Spring is almost here and so are the iced drinks! When the warmer weather shows up it’s hard to not reach for the iced coffee instead of a hot cup of joe. Let’s be honest, black iced coffee can get boring very quickly. So here are a couple of different iced coffee ideas to make at home so you can save the coffee shop visits for special occasions.
Blueberry Vanilla Latte
This latte is very unique and wonderfully tasty! You don’t want to miss out on this refreshing spring treat. First off, you are going to need a couple of basics:
-Real Good Coffee Co. Espresso Pods (stronger pods are recommended if you don’t like overly sweet coffee)
-Choice of milk
-Blueberries
-Sugar
-Vanilla extract
Once you have all of those ingredients ready to go it’s time to get started making your blueberry vanilla syrup.
Blueberry Vanilla Syrup
- 1 ½ cup of blueberries
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan place blueberries, sugar, and water to cook over medium heat. Smash the blueberries until most of them have broken open. Allow ingredients to simmer for seven minutes and then add one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Allow ingredients to cool to room temperature and then strain into a glass container. This syrup is good to store refrigerated for up to two weeks.
Once we have our delicious syrup made, it’s time to make our latte. Grab a tall glass and fill it to the top with ice. Add in the desired amount of syrup. Prep your Real Good Coffee espresso pod in a shot glass. While your espresso pod is brewing, fill your glass with your desired milk preference, but leave a little room at the top for the espresso. Once your espresso is finished brewing, pour it on top of your milk. When you’re finished you will have a beautiful, multi-colored, and flavorful beverage for spring.
The Truffle Mocha
Sometimes you just need comfort in a cup and a chocolate and coffee mixture will do the trick. This recipe is simple and there are no syrup-making skills necessary. This coffee recipe is so easy you may never look at another coffee shop mocha the same again. Make sure you have these items on hand:
-Real Good Coffee Espresso Pods (stronger pods are recommended if you don’t like sweet coffee)
-Choice of milk
-Chocolate truffle of your choice (Lindt truffles are a great choice)
Unwrap a chocolate truffle or your favorite piece of chocolate and put it in a small glass that is big enough to fit your piece of chocolate and Real Good Coffee espresso. Brew your espresso pod over the chocolate in your glass until the chocolate is fully melted. While your espresso pod is brewing fill a tall glass with ice and your choice of milk. After the espresso is done brewing gives the coffee and chocolate a stir until the chocolate is fully dissolved in the espresso. Once the two are fully mixed, pour the chocolatey espresso over your milk.
This delicious mocha alternative will give you a great caffeine boost and a sugar rush all in one!
So, maybe lattes aren’t your preference and you are wanting something with a little more of a coffee taste. Well, don’t worry, we have you covered as well! We have just launched our cold brew coffee packs here at Real Good Coffee Co. and you do not want to miss out. Cold brew is the ultimate spring staple and jam-packed with caffeine. So here is a fun way “salt up” your spring cold brew.
Salted Cold Foam Cold Brew
While Starbucks may have made cold foam a big idea, you can make it even better at home. This coffee recipe is the perfect mixture of sweet and salty and will make your mind spin with wonder with how salt and coffee can work together.
For this recipe you will need:
- Real Good Coffee Co. cold brew
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla syrup
- Sea salt
- Milk frother
If you don’t have a milk frother then you may need to add one to your Amazon cart because it will change the way you do coffee after you learn how to make cold foam with it. This is one tool that will take you from your average pot of coffee to gourmet coffee from home. There are two kinds of milk frothers you can buy. One frother is standalone where you pour your ingredients in, press a button, and it froths the milk for you. Another option is a handheld milk frother; these are usually a lot cheaper because you are having to do the frothing yourself but it’s worth it. The following drink guide will be detailed using the handheld milk frother.
First, you are going to get a small glass and pour in about a ¼ cup of heavy cream. Add fresh sea salt to the cup of heavy cream and take your handheld milk frother and begin to slowly froth your heavy cream and salt mixture. The trick is to move your wand up and down in the liquid so that way the cream is evenly distributed. You will continue with this process for about a minute or until you can see the heavy cream begin to thicken. When the desired thickness is reached, go ahead and stop frothing, and place to the side.
In a separate glass, fill the glass with ice, pour in the desired amount of vanilla syrup based on your preference of sweetness, and then pour in Real Good Coffee cold brew three-quarters of the way to the top. Then grab your salted foam from your other glass and pour the salted foam on top of your cold brew. You will have a beautifully layered drink that will put any coffee shop to shame.
If your foam came out more watery than frothy, then it wasn’t frothed for enough time and you know to froth a little longer the next time you try. Even if it didn’t come out to the consistency you may want, it is still delicious.
There are so many different things to try when it comes to your at-home coffee recipes and these are just a few ideas. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get to brewing!
