@seazen I love Turkish coffee! My granddad gave me one when I was five, maybe that’s my problem. It’s so strong that it goes great with really really sweet things, like baklava.
Black coffee: Sumatra or Kenya AA, not roasted too dark, because then you get all these nice fruity, sweet flavors instead of just the burnt taste of the roast. Add a little milk or soy milk.
Espresso: steam the milk into microfoam (tiny bubbles and a velvety texture, which give the surface of the milk a shimmery, chrome-like texture). Here’s how to do it: keep the steam wand just below the surface of the milk and about half an inch from the edge of the pitcher. This sets the milk spinning which breaks up the bigger bubbles. Slowly, slowly lower the pitcher so that the wand stays just below the surface of the milk. Give it just enough air that that high-pitched steaming sound turns to a low murmur.
Then pull a nice caramel-colored shot with lots of crema. Make it about a 2:1 ratio of milk to espresso. I (think?) this is a flat white, but maybe I’m not using enough milk.
But yeah. Microfoam. The texture is so rich and creamy that you feel like you’re really indulging yourself even if it’s just regular milk. If you heat it to 140 degrees or so (as in, not burn it), the proteins in the milk start to break down and it tastes sweeter. You don’t even need to put any sugar in there.
These are just preferences, though. I have a such a massive need for caffeine that I’ll drink pretty much anything. I’m drinking instant Nescafe with a scoop of ice cream in it right now. I’m still trying to teach myself latte art, but that’s been pretty fail-y so far.