Coffee lovers — owning an espresso machine at home is like having a ticket to the glorious world of easy-to-make, homemade espresso-based drinks. But first, make sure you’ve mastered how to make the perfect shot of espresso.
From a classic latte to a fancy Dirty Chai Latte, here’s a list of our favourite coffee beverages made using espresso shots. Whichever drink you recreate, remember that it’s important to follow the exact order in which the ingredients are added into your cup.
Latte
Ingredients
- 2 shots of espresso (use 15g of coffee beans)
- 120ml fresh whole milk, or use oat milk for a plant-based option
Method
- Make 2 shots of espresso and pour it into your mug.
- Using a pump espresso coffee machine, steam your milk by pouring the milk into a pitcher and positioning the tip of the steaming wand towards the side of the container. This will create a vortex in the milk. Move the container higher, lower, closer then further so that the steam wand can incorporate air into the milk and make it foam. The bubbles should get smaller and smaller as you do this. Stop once the milk has reached 65 degrees Celsius and has doubled in size.
- (If not using a machine) Heat up the milk until 65 degrees Celsius. Use a milk frother, French press or a whisk to froth milk into small, even bubbles.
- Use a spoon to keep the tiny bubbles on top of the steamed milk, and pour the bottom ⅔ of the steamed milk into your mug. Pour the remaining bubbles onto the drink.
Iced Latte
Ingredients
- 2 shots of espresso (use 15g of coffee beans), can be brewed hot or cold
- 240ml milk
- 60ml liquid sweetener, such as coffee syrup, honey, maple syrup, or caramel sauce
- Ice
Method
- Make 2 shots of espresso and pour it into a 475ml glass filled with ice.
- Add the liquid sweetener to the glass.
- Pour milk into the glass, and stir until evenly combined.
Cappuccino
Ingredients
- 2 shots of espresso (use 15g coffee beans)
- 120ml fresh whole milk, or use oat milk for a plant-based option
Method
- Make 2 shots of espresso and pour it into a mug.
- Using a pump espresso coffee machine, steam your milk by pouring the milk into a pitcher and positioning the tip of the steaming wand towards the side of the container. This will create a vortex in the milk. Move the container higher, lower, closer then further so that the steam wand can incorporate air into the milk and make it foam. The bubbles should get smaller and smaller as you do this. Stop once the milk has reached 65 degrees Celsius and has doubled in size.
- (If not using a machine) Heat up the milk until 65 degrees Celsius. Use a milk frother, French press or a whisk to froth milk into small, even bubbles.
- For a cappuccino, you’ll be aiming for ⅓ espresso, ⅓ steamed milk and ⅓ foam. This means you’ll need to aim to create a good amount of milk froth.
- Swirl the milk container a few times. Pour milk and foam into the centre of the espresso.
Americano
Ingredients
- 2 shots of espresso (use 15g of coffee beans)
- 120ml hot water
Method
- Make 2 shots of espresso.
- Add the hot water to the espresso.
Long Black
Ingredients
- 1 shot of espresso (use 7g of coffee beans)
- 180ml hot water
Method
- Make 1 shot of espresso.
- Add the espresso to the hot water.
Note: By reversing the order of the Americano (plus using slightly different portions of espresso vs water), you’ll be preserving crema, which is the flavourful red-brown froth that sits on top of a shot of espresso.
Mocha
Ingredients
- 2 shots of espresso (use 15g of coffee beans)
- 10g chocolate chips
- 125ml fresh whole milk
- 10g maple syrup
Method
- Make 2 shots of espresso.
- Place the chocolate chips into your mug, then pour the espresso over them.
- Using a pump espresso coffee machine, combine the milk and maple syrup in a pitcher. Steam the mixture by positioning the tip of the steaming wand just below the surface of the milk until it doubles in size.
- (If not using a machine) To a small saucepan, add the milk and maple syrup. Heat the milk to 65 degrees Celsius, which will give you good foam to work with. Use a milk frother, French press or a whisk to froth milk into small, even bubbles.
