One of my favorite coffee drinks are lattes, which consist of several shots of espresso and milk. While it's out of my budget to purchase an maintain an espresso machine, I discovered that moka pots are a close alternative! Unlike traditional drip coffee machines, moka pots use pressure to brew the coffee, resulting in an espresso-like strong and velvety flavor. Here's a link to the moka pot I use, the Bialetti 3 cup Moka Pot.
After trying more authentic matcha in Japanese cafés, matcha lattes from general coffee shops have never tasted the same. So, I took it upon myself to learn how to make matcha authentically. In order to make better-tasting matcha at home, I had to learn how to prepare it correctly. I was able to find this matcha making kit on Amazon!
The matcha set contains:
Despite loving coffee, I don't find myself fond of the stronger and more bitter taste profiles of coffee. I much prefer a lighter roast with sweeter notes. My go-to ground coffee is the Starbucks Veranda Blend. With notes of toasted malt and milk chocolate, this coffee gives me the boost I need without being as strong!
A good matcha-based drink started with good-quality matcha. A lot of the matcha sold in American grocery stores comes pre-sweetened and is only culinary-grade matcha. So, I ventured 50-something miles to Teso Life in Duluth. There were many varieties of matcha, but I eventually settled on a can of Yamashiro Uji matcha.