Advice from an Ex-Barista: Make Espresso and Lattes at Home

Make Espresso At Home and Unlock a World of Great Coffee Drinks

By: Traci Wight 10/30/2025

A note from the author:

Making lattes and coffee drinks at home is my specialty! Hi, I'm an ex-barista, and I'm going to give you my hot take on how to make your own coffee drinks (cold brew, lattes, frappes, etc.), where to get the espresso to do so, and what other ingredients you should have in your house so that you can skip the Starbucks line and enjoy all of the benefits of delicious coffee without the high price tag or the hassle!

At Home Barista: My Journey to Making My Own Espresso, Lattes, Cold Brew & More

When I was 14 years old, I got my first job working as a barista at a small local coffee kiosk. It was an awesome job, my friends thought I was cool, and I quickly learned how to craft all sorts of coffee drinks! Over the years and into adulthood, I ended up working at multiple coffee kiosks and for various coffee companies whenever I needed a side job, including Scooters, City Brew, Dazbog, and, of course, Starbucks. 

This gave me lots of insight into making coffee myself! Maybe a little too much insight, because after working in “the industry”, I was unable to let anyone else make my lattes. I developed some pretty niche customization preferences, and trying to explain them at the drive-through was frustrating! 

To this day, while I will enjoy a coffee made by someone else from time to time, for the most part, I find it easier to craft my own coffee drinks at home. Not to mention, I get to save money, and I don't have to worry about tipping anyone! 

So now, I am going to give you all of my tips and tricks so that you can order your own espresso and make custom lattes, cold brews, macchiatos, and anything else from the comfort of home! 

At Home Coffee Drinks 101: A Quick Espresso Crash Course

Here's the truth. When it comes to crafting coffee drinks, most beverages are either hot or cold variations of the following ingredients: espresso shots, flavoring syrup, and milk. Even the most expensive coffee beverages purchased at your nearest kiosk are made with simple ingredients that are made into drinks, which are very easy to replicate yourself, as long as you know how to pull the espresso shots. And pulling shots of espresso is not difficult. 

A breve? That's half and half, espresso, and usually some sort of flavoring syrup. It might be topped with whipped cream as well. What about a latte? It’s milk, espresso, and a sweet syrup. Well, what about a macchiato? That's a latte with caramel syrup dumped all over the inside of the cup. The simple truth is, essentially all of these coffee drinks are pretty much variations of the same thing. 

I'd say the only exceptions are chai tea lattes and white chocolate drinks, which use some sort of sweetening powder instead of a sweetening syrup. Once you get the gist of it down, making your own high-end coffee drinks at home is seriously so easy! You will probably wonder why you never did it before. 

How to Make Espresso at Home

In this first section, I'm going to go over how to pull your own espresso shots at home. Espresso is essentially extra concentrated coffee that can be used to make lattes, frappuccinos, and Americanos etc.

Note: I should note that some people also like to drink espresso straight. The methods discussed below are not for people who like to drink high-end espresso straight from the shot glass. If you want some premium, high-end espresso, I highly recommend this pure organic Arabica espresso. 

But for everyone else who wants to make lattes and save money on their favorite coffee drinks at home, keep reading. 

What is espresso? 

Espresso is made by using hot water and pressure on coffee beans that have been ground to an extra fine, powdery consistency. Usually, you will need an espresso machine for this. However, you can also achieve a similar effect with a Keurig coffee maker, provided you are packing your own reusable coffee pod with extra-fine grounds. 

All in all, unless you are trying to make high-end fancy shots of espresso to drink straight, you can use basically any kind of coffee bean ground to a fine, powdery espresso grind. You can even use flavored coffee beans like this! In fact, I often do. The Highlander Grog flavor is my favorite! 

What Type of Coffee to Use For Espresso?

People are going to argue about which type of coffee beans make the best espresso. Listen, this is a hill I'm willing to die on. Espresso comes from the same coffee beans as any other kind of coffee. My hot take is that you can make your own espresso by grinding essentially any type of coffee bean to an extra-fine, powdery espresso grind consistency. Personally, I feel that pure Arabica coffee beans are best, particularly if they are roasted a little darker. (Like these) 

Yes, I will concede, it's better to have a darker roast coffee bean. And yes, buying a specific dark roast espresso bean (one meant to be ground to espresso, like this espresso gold) is a smart idea. However, in my opinion, you can make espresso from pretty much any sort of coffee bean, as long as you grind it to the right powdery consistency. And if you're planning on dumping that espresso shot into a latte anyway, it really doesn't matter how fancy it is. 

Most Coffee Chains Use Mid-Quality Coffee Bean Blends for Espresso, Roasted Dark 

When it comes to the coffee that you are getting from any kiosk or chain, their espresso is usually just some type of dark roasted coffee bean blend, ground extra fine. And I won't get into specifics, but certain large coffee chains don't even use pure Arabica coffee beans! In fact, they're espresso comes from a Robusta blend. 

