Favourite Coffees & Recipes

Hi, and welcome back or welcome if you're new here!

Four years ago, I believed I was allergic to cow's milk. As a person who loves enjoying the culture of restaurants and cafés with friends and family, this became a problem because most places didn't cater to me. Yes, there are soya options, but this was an 'allergy' and not just a vegan diet. Most businesses don't take 'milk-free' seriously as it gets confused with vegan diets, which are ultimately that person's choice. My daily order would be a hot chocolate, but I couldn't drink this in some places due to the milk in the cocoa powder. I found this out the hard way due to a hospital trip a couple of hours later. So, I had to find new alternatives that I loved.

I had English Breakfast tea for a while, but I wanted some diversity. Enter the world of coffee. At first, I hated the bitter taste and how caffeinated I became. I was simply looking for something sweet. However, I came to love it, and now I'm obsessed. I think I can call myself somewhat a coffee connoisseur now! I've tried so many cafés, coffee beans, and different recipes. I'm here to show you my finds :)

Classic Coffee Recipe

This is the beginner's coffee recipe that I'm pretty sure everybody uses. However simple, I thought I would because you may not know the recipe if you're a beginner.

1. Brew your water in a kettle.

2. Add a tablespoon of coffee beans of your choice. I used the standard Nestle coffee beans.

3. Pour your water.

4. Simply add how much milk you would like to add. You can use any milk you prefer.

5. You can add sugar and/or vanilla extract if you would like. Personally, I don't.

Coffee Recipe with a Twist

1. Pour ¾ of a glass of milk. You can use any milk you prefer.

2. Add a tablespoon of the coffee beans of your choice. Again, I used the standard Nestle coffee beans.

3. Put in the microwave for a minute.

4. Stir your coffee beans until mixed. There may still be coffee beans at the top, but this is okay.

5. You can add sugar and/or vanilla extract if you would like. Personally, I don't.

Dalgona Coffee

TikTok blew up this recipe. I only tried this once and felt that it wasn't worth my time. If you proceed with steps 1-2 in bulk, you may like this recipe. I know that some of my friends did this.

1. Get a bowl.

2. Add a tablespoon of coffee beans of your choice to the bowl.

3. Add a tablespoon of water to the bowl.

4. Add a tablespoon of sugar to the bowl.

5. Add a tablespoon of vanilla extract to the bowl.

6. Mix until it turns light brown and fluffy.

7. Heat ¾ of a glass of milk in a mug.

8. Use a spoon to scoop out the contents in your bowl onto the milk.

During the lockdown, cafes were closed, so my mum invested in a coffee machine. If you're interested, we bought a Magimix Nespresso Essenza machine. With any coffee machine, you can check the compatibility of the coffee bean sashes; with this machine, there are so many flavours you can try. Personally, I love the Middle-eastern and Arabian coffee beans because they have a sweeter flavour. By investing, I've saved so much money, and my coffees actually taste better than commercial cafes like Costa and Starbucks, so it's definitely worth checking out. Those cafes have nothing on me!

I don't particularly love Starbucks and Costa. Still, I feel other cafes put pride in coffee art, such as Pret a Manger, Carluccious, Caffe Concerto. Also, try to go to local small-branded cafes. Whether they're any good is trial and error. They don't rush their coffees and take their time with each customer. They may also incorporate family recipes of coffees, which can be a lot better than commercial coffees. Plus, it's brilliant for trying new places and helping small businesses.

Anyway, that's all my advice for coffee. I hope you've enjoyed reading and maybe you'll want to try something new.

Love always,

Shanaz Xx