Waking up on the right side of the bed + Maple iced latte recipe

The irony that I’m writing this during probably my grumpiest week yet is not lost on me. I promise. If nothing else, quarantine has really amplified the high highs and low lows. This week has felt particularly ‘dumpy’ for various reasons (admittedly nothing serious but rather just another week of the the same), but one thing that has significantly helped is coffee.

Before I sound like every other writer ever, hear me out. For me, coffee does not = best self. I’m not one who needs her morning java or carries around a mug with the words: no coffee, no talk-ee on it. I’m perfectly functional without my morning coffee (in fact, most days I don’t have my first cup until late morning/noon).

For me, I think I enjoy the process of making the coffee more than the boost it provides. When we lived in Chicago, I used to make a giant pot of drip coffee every.single.morning, and most days? I’d dump it out by midday. I love the routine of making coffee and, as cheesy as it sounds, back in our Chicago days I really mastered the art of using this brief routine as my daily meditation. I still do this, consciously checking in to every step of the (admittedly short) process.

I also love the comfort of coffee. When I worked at the health centre in my hometown, my office was right across from the hospital Tim Horton’s (seriously, I had a door beside my desk that went directly into the lobby). I literally do not have enough fingers to count the number of times I’d race across the lobby to grab a hot cup of coffee during a time of stress at work. Reminiscent of long car rides with my dad, the smell immediately takes me back to my childhood of road trips, early mornings and summer evening’s camping with my family.

As an adult, I don’t think there’s anything better than meeting friends for a coffee. There’s something magical, cozy and inherently comfortable about catching up over steaming mugs. When I lived in Chicago, I had a routine with two friends where we’d go to morning yoga then find space in the nearest coffee shop to work, study or write together. They were both working toward their PhDs so this routine felt very natural for them, but for myself, it just felt nice to find comfortable seats, delicious coffee and a place to set our laptops with scattered conversation throughout the morning. Some of my favourite discussions happen in these spaces, fueled by caffeine, friends and comfort.

Since lockdown in London first started, I had gotten into a routine of frivolously changing J and I’s morning coffee time. First, making sugar-laden dalgona coffees inspired by TikTok, then attempting hot lattes before settling on the very best (in my opinion): iced coffees.

Every morning I wake up and think about this coffee. I think a lot of that is down to the pods we use as they’re really high quality (and also totally compostable!!!) from a local coffee shop in London. While I’ve only been to Grind a handful of times, their Nespresso pods are the most delicious I’ve tried. Here’s the full recipe:

Maple Iced Latte

• 1 large ice cube
• 1 shot your favourite espresso
• 5-10ml maple syrup
• 50ml semi-skimmed milk
• 50ml oat milk

Place an ice cube in a 12 oz glass, pull one shot of espresso then pour it over ice, add maple syrup and let it cool. Then pour both milks and stir to combine. Enjoy!

You can literally make these lattes in less than five minutes and they taste just as delicious as a store-bought coffee. We’ve also used honey instead of maple syrup and replaced both the semi-skimmed milk and oat milk with different milk alternatives – and it was still delicious! If you’re looking for a summery sipper, replace milks with coconut drink and almond milk (equal parts), and thank me later.

What’s your favourite kind of coffee? Are you an all-season iced coffee committee or do you prefer to change it up?