How to make cheaper "lattes" at home??

[acidcookie]

I make my own brewed coffee at home and have no reason to get that from a coffee shop on a regular basis, but I do still hit up Starbucks a LOT (well, probably twice a week) for a latte or a mocha because that's not something I can get at home. I don't have an espresso machine at home so I can't make them myself. Using brewed coffee obviously doesn't hold up the same way to a cup full of milk. I used to have one of those stovetop espresso pots but it was kind of a pain to use between grinding the coffee just right, not overcooking it, and then getting just one shot, all that cleaning, etc. I stopped using it so it went to Goodwill.

So, anyone else with a love for milky espresso drinks figure out a cheap hack to make these at home without the fancy equipment??

[Nishu]

I used to make this in the fall about the time Starbuck's starts selling thier pumpkin spice lattes. If I remember right it was pretty good but I altered the ingredients a little. I bet you could alter it to do make just about any flavor. I think the crock pot would work well because for a latte, milk has to be steamed and milk gets kind of tempermental when it's heated.

A Year of Slow Cooking: CrockPot Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe

[krbshappy71]

This is what I do:

Nuke 1/2 cup water for 1 minute, pour it into my french press and let that steep.

Nuke 1/2 cup (for 1 minute) of any of these that you like: regular milk, almond milk, chocolate almond milk, or coconut milk

Pour 1 packet of hot chocolate (or 3T of canister-hot chocolate) into the nuked hot milk. Stir.

Pour in the coffee that was steeping.

I have been off coffee shop coffees with this brew for over a year now. Total time from start to finish is...what...3 minutes? I can't get through a drive-thru coffee shop that fast.

[grneyegrl]

i make iced coffee all the time.. i just put my coffee in an old jar(washed of course) and use that with milk ,,, some times i add chocolate (liquid)
or cinnamon.

[frugalwarrior2]

DD makes iced coffee w/ cappachino powder from Sams club,milk and ice. She has a smoothie maker and a ninja bullet that we bought used NIB at the Goodwill. She also makes fruit smoothie in them too. And there darn near free.

[acidcookie]

This is what I do:

Nuke 1/2 cup water for 1 minute, pour it into my french press and let that steep.

Nuke 1/2 cup (for 1 minute) of any of these that you like: regular milk, almond milk, chocolate almond milk, or coconut milk

Pour 1 packet of hot chocolate (or 3T of canister-hot chocolate) into the nuked hot milk. Stir.

Pour in the coffee that was steeping.

I have been off coffee shop coffees with this brew for over a year now. Total time from start to finish is...what...3 minutes? I can't get through a drive-thru coffee shop that fast.

How much coffee do you put in the press with the water? I would guess a greater amount that for making regular coffee?

[Libby]

I hate to say it but can you use a higher quality instant espresso? Does this exist? I'd make according to directions for the one shot serving and use about 1/2c - 3/4c hot milk.

I have a lil latte whip frother thing I bought from Ikea for $3. It whips up hot milk very well and I just pour my brewed instant espresso mix (or twice strong reg instant coffee) into it. Stir and add desired toppings. For flavours, I use the sugar free Torani syrups. So far I've only purchased chocolate and a caramel. Seems to work just fine.

I do the same trick with tea lattes and for flavourings I use flavoured teas - pumpkin spice is by far my fave. Each Oct around Thanksgiving, I stock up b/c thats the one time/year that its only available.

[shoiji]

One cup of coffee and a large scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I am fine with instant coffee. If you dissolve some instant coffee in water than add a cup of warm milk you can get a really good drink. Just add some cocoa mix for a mocha flavor.

[Contrary Housewife]

I use the powdered stuff. There's various kinds in the coffee aisle. Some of it foams by itself. It's not exactly cheap, but it's cheaper than buying it in a coffee house.

I also drink plain old fashioned iced coffee in the summer. Try it with condensed milk.

[lishoprah]

We've found a super easy/cheap way to make coffees that taste a lot like lattes.

We just use regular brewed coffee (sometimes the more expensive kind) and add Torano's flavored syrups and half and half. It's probably a few tablespoons of each. One coffee place I went to made orange mochas and ours at home taste almost identical to that -- we use chocolate Torano syrup mixed with orange Torano. Other favorites are chocolate mixed with coconut, amaretto, almond roca, and caramel.

I think the trick to making brewed coffee taste like a latte is the half and half - it tastes like you have a cup full of milk with just a few tablespoons. We have a cash and carry place that sells the big bottles of Toranos for less than $4 and Costco sells a half gallon of half and half very cheap -- lasts us about a month with my dh drinking 3 or 4 cups a day and me drinking 2.

[tervsforme]

I am addicted to lattes as well. I stop twice a week to a little place by me, they are fabulous. I've been working on making them at home. I bought some espresso roast coffee and make it in my coffee pot, then just scald some milk on the stove. By the time the coffee is done, the milk is hot. I also have some flavored syrup I put in. It's still not AS good as the coffe shop, but pretty darn close.

[melodys]

OK, I sort of cheated to get cheap good lattes. I put an espresso maker on my Christmas wish list a couple of years ago. It's the most frequently used gift in the house.

[acidcookie]

Thanks for the tips so far.

Just to clarify: I mean hot lattes, and by lattes I specifically mean the espresso + milk beverage, not just coffee shop beverages in general. I guess I'm picky about the flavor and have had a hard time replicating it. I also prefer not to use any of the mixers & fillers, but just want coffee+milk+a bit of sugar. I guess I'll keep playing with brewed coffee and milk. Maybe I'll by some French roast coffee to try.

[cab54]

I love iced coffee, especially later in the day, when it heats up outside. I take some left over coffee (from that day) and add ice, cream, and sweetener, stir or shake. Yum. If you like, you can buzz it in the blender to chop the ice and mix better.