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Capsule brewing machines have made espresso infinitely more accessible to the home user. Other traditional home or commercial machines may require a little bit more dialing in (and wasted coffee!) to get a tasty shot. With a capsule brewer? Push a button and you're done.
While that single press is enough to get drinkable results, we've previously covered a few things you can do to make your morning coffee a little tastier in our '10 Hacks for Coffee Brewing' guide. Once you are happy with your capsule and the brew, the next step is to recreate that better brew today, tomorrow, and the morning after. Here are three easy tips to achieve consistency in your espresso!
Use a Scale
If you have a food scale that registers at least 1 gram, you're good to go! Before you pull a shot, position the scale under the spout. Place an empty, preheated cup before you press the TARE button to zero the weight out. You may have to remove the drip tray to accommodate a scale under the machine.
Because of the volatility of espresso and its crema, it may be hard to judge the volume of the shot through sight alone. Weight is the best indicator of how much espresso you are getting in your cup. If you are happy with a 40 gram espresso, remember that number for next time!
Hold that Button Down
Most capsule brewing machines come with two preset delivery volumes for 'Espresso' and 'Lungo' settings. On our Nespresso Essenza Mini, this is 40ml and 110ml, respectively. This is possible because of the volumetric features of the machine, which allows for a programmed measure of water when pulling a shot. However, if you hold down any of the two buttons (instead of a short press), you can adjust the amount of coffee delivered to your preference. Simply release the button once you reach your target volume or weight, if using a scale!
Set and Forget
Let's say you enjoy the same capsule everyday, and know the recipe that tastes the best to you. Holding down the Espresso or the Lungo button to reach your target volume/weight also bypasses the default setting. This is confirmed by your chosen button blinking thrice once you release. Now you can simply press the button once next time you brew, and get roughly the same amount of espresso for that capsule everytime!
These tips may be counterintuitive to the convenience factor of a capsule brewer. However, if a tasty espresso brings you joy, then we believe the extra steps for flavour and consistency are more than worth it.
Words by: Jon Choi @theheadbeanSpecialty coffee has given coffee drinkers old and new an appreciation for single origin coffees. There’s a certain excitement reading the packaging of a freshly roasted bag of coffee, figuring out the country of origin, the name of the farm, and other details that provide a deeper sense of connection with the coffee and its origins. Single origin coffees aren’t just coffees that come from a single country, but even from a single farm or estate. It’s the coffee that’s pushed at the very front when talking about specialty coffee, but often forgotten in the discussion are the blends, which may not give off that same attraction to connoisseurs because of being a, well, blend.
Starting off with single origin, a big part of its appeal is the aspect of uniqueness and individuality that it brings. A coffee from Colombia sourced from a specific region and a specific farmer provides not just traceability, but also a backstory to coffee drinkers about the way the coffees get to them. It’s often forgotten that a lot of the greatness of a coffee can be affected at the farm level, from processing techniques, consistency in weather, and the general care the farmer puts in taking care of the farm. Small or even micro lots provide even more curiosity to the excited coffee drinker when they find out that the coffee they’re having is not just a single origin coffee, but one that is limited because of the farm size and/or the harvest.
As in most other things, the blends tend to be described as friendlier in terms of price and consistent in terms of flavour. Whether it’s in coffee or other beverages, there’s an expectation when a blend is made that it will always taste the same, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Blends are put together for a variety of reasons, like getting to highlight the best of different coffees, or helping to bring out a certain type of flavour profile. Often, cafés use blends for their espressos and milk-based beverages to ensure a consistently good cup, which is why oftentimes, blends are used for espressos, although they can be roasted to be for filter as well.
To choose between single origin or blends will simply boil down to a matter of preference. There are people whose preference is really to just stick with single origin coffees and will continue to explore different origins, while others explore the different varieties of coffee out there. From a coffee drinker’s perspective, drinking a blend can provide a surefire coffee to look for on a consistent basis, since roasters would have an easier time ensuring consistency for a blend by making the necessary adjustments.
There is a myriad of different kinds of blends, whether it’s a blend of different origins, a blend of different farms from a single country, or even a blend of the same coffee but processed in different ways. The single origin side, on the other hand, provides a coffee aficionado an opportunity to always explore and make attempts to try as many different coffees from as many different farms and origins as possible, looking to find those intricate notes and even making their own discoveries along the way.
