Historically I’ve never been much of a coffee drinker. I don’t require it in the morning to get going and always thought it had an odd bitter, taste. In the past, I’ve imbibed it for flavor instead of a caffeine jolt, always preferring lattes over other coffee beverages. Caffeine doesn’t affect me in the typical way. Instead of giving me a boost of short-lived energy, in large amounts it gives me headaches, or in even larger amounts, it makes my heart beat 90 miles an hour.
After I read Renee’s golden milk mocha post last fall, I became intrigued with making my own coffee at home. I’d always purchased lattes while out but I was itching to start a sort of coffee ritual of my own. Plus, I loved that her mocha included a natural sweetener, superfoods like turmeric and cacao, and some healthy fats. After making her version a couple of times, I decided to start perfecting my own morning cup.
Since I’m sensitive to bitter qualities in foods, I tend to prefer a light or medium-light roast. My favorite beans lately are from Cuvee Coffee (fair trade coffee roasted in Austin). I just finished up a bag of the Hunapu (light roast) and am now into a bag of the Chachuda (medium-light roast). Since I only make myself coffee maybe 2 or so times a week, the bag lasts me for about a month. In order to get the freshest beans possible, I buy them whole and always check the roast date on the bag.
In my experimenting over the past couple of months, I’ve settled on a formula I like. It makes just the right sized cup of coffee for me and the added fats smooth out the caffeine absorption. Plus, I can flavor and sweeten it any way that I want. The real secret though is not in the recipe, but in the equipment I use…a blender! I blend everything until it’s nice and frothy like a latte. I’ll include my basic cup below, plus a few other variations that I’m really digging. The method was inspired by Renee of Will Frolic For Food.
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