Espresso Drinks at Home:

Fancy coffee without the

fancy equipment
It’s Sunday morning and you’re sipping your favorite latte or cappuccino in
the comfort of your own home. The frothy milk, the hot espresso... It’s
perfectly balanced, just how you like it. You’re especially enjoying your coffee
concoction because you didn’t have to leave the house to get it.

Blissful, isn’t it? There’s just one problem with this coffee day dream: you
need the right tools to make that espresso drink. And unfortunately, espresso
machines aren’t a common household item and can cost an arm and a leg.
Luckily, you don’t need to buy an expensive machine to enjoy a delicious,
homemade espresso drink. All you need is a few pieces of equipment (less
than $30 each), the right technique, the proper ratios and a few simple
recipes. And this guide has that all covered!

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The step-by-step guide to making your
espresso drinks at home
This guide will walk you through each step to help you bring your espresso-
drinking dreams to life. From making a shot of espresso without a machine to
frothing the milk to blending the right ratios for the perfect espresso drink,
we’ll cover everything. Each section also contains a deep dive into the
(affordable) equipment we recommend, the right beans, milk and water
temperature, and the step-by-step process for brewing, processing, steaming
and concocting your drink.

How to Make Espresso

Making a shot of espresso at home is easier than you think. And it’ll only cost
you around $30 to pull it off.
• Espresso basics: the perfect roast, ground and pressure for a shot of
espresso
• Equipment recommendations: the Aeropress and the Moka Pot
• How to brew espresso: instruction for making a shot of espresso with
both the Aeropress and the Moka Pot

How to Steam and Froth Milk

Milk matters if you’re trying to make the perfect espresso. This section will
cover tools and techniques for the perfect temperature and consistency:
• Milk basics: the right heating, froth and foam techniques and types of
milk for the perfect drink
• Equipment recommendations: a milk frother and container for frothing
• How to steam and froth milk: instructions for heating up your milk and
frothing it for your espresso drinks

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Fancy Espresso Drink Recipes
Once you’ve mastered the espresso shot, the steamed milk, the milk foam,
it’s time to get fancy! We’ve collected the ratios and recipes for your favorite
classic drinks - and some fancier treats, too.
• Latte
• Cappuccino
• Americano
• Mocha
• Macchiato
• Flat White
• Vanilla Latte
• Peppermint Mocha
• Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Turmeric Latte
Ready to make some espresso? Let’s get started!

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 How to Make Espresso
without an Espresso
Machine
A shot of espresso has three important traits: the roast, the ground and the
pressure used to brew the coffee.

• The Roast: Espresso coffee is traditionally roasted

very dark, which helps gives it a much stronger and
more potent flavor. Science fact: dark roasted beans
are broken down more at a molecular level than light
roasted beans, making it easier to extract those tasty
coffee solubles.

• The Ground: After it’s roasted, espresso coffee is then ground into a very
fine powder. The fine coffee grind helps increase the pressure required
to push the water through the filter and create a good shot of espresso.
But if the grind is too fine, it can block the coffee filter. If you’re grinding
at home, you’ll get a finer more precise grind with an automatic burr
grinder. It is technically possible to hand-grind your beans to a fine
consistency, but it’s really hard.

• The Pressure: Espresso machines use very hot water that is pushed
through the coffee with enormous pressure. But with the right coffee
grind and the right equipment, you can mimic that pressurized process
and get a high quality shot of strong coffee that tastes very close to
espresso.

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Equipment Recommendations
In the espresso-at-home world, there are lots of techniques and pieces of
equipment out there for making your own shot of espresso. At Roasty, we’ve
selected two of our favorite products based on their ease, affordability and
quality: the quick-and-dirty Aeropress and the classy, traditional Moka Pot.

Aeropress
The Aeropress is one of the most affordable and space-friendly devices on
the market. The AeroPress is perfect for a great cup of coffee that’s prepared
relatively quickly and leaves little mess to clean up after. It’s not ideal for
groups or marathon caffeinating sessions (it only makes a cup at a time) but
it’s the most convenient way to have a quality coffee without going out to
your local barista. Most importantly, it makes the coffee well, without
sacrificing much by way of flavor or body. The Aeropress filter also allows for
a finer grind, which produces a stronger, fuller coffee that’s close to a shot of
espresso.

