Cappuccino Coffee

中文：卡布奇诺

Like many coffee enthusiasts, we love roasting and grinding our own coffee beans for espresso drinks.  The fresher they are, the better creama and taste we can get. 

I posted how to roast coffee beans at home with cast iron pan before.

We usually roast several kinds in small batches so that we can compare different flavors from different roast and varieties.

 These are medium roast Guatemala coffee beans

These are dark roast Columbia coffee beans

24 to 48 hours after the beans are roasted which is a reasonable time for them to degas, we can start to brew.

My beloved Breville 870XL  is exacting double shot espresso

Frother the milk; pour and enjoy! O(∩_∩)O~

Roast Coffee Beans at Home

中文: 自己烘焙咖啡豆

Both my husband and I are a little bit crazy about coffee beans lately.  We have tried a lot of beans available on the market and found the tastiest beans are from local coffee stores where they roast their own beans on the site.

So we decide to try to roast our own coffee beans at home.  And the results are pretty awesome!

As you can see in the picture, the Amerciano coffee and latter made from our beans are very pretty and taste good too. 

This batch is between full city and dark roast.  

The raw coffee beans

The most common ways to roast coffee beans at home are popcorn makers, frying pan and oven. 

I love using cast iron pan because it heats up evenly and I have fully control of bean roasting; and the beans taste good too.

Heat a 12 inches cast iron skillet  over medium heat for about 1 minute.  Add 1 to 1 1/2cup of raw coffee beans. 

3 minutes later.  There isn’t much change yet.  Keep stirring with a stainless steel whisk  constantly. 

Beans start to turn colors after being heated for 6 minutes. 

Another 3 minutes later, the first crack is about to happen.

Another 2 minutes late

Another 2 minutes later, beans are roasted between cinnamon and light. 

Any further roasting will depend on your personal preference

Once they reach the desired roast, remove from heat immediately and transfer to a stainless steel colander.  Keep whisking to help beans cool down and remove the remaining chaff. 

When the beans cool down to room temperature, bag them with a Ziploc bag .  Squeeze out as much air as possible. 

Remember to wait for 24 hours before enjoying them because freshly roasted beans need time to degas and develop their flavors. 

24 hours late

Don’t they look awesome? O(∩_∩)O~

Can’t wait to try them!

Grind the beans with my beloved Breville espresso machine

Espresso is being pumpe

Look at the crema on top of it! O(∩_∩)O~

Feel free to make latte or cappuccino

By the way, my husband makes both of them! O(∩_∩)O~

Amerciano made from that espresso is very tasty too！O(∩_∩)O~

Iced Coffee

中文：冰咖啡

The most popular drink in our house during summer time goes to iced coffee! O(∩_∩)O~

It is super easy to make at home.  Can you believe it?  Such a nice cup of iced coffee takes less than 1 minute from start to finish.  I bet it takes you longer time to wait in line in your local coffee stores.  

Ingredients: (1 serving)

2 shots of espresso coffee
equal amount of hot water
1 tablespoon maple syrup (use more if you have a sweet tooth)
1/4 cup whole milk (use more or less according to personal taste)
ice cubes

Directions：

Make double shots espresso with espresso machine

Add equal amount of hot water to the espresso.  You have a cup of Amerciano coffee. If you like strong coffee, skip the water or use less.

Fill the cup with ice cubes.  Pour coffee on top

Add milk

Add maple syrup

Now you have a really nice cup of iced coffeeO(∩_∩)O~

Espresso Float with Chocolate Ice Cream

中文： ESPRESSO 咖啡加巧克力冰激凌

Somebody ordered an espresso float with ice cream when I was standing in line in a cute local coffee store.  I copied his order.  And guess what?  I was hooked immediately!  How come I never thought about pairing ice cream with espresso together? 

It is really easy and simple to DIY it at home too. 

Ingredients：(1 serving)

2 shots of espresso
1 to 2 scoops of chocolate ice cream
caramel sauce (optional)

Directions：

Make double shots espresso with espresso machine.

If you find double shots are too strong, switch to single shot.

Add a big scoop of chocolate ice cream.  You can use any other flavor ice cream too.  I think chocolate ice cream is a better choice to go with espresso than other ice creams.

There is no way I am going to stop at 1 scoop.  I must have 2 scoops of chocolate ice cream！O(∩_∩)O~

I made my own chocolate ice cream too so that I can make sure I get real dark and intense chocolate flavor in the ice cream.  Top it with homemade caramel sauce.  It goes so well with freshly pumped espresso coffee.

Light Espresso Caramel Frappuccino

中文： 低卡焦糖星冰乐

This is my own version of light espresso caramel frappuccino.  It is really quick and easy to make; takes less than 2 minutes to make.  And what is important is it is totally as tasty as the ones you can get from coffee shops. O(∩_∩)O~ 

Ingredients： (for 2 servings)

3 shots espresso coffee
1/4  to 1/3 cup caramel sauce (use more if you have sweet tooth)
2 cups ice cubes
1 cup whole milk

Directions：

I start with making fresh espresso shots.  What I am using is Breville 870XL .  FYI, it is a good home use espresso machine. 

It is gridding coffee beans

Tamper a little bi

The espresso shots come with beautiful thick crema on to

Add espresso, ice, caramel sauce and milk to vitamix blender . 

Blend until everything comes together and the coffee is smooth.  

The tamper can help it blend more evenly. 

Pour into a glas

This one is min

Top with extra caramel sauce.  I make my own caramel sauce.  O(∩_∩)O~ 

All you need is a straw!