In my last post, “Our Love of Espresso,” we covered a general history of this hot little drink and its appeal to so many people today. But I felt that the topic begged for more discussion, specifically because there are so many great places in Milwaukee where folks can taste and learn about the beverage.
Fuel Café has been serving up java for a long time, and over the years, they’ve gotten creative with their espresso drinks as the beverage’s popularity grows. Their lead barista states: "I believe that espresso drinks like lattes and cappuccinos are so popular simply because they taste good. You get the effects of a cup of coffee, but without the bitter, acidic flavors that are familiar to a roasted coffee bean. Our most popular espresso drinks here at Fuel are named after famous candy bars. The Peanut Butter Cup, a latte flavored with peanut butter Monin syrup and chocolate; and the Milky Way, a caramel flavored mocha, are two of our best sellers. Plainly put, espresso drinks are like comfort food—they just seem to make people happy!"
Brew Bayou Coffee Shop, in Marquette University’s student union, offers up espresso drinks like Mystic Mint or the Turtle Latte. Honey is featured ingredient in lattes on the menus at Anodyne Coffee, Stone Creek Coffee, Colectivo Coffee and Avenue Coffee House. Like Fuel Café, Hi-Fi Café also has a peanut butter latte; their Butter Cup is made with espresso, steamed milk, chocolate syrup and peanut butter.
If you’re not into sweet espresso drinks, Sven’s European Café offers sugar-free lattes, and if you want an eye-opening, full-on espresso experience, Comet Café’s Switchblade has four shots of espresso, topped with coffee and a little chocolate syrup. Coffee shops such as Hawthorne Coffee Roasters don’t even stock flavored syrups and instead offer lattes and cappuccinos in their true form.
If you want to try making these fun espresso drinks at home, there are plenty of instructional videos online, but better yet, you can enjoy the aromas and the experience of making espresso first-hand through classes.
At Stone Creek Coffee’s Espresso 101 class, held at its factory store location at 422 N. 5th St., you can be a barista for a day and learn how to pull espresso shots and create perfectly steamed milk. Community centers and recreation departments also offer the occasional coffee class; check local websites and guides for more information. Most baristas, when they’re not too busy, like to talk about their craft and are happy to explain their espresso drinks and options for different flavors.
