If you’re a coffee enthusiast (or you simply depend on it for energy to stay alive and kicking), it helps to learn new ways to make and enjoy coffee. If you drink the same blend every single morning, things can get boring. It will help to switch things up from time to time.
You don’t even have to be an expert barista to spice up your java. Whether you’ve got a sophisticated coffee machine at home or you only have the basic equipment, there are a lot of ways you can make a more exciting cup of joe. When guests come over to visit you, you can also surprise them by giving them a café-like coffee experience right from your home.
With that in mind, here are 11 new ways to prepare and enjoy coffee that you can try out at home:
1. French Au Lait
If you’re just at home cozying up because it’s chilly outside, a French au lait is a good way to greet this cold morning.
To make your French au lait, mix equal parts of strong hot coffee and steamed milk. Then, pair it with a croissant or a pan au chocolat to create the perfect breakfast. If you don’t fancy a croissant, you can whip it with dark or milk chocolate, depending on your preference for sweetness.
2. Cold Brew
You don’t need to have an expensive coffee maker to create your own cold brew. Contrary to what its name might suggest, cold brew isn’t the same as iced cold coffee. In fact, you can serve cold brew either as a hot or iced beverage.
The name ‘cold brew’ is a reference to the way the coffee is prepared. Like in any brewing method, you start by grinding your favorite beans. Put the freshly ground coffee in the container, while passing through a filter. And then fill this container up with water.
This is a highly concentrated form of coffee, given that you let it sit in the fridge for around 12 to 24 hours. When you’re ready to drink it, here’s how it’s usually served:
- For iced coffee, fill half your glass with water, and then half with the concentrated cold brew coffee you’ve just made. You can customize it according to your taste preference by adding oat milk for a healthier option or full cream milk and sugar for that creamy cold coffee taste.
- For hot coffee, fill half your coffee mug with the cold brew coffee, then finish off with hot, boiling water.
Cold brew is one of the simplest blends you can try if you’re looking to start a new coffee shop. Package this in bottles with customized labels from Shop Strange or other printing and promotional item shops, then you’re set to start your business—right from home.
3. Blended Thai Iced Coffee
On warmer days, you can still enjoy coffee as an iced, cold treat. A new recipe you can try out is blended Thai iced coffee.
Here’s how you can make it:
- Pour coffee (you can also use your cold brew from the second recipe above) in an ice cube tray, and let it sit in the freezer for three to four hours;
- Pour coconut milk in another ice cube tray and place this in the freezer along with the coffee cubes.
- Once the coffee and coconut milk cubes have frozen, bring them out of the freezer, and leave them for around 10 to 15 minutes.
- Place the cubes together in a blender and add condensed milk and vanilla to taste, and blend until it’s smooth and creamy.
- Once you’re ready to serve, top each glass with whipped cream and brown sugar.
This cold coffee is quite a treat on a hot day and a delicious item to serve to guests as well!
4. Cuban Coffee Or Cafecito
Moving from a Thai blend to a South American recipe, you may want to try some Cuban coffee.
Typically, the best time to serve Cuban coffee is after dinner, with crackers or a sweet treat. In fact, you can serve Cuban coffee as an alternative dessert to ice cream for your visitors after dinner.
It’s as simple as topping your espresso shot with a foamy cream made of sugar and milk.
5. Pour-Over Method
If you’re opting to go for the pour-over method, it’s very important to take note of the following factors: apply a uniform grind, keep the ideal ratio of water to coffee, and be consistent with the water temperature.
Before you start this process, see to it that you have freshly ground coffee. You can make yourself a cup by pouring freshly ground coffee beans into a filter over the cup, and then adding water by pouring in concentric circles. Doing it this way ensures that the coffee grounds are exposed to hot water equally.
Remember to keep the water temperature at the boiling point. As to the ratio between water and coffee, you can try out different recipes according to your liking. But, at the very least make sure you have 1 gram of coffee for every 17 grams of water.
6. Maple Chocolate Coffee Float
Here’s another unique recipe that will be fun to try with your guests, family, or friends. As its name implies, a maple chocolate coffee float combines coffee with a distinct walnut taste, ice cream, and maple syrup for an added twist to the flavor.
Here’s how to surprise yourself, your diners, or your guests with your own version of the maple chocolate coffee float:
- Fill a coffee mug with warm or boiling water;
- Slowly add in maple syrup;
- Top this mixture with coffee, and slowly stir;
- Drop in a scoop of chocolate ice cream right before serving.
7. Cappuccino
You may have been drinking coffee for a while now, but there are always new ways to improve and make the perfect cappuccino. Make it light and foamy, the way the Italians do!
Best served in the morning, you can simply use espresso and top it off with steamed milk. If you don’t have an espresso machine, you can always buy an electric milk frother, which is more reasonably priced.
8. Spiced Coffee
Spiced coffee is an easy way to add some flavor to your morning java. Among all the other spices you can go for, cinnamon and nutmeg are always a good choice. If you’re feeling the autumn vibe, you can add pumpkin spice to recreate your own pumpkin spice cinnamon latte at home.
It’s really as simple as adding the spice to your coffee basket before mixing or putting in the coffee. You can also do this using the pour-over method above, or with your trusty French press. This works well for cold coffee too!
9. Homemade Dulce De Leche Creamer
Dulce de leche on cake always sounds like a great idea. But if you can elevate things by adding this to your coffee, why not?
One of the easiest ways to add a little sweetness to your coffee is by adding in creamer. But instead of going for the usual milk creamer, why not opt for a dulce de leche alternative instead.
The ingredients are simple. You only need half a cup of dulce de leche and two cups of all-purpose or thickened cream, or any milk substitute like whipping cream.
Mix the cream and the dulce de leche together on a saucepan until it’s smooth and steaming hot. Let it cool completely and store it in the fridge. Make sure that it’s covered. Once this is cold enough, you can simply stir it into your cold coffee drink.
10. New Orleans Coffee Or Café Noir
When you first think about New Orleans, perhaps coffee is the last thing that comes to mind. After all, New Orleans is best known for its delicious food. But, once you delve into the local culture, you’ll find that its hot coffee, also known as Café Noir, is also well-loved.
It has a dark, flavorful consistency with a chocolate caramel flavor. This can be achieved by mixing drip-ground coffee with chicory, the dried herb which is the secret to the coffee’s flavor.
11. Arabic Coffee
If you want to go for the traditional Arabic coffee, you need to use a special pot known as a ‘dallah.’ But, if you don’t have this, you can always create it using your own stove at home.
The key is in mixing your ground coffee with ground cardamom. Add this into a pot of boiling water and leave it for 10-15 minutes on the flame.
Once it boils, let the coffee settle, but not too much that the grounds stay on the bottom of the pan. After that, pour the coffee through a strainer to ensure that no grounds transfer to your cup. Because this comes with quite a bitter taste, you may want to serve it with sweet nuts, a cheese and cracker platter, or dessert.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many ways for you to recreate (and even make better) your trusted coffee drinks from coffee shops. You don’t have to keep yourself bored with having the same thing over and over again, as there are various ways to level up your coffee game. Hopefully, you’ve found what you need here so you can enjoy your coffee in new ways.
