It’s hard to believe it’s that time of year again. The snow is falling, lights are bedazzled around the tree, and there are sweet and savory aromas coming from the kitchen in preparation for feasting. The holiday season would be incomplete without all of its different traditions around the world, including food and beverages. 

This is just one of many drinks you can make at home, and a traditional recipe to get you in the mood for the holidays. We’re going to guide you in turning your kitchen into a coffee shop with the Leverpresso, just in time for your festivities. 

You can find written instructions below, or a step-by-step visual tutorial here.

Recipe

• 2 shots of espresso or ½ cup brewed coffee
• ½ cup steamed milk 
• 3 tbsp chocolate syrup or cocoa powder
• ½ tsp mint syrup
• Whipped cream (optional)

Instructions

1) Mix cocoa powder and mint syrup together in a coffee cup. 

2) If not already ground, prepare fresh coffee beans with a grinder. 

3) Once you have your ground coffee beans, you must tamp the coffee with a tamper (this essentially levels the coffee grounds for extraction). A dosing ring is recommended to make the process easier. 

4) Shake and smooth out the grounds as necessary until they are ready for extraction, pressing them tightly with the dosing ring. 

*You can also use the middle of your palm to flatten the ground beans. Flattening the grounds is important so that you don’t experience channeling (water not draining properly) when your espresso is being extracted. 

5) For extraction of the espresso shot, apply the Leverpresso head/levers on top of the stand with your tucked grounds. 

Pour hot water in the Leverpresso with the levers down. Once you raise them up, you must fill more water to the top. 

Pull down the levers and watch your shot pour! The ideal duration for pulling shots is around 30 seconds, so you're going to want to consistently press down for that amount of time. 

*You don’t have to push down the levers too hard or all at once. It is best to push down gently, bending over naturally with your shoulders, so that you don’t injure yourself. Pushing down with the levers should enable you to create standard 9 bar pressure (nine times the weight of the pressure at sea level), for ideal extraction. 

6) Steam milk with a milk steamer, or you can also heat a cup of milk over the stove until it simmers to add to your drink. Heating it up in the microwave is also a convenient option, but it won't taste the same as heating it up with a steamer or range. 

7) Mix all the ingredients (cocoa powder, espresso, syrup, steamed milk) together in a coffee mug. 

8) If you’re craving something extra sweet, apply additional toppings or whipped cream as needed.

Happy holidays! 

From,

The Hugh Inc. Team