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How To Make Cold Brew At Home

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  How To Make Cold Brew At Home Cold brew is one of the easiest and tastiest iced coffee drinks to make at home. It’s perfect for summer, doesn’t require a lot of equipment, and because it’s steeped for 12-24 hours, there isn’t any acidity or bitterness.  What exactly is cold brew? It’s simply ground coffee steeped in cold, filtered water for 12-24 hours. There’s two versions you could make; a cold brew concentrate and cold brew ready to drink. A cold brew concentrate (which is what we made) uses a 1:4 ratio; 1 part coffee to 4 parts water. This one will turn out stronger in flavor so if it’s a little much for you, you could dilute it by adding ice and/or extra water to your cup. If you want a cold brew that’s ready to drink, use a 1:8 ratio. You could still add ice to your glass to keep the coffee chilled. It will dilute a bit with the ice cubes melting, but not by much.  Since this recipe is made using just coffee beans and water, the type of beans you use will of course play a huge
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How To Make A Foamicano (Foamy Americano)

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How To Make A Foamicano      Ever heard of a foamicano? Although it may sound pretty sophisticated, it’s just a fancy word for a foamy americano. So if your go-to drink is an americano, this is a drink you have to try! Although it still consists of water and espresso, there’s a few extra steps involved to get the foamy part, so be sure to read till the end. Also, since this is part of our “at home barista” series we used a Breville Barista Express machine. That being said, most home espresso machines should work for this recipe.      The biggest part of this drink is of course, the beans. Since you don’t typically add any milk or sweetener, you want to make sure you’re using beans that you like and know taste good on their own. A light roast bean will work really well for this drink. Or even an espresso blend (which is what we’re using) since it has great crema which will help us achieve a silky texture.       Let’s move on to making our foamicano. Once you power on your espresso machi
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How To Steam Milk For Lattes And Latte Art

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                                               How To Steam Milk For Lattes And Latte Art If you ever thought that you need a professional or commercial espresso machine to get that silky frothy milk that’s key for making latte art, then I’m glad you’re reading this! It is definitely possible to do latte art using a home espresso machine and we’ll tell (and show) you exactly how to do so. For this we’ll be using a Breville Barista Express which is the most popular home espresso machine currently on the market. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know; from the type of milk we recommend to wand position and temperature.  First, let’s talk about milk. Although you could get silky microfoam with many different types of milk and milk alternatives, we recommend using whole milk, especially if you’re just starting out. Whole milk tends to be forgiving when steaming and since it has a higher fat content, it’s going to give you that nice silky texture with great microfoam (if of
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How To Pull The Perfect Espresso Shot Using A Breville Barista Express Machine

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  How To Pull The Perfect Espresso Shot Using A Breville Barista Express Machine Pulling the perfect espresso could definitely seem intimidating and difficult at first. Especially when you’re dealing with so many variables; the grind size, tamping pressure, beans to espresso ratio, the type of coffee beans you’re using, the age of the beans, etc… So, to help ease you into pulling a balanced and delicious espresso, we’ll be covering some common mistakes that many people make, how to fix it, and some tips that we ourselves use and recommend. Let’s start with the most important variable, the beans. The type of beans you use to pull your shot is going to make a huge difference in the taste and crema of the espresso. There’s so many components to the beans that’ll change your shot. For example, the origin of the beans, the age (when it’s been roasted), the roast (light, medium, dark), and whether you’re using whole beans or coffee that’s already been roasted. If you’re trying to pull a shot
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Best Food and Coffee near Maple Falls, Wa

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If you're spending the day or weekend in a cabin getaway near Maple Falls or Glacier, you'll probably be on the hunt for some good eats and coffee. This is a list of the top places we recommend. -Joe’s Fine Coffee: Warm and welcoming, Joe's Fine Coffee is right off Mt. Baker highway making it a convenient stop. It's a great place to grab a delicious cup of coffee along with a pasty, sandwich, or panini. Choose from a variety of house-made breakfast burritos, sandwiches, and rotating pastries. Also, this is the last stop off Mt. Baker highway that offers free high speed internet. So if you're looking to get some work done or need to find directions to your destination, stop on by to use the wifi and grab a scrumptious treat and coffee while you're at it! -Chair 9 pizza: Located in Glacier, Chair 9 is a great place for pizza, burgers, and cold beer. Be sure to check their business hours before arriving. -North Fork Brewery: If you love beer with your pizza, thi
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Recreational Activities Near Mt. Baker

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Mt. Baker has so much more to offer than just hiking and skiing/snowboarding. -Waterfalls worth visiting:  Nooksack Falls is a beautiful 88 foot waterfall that’s worth the stop! Not far off Mt. Baker highway, you’re able to park close to the fall and walk to a few different viewpoints. The best time to visit is after heavy rainfall (Fall, Winter, and Spring), or when the snow is melting (Spring and early Summer).  -Fishing: Silverlake is a great place to fish for cutthroat and rainbow trout. There’s shoreline access as well as a boat launch. Check out the link below for more information. https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/locations/lowland-lakes/silver-lake-whatcom#prospects Twin lakes is another great alpine fishing spot. Check out the description "Hikes with Lakes" post for more information.  -Scenic drive: Take the Mt. Baker Scenic highway up to artist point for some great views! No hiking required and you get to drive on beautiful curvy roads. Keep in mind that artist point is
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Top Hikes At Mt. Baker With Lakes

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This includes just a few of the best hikes off Mt. Baker hwy that have a lake(s). -Chain lakes: Distance: about 6.5 miles roundtrip. Elevation gain: 1820 feet (depending which route you take). Road is accessible to all cars (paved road and parking). The only loop hike around (most hikes are in and out), this trail is unique because you have amazing views that don’t repeat themselves during the loop. You also come by multiple lakes so take a dip if you’re hiking during the summer. You can start either at Artist point or at Bagley lakes trailhead. Check out the link below for a detailed description.  Best time to hike: Mid July to September-ish. Always depends on the snow level but August is always a safe bet to hike. Plus the blueberries come out mid August so be sure to try some out! But be aware! This hike is extremely popular so I’d suggest going early morning during the week or later in the afternoon.  https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/chain-lakes-3   -Lake Ann: Distance: 8.2 mi
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