Since quitting my barista job at Starbucks in 2018, I invested in our Breville espresso machine and have never looked back! Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a drive-thru coffee just as much as the next person, but having the option to create my coffee’s at home? Nothing better.
Over the snow-filled Valentine’s weekend, I decided to make a warm cup of goodness and stay indoors! Let’s get into how I make my morning americano —
Tools Needed
Espresso machine | this is our exact model
Milk frother | this is my favorite (Note: our espresso machine does have a milk steamer attached, but I personally find it messy and annoying to use, so I opted for our milk frother instead)
Your favorite mug
Cardboard cutout of heart (optional, but encouraged!)
Ingredients
Whole espresso beans (for the espresso machine) | we always go back to this kind
Hot water
Flavored syrup | I’ve been using this French Vanilla lately, also love this flavor
1/2 & 1/2
Cinnamon powder
Directions
First, pump your syrup into your mug — for a 16oz mug, I opt for 2 pumps
Next, add hot water halfway from the top of your mug (eyeball this step)
From there, pull 2 shots of espresso using your espresso machine*
Add the espresso shots to your mug of syrup and hot water
Now, grab your milk frother and froth your 1/2 & 1/2 — the amount of cream is personal preference, but I typically do 1/3 cup or so (again, eyeball this step)
Once frothed, poor your cream on top of your coffee — you should now have all ingredients listed above in your mug
For a picture-worthy creation, add a cinnamon heart on top! I did this by folding a piece of cardboard (I used an old cracker box) and cutting a small heart stencil. Toss the inside of the heart, and keep the piece of cardboard that the heart came from. Next, either hover above or place the stencil on top of your mug, and sprinkle cinnamon into the cutout to create a heart shape.
You should now have something similar to my picture above!
*Remember that this entire recipe revolves around an espresso machine, which I won’t share how to use in this post. So be sure you know how to work your espresso machine beforehand! If you’d like to me create a video of making my americano’s step-by-step, let me know in the comments!
Espresso drinks are extremely customizable, and I switch up my ingredients frequently. This drink above is just something I’ve been making lately! Do you have an espresso machine at home? What’s your go-to coffee craving lately? I’d love to hear in the comments!
Xx, E
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