THE INGREDIENTS

Water: You can’t make great coffee with poor quality water. Espresso requires fresh nearly boiling water. The secret to fresh water is to run the tap a bit to clear to pipes and get clear cold water. If you filter your water, make sure that you change the filter often. If you live in an area with really foul tasting water, use a filter or bottled water. Bottled water isn’t good for the environment, even if it makes better coffee.

Coffee Beans: The best espresso uses aribica coffee, robusta should be used for ordinary coffee. The coffee beans should be fresh and used no more than a couple days after roasting. The roasted beans should be a dark color and have a fresh smell.

Ground Coffee: Burr grinders are best for for preparing the coffee for espresso. You want a mixture with a grind that is somewhere between sand and gravel. The best way to learn the proper grind is to watch a professional prepare it. Don’t let the ground coffee stand around for days, the less time it’s exposed to air the better.

Espresso Machine: A good quality machine will make good espresso. Make sure that your machine is clean.

THE PROCESS

Once you have assembled these elements, you are ready to brew your espresso.

1. Rinse the espresso machine and preheat it by running a cup through to flush the system.
2. Add clear cold water.
3. Add ground coffee and tamp it down a bit so it’s lighted packed.
4. Place a warmed glass carafe under the spout.
5. Start the machine and in about 5 seconds you will have a a steady stream of steam.
6. When the coffee hit the arafe it should have a dark brown foam which is known as crema. When the crema begins to lose it’s dark color, it’s time to shut down the process and remove the espresso.

That’s all there is to it: use fresh water, properly ground aribica coffee beans, and a good espresso machine and you will have an outstanding cup of espresso in almost no time.

You can use the espresso as a base for making latte or other coffee drinks.

Updated May 30, 2009

It may surprise you, but the first step in making a great latte is preparing a great cup of espresso. You begin by grinding your fresh aribica beans to the proper consistency. Too coarse a grind will result in a very weak and thin espresso, but if your grind is too fine the espresso will taste much too bitter. Of course you will need a burr or espresso grinder to get the grind just right. It might take a little practise but you will succeed.

Next you brew the espresso. In less than half a minute you should have an espresso with rich dark foam that is called crema. If the color begins to lighten, stop making the espresso or it will be ruined.

Finally it’s time to take the last steps the whole process. A proper latte is a mixture of espresso and steamed milk with a frothy top. You will need about one and a half ounces of freshly brewed espresso. Next you have to steam the milk and create the froth topping. You can use your microwave or stove top, the steaming wand on your espresso machine will do a better job. A good espresso machine will make it easy to prepare delicious latte quickly.

Updated May 30, 2009

Get a taste sensation by adding some cinnamon to your coffee, or perhaps an orange peel infused Java coffee would suit you better. Fruit flavors, chocolate, vanilla and nuts are also common additions. Creamy toppings are fun sample extravagances!

Here are some amazing delicious coffee recipes to try:

Mochas
Mochas are frosty drinks. Simply take one cup of brewed coffee, one pint softened vanilla ice cream, 6 tablespoons of chocolate syrup and a cup of cold coffee. Blend the hot coffee and syrup in a blender, then add ice cream and the cold coffee. Smoothen it further then serve. A nice summer-time treat.

Coffee Milkshakes
Vanilla and coffee ice cream make this recipe stand out. All you need it four scoops of vanilla ice cream, a pint of coffee ice cream, and one cup of cold coffee. The coffee must be really cold or it will melt the ice cream.

This is different from an iced coffee in that the ice cream is turned slowly in the blender until a milk shake thickness is created.

Rather than serving coffee milkshakes in coffee mugs, serve it in big milkshake sized cups! Tall glasses are also a great presentation method for this unique drink. You can also add even more ice cream to the top in a gentle scoop or two for added effect and taste.

Mint Cocoa Coffee
Ingredients: one regular coffee, shaved chocolate, one jigger of chocolate mint liquor and some whipped cream on top. This simple recipe will become a favorite. Simple and tasty.

Irish Coffee
It is possible to mix alcohol with coffee. Liquor has been used in coffee for centuries in European countries, however, the Irish like to spice up coffee with drop or two of whisky. Bushmills Irish Whiskey is a popular choice for Irish Coffee. Just add one jigger of whiskey, two thirds cup of coffee, one teaspoon of sugar, some cinnamon and optionally some cream. Irish coffee should be hot with the sugar well stirred. Cinnamon is optional but really enriches the flavor. Stirring the coffee is no-no as you don’t want to break up the flavors!

Cuban coffee, or Café Cubano, is not meant to be savored like a fine glass of wine. This creation is a quick pick-me up that’s taken in shots. It’s become a ritual for Cubans around the world and a favorite in cities around America with rich Cuban traditions, such as Miami and Tampa.

Similar to the Italy’s espresso, Café Cubano starts out somewhat the same, but the added touches make this drink distinctly different. Old-time Cubans make the drink on the stove, but modern chefs create it using an espresso maker.

The base for Cuban coffee is finely ground Jamaican coffee beans. They must be ground almost to the powder stage, but not quite. It’s traditional to serve the end product with lots and lots of sugar.

To create a Cuban coffee using an espresso maker:

1. Start out by removing the metal filter cup.
2. Use ice water not lukewarm water.
3. With the water in place, the filter needs to go back in and be filled with the fresh Jamaican grounds.
4. As the coffee brews, add a single teaspoon of sugar to the metal serving cup for each tacita, or small cup, the maker will produce.
5. Cover the sugar with a little bit of the first part of the brew and create a sugar paste by mixing this together.
6. Once the coffee is done, remove it from the heat and pour it into the metal cup with sugar and slowly mix it.
7. With a little practice, the sugar paste will help form a foam on the top once the rest of the coffee is mixed in.

Another version of the famous Café Cubano is the Café con Leche. This is simply a regular Cubano mixed with milk. It’s milder and creamier than its relation and is a breakfast treat that’s often served with Cuban toast for breakfast.

For the café con leche:

1. Make Cuban coffee.
2. Fill a coffee mug mostly with whole milk.
3. Add a tacita of Cuban coffee.

The end result is a sweet, creamy coffee drink that’s ideal for breakfast and serving with desserts.

Italians might take the credit for the machine, but Cuban coffee is distinctly Cuban. Rich and powerful, this drink is meant to be taken in shots. Its sweet and steamy cousin, the Café con Leche, is ideal for anytime drinking and savoring.

Now add a cup of your favorite Russian coffee. (1 oz vodka, 1/2 oz Kahlua, 5 oz hot black coffee.)

Beat until smooth and pour into a tube pan, then bake 45 minutes at 350F (177C). Da!