*GIVEAWAY*!!! How to make an iced latte with an aeropress

Although Aeropress is sponsoring this giveaway, I was not compensated for my time and all opinions are completely my own. 

If you've followed me for a hot second on instagram, you know that I love iced lattes. I can't think of a meal that an iced latte wouldn't make complete. Iced lattes all day, every day :-) However, at $5 a drink, it's not a habit I can afford to keep regular. I mean, Isaac only lets me allocate $40 a month for blow money #budgetprobs. So awhile back I started to experiment with making my own iced lattes. 

Then came a string of very disappointing iced drinks. I tried brewing strong coffee over ice, cooling brewed coffee and adding milk and ice, instant coffee with ice and milk, and even tried making espresso with a mokapot. All resulted in watered down coffee/milk (or a disgusting, bitter product with the mokapot) that I always poured down the drain. Wah wah.  Then an amazing thing happened. My husband bought me an aeropress (and burr grinder--fancy fancy) for our anniversary. Really, I think it was more of a gift for himself than for me (sorry, babe), but it turned out to be the best. gift. ever. After a few failed attempts, and reading multiple blogs and watching several youtube videos, I finally came up with a delicious drink that strongly resembles an iced latte made with espresso! 

Now, this can't be considered true espresso, because apparently there are strict guidelines for the temperature and pressure in order for it to be considered espresso, but this tastes pretty darn close. (in my opinion at least). The secret is to use freshly ground espresso beans, press the grounds tightly in the aeropress, and to add a filter on top of the beans (in addition to below the grounds). This increases the pressure needed to push the water through the aeropress, which I'm pretty sure allows it to extract more flavor. 

The aeropress can be used to make more than just espresso. I think it was originally intended to make regular coffee. It just happens to be the perfect tool for making espresso :-). The great thing about it is that it takes up barely any space, it's portable, it's super affordable, it makes great coffee/espresso, and all you need is boiling water and coffee grinds. Two thumbs up. 

So I wanted to share with you all, the how-to on making this perfect iced latte. Aaaand, the makers of the aeropress were generous enough to offer a free giveaway for one lucky reader!!! See below for how to enter!

The first step is to make ice cubes made from brewed coffee. This isn't absolutely necessary, but I think it's much better because I don't like watered down iced lattes. I bought the ice cube tray in my picture on clearance at target. Isn't it so cute??

Once you have coffee ice cubes prepared, you're ready to get started. Pour 2/3 cup of milk into your cup and add 2 tsp of flavored coffee syrup. I'm personally a fan of vanilla, but you choose whatever flavor is your favorite. Oh, and go with cow's milk if you can handle dairy. It is waaaay better. Why drink something you don't even really like?! (I'm looking at you almond milk)...Then add a few coffee ice cubes and a few regular ice cubes. Place your cup in the freezer (that way your milk gets niiiice and cold). 

Next, set-up your aeropress. Place a paper filter in the black filter basket and wet with water. Screw it onto the bottom of your aeropress. 

Grind your espresso beans finely with your coffee grinder. You'll need the equivalent of 4 cups, which is 1/4 cup finely ground espresso beans, or 16-17g. Place your grounds into the areopress.

The next step is to place another filter on top of the grounds and to press it down firmly. Be sure to shake the aeropress a little before you tamper it down so that the grounds are even. I use a spice bottle to press the filter and grounds down because it happens to be the perfect size in diameter and length. Now you're ready to make your espresso! (see picture above)

Boil 1/3 cup water and add to your aeropress. Place the plunger in and slowly press down until you reach the bottom. You will hear some hissing. I've read instructions that say to stop when you hear this, but I've had better luck pushing until I hit the bottom. I've been able to almost get a crema doing that. 

Congratulations! You have just made a shot of espresso!!! Add to your cold milk, stir, and enjoy!!! Just an FYI, if you want a hot latte, just heat and froth your milk before adding the espresso instead of chilling it. It's delicious that way too. :-)

Gosh, I just think the coffee is just so beautiful! Don't you agree??...I know, I'm ridiculous. As far as the giveaway is concerned, the drawing begins today and ends Sept 26 and you can enter two different ways. The first way is to comment below with your favorite coffee drink (make sure to put your first name and last name initial). The second is to find my instagram giveaway post and comment by tagging a friend! I will be drawing and contacting one lucky winner Sept 27, so keep an eye out.

Can't wait to hear what you think about the final product. I hope you love it as much as I do!  I'm sure your budget will  :-)

If you're interested in buying an aeropress yourself, click here. Their product page is here, and their facebook page is here.

 

Cold Brew Coffee...the best start to your day

So...I'm about to share with you how to make cold brew...You're welcome.

If you follow me on instagram (@donuteatingdietitian), you know that I drink a cold brew latte every single day. Seriously, every day. Sometimes, I drink it in the afternoon too. I've been asked several times about how to make it, so I decided I should just share here on the blog.

Making your own cold brew is suuuper simple. And way cheaper than buying the bottled stuff. I mean, have you seen how outrageous it is to buy it?? No thanks. Besides, I like getting to try different flavors based on the roast I buy. 

Cold brew is different than simply putting ice in coffee. It has it's own method of being made and it has a different taste profile as well. I find cold brew to be less bitter and far more flavorful. I have to add a bunch of sugar to regular brewed coffee to like it (caramel macchiato? Yes, puhlease), but I only add milk to my cold brew and it is ssooooo delicious! I highly recommend buying lighter roasts. I don't know how to describe how the dark roast cold brew tastes, but I'm not a fan.

Sorry to get off subject, but I have yet to catch you all up on my most recent employment status! Last time I posted, I mentioned that I had decided to go the private practice route. Welp, that changed. But it was a GOOD change. I am so stinking excited that it did and about my future....I received a job with a Christian counseling company in the area to do one-on-one nutritional counseling for those with eating disorders, disordered eating, and weight management issues. You guys, this is exactly in-line with my heart and passions and in the kind of environment I longed for!! I didn't think getting a job this perfect for me was possible, but God was good to provide it for me! In addition, I am also doing some part-time nutritional counseling for a physician group in the area. Holy moly, getting to do what you're passionate about is so exciting and rewarding. 

So lately I have been spending a lot of time researching and learning, networking with providers in the area, and getting my feet wet. It is going to take awhile to build up a solid clientele since it is a new service they are offering, but I am perfectly fine with that. And as I learn more about eating disorders and intuitive eating, the more mad I get at the dieting industry and the messages that the media sends us. Our views of food and our bodies and the language we so commonly use with each other is so detrimental! But that's for an entirely different post...

Back to making this cold brew concentrate. Pick a light coffee roast of your liking, place 1 cup of ground coffee in a large bowl with a pouring spout (or else you'll end up with water ALL over your counter), add 4 cups of water (always a 4:1 ratio), cover it, and leave it sitting on your counter for the next 12-24 hours. I normally start mine in the evening and then strain it at the same time the next morning. To strain the coffee, put a coffee filter into a colander placed over a medium bowl and pour the mixture into the strainer. Once it has strained completely, pour it into a resealable glass or plastic container and store in the fridge for up to a week...if it lasts that long. 

Lastly, to drink your delicious cold brew: fill a glass with ice, pour your coffee to about the halfway mark, and then top with milk! Beware, cold brew has more caffeine than brewed hot coffee, so if you get jittery easily, you may want to start out with smaller amounts than you normally drink! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!