Top tips for making a hazelnut latte at home

Coffee beans

• Use the best quality and freshest coffee beans you can get.
• I recommend using espresso beans. They are usually dark roast to give a deeper intense taste that will still come through to the flavors of the milk, sugar, hazelnut syrup.
• If you can, always grind the coffee beans just before you use them. You will notice a big difference between fresh ground and coffee that you ground a week ago.

Brewing

If you have an espresso machine:

• Brew a double shot of espresso, and set aside while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
• Add the sugar and syrup to the milk and stir in.
• Pour the milk into a frothing jug, and use the steam wand on the espresso machine to heat and froth the milk. Once it has reached a creamy and rich texture, allow more froth to develop.
• Alternatively add extra sugar and hazelnut extract. Try increasing the sugar to 3 tsp’s to start because, although it is sweet, extract is less sweet than syrup
• Pour the espresso into a latte glass or mug. Then gently pour the milk over, Make sure you hold back the froth to gently layer on top.

Without an espresso machine:

• Use your preferred coffee maker to brew a strong short coffee.
• While the coffee is brewing, heat the milk in a microwave or saucepan over medium heat until it reaches 140 °F (60 °C). Do not let it boil.
• Pour the milk into a milk frother or bowl and add the hazelnut extract, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and stir well to combine with the milk.
• lend until it reaches a smooth creamy texture. If you prefer a frothy latte, use an immersion blender or whisk vigorously by hand.

• If you have a steam wand (on the side of most espresso machines), use that to steam the milk creating a creamy texture and foam.
• If you don’t have a steam wand, heat the milk and then use a blender or hand whisk to make it creamier and frothy.
• Add some sugar. The amount depends on your taste. But remember: if you are using hazelnut syrup, it is very sweet.
• Add hazelnut syrup to taste. Hazelnut syrups are widely available in supermarkets and online.
• Alternatively, you can use hazelnut extract. Like vanilla extract, it is very concentrated and you should only use a small amount. If using extract, it is not as sweet as syrup, so you will have to adjust the amount of sugar.
• Stir the sugar and hazelnut flavoring into the heated and frothed milk.

Finishing your hazelnut latte

• Pour the coffee into a latte glass or mug,
• Gently pour over the milk, keeping back the foam to layer on top.
• Add a drizzle of hazelnut syrup.
• You can even sprinkle with some crushed hazelnuts or chocolate shavings if you like.
• Enjoy!