Starbucks eating a hole in your pocket? Try this Iced Espresso! It’s diet friendly and it saves your pennies!

Yes, I know we don’t use pennies anymore in Canada… sounds cute though right?!?! Ok, so I LOVE Starbucks… and sugar-free gum. It’s a serious problem LOL I have been in control of my coffee intake and limit it to one a day, and I always feel better when I make it myself because I can control the taste and flavor BUT a coffee a day (especially a specialty coffee from Starbucks) adds up real quick! It’s one of those expenses that we so mindlessly make on a regular basis that we don’t even realize how much it’s really costing us! Especially, if you’re like me, and you have a Starbucks Gold card (I have a lot of generous clients who know about my addiction) the money disappears from your card so quick because its invisible money. It’s not as painful of a purchase when you don’t have to count out the change for it. So recently, I learned how to properly use the percolator at home to make my own espresso! If you have an espresso machine then awesome! Making your own iced Americano of specialty coffee is just that much easier. Below is a recipe for an iced Vanilla Americano (or iced espresso coffee) that I made from home and it is awesome! Oh and it’s diet friendly too!! You can make this with regular coffee but if you like it strong like me then espresso is where it’s at!

Iced Vanilla Americano Recipe:

Step One:

Get out your percolator, open it up and take out the coffee holder and metal grate out of the bottom of the percolator. Then fill the bottom of the percolator with cold water. Most percolators will have a line indicator for the water. On my percolator, I filled it to the indent line where the screw is. See Below:

Step 2:

Put the coffee holder into the percolator and fill the percolator up with espresso. Make sure you pack the espresso in tight! I used a teaspoon to pack it down.

Step 3:

Once you’ve packed the coffee in tight, put the grate on top and then screw the top of the percolator back on. Once you know the top of the percolator is on tight, turn on your stove and wait. DO NOT FLIP OPEN THE TOP OF YOUR PERCOLATOR TO CHECK THE COFFEE!! IT WILL RUIN YOUR ESPRESSO! You will be able to hear your espresso bubbling up to the top of the percolator. Once it stops making bubbly sounds it’s ready!

Step 4:

Take the percolator off the stove and let your espresso cool, about 20-30 minutes. Then transfer your coffee to a thermos or some other container and put it in the fridge. I usually make my espresso the night before and have it iced for the next day, or if I just want one espresso shot I will save the rest and have it iced the next day. But you can make it, let it cool and follow the next few steps to enjoy your iced espresso coffee sooner.

Step 5:

Once your espresso is cold transfer it out of the thermos into a jug or something bigger so you can stir in your sweetener, ice and so on. I would recommend 2-3 packets of stevia. This is a matter of taste (how sweet you like your coffee) and how bitter your espresso is. Put the stevia in the coffee and stir, then I added 2 packets of Italian Vanilla (see below) you can get this stuff at any grocery store. It would be in the baking aisle! Stevia is a natural sweetener, and you can get stevia drops in whatever flavors you like (vanilla, caramel and so on). However, this Italian vanilla packets are artificial flavors, still zero calorie but you should know that it is indeed artificial. When I made this coffee it was the only zero calorie flavoring I had.

These are two different brands of the same thing.

Once you have added your flavor and sweetener, add your milk. Again, I used a bit of almond milk to keep the calories down, and it’s also lactose free, fat-free etc Add as much or as little milk as you like. This is a matter of taste, however, I kept mine low because I really like espresso and I like my coffee strong. Now, that all the ingredients are in and the taste is to your liking, add ice and serve! A full percolator of coffee will make more than one serving of this stuff! So share with friends, or save it for later. If you are planning on saving some for later, then add ice to the portion you are about to drink and then put the rest back in a thermos and put it in the fridge for later. Once you are ready to drink it, then add the ice so it doesn’t get too watered down. And that’s it!

You can also have this drink hot, so make espresso, pour a shot or two into a coffee mug, add hot water to it so now you have an Americano. Then add sweetener, and flavor to your coffee if you like, and there you have it! You have now become your own barista who knows how to spell your name! LOL money saved, and coffee made just the way you like it! Saves your pocket-book and your waistline! And who doesn’t love that?!?!