Words & by Ryan Uy (@thenameisrye)
Cafe and coffee enthusiasts have begun adapting to the rapidly changing new normal. What once could be a weekly cafe hopping exercise has become an online quest to find roasters, cafes, and coffee equipment suppliers in the time of quarantine. Online home brewing groups have become a go-to gathering place for coffee drinkers, breaking the traditional barriers of jampacked commercial cafés and intimate, sometimes intimidating specialty cafés. Sharing brewing recipes, beans, and other coffee stories have helped to open new coffee conversations, igniting interest across a broad spectrum of different coffee drinkers.
This growing interest opens a new opportunity for industry professionals to share more coffee knowledge with the power of online platforms. Zoom has never been as hot as it is now, and companies like Facebook and Google have begun offering their own platforms for online conferencing. To date, two coffee festivals have already been held online, providing a similar set of coffee workshops and lectures to those interested.
The 29th of March was when the first online coffee festival was held. Dubbed the Virtual Coffee Festival, around 2,000 people live-streamed the festival as it happened through various online platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Zoom. Viewers were treated to talks and workshops by industry professionals, with each video lasting anywhere from 20-25 minutes. A similar event was held just 2 months later, called the No Filter Coffee Festival. Workshops were held via Instagram, and attendees simply needed to check the schedule of the workshop they were interested to attend and make sure they were online to catch it.
What will other online coffee festivals be like in the future? Apart from workshops and lectures, will organizers set out to conduct more activities? Coffee tastings and cuppings are also making a transition to online, with organizers sending out coffees in advance to interested participants, with corresponding instructions to boot. Brands can do online launches for products that used to be launched at coffee festivals, such as new brewers or other coffee paraphernalia that can be sold right before the launches to interested testers and the ever-curious coffee brewing enthusiast. Another great thing of conducting these festivals online is the potential to save these events for future viewing, allowing interested attendees who might have jam-packed schedules to purchase access to the festival in advance and simply watch on-demand at a later time.
The opportunities for online coffee festivals are only limited by the scope of an organizer’s imagination. Although the first two online coffee festivals focused primarily on workshops, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see more of these festivals try out new things, like the aforementioned virtual cupping sessions, or even providing online forums for participants to meet and swap stories. In this ever changing new normal, as more coffee enthusiasts get together virtually and find more platforms to discuss and engage, the platform of an online coffee festival could look to be another ingenuity born out of necessity, and could even providing the forum for the single largest gathering of coffee enthusiasts at a coffee festival, whether virtual or otherwise.
Words & by Ryan Uy (@thenameisrye)
The lovely thing about capsule coffee is the sheer simplicity of the format. Your morning coffee is ready in three easy steps: Turn the machine on, pop in a capsule, and press a button. And the past few years have been kind to the format. Well-sourced and well-roasted Specialty Coffee have made capsules less of a compromise, and more of a pleasant alternative to traditional, and often more complicated, ways of making coffee. Not everyone can put together a pourover coffee at 6 in the morning. Even less accessible from home is café-quality espresso, which requires more time and expensive equipment to effectively dial in. Today, however, is not about simplicity or convenience. Let’s open up some capsules and see if we can actually do better than our capsule machine!
What’s Actually Inside
Despite the “instant-ness” of the capsule format, allow us to preface by saying that these tiny sealed cups do not contain instant coffee, which are either spray or freeze-dried to be soluble in water. Capsules contain pure coffee, usually finely ground, to allow for efficient pressure-induced extraction of solubles in the grinds. To establish a baseline before the brewing experiments, we’ve opened up three capsules from four different roasters, representing a range of both Single Origin and blended coffee.
What’s immediately apparent is the difference in colour of the grinds, reflecting different coffees and differences in roasting. We weighed the contents of each capsule, and they all fell between a range of 5 to 6 grams. What might not be as obvious in the picture are the differences in grind size. We used the rather unscientific way of feeling the particles between our fingers to rate the relative fineness of the grounds. From here, we assigned a brewing method to each capsule, to see if the coffee and the grind particle size could work for the intended application.
Experiment 1: Colonna Coffee brewed as an Espresso
Colonna’s offering felt like it was on the finer side, so we chose it for brewing on a commercial Espresso machine. We opened up four capsules to make 20g of coffee. The grounds were carefully dosed onto a portafilter, and distributed, tamped, and pulled. The goal was either a target of 40g of espresso, or a brew time of at least 25 seconds.
Espresso from a Colonna capsule pulled on a La Marzocco Linea
Result: We achieved neither. The shot flowed very quickly, yielding 70g in about 15 seconds – quicker than most capsule shots. The espresso did form a thin layer of crema, but the cup tasted thin and flat – a sign of under-extraction. Pulling this from a capsule machine, as intended, delivers a tastier cup.