Moka Pot
Looking for some European sophistication? The
Moka Pot is both elegant and efficient in its
simplicity. The Moka Pot uses steam pressure to
force water through a strainer where you add
finely ground coffee. While it won’t duplicate an
espresso exactly like you’d find at a coffee shop,
it does a pretty good job of creating an excellent
strong shot of coffee that’s very espresso-like.

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 How to Brew Espresso with the
Aeropress and Moka Pot

Espresso with the Aeropress

Here’s the step-by-step process for brewing a shot of espresso with the
Aeropress. This recipe is for a double shot of espresso. For a single shot,
just cut the amount of water and coffee in half. The coffee-to-water ratios and
preparation process have been personally tested by the Roasty staff, so
enjoy!

What you’ll need:

• Aeropress
• Aeropress filters
• Freshly roasted finely ground espresso coffee (30
grams or 2 tablespoons)
• Water (4 fl oz or ½ cup of water or 120 ml)
• Automatic burr grinder (optional)
• Scale for coffee measuring (or tablespoon)
• Electric gooseneck kettle or stovetop kettle
• A sturdy mug or tumbler
The process:
1. Heat Up The Water: Heat some water to 185 degrees F (85 C), removing
for 30 seconds after for roughly the ideal temperature. You’ll want to heat
up more water than what’s called for in the recipe since you’ll end up
measuring out 4 fl oz (or ½ cup/120 ml) of the heated water in a later

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 step. Note: the perfect water temperature for brewing coffee is 205
degrees F (96 C), or almost boiling. However, with an Aeropress, you can
play with any temperature between 185 – 205 degrees F (85 – 96 C).

2. Grind The Coffee Beans: While the water’s heating, grind your beans to
a fine consistency, until you have 2 tablespoons or 30 grams. An
Automatic Burr Grinder is the most precise way to get fine, espresso
ground coffee, but you can always have your beans ground at the coffee
shop or store in advance (it just won’t be as fresh).

3. Set Up The Aeropress: Put a filter in the drain cap and rinse with hot
water. Then put the drain cap on the AeroPress and place it directly onto
a coffee mug or tumbler. Make sure it’s a sturdy container, because you’ll
be putting pressure on it.

4. Fill the Aeropress with The Coffee Grounds: Fill the Aeropress with your
coffee and tamp down the grounds to make sure the grounds are nice
and compact (you can use any cylinder shaped item to tamp down -
whatever will fit in the Aeropress).

5. Stir and Steep: Measure out 4 fl oz (or ½ cup/120 ml) of the heated water,
pour the water into the Aeropress and give it a quick stir.

6. Plunge: Wait 30 seconds after stirring, then plunge with just the weight
of your hand. You’ll feel a lot of resistance but keep pushing steadily!
Once the plunger is fully depressed, remove the press.

7. Serve Your Espresso: Transfer your drink to a fancy espresso cup and
enjoy! For clean up, simply remove the drain cap and depress the
plunger over your trash or compost to pop out the grounds. Rinse
everything with hot water.

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Espresso with the Moka Pot
Here’s the step-by-step process for brewing a shot of espresso with the Moka
Pot. This is based on a tried-and-true recipe from the Moka Pot makers.

What you’ll need:

• Moka Pot
• Freshly roasted finely ground espresso coffee
• Water
• A stovetop
• Automatic burr grinder (optional)
The process:
1. Fill Moka Pot with Water: Fill the lower chamber with cold water just
below the valve. Overfilling will water log the coffee and affect the flavor,
so make sure you don’t use too much.

2. Grind The Coffee Beans: Grind your beans to a fine consistency, until
you have enough to fill the Moka Pot funnel with coffee. Again, you can
use an Automatic Burr Grinder or have your coffee beans pre-ground at
the store. Don't use coffee that’s too finely ground as it will clog the
equipment.

3. Add Coffee to the Moka Pot: Insert the funnel and fill it with ground
coffee. Try not to overfill the strainer with coffee and do not tamp the
coffee (that’ll create too much pressure in the Moka Pot). Remove any
coffee grounds on the edge of the funnel.

