Barista I am not (or is it now?)

Linds,

I have been on a latte kick. I just figured out that it is possible for me to make them. So far I have used skim milk, soy milk, and almond milk. My favorite is still skim milk but soy isn't far behind. The skim milk makes such a nice foam that I can make

MILE HIGH LATTES!

Skim milk

So this post is going to be a bit of a picture show for you, but I am pretty sure you will like it. You'll laugh. You'll smile. You'll nod your head. That's probably about it. 

So Mile High latte was my first EVER attempt at making my very own specialty coffee beverages. I over did it on the foam (obviously) and might have dumped the cinnamon.

Almond milk

This is my second latte ever, the almond milk one. You can see that the foam is kind of pitiful in comparison, but is actually more realistic, huh? I didn't even spill the cinnamon this time. It tasted ok, but the almond milk didn't really make me feel indulgent. I didn't get the creaminess and the nuttiness was a little off-putting.

Alright, you are now to the good stuff. Third latte attempt with soy milk.

Many lessons learned here.

Most important one, use a deep bowl when creating foam.

Second lesson, moisture control workout shirts are excellent for all your latte mistake needs. That milk wiped right off.


The soy milk was pretty good. Paul Dear even drank one of these. That's why the fluid level is so low in the cup. I kind of made an empty offer, and he called me out on it. Also, I spilled the cinnamon again.

HOWEVER, I have started thinking outside the box. This time I thought, I bet Linds has fresh nutmeg that she would grate on top of her latte. Was I right?

Soy milk

Finally I have come to my post title--cashew milk latte. I went to the dreaded store (Wally-World) today and found some fun stuff. The grocery store in town has not started carrying the cashew milk yet and I have been wanting to try it so badly. The almond man on tv speaks to me and controls what I buy. (You would totally get that if you watched tv). Anyway, when I saw it in the dairy case, I HAD to buy it. 

I used this latte as my post workout snack. Not that I workout hard enough to warrant a snack. Tonight was arm night. I'm trying hard to take it a little easier on my hips and knees, so I am adding in strength training days. Again though, I didn't workout hard enough to need a refueling snack. Mostly I needed something to keep me out of the pantry and cashew milk is a good option for that. One cup has 60 calories, less than 1 gram protein (sorry), and about 2 teaspoons of sugar. 

Here it is. Wah wah wah waaaaaah!

Cashew milk

Not even a tiny bit of foam produced. I did choose to take this chance to show off my AMAZING flea market find cup. This Ralph Lauren cup was only a quarter! I found it online for $15!!!

The cashew milk is good in the coffee though. I find it an acceptable coffee creamer replacement. It has much more body than almond milk has and lacks the wateriness that skim milk has in coffee. So this latte experience wasn't a total bust.

This is how I have been making my beverages. Tell me if I could be doing something better.

1. First I brew strong coffee (like 4 cups water to 1/8 cup coffee). Right now we have Cafe Du Monde which is a French influenced coffee with chicory.

2. Then I heat my milk to steaming in the microwave. I use 1/4 cup milk for each drink.

3. Next I use my electric hand mixer to create the foam.

4. By now my coffee has finished brewing and I pour my cup about half full. I pour the milk and foam on top of that and always, always dust with cinnamon. 

5. Clean up all the milk splatters before Paul Dear sees them and bans me from making lattes. 

6. Enjoy my caffeinated beverage. 

Alright, now you can tell me how I shamed myself.