 The only difference between espresso for pulling shots to add to a latte or drip grind coffee is that an espresso grind is finer and more powdery. So, if you need espresso at home, you can simply grind up some great dark gross coffee beans to a fine powdery consistency so that they won't clog your espresso machine 

Where to Get Espresso to Make at Home

You can get the best espresso to make at home by choosing an Arabica coffee retailer such as onegreatcoffee.com. If you click this link, you will find plenty of amazing 100% pure Arabica espresso options that can easily be used to make lattes and other coffee drinks at home. 

However, you can also grind essentially any type of medium or dark roast coffee bean into a fine espresso powder and use that to make espresso as well. Even flavored coffee like this! 

How to Make Espresso at Home

Pulling espresso shots at home is easier than you might think! You can check out this in-depth guide to making espresso yourself. And this guide will tell you which espresso machines are best. Essentially, if you are making espresso shots to craft your own at-home coffee drinks like lattes, Americanos, etc., you are just making two to 4 oz quantities of extra-strength coffee. 

Where to get espresso to make at home? 

There are plenty of top-rated coffee retailers that sell pre-ground espresso. Or, you can get fresh roasted coffee beans and grind them to a fine, powdery consistency and make your very own espresso fresh! 

Can you buy espresso online?

Absolutely, you can! There are plenty of great places to buy espresso online. I highly recommend this espresso, sold by a top-rated US-based coffee roaster, ‘One Great Coffee’. 

Ingredients to Have on Hand for At-Home Lattes 

Now, here are some other ingredients to have on hand if you will be making lattes, braves, Americanos, and other coffee drinks from the comfort of home! These are some ingredients that I personally have found fantastic for concocting all sorts of delightful coffee beverages, not just for yourself but for your friends and family as well! You can save money while enjoying better quality coffee, a win all the way around. 

Best ingredients to have stocked up for making coffee drinks at home: 

Milk

You can use whatever type of milk you like, but keep in mind that almond milk and soy milk can be difficult to heat up for lattes and breves. Most coffee kiosks use 2% milk or whole milk to make lattes and other coffee drinks. However, Dutch Brothers Coffee uses half and half. 

Espresso

Lattes, Americanos, breves, dirty chai drinks, and iced lattes are made with shots of espresso. You will need about two shots of espresso for every 12-oz drink. That's three shots for a 16-oz drink, and four shots for a 24-oz drink. 

Flavoring syrups

In my humble opinion, Torani makes the greatest selection of quality sweet flavoring syrups. Many coffee kiosks used to use Torani syrup as well. You can buy Torani syrups at many grocery stores or online. Torani syrups come in a wide range of flavors, so you can craft essentially any kind of latte. If you are trying to skip the calories, you can either go sugar-free or opt for flavored coffee beans like the ones sold www.onegreatcoffee.com. 

Whipped cream

Many coffee drinks come topped with whipped cream. You can also use whipped cream to make “sweet cream cold foam” by simply shaking it up with a little bit of milk.

Spices and powders

Pumpkin spice, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and ginger are all great spices to have on hand to up your at-home coffee game. You may also want to get some hot cocoa mix, some white chocolate hot cocoa mix, and some chai tea mix. This will let you replicate essentially any type of coffee drink! 

Sauces and drizzles

Sauces and drizzles can also be great to have on hand. I recommend a caramel sauce and a chocolate sauce, like Hershey's syrup. Many mocha beverages are made with Hershey's syrup! Caramel sauce (the kind you top ice cream with) is the secret to replicating a great macchiato.  

Travel cups

Sometimes I like to use reusable tumblers for my lattes, and other times I will use a disposable coffee cup with a lid. You can purchase disposable travel coffee cups (with lids included) at the grocery store or find a great tumbler (like an Owala) that can hold hot or cold liquids! That way, you can craft your coffee at home and take it on the go. 

Making Lattes and Espresso at Home: Final Thoughts 

When it comes down to it, most “fancy” coffee drinks are simply a combination of espresso, milk, and some sort of flavoring syrup or powder. You can easily replicate these drinks from the comfort of your own home for pennies on the dollar! 

I highly recommend finding out what ingredients are in your favorite coffee drink and getting the supplies to make it at home. You will probably find that you like your own homemade version better! I know I didn't get into the cold brew or iced coffee side of things much, but I wrote these articles on both subjects, so you can check them out as well! 

• Make a Cold Brew at Home (with Vanilla Sweet Cream)
• Blended and Iced Coffee Drinks (and How to Make Them)

I hope this article helps you gain the confidence to start making your own lattes at home and open up a world of amazing coffee!