If you love coffee, then you know that there’s a lot more to the coffee world than just your basic black cup or a simple latte. Specialty coffee drinks are where you can really explore new flavors, experience different brewing methods, and enjoy the creativity behind each sip. This guide is here to introduce you to the art of specialty coffee drinks, covering everything from classics to unique blends, and giving you some tips on how to make these delicious drinks right at home. You might also find some great products along the way that can take your coffee experience to the next level.
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1. The Magic of Cold Brew Coffee
Cold brew coffee is not just an iced coffee. It’s a smooth, rich, low-acid experience that comes from steeping coffee grounds in cold water for 12 to 24 hours. The result? A naturally sweet, highly caffeinated coffee that’s perfect for warm days.
To make your own cold brew at home, you can use a mason jar or an actual cold brew maker. The Takeya Patented Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker is a popular choice on Amazon, with many users praising its ease of use and durability. Simply mix your coarsely ground coffee with cold water, leave it in the fridge overnight, and strain it in the morning. You can enjoy cold brew straight or dilute it with milk or water to taste.
2. Nitro Coffee for a Smooth, Creamy Texture
If you’ve ever walked into a trendy coffee shop and wondered why someone was drinking coffee from what looked like a beer tap, you’ve likely come across nitro coffee. Nitro coffee is cold brew infused with nitrogen gas, which gives it a creamy, foamy texture similar to a Guinness beer. This process adds a sweet flavor and a silky finish to your cold brew.
While nitro coffee is most common in cafes, you can also make it at home. The GrowlerWerks uKeg Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Maker is a well-loved option that allows you to achieve the café nitro experience in your own kitchen. It comes highly rated on Amazon, and many reviewers love how easy it makes the process of creating nitro coffee.
3. The Complexity of Pour-Over Coffee
Pour-over coffee is a specialty brewing method that gives you control over every aspect of the coffee-making process, from water temperature to brew time. The manual technique means you can adjust the extraction to match your flavor preferences, leading to a perfectly balanced cup.
A great way to make pour-over coffee is with the Hario V60 Pour-Over Kit, which comes with a glass dripper, server, and a set of paper filters. It’s a highly rated and affordable option for beginners. You’ll need a gooseneck kettle for precision, and the Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Kettle is a favorite among coffee enthusiasts for its perfect pour and temperature control.
4. Espresso: The Base of Many Classics
Espresso is the foundation for many specialty drinks, from lattes to cappuccinos. It’s concentrated and full of flavor, making it the building block of Italian-style coffee. Espresso requires pressure, which is why an espresso machine is often used to extract this rich brew.
If you’re looking to recreate espresso-based drinks at home, the Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine is an excellent choice. With its high ratings on Amazon, it’s praised for its ability to produce high-quality espresso without a steep learning curve. The Bambino Plus also steams milk for you, which means you can easily make lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites right at home.
5. Cappuccino vs. Latte: The Foam Game
The cappuccino and the latte both start with espresso but differ in milk and foam. A cappuccino has equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and foam, giving it a more intense flavor with a light texture. On the other hand, a latte uses more steamed milk with only a small amount of foam on top, resulting in a creamier drink.
A great accessory for either of these drinks is a milk frother. The Zulay Original Milk Frother is a highly popular handheld tool that will let you create that luxurious foam at home without any fuss. It’s perfect for making lattes, cappuccinos, and even frothy cold milk drinks.
6. The Sweet Indulgence of a Mocha
If you have a sweet tooth, mocha is likely to be one of your favorite specialty coffee drinks. A mocha combines espresso with hot chocolate, resulting in a drink that’s both comforting and energizing. To make it, you need espresso, chocolate syrup, and steamed milk.
For convenience, you can use Torani Chocolate Milano Syrup to get the perfect mocha flavor every time. Torani syrups are well known for their quality and ease of use, and they come in a range of flavors if you ever want to experiment with variations like white chocolate or salted caramel mocha.
7. Flat White: The Creamy Australian Delight
The flat white is a specialty coffee drink that originated in Australia and New Zealand. It is similar to a latte but with a higher ratio of coffee to milk and microfoam instead of thick foam. This creates a drink with a creamier consistency and a more pronounced coffee flavor compared to a latte.
For making the best flat white, the milk needs to be just right—smooth and creamy without large bubbles. If you’re serious about getting this texture, investing in an automatic frother, like the Nespresso Aeroccino Milk Frother, can be very helpful. It’s highly rated on Amazon, with many customers praising its ability to consistently produce perfectly frothed milk.