Experiment 2: April Coffee brewed as a Pourover
While the other coffees felt like they were varying levels of fine, April Coffee’s El Salvador San Antonio felt significantly coarser. It was still finer than what we would use for pourover, but it felt like the best shot we had (pun intended). We opened up two capsules to give us 10 grams, going for less coffee to help the brewer fully drain all the water. The goal was a brew ratio of 1:15, and a total brew time of 2:30.
Grinds from an April Coffee capsule, brewed on a Kalita Wave
Result: Better than expected! The brewer did fully drain just a bit overtime, the wet grounds didn’t appear to be muddy, and the cup appears to have some clarity. A nice surprise was a small amount of bubbling on the first pour – typically a sign of fresh coffee. The capsule manufacturer must have done a good job preventing the pre-ground coffee from fully oxidising during the packing process. Our assumption about the grinds still being too fine for the method was accurate though – we experienced some hollowness and bitter flavours, a sure sign of over-extraction. A drinkable cup for sure, but we still prefer the brews direct from the capsule.
Experiment 3: TCA House Blend brewed via full immersion
Full immersion methods allow for the entire volume of water to brew the coffee all at once. The most common of these methods is a French Press, while another popular method is the Clever coffee dripper. The Clever resembles an oversized pourover cone, with a valve you can open to allow the brew to drip through. Similar to the second experiment, we tried both methods with a brew ratio of 1:15, and a total brew time of 4:00. We knew that none of the capsules had a grind particle size coarse enough for this method, but we wanted to be thorough!
Left: French Press, Right: Clever Coffee Dripper
Result: The grind particle size was indeed too fine. The french press had fine grinds in the cup, and the bottom was more sludgy than normal. The Clever had a hard time fully draining. Both cups were not very pleasant to drink.
Experiment 4: Yardstick Coffee Snack brewed on a Capsule Machine
As a bonus round, we decided to go back to the brewer that inspired this experiment. It seems that we can’t improve on the intended use of capsule coffee through other methods, so let’s focus on a variable that may improve our results instead. Earlier on, we noticed that majority of the capsules contained between 5 and 6 grams of coffee. What if we increase the dose? More coffee is better, right?
A reusable capsule packed with Yardstick’s Lemon Cherry Bar
We used an aftermarket reusable capsule for this experiment. To limit the effects of oxidation, we opened up the capsule and transferred the contents as quick as we could. It wasn’t easy, but after some tapping and tamping, we succeeded in filling the reusable capsule with 6.5 grams of the Yardstick coffee grounds – a full gram more than the original.
Left: Yardstick’s Snack Capsule, pulled on a capsule machine, Right: Reusable capsule containing a higher dose of the same grounds
The Result: The resulting shot from our experiment was very slow: about 10 grams of espresso in 25 seconds. The pump actually sounded like it was having a hard time, and we had to cut the shot prematurely. The shot had high intensity, but did not have balanced flavours. It was strong, sour, and quite salty. To compare, the standard Yardstick Snack Capsule pulls 30 grams of espresso in 25 seconds. We recommend sticking to the latter – it’s a brighter, sweeter, and fuller shot.
Conclusion: If it ain’t broke...
A traditional espresso might be more intense, and a freshly-made pourover, more aromatic. But coffee roasters have succeeded in preserving some of the origin and varietal characteristics of Specialty Coffee in a highly convenient format. This experiment may have failed to result in a tastier brew alternative to these pre-ground capsules, but it is telling of the importance of balancing coffee choice and roast profile, dose and grind particle size, and its synergy with existing technology that allows beautiful flavours to make it to your cup almost instantly. And that, we conclude, does not need fixing.
Have you tried another way of opening up and brewing capsules? Do you have another brew method or variable in mind that you want to have us try? Let us know in the comments below!
Words and Photos by: Jon Choi @theheadbean
Social Distancing: the two words that have dominated our lives in the last month and a half. In anticipation of the potential lifting of community quarantine and lockdowns in different parts of the world, more and more people have been getting used to doing e-meetings for work and hangouts online for friends and family. While people have started getting used to this “new normal”, the single and ready to mingle have begun jumping online, causing a surge in sign ups for online dating apps and services.