4. Prepare the rest of the Moka Pot: Tightly screw the upper part of the pot
on to the base. When securing the pot, make sure you screw it on by

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 holding the pot and not the handle as the pressure when tightening the
pot could break the handle.

5. Heat Moka Pot: Select a burner size that fits the bottom of the Moka Pot.
For gas stovetop, make sure the flame is not larger than bottom of pot
(you don’t want to flame to come around the sides). Place the Moka Pot
on the stovetop until the water boils and coffee begins to come out of
the center post. There will be a gurgling sound during this process. Take
your time - in order to extract the full flavor of the espresso, you will want
to heat it slowly. If the heat is too high, the coffee may taste burnt.

6. Check Coffee Levels and Stir: When the top of the pot is full of coffee,
remove from stove. Hazel brown foam appears just seconds before the
coffee is completely done. Before pouring coffee, stir it in the upper
chamber with a small spoon.

7. Serve Your Espresso: Pour your coffee into a fancy cup and ta-da! Strong
espresso-like coffee for your favorite espresso drink. For clean up, wash
by hand with warm water and dry thoroughly with towel. Make sure all
the parts are completely dry before putting it back together.

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 How to Steam and Froth
Milk for Espresso Drinks
You’ve nailed the espresso-making process. Now it’s time to master the milk,
which is almost just as important as the coffee itself. When it comes to milk in
your espresso drink, there are three things to consider:

• Heating: The goal is to get the milk to 150-155F (65-68C), which is a

steamy simmer. You may have noticed your favorite barista using a fancy
thermometer to heat milk. While that’s the most accurate way to heat
milk, it’s not necessary for the at-home espresso drinker. You might need
to experiment a little, depending on whether you use a stove top or in
the microwave. Aim for heated and steaming - not boiling!

• Froth and Foam: Milk for an espresso drink is

always frothed and foamed, even if you don’t
actually want any foam in your drink at the end.
By adding air bubbles to your milk, you help
sweeten the taste of the milk and give your
espresso drink that airy body that we all love.

• Type of milk: Whole milk is the default choice for most espresso drinks
because of its rich flavor. But non-fat milk is the easiest to foam and 2%
milk is a nice compromise, with some of the richness of whole milk but
not as much fat. Any milk will technically work in an espresso drink. If you
decide to use an alternative milk like soy, almond or coconut milk, you
may need to experiment with your heating and frothing techniques.

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Equipment Recommendations
There are a lot of DIY methods for frothing your milk without buying any extra
equipment (like heating your milk up in the microwave and shaking it in a
mason jar). However, we at Roasty believe it’s worth the minimal investment
of buying a simple milk frother and a nice stainless steel pitcher for preparing
and pouring your milk. You can still feel fancy preparing your espresso drink
for less than $20!

Aerolatte
The Aerolatte is an affordable, hand-held milk frothing wand (no relation to
the Aeropress, oddly enough). It’s sleek enough that it won’t take up too
much space in your kitchen but powerful enough to produce frothy milk in 20
seconds or less, even if you’re using alternatives like almond, coconut, or soy
milk. And most manual wand frothers like the Aerolatte are usually only
around $15.

Stainless Steel Frothing Pitcher

A stainless steel frothing pitcher is perfect for
both frothing and pouring. You can pick up a
stainless steel frothing pitcher like the ones used
by barista’s for less than $5 online. If you want to
go the DIY route and use what you already have
in your kitchen, you can always use something
like a large glass measuring cup instead

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 How to Prepare Milk for Espresso
with a Milk Frother

Milk with the Aerolatte

Here’s the step-by-step process for preparing your milk using a milk frothing
wand like the Aerolatte. This is our favorite part of the espresso drink process
(it feels so fancy!) but it can be hard to master depending on the type of milk
you’re using. Don’t be afraid of a little trial and error, especially if you’re using
alternative milks like soy or almond.

What you’ll need:

• A milk frothing wand like the Aerolatte
• A steel frothing pitcher or a large glass measuring cup
• Milk of choice
• A container for heating up the milk
The process:
1. Heat The Milk: Heat your milk on the stove top or in the
microwave. The goal is to get the milk to about 150-155F
(65-68C), which is a nice simmer if you’re heating it up on
the stove. Check out the recipes section in the back of
this guide for the coffee-to-milk ratios of your favorite
espresso drinks. A traditional latte, for example, is 1/3
espresso (1 shot) and 2/3 milk (about 1 cup of milk).

