How do I make a cold brew coffee?

Cold brew coffee is made by simply bringing coarsely ground coffee in contact with unheated water for a long time. It can take more than 12 hours and can be done in small or large quantities.

Starbucks makes five or more gallons at a time in their stores, but even a small jar left in your fridge will do the trick.

Grinding and Measuring:

• Grind your coffee to a coarse consistency, then get ready to measure it.

A ratio of 1 part coffee to 8 parts water will result in a drinkable finished liquid, but you also can try a smaller ratio of 1:4, and then dilute the finished liquid with a bit of water to create the final drink.

I prefer the 1:8 ratio and use 80 grams of coffee and 640 grams of water to make a good sized batch at home.

Chilling and Serving:

• Add the water to your ground coffee, cover the container, and place in refrigerator for 12 hours.
• Strain the coffee concentrate into a new, clean jar or pitcher, then pour over ice for a delicious...and cold...finished beverage.

How do I steam milk?

The trick is to understand that milk steaming is more than just heating up the dairy or non-dairy that is added to the coffee or espresso to make a drink. The consistency and taste actually change through steaming.

I always appreciate when a barista steams with practiced expertise, and I watch every time to see what I might learn.

Ask your barista about the process the next time you get a chance and I bet you will learn something new, plus you'll win points for taking an interest in the often overlooked barista profession and its skillset.

Prepping and Measuring:

• Measure milk carefully and only steam what you need. Be sure to leave room in your pitcher for expansion.
• Blow out the steam wand to clean, or purge, it.
• Insert the tip of wand in milk so it's just below the surface, about 1/4 inch. It's OK to tip the pitcher, but be sure to keep the wand submerged.

Steaming is about using pressure to create aeration and heat to raise temperature at the same time.

Steaming and Serving:

• Monitor temperature with thermometer. You want milk hot, not scalded. When milk is about 37C/99F, aeration is done. You'll be texturing and adding heat the rest of the process.
• Continue steaming until milk reaches 55-60C/130-140F. Stop, then remove and clean wand.
• Swirl pitcher and give it a tap or two until milk is smooth and shiny with no bubbles.
• Pour milk and coffee or espresso together.

Enjoy!