The Frothing Tip That Ensures A Sweeter Espresso Drink

Your Nespresso might not always froth as it should, but you can use your handheld frother to get it just right — and sweeten your drink in the process. Just like how baristas pour and mix syrups into espresso shots before they add them to the rest of a drink's ingredients, you can do the same. Simply draw the espresso over a bit of your sweetener or syrup, or add it after, and take your handheld frother to it. Not only will you get a nice foam on the top, but your sweetener will distribute evenly into the rest of your drink.

While they might not use a handheld frother, trained baristas usually add their sweeteners and flavored syrups — be it chocolate, vanilla, or a sugar alternative like agave — to the espresso shot and stir before pouring into milk. This is because espresso shots pour hot, making it easy for the sweetener to seamlessly melt and disperse into the liquid. This is especially important if you're preparing an iced coffee beverage, as the cold temperature causes the sugars and sweeteners to condense, and in turn makes it more difficult to dilute into the drink.

If you don't mix your sweeteners and flavors with your espresso first, you'll likely notice clumps of sugar or chocolate coming up the straw of your iced coffee. While it may not be as noticeable in hot drinks, the step is a necessary one to ensure your flavors come through evenly in each and every sip.

At home, you're the barista, which means you get to call (and pull) the shots. Even so, there are some notes you can take from the professionals to improve the quality of the drinks you make for yourself at home. Common mistakes to avoid when making espresso range from how you store and grind your beans to the cleaning and regular maintenance of your machine and tools. More technical tips include taking the time to tamp your espresso evenly, and experimenting with short and long espresso pulls to get your desired flavor.

Along with mixing your sweeteners and flavors into your espresso shot, professional baristas have other tips and tricks to enhance the quality and flavor of your at-home coffee drinks. As it pertains to hot drinks, a lot of those come down to how you froth your milk. In fact, a former barista shared 12 of them. Iced coffee drink tips, on the other hand, are more about reducing the dilution that happens when you pour espresso over or into ice. To do so, baristas usually make sure to pour the milk into the ice first and add the espresso (sweetened or not) as the very last step.

Nespresso machines come with their own list of tips. A big one is to adjust the brew volume. It will work with any Nespresso machine you have, and once you do it, the tip ensures you a personalized brew every time.