While the coffee date as we know it could forever be changed by social distancing, it could provide for interesting new ways for people to get to know each other over cups of coffee and through Skype, Facetime, or whichever app you’ve already got set up. For starters, since it’s going to be a little more difficult to go out and actually get coffee, this could provide the opportunity for you and your date to share what coffee you’ve prepared for the date. Your date could’ve prepared a nice latte with some great capsule coffee and a milk frother, while you may have made some pour over coffee that you’ve been practicing to make with some new hand brewing tools you’ve procured during the quarantine. You could also swap recipes, talk about your like/dislike of the Dalgona coffee trend, or even decide to make different coffee drinks for each date.
The construct of relationships as they’re built through digital channels will take some time for people to adjust to, and though there is the lingering want to be able to get back out in the world, the reality of today’s situation is that we can’t really say for certain when those days will come back. The flip side to this is that more and more things have begun adjusting accordingly to this new world we’ll be living in, and the future of the coffee date will be no different. It’s going to provide for some creative new decisions, like providing background music instead of relying on café music, or even setting up some low-key décor around your living spaces to give the feel of your favourite coffee shop, and of course, the great cups of coffee you’ve already learned to or are learning to make and share stories over together.
Mother's Day is fast approaching and since we all have to stay at home, here are 3 fun activities that you and mom can do together.
1. Make Homemade Coffee Soap
If you love the smell of coffee, then this is a fun weekend project. You'll only need a handful of ingredients which you may need to source before the weekend - goats milk melt and pour soap base, ground coffee, vanilla or coffee essence and a silicon mold. You can read more about it over here.
2. Learn Latte Art Basics
The cool coffee folks of La Marzocco has prepared online classes recently about coffee making. If you have a machine with a milk frother/steam wand, you may be able to pour some hearts on your coffee this weekend. It's a steep learning curve and the kitchen is bound to be messy. But I guess, that's part of the fun. Check out their Latte Art Basics video here.
3. Join the #MorningMochaChallenge
We've prepared a simple kit for you to whip up barista-style drinks with your mom. You can prepare a hot version or an iced version of your homemade mocha. Feel free to add in extra ingredients for extra style and taste points. (P.S. Submit your creations on Instagram to stand a chance to win more coffee capsules for your home.)
You may use the promo code LOVEYOUMOM3 during checkout to enjoy SGD3 off the #MorningMochaChallenge kit. You may also use the promo code for the Home Cafe Kit if you enjoy some tea and coffee at home.
In the next coming days or maybe weeks, a lot more countries are imposing restrictions in an attempt to flatten the curve to combat the spread of COVID-19. This also means we have more time at home to self-reflect, learn new skills, and work on new projects.
For those who own a capsule machine at home, we feel it is time to put your capsule machine to good use. So, we have come up with a few simple steps to make sure you get the most out of your capsule brewing setup.
1. Make sure your machine is all filled up with water!
One of the most important things to remember is to always refill the water tank to prevent the machine from running out of water for brewing. This will disrupt the flow and your coffee might not taste the best due to this. It is also recommended to use filtered water to get the best out of your coffee.
2. Warm up your machine.
Press any buttons to switch on your capsule machine. Generally, it takes around 25-30 seconds to heat up your machine and don’t wait too long, it might cool down again. When the buttons are lit, the machine is now ready for brewing. You may choose to flush some water to prime the machine.
3. Pick a capsule.
While waiting for your capsule machine to warm up, take this opportunity to pick the right capsule to start off your day. Remember, it is fun to match your mood and taste profile of the coffee to maximise your coffee drinking experience. For example, if you feel flustered, try something citrusy to brighten up your mood.
4. Flush your machine.
So now that you have filled up your capsule machine, make sure to flush your machine by letting the water flow through after you pressed the button (without the capsule). This is good practice to clear out any coffee residues from the previous capsule and also to prime your machine.
5. Shake and insert the capsule into the machine.
Warm capsule machine, checked. Pick your favourite coffee capsule, checked. Fill the tank with water, checked. Flush the machine, checked! Now, all we need to do is pop the capsules into the machine and brew it. Before we do that, make sure to give it a good shake. This will help even out the coffee grounds inside the capsule for a better brew.
We hope these steps can help you better brew your coffee at home. Do let us know if you have any tips to share! Tag us at @drinkmorning on Instagram and we’d love to hear from you. Stay healthy and caffeinated!
There’s nothing ancient nor reptilian about this week’s recipe – the Mocha Dinosaur is inspired by the ubiquitous Singaporean and Malaysian street beverage, popularly known as Milo Dinosaur. We’re improving that version by making a tasty mocha with high-quality coffee and chocolate as its base, then topping it with the malted chocolate milk powder that both kids and adults love! Can’t find Milo? Apparently, the stuff is widespread in most countries in Asia but not so much the West, so feel free to substitute what you have in your area! Brands like Ovaltine/Ovomaltine and chocolate-flavoured Horlicks come to mind.