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2. Fill Your Pitcher with Heated Milk: Fill your frothing pitcher with the hot
milk. Make sure you only fill it up a third of the pitcher, since you’ll be
frothing the milk to three or four times its original volume.

3. Froth and Foam: Take your frothing wand and place it in the pitcher
almost to the bottom, holding the wand at a slight angle. Turn it on and
begin frothing. After a few seconds, you’ll see creamy foam start to form.
Raise the frothing wand up and down slowly to help the milk froth to the
top of the container. Once the foam is thick, you can create great peaks
of foam by moving the frother wand head slowly around the top.

4. Remove The Frothing Wand: When you’ve finished, put the frothing
wand straight down in the pitcher, turn it off and take out. Your milk is
ready!

5. Serve It Up: Spoon or pour the milk onto your cup where your shot of
espresso is waiting. Add foam to the top as you desire and enjoy! Check
out the recipes in the back of this guide for drink recipes.

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 Fancy Espresso Drink
Recipes
You’ve mastered the espresso and the milk. Now it’s time to get extra fancy!
Here are some ratios and recipes for your favorite espresso drinks:

Americano:
• 1/3 espresso, 2/3 water, no milk
Cappuccino:
• 1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk, 1/3 milk foam
Latte:
• 1/3 espresso, 2/3 milk, layer of milk foam
Macchiato:
• Shot of espresso, dollop of milk foam
Mocha:
• 1/3 espresso, 2/3 milk, shot of chocolate syrup, layer of milk foam
Flat White:
• 1/3 espresso, 2/3 milk
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Fancy Espresso Drink Recipes

Vanilla Latte:
• 1 shot of espresso
• 1 cup steamed milk
• 2 tablespoons vanilla syrup
• Heat milk and pour into a stainless steel pitcher or other container
• Froth the milk with a milk frothing wand
• Measure the vanilla syrup into a large coffee mug for drinking
• Brew espresso, then add to mug
• Pour the steamed milk into the mug, using a spoon to hold back the foam
• Spoon foam over the top. Enjoy!
Peppermint Mocha:
• 1 shot of espresso
• 3 tablespoons powdered baking cocoa
• 3 tablespoons warm water
• 2 tablespoons peppermint syrup or creme de menthe
• 1 cup whole milk
• Whipped cream (optional)
• 1 candy cane (optional)

• Combine baking cocoa with warm water to make into a rich syrup. Pour
into a mug for your drink
• Add shot of espresso to mug
• Add peppermint syrup to mug
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 • Steam milk and add to remainder of mug
• Spoon foam over the top
• Garnish with whipped cream and a candy cane
For a white chocolate mocha: replace the peppermint and cocoa mixture
with 3-4 tablespoons of white chocolate sauce or melted white chocolate

Pumpkin Spice Latte:

• 1 shot of espresso
• 1 cup whole milk, divided in half
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or sugar to taste
• 1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree
• ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice (or 1 teaspoon of
pumpkin pie spice blend)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• Whisk 1/2 cup whole milk, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, spices, and
vanilla extract in a saucepan over low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes
• Whisk in remaining 1/2 cup whole milk
• Pour milk mixture through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to remove pulp
• Return milk mixture to saucepan and whisk while it simmers for 2 minutes
• Pour mixture into a stainless steel pitcher or other container and froth the
milk with a milk frothing wand
• Pour over a shot of espresso into your cup of choice
• Spoon foam over the top
• Sprinkle extra spices on top for a beautiful looking drink!

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Turmeric Latte:
• 1 shot of espresso
• 1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated turmeric root (or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger root (or 1 teaspoon ground)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• Raw honey or maple syrup to taste
• Warm the almond or coconut milk in a small saucepan
• Add turmeric, ginger and cinnamon
• Add coconut oil to the mixture and gently heat together until melted
• Bring to a steamy simmer
• Pour mixture into a stainless steel pitcher or other container
• Stir in honey or maple syrup to taste
• Froth the milk with a milk frothing wand
• Pour over a shot of espresso into your cup of choice
• Spoon foam over the top
• Sprinkle with cinnamon for a fancy topping!

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