making the perfect coffee
a and i separately (unbeknownst to each other) ventured deep down the coffee rabbithole in 2023, and neither of us made it out unscathed. he's a pourover aficionado and occasional aeropress girly now (+ the kind of person who orders a single-origin espresso with a side of seltzer, wedge of lemon optional), and i've since upgraded from my thrifted moka pot to a refurbished gaggia classic pro, complete with the diy 9-bar opv mod1. i'd like to think i'm not as hung up on grinders as a is, but we've both become the kind of snobs who splurge on fresh beans from local roasteries, so who's really winning over who?
it's funny how you can spend years working in a coffee shop without a single spark of interest in the espresso machines or coffee paraphernalia surrounding you, but once you leave and get a big girl job, it's all you ever want to read about or do. granted, there was a three-month period after my last barista position where even looking at a cup of coffee turned my stomach, but i got over that pretty quickly & eventually settled back into my old caffeine consumption habits.
without divulging too much about my personal health, i'd like to preface this recipe by stating that my body doesn't process caffeine the way it's supposed to (it makes me slightly drowsy, as opposed to alert), so i'm not really in the habit of making a cup or two of joe before my morning commute. coffee fits more snugly into my life as a nice afternoon pick-me-up—i'm allowed a lil bit of something sweet, as a treat. the only utilitarian purpose it serves is that it's a good excuse to get away from my desk for a bit whenever i work from home.
unfortunately, i am american, so the whole recipe will be written in nonsensical freedom units. really, everything can be adjusted to taste (and i eyeball everything when i make this for myself anyways), so it's fine if you don't follow the instructions to a t (heh).
t's perfect coffee | serves 1
ingredients:
- freshly ground coffee beans2, grams may vary depending on method of preparation
- 1.25 cups of whole milk
- 1.5 tablespoons of heavy cream (or 3 tablespoons of half-and-half, which is really just half whole milk, half heavy cream)
- 1 tablespoon of amber or dark maple syrup 3
- 1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar (unrefined cane sugar such as jaggery and piloncillo also work great!)
- a dash of vanilla extract
- 3 large-ish ice cubes
- water, for making the coffee
instructions:
- using the freshly ground beans and water, prepare a tiny yet mighty (read: strong) coffee the best way you know how. my personal preference in my pre-gcp-owning era was a moka pot (i have a 6-cup bialetti and i usually use 2/3 of the pot), but a vietnamese phin filter is equally as fantastic. if you have access to an espresso machine, pull at least 2 shots (3 is my go-to).
- once ready, immediately add the maple syrup and brown sugar directly into your hot coffee. stir with a spoon to ensure that everything is fully dissolved and evenly dispersed.
- in a large glass, combine the whole milk, heavy cream, and vanilla extract4. stir with a spoon so that the vanilla isn't just sitting on top.
- incorporating a tablespoon at a time, stir 1/3 of the milk mixture5 into your sweetened coffee to gradually lower the temperature. once the coffee is cooled, pour it over the rest of the milk mixture. add ice and enjoy!
no, this is not an iced coffee for the weak—the sheer size and caffeine content are pretty good indicators of that. yes, i'm fully aware of the irony in making a detailed post about my favorite coffee beverage when the name of my blog is a play on oolong, but there will always be time to ramble about my tea preferences later. in the meantime, i hope you give this recipe a try & let me know how it goes!
stay fresh,
t
as far as beans go, i tend to prefer light-to-medium roasts with more chocolatey stone fruit notes than citrusy floral ones, but use whatever you have on hand! i use the timemore chestnut c2 hand grinder for moka pot prep and the eureka mignon crono w/ the burrs swapped out for espresso (the stock model comes with burrs better suited for larger particle size applications like drip or pourover)↩
syrups that are marked as naturally darker tend to have a more pronounced maple flavor↩
adding the vanilla extract to the cold portion more effectively preserves the fragrance (vs directly adding it to hot coffee)↩
if you're lactose-sensitive or allergic to dairy, i'd recommend swapping in barista blend oat milk (it has a heavier body/richer texture than regular oat milk—as far as brands go, i personally prefer califia farms) with a dash of unsweetened non-dairy creamer (nutpods makes a pretty solid one!)↩