After the long and difficult year we have all had, the holidays are finally here to bring us some cheer. Today, I’m going to give you instructions on how to make a classic holiday espresso beverage, the eggnog latte, at home. The instructions are going to be very similar to my previous blog post on how to make a latte at home but the difference is in the milk https://somscafe.com/how-to-make-a-latte-cappuccino-at-home/. Following these instructions will produce a rich and creamy latte that will taste just like an eggnog latte from your favorite coffee shop.
The Equipment
Believe it or not, you can still brew espresso at home even if you don’t own a fancy espresso machine. There are some excellent and inexpensive methods out there for brewing your own espresso right in your own kitchen. The one I am going to be focusing on today is the brewing method using a Bialetti Mokka Pot https://www.bialetti.com/it_en/. The reason I prefer this method is that I feel it most effectively replicates the extraction method used with an actual espresso machine with the convenience of using it on your own stovetop. Bialetti makes different sizes of the Mokka pot, ranging from 3-8 cup sizes. Because Bialetti is an Italian company, the cup sizes they are referring to are actually 1oz per cup, the size of an Italian style shot of espresso. This works well for your home latte preparation because you can buy whatever size Mokka pot you want based on how many lattes you are making at once. My husband and I have a 6 cup Mokka pot and we usually split the contents between the two of us when we use it, making two lattes with 3 shots of espresso each.
The Coffee
Most coffee shops use an espresso roast to make their lattes and other coffee beverages, so that’s what I would recommend using for your latte. Som’s Café sells their own signature espresso roast that is smooth and sweet https://somscafe.com/product/mokka-java-2/ and you can choose to have it pre ground for brewing espresso. If you have a coffee grinder at home, it should have a setting that says espresso or extra fine, and that’s the setting you should be using. The grind is very important because it effects the extraction level of the coffee. If you want your espresso to taste strong enough, then you want to use the correct grind.
Tea Base for Eggnog Tea Latte
For a tea latte, please see our post for detailed instructions on how to make a tea latte https://somscafe.com/how-to-make-a-tea-latte/. The summary is to use our Eggnog Black Tea https://somscafe.com/product/egg-nog-black-tea/ and brew it at double strength, which is 2 tsp tea/8oz. water. Bring your water to full boil, heat up your cup, then brew the tea covered for 4-5 minutes. Squeeze the tea leaves to extract the flavor. Use the tea as the base instead of coffee and follow the instructions for the milk, sweetener, and topping.
The Milk
The method I recommend for heating and frothing your eggnog / milk mixture is to heat the mixture in a pan on your stove and then use an emersion blender (AKA stick blender) to aerate the mixture, creating a froth that’s comparable to the foam you get on your coffee shop latte.
The Sweetener
The eggnog you are using in this latte will add some sweetness to your beverage, but if you would like some extra sweetness, I would recommend using regular sugar, simple syrup or a sugar free sweetener that doesn’t have any added flavor. That way you are sweetening your latte without covering up the flavor of the eggnog.
Now for the steps:
Step 1. Fill the bottom of the Mokka Pot up with cold water to the fill line.
Step 2. Fill the filter to the top with ground espresso. Gently press the espresso down with a spoon. It should be packed down but not packed too tightly.
Step 3. Insert the filter into the bottom of the Mokka pot. Then screw on the top part of the pot.
Step 4. Set the Mokka pot on the stovetop burner and turn the heat up to boil. It will take about 5 minutes for the water to start boiling and then the brewing process will begin.
Step 5. While you are waiting for the water to boil, add a mixture with a ratio of half eggnog and half milk to a small saucepan and put it on the stove on medium heat. You want the mixture to be warm by the time you froth it but not boiling.
Step 6. Once the water in the Mokka pot is boiling, the espresso will start to brew. If you open the lid to the top part of the pot you will see the brewed espresso start pouring out of the spout that’s inside the top part of the pot. The coffee will quickly pour out and fill the top part of the pot. Once the espresso is done brewing, you can take the pot off the heat and set it aside while you froth the eggnog mixture.
Step 7. By now your eggnog mixture should be warm. Take your emersion blender, put it into the warm eggnog mixture and blend until a thick foam is created.
Step 8. Now is the time to add sweetener or syrup to your latte if you are adding any. You want to put it in the bottom of your cup so you can pour the hot espresso onto the sweetener to melt it.
Step 9. You should have about 6oz of brewed espresso in your Mokka pot. One shot glass of espresso is about 1oz. If you have shot glasses you can use them to measure your espresso, or you can use any measuring cup with ounces marked on it. For a 16oz mug you want 2-3oz of brewed espresso, depending on how strong you want your latte to be. If you have some espresso left over in the Mokka pot, you can save it for a second latte or make a latte for someone else.
Step 10. Pour the 2-3 shots of espresso into your cup. If you added a sweetener or syrup, stir the espresso after you pour it in the cup to incorporate the sweetener and get it melted into the espresso.
Step 11. Add your steamed eggnog/ milk mixture. You might find it easier to pour some of the frothed eggnog mixture from the saucepan into a small liquid measuring pitcher and then pour it from that pitcher into your cup. You want to hold back the foam with a spoon and pour the eggnog mixture on top of the espresso. Then take a spoon and dollop some of the foam onto the top of the latte.
Step 12. Top your eggnog latte with a dash of nutmeg for a garnish and to bring out the nutmeg flavor in the eggnog.
If you followed these instructions and made this drink, let us know how it went in the comments. If you post about this on social media with either a photo or video and tag @somscafe or this post, then we will send you a sample of tea or coupon for coffee.
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