Ingredients:
- 120g or ml espresso (brewed from 2 capsules)
- 100ml Milk
- 15g of a high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
- 30g sweetened condensed milk
- half a cup of crushed ice (or 4 ice cubes)
- 1 tbsp (or more) of Milo or chocolate malted milk equivalent
Start by pulling two shots of espresso into a cup that can hold it with space to spare. Stir in the cocoa powder and sweetened condensed milk, then whisk and stir properly until the mocha base is well-combined. Allow this to cool down for a few minutes. Fill a 12oz glass with ice, then pour in the cooled mocha base. Finally, top with at least 1 tablespoon of Milo – but feel free to use more! Stick a straw in it and enjoy the nostalgic childhood rush that comes with this beverage!
Words and image by @theheadbean
Recommended Capsule: Foundation Long by Colonna Coffee
The idea of a cappuccino after noon in Italy is unheard of, mainly because the drink is the perfect accompaniment to breakfast. This week’s recipe amps up that idea even more, with some extra tasty milk courtesy of a quick infusion with toasted cereal. Inspired by moments in our childhood when we’d chug down the bowl after eating cornflakes, we give you the Cereal Milk Cappuccino! The mild but flavourful Organic Light Roast from Cru Kafe is the perfect espresso for this beverage, with its delicate flavours of orange and light caramel.
Ingredients:
Cereal Milk Cappuccino:
- 60g or ml espresso (brewed from 2 capsules)
- 150ml Cereal Milk (see recipe below)
Cereal Milk:
- 4 cups or 960 ml full cream milk
- 4 cups of cornflakes
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
There’s a bit of prep-work involved with our milk base, but you can surely make it ahead. Start by toasting 4 cups of cornflakes in an oven set to medium, for about 10 minutes. This step is optional, but the toasty flavours you get are worth it! Once done, let the cereal cool for a few minutes. Transfer to a large container or jar, then pour in the milk. Add the sugar and salt. Stir until the latter two dissolve. Let the milk infuse in the fridge for at least an hour, or preferably overnight. Once done, carefully strain the milk with a fine strainer, using a spoon or spatula to squeeze out the liquid that may have been absorbed by the cereal (the good stuff!). Transfer to a covered bottle or jar. This makes about 900ml of cereal milk, which is good for six servings of our recipe. Covered, it should last two to three days in the fridge.
The actual recipe is much simpler! Pull two shots of espresso into an 8oz cup. Heat up 150ml of cereal milk using a microwave or stove, but stop before simmering. Like in our other recipes, a frothing the hot milk (if you have a hand or electric frother) enhances the texture of the drink. Slowly pour the heated milk into the cup, and you’re done! You may also make an iced variant using the same ingredients – simply omit the heating step and add 3-4 ice cubes in a 12oz glass.
Optional: We used cornflakes for this recipe, but you can be creative with your favourite cereal! Cinnamon Toast Crunch Milk, anyone?
Words and image by @theheadbean
Recommended Capsule: Organic Light Roast by Cru Kafe
If coffee mixed with tea and non-dairy milk sounds like the furthest thing from tasty, this recipe will change your mind! Our Dairy-free Dirty Chai is vegan-friendly, but tastes nothing like a compromise, especially if you use quality ingredients! This week’s recommended capsule is the comforting House Blend from The Coffee Academics. We’ve opted for Macadamia milk because of its subtle nuttiness and largely transparent flavour profile, but feel free to substitute this with your favourite milk alternative. The finished cup is a treat, with a beautiful balance of coffee and warming spices.
Ingredients:
- 30g or ml espresso (brewed from 1 capsule)
- 150ml Macadamia Milk (we used Milkadamia)
- 20ml chai concentrate
- 5g or 1 packet coconut sugar (omit if using a sweetened chai syrup)
- powdered cinnamon for garnish
Start by pulling a shot into a 6oz cup or mug. Add the chai concentrate and coconut sugar, then stir well into the espresso. Heat up the macadamia milk, either on the stovetop or microwave. We recommend stopping short of a simmer for the best flavour and milk texture. If you have a milk frother, use it to aerate the foam a little bit, which will enhance the drinking experience. Slowly pour the heated milk into the coffee and chai mix. Garnish with some cinnamon, and enjoy!
