How to Make a Latte Without a Coffee Machine
For many people, a piping hot handcrafted caffe latte, or espresso with steamed milk, from a nearby coffeehouse helps them ease into their hectic day. While caffe lattes are generally made with large, fancy espresso makers and steamers, a good caffe latte is as close as your own kitchen. All you need is some good espresso, milk and either a stovetop coffee pot or mug and a little bit of time and soon you can be enjoying your own handcrafted espresso beverage without having to tip the barista. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Moka
- French press
- 2 tbsp. espresso grinds
- ¼ cup water
- 1 ½ cup milk
- Large mug
Instructions
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Stovetop
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1
Brew espresso using a moka. A moka is a two-chambered stove-safe pot with a middle compartment for coffee grinds. It is sometimes called a stovetop espresso maker. Place your espresso grinds in the middle chamber of the moka and water in the bottom chamber. Place on high heat and the water will rise up into the upper chamber via pressure. As the water moves from the bottom to the top chamber, it pushes through the coffee grinds to create a strong espresso.
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2
Heat 1 ½ cups of milk in a separate pot over medium heat to hot but not boiling. Traditionally, lattes contain steamed milk but this is not possible to make without the steam attachment that comes with most espresso makers. Hot milk will substitute well.
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3
Combine your milk and espresso in a cup that is big enough to accommodate it. Stir to combine. Add sweetener, if desired. This makes one serving of caffe latte.
Microwave
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4
Heat the water in the microwave. For ¼ cup of water, this should take about 1 minute in the average American microwave.
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5
Brew the espresso using a French press by pouring the hot water over the espresso grinds in a French press. A French press is a glass pitcher that comes with plunger fitted with a sieve. Coffee grounds are placed in a glass pot and hot water is poured over the grinds. Once the coffee is brewed, the plunger is pressed down to stop the brewing process. Though not authentic espresso, a French press produces a very strong coffee that can be used like espresso. Let the espresso steep for at least 2 minutes to extract the coffee flavor.
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6
Heat your milk in the microwave in a large, microwave-safe mug. To ensure even heating, microwave on high for 30 seconds before removing and stirring. Place the mug back in the microwave and repeat the process two more times for a total of 90 seconds of heating.
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7
Push the plunger down on the the French press and pour the coffee into your mug of hot milk. Stir to combine. Add sweetener, if desired. This makes one serving of caffe latte.
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1
Tips & Warnings
For a quick latte, use espresso powder to make the espresso component of your latte. While espresso powder will not give you as rich a flavor as freshly ground espresso beans, it makes a decent substitute. Consult your espresso powder's directions for the optimal mix of espresso powder to water for instant espresso.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Espresso image by PhotoMan from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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BTW, if you want to do /actual/ latte art, you'll need a real espresso shot with plenty of crema on top (French-pressed coffee won't work, since it has hardly any crema.)
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If you don't have a milk steamer, you can use a French press and a microwave to make steamed/foamed milk -- my very ordinary press produces foam good enough for latte art. First, heat the milk in the microwave (as described above will probably do). Then pour the hot milk into a clean French press, and plunge repeatedly (from the surface to the bottom) until the foam is the desired consistency. I use about 20 plunges in my press and it produces thick, pourable foam suitable for latte art.