8. Affogato: Coffee Meets Dessert
If you like combining your love of coffee with dessert, you’ll want to try an affogato. This Italian specialty is the simplest yet most delightful combination—a shot of espresso poured over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The hot and cold contrast, along with the bitter and sweet mix, creates an incredible treat.
You can easily make an affogato at home if you have a way to brew espresso and a good scoop of ice cream. If you use the Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine, mentioned earlier, you’ll be all set to make this delicious dessert.
9. Macchiato: A Simple Espresso Accent
Macchiato, which means “stained” in Italian, is an espresso drink that is “stained” with a bit of steamed milk. Unlike a cappuccino or latte, the macchiato keeps the spotlight on the espresso itself, with just a touch of sweetness added by the milk. It’s perfect for those moments when you need a quick but slightly softer caffeine hit.
10. Cortado: Equal Parts of Everything
The cortado is a specialty drink that balances equal parts of espresso and steamed milk. The milk softens the acidity and bitterness of the espresso without overpowering it, making it an ideal choice if you want something less intense than straight espresso but stronger than a latte. The Delonghi Dedica Espresso Machine is another great option for making drinks like cortados. It’s affordable, reliable, and lets you pull great shots.
11. Dalgona Coffee: Whipped to Perfection
The dalgona coffee trend swept the internet for good reason. This whipped coffee drink is made by mixing instant coffee, sugar, and water until it turns into a creamy froth, then adding it over a cup of milk. It’s simple yet incredibly indulgent, and you don’t even need a fancy coffee machine for this one.
If you don’t like whisking by hand, you can use the Zulay Original Milk Frother to speed up the whipping process. It’s easy and creates that fluffy consistency you’re looking for.
12. Turkish Coffee: An Ancient Tradition
Turkish coffee is rich, thick, and full-bodied, brewed with finely ground coffee, sugar, and water all mixed together and simmered in a special pot called a cezve. The result is a coffee experience unlike any other, with a strong aroma and a layer of coffee grounds that settle at the bottom of the cup.
To make Turkish coffee at home, you’ll need a DEDE Copper Cezve Turkish Coffee Pot, which comes highly recommended on Amazon. Pair it with a manual coffee grinder capable of a very fine grind, like the JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder, to get the authentic texture.
13. Irish Coffee: The Perfect Nightcap
If you enjoy a little something extra in your coffee, Irish coffee is for you. This cocktail combines hot coffee with Irish whiskey, sugar, and whipped cream, resulting in a warm, slightly boozy treat that’s perfect as a nightcap.
All you need is your favorite whiskey, brewed coffee, and a way to whip the cream. The Bellemain Stainless Steel Hand Pump Milk Frother is a good choice if you want to whip cream easily without a large mixer.
14. Vietnamese Egg Coffee
If you’re feeling adventurous, give Vietnamese egg coffee (cà phê trứng) a try. This specialty drink is a sweet combination of strong Vietnamese coffee and a creamy, frothy egg yolk mixture. It tastes almost like a dessert, with the egg foam adding a rich, custard-like quality.
To get authentic results, you can use Nguyen Coffee Supply Vietnamese Coffee, which is available on Amazon and is widely praised for its robust, rich flavor. You can also use a Phin filter to brew traditional Vietnamese coffee, and these are quite affordable and easy to use.
15. Café de Olla: A Spiced Mexican Coffee
Café de Olla is a traditional Mexican coffee drink made by brewing coffee with cinnamon, piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar), and sometimes other spices like cloves. It’s aromatic, sweet, and perfect for cold mornings.
To recreate this at home, you can use a traditional clay pot, which helps create an authentic flavor. The Hakan Handmade Clay Pot is a great choice for making Café de Olla. Simply bring water, cinnamon, and piloncillo to a boil, add your coffee grounds, and let it steep for a few minutes. Strain and enjoy the warm spices in each sip.
Conclusion: Specialty Coffee at Your Fingertips
Specialty coffee drinks offer a rich variety of flavors and experiences, and the best part is that you can make many of them right at home with a few simple tools and quality ingredients. From the velvety smoothness of nitro cold brew to the indulgent sweetness of an affogato, there’s always a new drink to explore.
Whether you want to start your morning with a perfectly balanced pour-over or end your day with a warm Irish coffee, the products mentioned above can help make your journey into specialty coffee both easy and enjoyable. Don’t be afraid to experiment—the world of coffee is vast, and every brewing method brings out a different aspect of the beans.
So why not explore, create, and find your next favorite specialty coffee drink?