Home Is Where the Caramel Macchiato Is
Make a tasty treat for yourself!
You wake up one winter morning and discover a layer of fresh snow on the ground. You groan – no one wants to drive in that mess just for a hot cup of coffee. But it isn’t just the thought of coffee that gets you out of bed. You want the joy of waking up to be delivered by a sweet, steamy caramel macchiato…but not from Starbucks. Going to the local Starbucks would mean driving through all kinds of traffic and weather, not to mention the $3.00 you’re shelling out for one of them (and that really adds up in a week). It would be much better to make yourself your favorite Starbucks beverage from home. And now that someone has finally gifted you that espresso machine you’ve been wanting, the power for macchiato-filled mornings rests in your capable hands.
Hot
The basic ingredients for your drink are all easy to find and great to store for future drinks: milk, vanilla flavoring or extract, caramel and, of course, espresso beans. You can buy pre-ground beans if you don’t have a coffee grinder, but Randy Kiersknowski, a former barista and manger at Café Flora in New Jersey, says that he prefers whole beans instead. “I buy [whole] beans because the pre-ground espresso will only last so long.” You can invest in a grinder for a price of about $25. Another tip from Randy: “Make sure that the grinder has a setting that will grind the beans up super fine.”
So you bought the whole beans and the grinder. Grind the beans as fine as you can. One tablespoon of beans should do the trick. This equals about a shot of espresso, so if you need an extra kick of caffeine in the morning, you might want to make more. Then you’ll put the ground beans into the portafilter from the espresso machine. Use the tamp on the machine to compact the beans. When you’ve done this properly – of course you will, you’re an expert! – the ground beans should be level and you’ll see a sheen on top of them.
Hotter
Put those delicious smelling beans aside. It’s time to heat the milk. Put about 4 oz. of milk (any kind will do) in the cup and start up the steam wand attached to your espresso machine. You should heat the milk until the thermometer says it is 150 degrees. Don’t worry that your milk has almost doubled in volume – that’s what’s supposed to happen. Also be careful not to heat the milk up too much. “160 degrees is an ideal temperature for the milk in this drink, but the thermometer can’t catch up fast enough, so don’t let it reach that high,” says Randy. “When the meter reads 150, the milk is actually about 160, which is perfect.”
Hottest
Grab your cup. You’re going to layer your ingredients in the same way that Starbucks does, so that your drink will taste like you just left the store. “Layering is part of what separates the caramel macchiato from other types of drinks,” says Jackie Clark, a barista at Starbucks for over two years. “Having the espresso on top really gives customers that kick that they need and look forward to.”
First add the vanilla to the bottom of your cup. There’s no measurement here; just sweeten to taste. A tablespoon is a good starting point. The steamed milk comes next. You’ll notice that there is a layer of foam on top. Jackie advises: “To keep the foam on top when pouring it into the cup that has the vanilla in it, just cover as much of the foam as you can with a spoon as you poor the milk. Then you can let the foam rest on top of it all.”
Now for the most important part, the espresso. All you need to do is press the “go” button on the espresso machine while the portafilter full of ground beans is attached to the tamp. Your liquid espresso will filter out much like coffee does, except it will be slightly thicker than coffee.
Pour your shot of espresso on top of the milk and give it all a good drizzle of caramel. Your caramel macchiato is ready to be enjoyed! It may seem like a lot of steps, but with practice, the whole process can take as little as two minutes, as it does for Randy. And who wouldn’t want to practice when the outcome is a delightful caramel macchiato?