Espresso & milk

For the short period that Caribou has been open, I've seen a lot of people come in. Most of them aren't really coffee fans, but enjoy drinks mixed with coffee in them or smoothies from the store. Its a lot like how people just like being associated with brands, so they get drinks from us that aren't what true coffee is all about. I have had a woman order a cappuccino (probably because it sounds cool) and then say she didn't like it. When I asked her what she didn't like about it and what else I could offer her, she responded with "Ohhhhhhhh, there's just too much coffee in here. I don't really like the taste of coffee." she ended up getting a Snowdrift, which is a mixture of flavored syrups, milk, oreos, and ice. She loved it. It just makes me laugh at how much people want to be thought of as a coffee drinker but can't even have a lightly-coffee based drink. Often people ask what the difference between many drinks are because they really have no idea. So I'll go through the most common coffee drinks and explain how they're made.
Most people know what a latte is. Lattes are probably my favorite drink. To make a latte, you brew two shots of espresso while preparing milk to be steamed. You put the steamed milk into a pitcher with a thermometer to monitor it. On the espresso machine, there is a wand used for steaming milk. You would then dip that wand into the very edge of the milk and press a button to begin steaming. Until 100 degrees, you keep the tip of the wand underneath the milk to create air bubbles. This is known as frothing. Once the temperature passes 100 degrees, dip the wand completely in the milk to heat the rest of it. The machine is timed to stop when the temperature of the milk passes 160 degrees. After pouring your shots of espresso into the cup, you take the milk canister and, while using a paddle like spoon, hold the froth back and pour the milk into the back of the cup to mix it evenly with the espresso. Once you start approaching the top of the cup, you pull the ladle back very slightly. This allows a small amount of foam to enter into the drink, forming a shape. At Caribou, we strive for what is referred to as the "half moon shape", which leaves a little froth at the top. Or if you want to get creative...

There is another important aspect to the latte, the crema. Crema is a sweet, sugary texture that forms at the top of espresso. When brewed perfectly, the crema will sit at the top of the latte and create a very subtle, sweet taste when first drinking the latte. I always add raspberry syrup to my latte before entering the milk, making it a raspberry latte. This could be done with any other kind of syrup, vanilla lattes are the most popular. If you don't really drink coffee but want to try it, a latte is usually one of the first steps.