Make a Fall Café at Home

Recipes for apple pie chai, black sesame maple lattes, blueberry muffin matcha, and maple sea salt hojicha

Connor and I have this hobby as a couple. I guess you could call it a hobby? A habit? I’ll call it a hobby. Since our very beginnings of dating, we have loved discovering coffee shops together.

Connor worked at a roastery for a little, where he learned to love the craft of coffee, and I used to own a tea bar where I meticulously made recipes and blends. Usually, he orders a coffee, I order a tea, and then all seems right in the world. We seek out unique cafe experiences everywhere we travel. It’s just a joyful thing to see how a menu is creatively put together, what seasonal drinks they make, and how they design the environment for guests.

We made the decision a few years ago to make our hobby happen at home. We skipped out on Christmas gifts for each other and got an espresso machine for the house instead. But not any espresso machine, a really nice investment-kind-of-espresso-machine (this is the one, if you are in the market, it has been worth every single penny) with the intention to invest up front and ultimately save money by not going out for $7 lattes every other day.

The investment in the equipment proved to be exactly what we hoped, and it’s also, unexpectedly, become a new creative outlet.

At the start of each season, I scheme my own menu design for us, just like a cool coffee shop we’d stumble on to during a trip. It’s been SO FUN and brought me so much joy in the kitchen.

I am sharing my seasonal late autumn/early winter menu for my apartment. I’d love to hear what you try out and enjoy.

I’ve made recipes for: apple pie chai (and matcha), black sesame maple lattes, blueberry muffin matcha, and maple sea salt hojicha.

If you need some extra inspiration to get in the kitchen and make it creative, read more here:

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If it’s helpful, here are a few tools I personally use and recommend for building out your own home café:

• This is the espresso machine of all machines. It has a touch screen, which makes it incredibly simple to use for anyone.

• A loose-leaf tea steeper

• A matcha bowl (with a spout) and matcha whisk

• If you don’t have an espresso machine, a good frother can be a huge asset!

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Apple Pie Chai

A warm and nostalgic take on apple pie, but in a spiced cup of a chai latte. I declare this the ultimate fall beverage. You will never know how you got on without it.

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 apple, thinly sliced

• ½ cup cane sugar

• ½ cup water

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ tsp cinnamon

Instructions