Getting in the habit of making coffee at home can be a great way to save a lot of money. It also gives you the opportunity to make your coffee exactly the way you want it.
Making an iced latte uses espresso, which requires a special type of coffee maker. If you do not already have an espresso maker, you will need to get one. While some espresso makers are very expensive, there are affordable ones available that will still give you good quality results.
Purists will clarify that some of these options are not technically espresso because they are not brewed using the amount of pressure that an authentic espresso is. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t great options.
I prefer using the type of espresso makers that allow me to use my own coffee. I enjoy getting to pick out my own coffee, and like that they have less trash generated. Over time they also wind up being much cheaper than pod-based coffee systems.
Equipment
To make your own espresso at home, you will need to have a small amount of equipment. There are affordable options for coffee makers available, and you do not need to buy the most expensive things. If you get started with using a moka pot and buy already ground coffee, it will be quite cheap to get going. You will recoup your money after just a few times of not ordering coffee out.
Coffee Grinders
Most places sell coffee that is already ground, if that is what you would like to use. Make sure that you select the fineness of the grind based on what is appropriate for your espresso machine. Some of the more popular options are illy Ground Espresso Coffee, or LavAzza. If you buy already ground coffee, then you do not have to get a coffee grinder.
You can also buy whole coffee beans and then grind them yourself. This is a simple thing that will make the coffee taste much better because it will be very freshly ground. It also will give you a wider range of coffees that you can try.
There are many specialized and expensive coffee grinders available. You could probably find a way to spend infinite amounts of money on coffee brewing equipment. I don’t really feel like that is necessary. If you are looking for a nicer burr grinder, many people swear by the Baratza Encore. There are also well regarded burr grinders from OXO and Cuisinart that are more economical.
You might prefer not to spend the money on a burr grinder, and there are many cheaper types of coffee grinders available. I have used this Cuisinart blade style coffee grinder for many years and have been very happy with it. I like that it is affordable, easy to clean, and I can control how fine the grind is. I also like that it is very easy to store any unused coffee grounds in the little cup for later.
Espresso Makers
Moka Pot
Moka Pots are stove top espresso makers. The most famous one is by Bialetti. I had one of these for many years. I got it second-hand and it was durable and worked great. You can use whatever coffee that you want in the machine, but make sure that you use one that is ground to the appropriate size for a moka pot.
They work by having a reservoir of water that heats up and turns into steam. The force of the steam pushes the water up through the coffee. The brewed coffee then goes into the upper chamber of the machine where you can pour it into you glass with the spout.
These coffee makers work quickly, and are fairly cheap. They also do not take up much space in your kitchen and are easy to clean. You will need to have access to a stove.
Counter Top Espresso Machines
There are many counter top espresso makers that plug into an outlet. There is a vast range in the prices and features of these machines. If price, and space, is no object you might like the Breville Barista Touch, which is an excellent high-quality machine that also includes a bean grinder.
The Breville Bambino Plus is a solid mid-level machine. It also takes up less space in the kitchen.
Personally, I have been incredibly happy with my DeLonghi espresso maker. I purchased it many, many years ago and it is still going strong with almost daily use. It is affordable and does not take up too much room on a counter, even in a small kitchen.
Nespresso
There are also a variety of espresso machines that use individual pods. The main one is Nespresso. The benefits of this style of machine are that you can just select the pod that you want and pop it in the machine. It is very easy to use, and not messy. The downside is how wasteful they are and that you cannot select your own coffee, and buying the pods can be expensive. If you are avoiding UPFs you will have to check the ingredients of various pods because some contain natural flavors.
Espresso Cups
Except for the moka pot, you will need to have espresso cups for making espresso. Larger cups will not fit in the machine. [Sweese 4 oz double wall glass] Double wall glass cups are a very popular style, but I found they broke easily. Over the years I have had a lot of different espresso cups, but my favorites were the Le Creuset because I liked the color options and they are more durable.
Selecting Coffee
You can buy coffee that is already ground or whole beans that you grind yourself.
Coffee can be described as having flavor notes such a hint of citrus or nutty, or floral. These are descriptions of the flavor of the coffee bean itself. These flavors are naturally occurring as part of the coffee bean, and are not indicative of a coffee being ultra-processed.
Other times coffee will be sold as having more specific flavors. This could be things like french vanilla, creme brulee, hazelnut, or pecan.
These are not naturally occurring flavors in a coffee bean, and come from synthetic flavorings that are applied to the exterior of the coffee beans after they are roasted. These coffees are ultra-processed.
Many of these flavors can be replicated at home without adding UPFs by adding spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg to your coffee.
Making an Iced Latte
Ingredients
Coffee, ground for an espresso maker
Milk, or non-dairy milk
Ice cubes
Optional ingredients:
Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or ground cloves
Sweetener such as sugar or maple syrup
Directions:
Select the coffee that you are going to use.
If it is whole bean coffee, grind the coffee beans.
Brew a cup of espresso according to the directions for your espresso machine.
Add a handful of ice cubes to the glass.
Pour the espresso in the bottom of the large glass.
Add any optional sweetener into the coffee. You can either add the optional spices directly to the coffee, or sprinkle them on top at the end.
Fill the glass up to near the top with milk. This will be roughly half a cup of milk.
If you want to add whipped cream, add it to the top of the glass, and you can add a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.
Ingredient Notes:
Milk
You can use any milk that you like for this. Most commercially available non-dairy milks are ultra-processed. If you do not want your iced latte to be ultra-processed you can use regular dairy milk, or make your own oat milk or almond milk.
I usually use Horizon Organic brand’s pasture raised organic whole milk.
Ice
If you don’t want your coffee to get watered down as the ice melts, some people prefer to make ice cubes out of coffee as well. If you use a silicone ice cube tray, it may retain some of the coffee smell.
For a fun twist you can make ice cubes in different shapes. There are a lot of different ice cube trays available such as fancy ones designed for cocktails or snowflakes for the holiday season.
Whipped Cream
You can make your own whipped cream very easily. Be sure to check the ingredients on the cream that you use because many brands of cream are ultra-processed.
Whipped cream in a spray can, such as Reddi Wip, is an ultra-processed food. So is cool whip.
You can also use a whipped cream dispenser to make your own whipped cream.
Spices
You can add whatever spices sound nice to the coffee, if you would like.
My favorite spices to add to coffee are nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, or cloves. Penzey’s Spices offer a number of different spices that are excellent quality.
Sweetener
I generally find that the milk makes an iced latte sweet enough.
If you want to make a maple flavored latte, add a few drops of maple syrup to the coffee. Remember to use authentic maple syrup if you don’t want to use any ultra-processed ingredients.