Morning Coffee
Stop: TASTE THIS…and You’ll be saving enough for better things!
Coffee House Spending Adds Up! AVG. 23 days a month / $4.00 per day with tip $92 per month or $1104 per year Estimated Time (8 minute detour per trip) 184 min monthly 3hrs. + 4 minutes monthly or 36 hours + 48 minutes per year.
We hope you have time to enjoy making your own!
We know mornings are hectic, but time how long it takes to stop for that specialty drink on your way to work. Maybe you’ll like your own brew better, and save enough for a nice family outing now and then. Knowing how that morning coffee stop adds up on a daily basis, we came up with some great alternatives using our own homemade instant coffee base.
Start your coffee with Great Tasting Water, using filtered or bottled water if necessary.
I remember well the first time I ever tried instant coffee made with a French press. Our bunco hostess Joan poured a bit of the dense coffee mixture into a cup and added boiling water. The heavenly aroma hit me and the flavor remained consistent from that first whiff, perfect! It is probably one of the best cups of coffee I had ever tried.
Today, I am thinking of the savings gained from being able to enjoy perfect coffee drinks anytime, right 
from your own kitchen. We went to work in our MVL kitchen to perfect some of those morning coffee drinks, made at home, from frothy to frozen, with our own gourmet instant coffee. We hope you enjoy.
Gourmet Instant Coffee Concentrate
You will need:
A French coffee press
OR two bowls or pitchers; cotton dish towel, a ladle, and a sieve lined with coffee filters or you can use this small filter pictured, which I bought at the grocery store.
(The French press can be found at most department stores and shops offering kitchenware. I found them priced from $7.99 at a discount store to $39.95 for Starbuck’s best.) I used the bowl and pitcher method.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup coarsely ground coffee — If you don’t grind your own, go to the store and pick out an aroma that “sends you.” Use their commercial grinder and choose a COARSE grind.
I choose a full bodied French roast or Sumatra coffee.
• 3 cups cool to lukewarm water — Delicious, fresh spring water is great; buy bottled if necessary.
Place grounds in bottom of French press, or bowl or pitcher. Add water and stir to make sure grounds get entirely wet. Cover with a cotton tea towel or cheesecloth and let sit undisturbed for 24 hours at room temperature. Then strain through a coffee filter basket, or through sieve lined with
a large coffee filter. (Lay the filter in the sieve and get it wet to place it). Slowly ladle the coffee/water mixture through the filtering system of choice. It is a snap with the French press. It could take some time to filter it through a filter; so return to add more liquid as needed, but do not overfill the sieve, above the coffee filter. If you mess up, and grounds leak through, start the filtering process over. When filtered, transfer to covered glass container and refrigerate for up to one week.
Perfecting your custom favorite recipe: Time your brew; start with very coarse grind (a bit finer than coarse salt), adjusting to your perfect brew. Using a finer grind makes coffee stronger while a coarser grind eliminates over-extracted flavors; it is a science and an art. Length of time sitting will also affect strength.
MAKE YOUR OWN!
For frozen drinks, you will need a blender. Have Fun With It – Stock up on your favorites:
Sprinkles – (use a shaker to make it fun; a clean salt or pepper shaker will work):
• Nestle’s Cocoa (not sweet) or powdered Nestle’s drink mix
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Whipped Cream / Whipping Cream
Syrups: If possible, buy a new squeeze bottle for storing your syrup; then you can top your drink with extra pizazz!
• Caramel Topping for ice cream
• Chocolate Syrup
• Hazelnut Flavor Syrup or other flavor of your choice
Half & Half or your favorite coffee additive
A shot of instant coffee concentrate is about 1 to 2 oz. depending on how strong you enjoy your coffee.
Adjusting to your perfect shot should produce your own perfect taste.
(You will need a wire whisk.)
Foaming Latté
Place a shot (1 to 1-1/2 oz.) Instant Coffee Concentrate in a coffee mug. (I preheat
my mug under hot tap water.) Place 1/2 cup milk in saucepan; heat to near boiling, whisking slowly at first, then rapidly as milk gets hotter. Pour hot milk slowly into mug, releasing milk first, holding back some froth; stir the mug then spoon all of the froth over your coffee. Sprinkle with powdered chocolate, nutmeg or cinnamon, as you prefer. (or whipped cream with sprinkles!!
Icy Mocha Shake
In a blender, place 3/4 cup milk (non fat, low fat or whole), about 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup (more or less, to taste); 3/4 cup ice (crushed is always faster and easier) 1/2 tsp. vanilla – optional, a shot Instant Coffee Concentrate (1 to 1-1/2 oz. or to taste) Blend to desired consistency. Top with whipped cream and a chocolate syrup drizzle.
Caramel Latté
Place in a large mug: 1/4 cup half & half (I like to heat mine in cup for 30 seconds in microwave, for hotter beverage) Add a shot of Instant Coffee Concentrate (1 to 1-1/2 oz.), 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. caramel topping for ice cream. Pour about 3/4 cup boiling water over. Top with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel topping.
Frozen Macchiato Topped with Whipped Cream and Caramel Topping
Place in blender: a shot of Coffee Concentrate, 1 Tbsp caramel topping, 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, 3/4 cup milk,
1 cup ice, 2 Tbsp. whipping cream. Blend to desired consistency. Fill glass; top with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel topping.