Words and image by @theheadbean
Recommended Capsule: House Blend by The Coffee Academics
There’s only one way to properly bring in the New Year, and that’s with a glass of bubbly! We love straight up champagne like the next person, but for those who enjoy champagne cocktails, we’ve got you covered. The Morning Mimosa is a unique take on the traditional brunch cocktail with dry sparkling wine, fresh citrus juice, and of course, a fruity coffee. Capping off this year as our recommended capsule is the excellent Kenya Karogoto by April Coffee Roasters. For the bubbles, a dry Cava or Prosecco works well if you don’t want to splurge on the French stuff. We also opted to add grapefruit to the more common orange juice, to add depth to the beverage. Fresh is best, of course, but feel free to use juice from a carton if that’s all you have on-hand!
Ingredients:
- 20g or ml espresso (brewed from 1 capsule)
- 30ml orange juice
- 30ml grapefruit juice
- 80ml dry sparkling wine (such as Champagne, Cava, or Prosecco)
- halved grapefruit wedge for garnish
The key to an enjoyable mimosa is fully-chilled ingredients so refrigerate your juices and sparkling wine beforehand. Also pull your espresso ahead of time, and let it cool down. Once everything is properly cold, combine the espresso and both juices in a spouted container, and stir to combine. Fill a flute glass with 80ml of wine and let the bubbles subside. Add the combined coffee and juice. Finally, garnish with half a grapefruit wedge. If you’re making this for a crowd (and you should), simply scale the recipe up. This is a very refreshing tipple and goes down quick, so go easy on seconds! Cheers to 2020, everyone!
Words and image by @theheadbean
Recommended Capsule: Kenya Karogoto by April Coffee Roasters
‘Tis the season of eating, drinking, and merry-making! Out come the pine trees and candle holders, along with a festive table spread making its scheduled annual appearance. We especially enjoy nipping away at a holiday beverage with good company on said table, and there are few drinks more suited for the occasion than a luxurious Eggnog. Originally from Britain, this rich combination of cream, spice, raw eggs, and liquor is now enjoyed the world over with countless variations on the choice of spice, alcohol, or dairy equivalent. Our version today is inspired by the flavours of the Kigutha Kenya capsule from Roastworks Coffee Co. As an espresso, it reminds us of a fruitcake! Its sweet, fruity, almost-boozy flavour profile makes it the perfect base for our Espresso Eggnog, and take our word for it that you won’t miss the alcohol in this one (although we won’t judge if you sneak in half a shot of rum or brandy!).
The eggnog mixture requires some prep in advance, but is quite simple to put together. Many folks find an issue with consuming raw eggs due to the threat of food-borne illnesses, so we’ll kick off the recipe with a pasteurisation guide!
How to pasteurise your eggs:
Pasteurising eggs is easiest with a sous vide or immersion circulator, so you’re in luck if you have one – simply follow the time and temperature rules. If not, we can jerry-rig together a similar setup using a sauce pan, a saucer that fits in the pan, and a thermometer. First, place the saucer in the pan. This will act as a heat shield for the eggs later on. Fill the saucepan with water, turn on your stove, and stick a thermometer in until it reads 60°C (140°F), which is our pasteurisation temperature. At this point, turn your stove to the lowest setting or flame level it will go, and slowly place the eggs in the pan, ensuring that each one is fully submerged. The temperature should not go beyond 61°C (142°F), or the eggs will cook! If it goes up too fast, pop in an ice cube to quickly stabilise the water. Hold the eggs at this temperature range for at least three minutes, and you’re done. You may refrigerate the pasteurised eggs for later use.
Ingredients:
Eggnog mix:
Start by whipping the eggs with a mixer or blender until frothy. We’re going for more sippable than thick for this version, so no need to aerate the eggs too much. Add the heavy cream, milk, sugar, and nutmeg and blend some more until the mixture looks thoroughly combined. Chill for at least two hours, but overnight is best for the flavours to meld nicely. This mix makes four servings, and will keep in the fridge for two days.
Espresso Eggnog:
Pull two shots of espresso and place in either a boston or a three-piece shaker. Add the eggnog mixture and ice. Shake until cold, and strain into a 10oz glass, letting all the tasty foam out. Garnish with some additional nutmeg on top. Now, make some more for everyone at the table so you can all have a proper toast to the holidays!
Recommended Capsule: Kigutha Kenya by Roastworks Coffee Co.
Words & Photos by Jonathan Choi (@theheadbean)