I love drinking coffee and lattes, and as a college student, I rely on caffeine to get through the day. However, going to cafes all the time can be quite expensive. Thus, I have taken to using — and embellishing the Trader Joe’s instant cold brew to get my daily fix. Here are a few easy ways to make crafted drinks at home:
Flavored Syrups
One of the easiest ways to be inventive with your drinks is by using syrups. Just make your instant coffee and pour some syrup in. Due to the syrups being extra sweet, there is no need to add sugar.
The brand I usually get is the Torani syrups (which can be found in World Market or Amazon). Some franchises, like Dutchbros, use Torani syrups too, so it is a great way to liken your home drink to the ones you usually go out to buy. I’ve tried the fruity flavors: peach, strawberry, and raspberry. However, lavender and rose are a must-have. You can even make your own syrups at home too!
Cold Foam
Another way to liken your drinks to ones from chain cafes is to make cold foam (also to make your coffee look more aesthetic). I use a hand frother to make cold foam from regular milk. Sometimes I add a little syrup to make flavored cold foam. In my opinion, strawberry cold foam with your latte is the best.
However, if you do not have a hand frother, one substitute can be using heavy whipping cream. Just whip the cream using a whisk or even a spoon to make a thicker consistency. It should be able to rest on top of your coffee or latte, but you can mix it into your drink as well.
Sugar Cubes
To be perfectly candid, I have not tried this (yet). However, I like the idea of adding matcha, cocoa, chai, or other powders into pre-made sugar cubes. Making different sugar cubes seems like a great way to flavor your coffee! @NguyenCoffeeSupply has a great recipe on Tiktok.
Most of the time, I prioritize my sleep instead of getting up early to prep for my morning classes, so I am always in a hurry in the morning. So, this would be the best way to enhance your coffee in a time crunch. I would dedicate some time every week to making a batch of cubes, and then when I was in a rush, I would drop a few into my coffee.
Herbs
I am a big fan of Philz Coffee’s “Mint Mojito,” so I have been trying to make my own version at home. At Trader Joe’s they sell a small packet of mint (and even a whole plant). If you usually put sugar in your coffee, mash it together with the herb so the minty flavor comes out. You want to avoid tearing the leaves too much because you don’t want the particles just floating around in your coffee. Then add your cold brew and you are done!
Ice Cream
Many of you might know of an affogato (ice cream with espresso), so this might not be new information. Usually, the coffee is paired with vanilla ice cream, but you can incorporate different flavors. Although not the most traditional, I added lemon shortbread ice cream to my coffee. Normally citrus and dairy do not usually mix, but it was interesting, to say the least. I would try it again with different ice cream flavors in the future.
All in all, I encourage everyone to be adventurous with their drinks. If you like Starbucks “Caramel Macchiato,” try recreating it by adding caramel syrup to cold brew. Try making matcha lattes with different syrups. Or, maybe try experimenting with everything all at once!