My Favorite Coffee Drinks
Walk into a coffee shop these days and you’ll be faced with a veritable menagerie of choices. Breve, macchiato, mocha, latte, cappuccino . . . the list is seemingly endless. Instead of trying to wrap my head around every single variety of coffee-based beverage, I have developed a handful of go-to coffee drinks that I know I love.
Most of my coffee-drinking takes place at work. Sure, I have a cup in the morning before running out the door, and no doubt I will start a pot of (decaf) tea brewing a few hours before bedtime. But while I’m working, I stick to familiar drinks.
Rather than depend on the coffee vending machines at my office (which aren’t a bad option but don’t always offer a ton of variety) I prepare my own coffee drinks at home before I head out the door for work. This way, I save money and show up for work totally prepared to fulfill my own coffee needs.
The name of this type of coffee drink began as a sort of tongue-in-cheek insult. Italian coffee shops, overrun by American tourists who wanted a watered-down version of typically-strong Italian coffee beverages, began selling a drink named after the tourists themselves. Americano is nothing more than espresso-based coffee blended with extremely hot water. When I need a jolt of energy at work, I turn to my pre-mixed Americano. At some coffee shops, this drink is called A Shot in the Dark or something similarly precious.
Sometimes called a baby-cino or a fluffer, a steamer is a mix of frothed milk and flavoring. The original idea behind the steamer was to provide a caffeine-free option to customers at coffee shops. I combine frothed milk with plain coffee from the pot or vending machine at work for a delicious coffee steamer, a mild pick-me-up that’s perfect for that late afternoon groggy feeling.
The only legal way to “take a shot” at my job is to prepare a shot of espresso ahead of time, seal it as well as you can (espresso has a way of turning bitter over time), and drink it when you really need a quick burst of energy. I’ve found that I rather like the bitter flavor of “turned” espresso, but it’s not to everyone’s taste. I’ll admit it: this is probably my favorite way to drink coffee.
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