This little coffee maker can be found in most kitchens in Italy and it’s not only because of its beautiful, affordable design. It’s an easy way to brew a great cup of coffee.

Here are the 5 steps to getting a great cup of coffee using the Moka pot:

I’ve been obsessed with Italian food lately and especially learning about pasta, the wide variety and how each region has it’s own tradition and special way of making it. Bon Appétit has a great video showing how to make 29 handmade pasta shapes if you are interested. That made me think about coffee and made me wonder if there’s the same region variation when it comes to brewing and drinking it as there is in pasta.

The drink that I decided to start with is the espressino (I’m sure that’s not a big surprise, it’s in the title after all).

What is an espressino?

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If you frequent specialty coffee shops you probably saw The Gibraltar on the menu and maybe you’ve even ordered it.

I’ve had it a few times in the past and I’ve always been confused about what it actually is, and how it’s different from other espresso-based drinks on the menu so I decided to do a little bit of digging.

What is The Gibraltar?

The Gibraltar is an espresso-based drink with steamed milk very similar to a cappuccino. The big difference is that it’s served in a 4.5 oz Libbey Gibraltar rock glass, compared to the more traditional 4.75 oz ceramic cappuccino cup.

The Origin

There…

A perfect coffee drink for the winter holidays

This sweet coffee drink is the perfect way to get your coffee fix during the colder months, especially if it’s dark and gloomy outside. No wonder it was invented in America’s Pacific Northwest.

I only found vague references to the coffee drink called Caffè Gommosa although the ingredients and the way that it’s made show up under different names, or added next to other ingredients.

What is Caffè Gommosa?

Caffè Gommosa gets its name from the texture it forms from the melting marshmallows combining with the coffee. Translated from Italian it means “rubbery coffee”. …

A cheat sheet for the perfect cup!

Black Tea

Brewing Temperature: 200–212F / 80–93°C

Brewing Time: 2–3 minutes for fine cut leaves/ 5 minutes for large cut

Notes: There are a few delicate black teas that should be brewed at lower temperatures, but for most boiling or close to boiling temperature should be fine. The trick to a great cup of black tea is a shorter steep time.

Green Tea

Brewing Temperature: 150–180F / 65–85°C

Brewing Time: 1–2 minutes

Note: Green Tea expands a little bit so it’s important to give the leaves room.

Oolong Tea

Brewing Temperature: 190–200F / 88–93°C

Brewing Time: 1–2 minutes

Note…

A quick list of things you can do in your coffee break that will help you maximize your time and maybe accomplish a few goals.

Learn a New Language

I recently found a podcast series called CoffeeBreak that aims to teach you different languages during your coffee break. That’s actually how I got the idea for this post and using my coffee break more productively.

The CoffeeBreak podcast is from Radio Lingua Network and they have lessons for Spanish, French, Italian, German and Chinese.

A quick search will reveal that there are a lot of podcasts out there that offer the same type of…

After going down a coffee rabbit hole on Instagram I found a comment mentioning a Spanish Latte and after a bit of Googling and a quick trip to the supermarket I made a cup for myself.

What is Spanish Latte?

Basically, it’s an espresso based drink with textured normal milk and condensed milk. Slightly sweeter than a normal latte but not as sweet as a latte with flavored syrup.

The Origin

Adding condensed milk to coffee is not a new thing and maybe you’ve already had a Vietnamese Coffee, Cafe Bonbon or Cafe Canario, but this latte as it’s showing up right now is a slight…

Coffee is all about chemistry, about extracting the right amount of flavor from the bean and no matter how you brew your coffee there are a few things to keep in mind that will help you get a better cup.

Get a Digital Scale

In order to get great coffee, you can either be lucky and get the occasional great cup or be consistent and fine tune your method to get better and better coffee.

All brew methods will have a ratio that will determine how much water and coffee will be used. …