Save Money with DIY Lattes

If you are like most Americans, you probably start your morning with a cup of coffee or a latte, espresso, or cappuccino. That little warm cup will help you get focused for your day and it often gives people that extra little kick they need to start off their day. While there is nothing wrong with having a nice hot latte everyday, if you aren’t making it yourself, you are wasting hundreds of dollars a month. A latte that costs $5 a day will add up to about $150 a month if you have one everyday. If you only get lattes on weekdays, you are still going to spend about $100 a month. The thing about lattes is that you can easily make them at home and you can save yourself hundreds of dollars a month by doing so.

Here are some tips on how to prepare a latte along with a few different recipes you can try out.

First, let’s start with how to prepare a latte. First, you need to head out and find the best coffee beans out there. Don’t just stick with the cheap coffee beans. A good latte will use the best coffee beans. These coffee beans need to be fresh, not frozen ones. Once you head out and you buy the absolute best coffee beans out there, you need to grind the beans. Only grind enough to prepare what you need for the latte. This will help to add to the flavor of coffee. Since it is a latte, you want to prepare the coffee to be strong. When it is strong, it will taste much better.

Second, after you prepare the coffee, you need to prepare the milk. The milk will make up 1/3rd of the latte. Steam the milk to get it nice and warm and then mix it with your coffee.

Third, add a layer of froth to your latte to complete it. Use skim milk to create a layer of froth. Head it over a frying pan for a few minutes to get it to foam well. Once you layer the rest of the latte with the foam, shave a little bit of chocolate on the froth or consider sprinkling a little bit of cinnamon on it. This is a simple way to make your latte look professional to make it more appealing to your eyes. If you have a cappuccino machine, it will definitely make it easier to create a good latte, but the machine is not necessary to make a latte.

Now that you know how to make a latte, here are a few recipes to try out:

A pumpkin spice latte is a great way to celebrate the season. This latte will make 1-2 servings. Here are the ingredients you need to make it:

2 cups milk (skim works the best)

2 Tbs canned pumpkin or 1 tsp pumpkin spice syrup

2 Tbs sugar

2 Tbs vanilla extract

½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

¼ Cup espresso or ½ Cup of strong brewed coffee

Combine the milk, pumpkin, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat ingredients until they steam, stir. Remove once they steam and add the vanilla and spice. Transfer all ingredients to a blender and blend until foamy. Pour into a mug and add the espresso on top. Once it is complete, use a little whip cream to top it off along with a bit of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to sprinkle over the whip cream.

½ cup eggnog

¼ cup whole milk

Starbucks espresso ground roast coffee beans

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Combine eggnog and cold milk. Use an espresso machine to steam the mixture, and set aside. Use coffee to make a strong espresso. Pour about 1/3 Cup espresso into milk mixture and pour in cup. Top off the espresso with a layer of froth that can be made by steaming milk. Sprinkle the froth with ground nutmeg.