- For mocha, you’ll need a lot of froth.
- Pour the milk and foam into the centre of the chocolate-espresso.
- (Optional) Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of your drink.
Macchiato
Ingredients
- 1 shot of espresso (use 7g of coffee beans)
- 30ml fresh whole milk
Method
- Make 1 shot of espresso.
- Using a pump espresso coffee machine, steam your milk by pouring the milk into a pitcher and positioning the tip of the steaming wand towards the side of the container. This will create a vortex in the milk. Move the container higher, lower, closer then further so that the steam wand can incorporate air into the milk and make it foam. The bubbles should get smaller and smaller as you do this. For a foamier, classic macchiato, stop when the milk reaches about 37 degrees Celsius. Otherwise, stop when the milk reaches 65 degrees Celsius.
- (If not using a machine) Heat up the milk until 65 degrees Celsius. Use a milk frother, French press or a whisk to froth milk into small, even bubbles.
- Pour the espresso into the frothy milk, creating a “mark” on the foam. Macchiato means “marked” in Italian.
Iced Caramel Macchiato
Ingredients
- 30ml vanilla syrup
- 180ml fresh whole milk
- 1 shot of espresso (use 7g of coffee beans)
- Ice
- (Optional) Caramel sauce to drizzle
Method
- Make 1 shot of espresso.
- In your cup, add vanilla syrup, then milk, then ice.
- Lastly, add the espresso.
- (Optional) Drizzle with caramel sauce.
Honey Cinnamon Latte
Ingredients
- 2 shots of espresso (use 15g of coffee beans)
- 250ml fresh whole milk
- ½ tbsp honey
- A dash of cinnamon
Method
- Make 2 shots of espresso.
- Warm up your milk in the microwave or on the stove top.
- To a blender, add the milk, espresso, honey and cinnamon.
- Pulse for about 15 seconds until frothy.
- Pour the drink into your cup. Use a spoon to transfer the foam from the blender onto your latte.
- (Optional) Sprinkle cinnamon and a drizzle of honey on top of your drink.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Ingredients
- 1 shot of espresso (use 7g of coffee beans)
- 18g of sugar
- 30g pumpkin puree
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
- 180ml milk
- 60ml water
*Pumpkin pie spice can either be store-bought or mixed on your own. To make your own, add:
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- A pinch of ground nutmeg
- A pinch of ground ginger
- A smaller pinch of ground cloves
Method
- Make 1 shot of espresso.
- Add all the ingredients, including the espresso, into a small saucepan. Stir the mixture while bringing to a simmer.
- Remove the saucepan from your stove and pour the drink into your mug.
- (Optional) Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon on top of your drink.
Dirty Chai Latte
Ingredients
- 1 shot of espresso (use 7g of coffee beans)
- 1 black tea bag
- 1 tsp chai tea spices*
- 250ml water
- 125ml fresh whole milk
- 15ml maple syrup
*Chai tea spices can either be store-bought or mixed on your own. To make your own, add:
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cloves
Method
- Make 1 shot of espresso, and pour it into your mug.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the chai spices, water, and black tea bag. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove it from the heat and allow it to rest for one minute.
- Strain the tea through a fine mesh strainer directly into the mug.
- Rinse the saucepan. Add the milk and maple syrup. Heat the milk to 65 degrees Celsius, which will give you good foam to work with. Use a milk frother, French press or a whisk to froth milk into small, even bubbles.
- Pour the milk and foam into the mug.
- (Optional) Sprinkle some of the chai spices on top of your drink.
Your Grand Companion
With a fully automatic or pump espresso coffee machine from De’Longhi, coffee recipes are endless. Anytime you or your loved one wants a comforting cup of coffee, choose from the above espresso recipes to reward yourselves with a heavenly brew.
Designed in Italy, there’s a good reason why the De’Longhi La Specialista is a coffee connoisseur’s dream – it’s a perfect combination of technology and craft. With its inbuilt advanced barista technology, it’s so easy to use the machine without having to learn about coffee technicalities that people might mistake you as a barista.
