particularly in Africa. So, when selecting a tea base for your masala chai, you may want to broaden your scope of options. We use one of Malawi’s treasures, the Satemwa tea estate, as the base of our chai concentrate and our loose-leaf versions.

Masala Chai is traditionally brewed in hot milk and served sweet, but has made its way to the west in a number of formats, not the least of which being the spicy chai latte.

Enjoy a perfectly balanced spicy chai with our artisanal chai concentrate. Perfect for professional environments as well as home application. We use premium spices and tea to create a harmonious, full flavoured chai, without the effort. Or you can enjoy the ritual of chai preparation with our loose-leaf chai tea, or our sticky chai tea blends.

Artisanal Chai Concentrate

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The poor man’s cappuccino – home brewing on a budget hack.

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ inner_width=”auto” inner_max_width=”1200px”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.1″ box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” vertical_offset_tablet=”0″ horizontal_offset_tablet=”0″ z_index_tablet=”0″ max_width=”1080px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ custom_padding__hover=”|||” custom_padding=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.1″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” vertical_offset_tablet=”0″ horizontal_offset_tablet=”0″ z_index_tablet=”0″]

There is no shortage of coffee equipment options on the market these days. Some affordable, some stupidly expensive. But what if you have a limited budget, or simply don’t have a sophisticated setup, and want to brew a creamy, airy milky coffee at home? Delgado coffee looks all well and fine on Instagram, but you have a working face of taste buds. What then? Alternative brewing methods, such as pour overs, will give you the rich complex, flavours you need. But, won’t scratch that milky itch. You need some silky micro textured milk in a pinch.

Here is a simple, hack that doesn’t need high pressure espresso machines or even a nespresso style milks steamer.
All you will need is a moka pot, a plunger, a decent grinder and some exceptional coffee and cold milk. Pay attention to the quality of your coffee and grind it fresh.

Tips for brewing with a moka or brikka pot are subjects for another articles, but we will assume that you can brew a decent pot for this article. So, while your pot is brewing away, time to prepare your milk. Pour a small portion of milk into a cup and heat it in the microwave. It’s important to have a light hand with your milk temperature. Nothing worse than burned milk.

While that’s all bubbling and boiling, add about an inch and a half’s worth of cold milk into your coffee press. Now using the plunger, start to vigorously pump it up and down into the milk. You will soon see that the milk will stretch and create a micro texture. (That was the hack, for any slower but still much beloved readers). Finally, pour your coffee, followed by the hot milk into a cup. Lastly swirl the frothed milk in the plunger to combine it, and pour it onto the top to finish. I like dusting the finished drink with a touch of cacao powder, because I like pretty and tasty coffee.

A cold version can be made easily by substituting the hot milk for cold. There you have it folks, nice a easy.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]