Autumn brings dark mornings, rain on the window and a warm cup held in both hands. It is a good time to slow down your coffee ritual and add something from the season to your cup: pumpkin, plums, cinnamon or cardamom. All five recipes are simple and work with Ra Hygge mushroom coffee, which you brew just like ordinary coffee.
Each recipe makes one cup. Instead of espresso you can use strong filter coffee: about 14 g of coffee to 120 ml of water. Of the plant-based drinks, a barista oat drink froths best.
1. Pumpkin latte
The best-known coffee drink of the season, made with real pumpkin and no shop-bought syrup.
You will need
- 1 espresso or 120 ml of strong coffee, for example Reishi mushroom coffee, filter grind
- 2 tbsp pumpkin purée
- 200 ml milk or oat drink
- 1 tsp maple syrup or honey
- ¼ tsp pumpkin spice: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves
Method: warm the milk in a saucepan with the pumpkin purée, sweetener and spices until the mixture is hot but not boiling. Froth it with a milk frother or a stick blender. Pour the coffee into a cup, then add the pumpkin milk and sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.
Tip: roast a whole small pumpkin in the oven, purée it and freeze it in an ice cube tray. One cube is just right for one latte.
2. Plum and cinnamon cappuccino
In autumn there is a jar of plum jam in almost every pantry, and it goes surprisingly well with coffee.
- 1 espresso, for example made with finely ground Tremella mushroom coffee beans
- 2 tsp plum jam
- 120 ml milk or oat drink
- a pinch of cinnamon
Put the jam in the bottom of the cup and pour the hot espresso over it. Stir until the jam melts. Add the frothed milk and sprinkle with cinnamon.
3. Scandinavian cardamom coffee
In the Nordic countries, cardamom belongs with coffee and cinnamon buns. This is the simplest of the recipes, because the spice goes straight in with the coffee.
- 14 g ground coffee per cup, for example Shiitake mushroom coffee beans
- 2 cardamom pods per cup
- milk or a plant-based drink, if you like
Crush the cardamom pods open with the flat of a knife and put them in a French press or pour-over filter together with the coffee. Brew the coffee as usual. In a French press, let it steep for four minutes.
4. Dark mocha
When it is raining outside, chocolate and coffee go together like a blanket and a good book.
- 1 espresso or 120 ml of strong coffee
- 15 g dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa
- 150 ml milk or oat drink
- a pinch of sea salt, if you like
Break the chocolate into the cup and pour the hot coffee over it. Stir until the chocolate has melted, then add the frothed milk. A little salt brings out the flavour of the chocolate.
5. Caffeine-free evening chai
For the evening, when you no longer feel like coffee. The base is Spice It Up herbal tea with tremella, which already contains turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom.
- 1 Spice It Up tea bag
- 100 ml hot water
- 150 ml milk or oat drink
- 1 tsp honey
Let the tea steep in the hot water for five minutes. Warm and froth the milk, then stir the tea, milk and honey together.
Espresso at home or on the go
You do not need a big machine in the kitchen to make espresso. The Outin Nano portable espresso machine makes espresso from both ground coffee and capsules, and it is just as handy at a summer cottage or on a hike.
Frequently asked questions
Do these drinks contain caffeine?
The coffee drinks contain caffeine, because Ra Hygge mushroom coffee is made from Arabica. The mushroom extract does not make the coffee caffeine-free. The chai made with Spice It Up tea is caffeine-free.
Which milk gives the best foam?
Whole milk froths most easily. Among plant-based drinks, choose a barista oat drink, which is made for frothing.
Can I use shop-bought syrup instead of pumpkin purée?
You can, but the drink will be sweeter and taste less of pumpkin. Homemade purée gives a softer, more natural flavour.