Nonna approved: Make barista-style coffee at home - no milk required!
- Replies 7
If you love a good cup of coffee but can never seem to make one that tastes as good as the ones from your favourite café, we may have just the solution for you — all thanks to an Italian Nonna who's sharing her family's ‘genius’ recipe for making barista-style coffee at home, no milk required!
Via a TikTok video, Maddie from Sydney (no, not OUR Maddie) recently shared a clip of her Italian grandma Nonna Fina hard at work in the kitchen, making what she calls some ‘next-level coffee’.
Next-level coffee at home?! Well, we have to say, we're pretty intrigued!
Without further ado…
To start, Nonna Fina used a stovetop coffee maker and ground coffee beans. Then she filled it with water and placed the lid and filter on top before adding in the ground beans.
But here's where things get interesting: instead of just throwing them all in there haphazardly, she says it's important to make sure you press the powder down so that it's 'even'. According to Nonna Fina, this is key for making sure your coffee tastes great when it's finished brewing.
Ever notice how baristas also do the same thing by pressing down on coffee grounds (apparently the process is called tamping) just before they plug it into the espresso machine? Call us biased but Nonna Fina does it way better.
Next up, Nonna Fina heated the coffee maker on medium heat until steam started coming out of the pot (which usually takes around 3 minutes).
During this time she also added four heaped tablespoons of sugar into a cup and waited for those first drops of hot brew to start dripping through. She then quickly poured them into the sugar and stirred until combined - creating a creamy and frothy mixture.
Once that mixture was ready, Nonna Fina put the coffee maker back on the stove.
While waiting for the coffee to finish boiling, she scooped a teaspoon of each of the mixtures into two cups.
Last, once the coffee was done, Nonna Fina finally poured it into the two cups and then stirred.
‘Like an espresso bar,’ she said, once her coffee was good to go.
Many were amazed at the simple coffee trick that made the drink frothy without a drop of cream!
‘Grazie Nonna! I never knew this trick.’ one user said.
Another, clearly inspired, said: ‘I learned something new today. I will be trying this!’
Others took their time to ask Nonna Fina through Maddie. From the interactions, it appears Nonna Fina uses Santos brand ground coffee, but she also likes Vittoria and Kimbo brands as well.
Maddie said you can also go sugar-free on Nonna Fina’s recipe, but it would make the recipe less frothy.
That's it! Your very own barista-style brew right in your own kitchen… And all without any milk!
If Nonna Fina sounds familiar to you, you might have seen her here when she gave her verdict on Starbucks coffee or when she shared her ‘mouthwatering’ chicken parmigiana recipe.
But what are other ways to get that fine brew every coffee lover aims for?
For starters, using fresh coffee counts. Coffee naturally loses its flavour over time, so it is best consumed immediately while freshly ground.
And speaking of grinding, the fineness or coarseness of coffee grounds also matters — the average espresso needs a fine grind, while french presses use coarse.
A single cup of coffee is actually 98% water, with the remaining 2% being solids left from brewing. Credit: Pexels/Andrew Neel
Lastly, the coffee-to-water ratio you use also determines the flavour. In general, one gram of coffee is needed for every 15-18 grams of water. Tweaking the amount of water would result in a stronger brew (if you lessen it) and a more refined taste (if you add more).
So, what is your reaction to Nonna Fina’s simple coffee hack? Is it something you’d be trying soon? Or do you have a better way to make coffee à la barista?
Do let us know your reactions — and coffee secrets — in the comments section below!
Source: TikTok/@mynonnafina
Via a TikTok video, Maddie from Sydney (no, not OUR Maddie) recently shared a clip of her Italian grandma Nonna Fina hard at work in the kitchen, making what she calls some ‘next-level coffee’.
Next-level coffee at home?! Well, we have to say, we're pretty intrigued!
Without further ado…
To start, Nonna Fina used a stovetop coffee maker and ground coffee beans. Then she filled it with water and placed the lid and filter on top before adding in the ground beans.
But here's where things get interesting: instead of just throwing them all in there haphazardly, she says it's important to make sure you press the powder down so that it's 'even'. According to Nonna Fina, this is key for making sure your coffee tastes great when it's finished brewing.
Nonna Fina made sure to press down on the coffee grounds for better flavour. Credit: TikTok/@mynonnafina
Ever notice how baristas also do the same thing by pressing down on coffee grounds (apparently the process is called tamping) just before they plug it into the espresso machine? Call us biased but Nonna Fina does it way better.
Next up, Nonna Fina heated the coffee maker on medium heat until steam started coming out of the pot (which usually takes around 3 minutes).
During this time she also added four heaped tablespoons of sugar into a cup and waited for those first drops of hot brew to start dripping through. She then quickly poured them into the sugar and stirred until combined - creating a creamy and frothy mixture.
Once that mixture was ready, Nonna Fina put the coffee maker back on the stove.
While waiting for the coffee to finish boiling, she scooped a teaspoon of each of the mixtures into two cups.
Last, once the coffee was done, Nonna Fina finally poured it into the two cups and then stirred.
‘Like an espresso bar,’ she said, once her coffee was good to go.
Many were amazed at the simple coffee trick that made the drink frothy without a drop of cream!
Nonna Fina’s milkless barista-style coffee. Credit: TikTok/@mynonnafina
‘Grazie Nonna! I never knew this trick.’ one user said.
Another, clearly inspired, said: ‘I learned something new today. I will be trying this!’
Others took their time to ask Nonna Fina through Maddie. From the interactions, it appears Nonna Fina uses Santos brand ground coffee, but she also likes Vittoria and Kimbo brands as well.
Maddie said you can also go sugar-free on Nonna Fina’s recipe, but it would make the recipe less frothy.
That's it! Your very own barista-style brew right in your own kitchen… And all without any milk!
But what are other ways to get that fine brew every coffee lover aims for?
For starters, using fresh coffee counts. Coffee naturally loses its flavour over time, so it is best consumed immediately while freshly ground.
And speaking of grinding, the fineness or coarseness of coffee grounds also matters — the average espresso needs a fine grind, while french presses use coarse.
Nonna Fina’s milkless barista-style coffee. Credit: TikTok/@mynonnafina
A single cup of coffee is actually 98% water, with the remaining 2% being solids left from brewing. Credit: Pexels/Andrew Neel
Lastly, the coffee-to-water ratio you use also determines the flavour. In general, one gram of coffee is needed for every 15-18 grams of water. Tweaking the amount of water would result in a stronger brew (if you lessen it) and a more refined taste (if you add more).
So, what is your reaction to Nonna Fina’s simple coffee hack? Is it something you’d be trying soon? Or do you have a better way to make coffee à la barista?
Do let us know your reactions — and coffee secrets — in the comments section below!
Source: TikTok/@mynonnafina
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