About a year ago I went over to a good girlfriends house, who was so nice, she offered me a latte. SHE MADE ME A LATTE, and it was Starbucks quality delicious. I searched her kitchen for a full blown espresso maker and milk frother, but saw nothing of the kind. Completely befuddled, I asked her to tell me step by step how she made my cup of joy. She obliged.

First, she used a stove top single serving espresso pot called a Moka Express. If you haven’t seen one of these, prepare to be amazed. Small and compact, they sit on your stove top and brew up a single serving of espresso in minutes. They are also under $25. That is 5 starbucks lattes for an espresso maker that will make all your wildest coffee dreams come true at home.

You fill the bottom part of the Moka Express with water, put a few tablespoons of ground espresso into the canister section, screw it all together and let it brew over a medium-high flame. You can lift the lid to check, and once you see the expresso brewed to the top, you turn off the stove. Onto milk frothing…

There are two options here – either a hand-held frother or a handy dandy tabletop frother that works at the push of a button. The difference is your investment. I was lucky enough to receive a tabletop nespresso frother as a gift. It collected dust until I bought myself the Moka Express. I realized its magic and have been frothing milk ever since.

To froth milk, pour milk into mug and heat it up in the microwave. Once heated to your liking, take your hand held frother and froth that milk. Pour in expresso and you have yourself a latte. If you are using a table top frother, add milk to appropriate line inside container, and press button. The frother heats and froths (or steams) the milk.

A hand-held frother is totally adequate. The only difference is you have to stand there and hold it. Its also $10 (another 2 Starbucks lattes), so take your pick. You can go all out and get the push button frother that will last you for years and years, or go with the hand held device.

I use Illy brand espresso. I have always been a fan and when I found the little silver tin at my grocery (and on Amazon) I immediately purchased four and started a subscription. Picking out a brand of espresso is completely personal – so go with what you find most tasty. Other options are lavazza, intelligensia, or any brand you can find at Target or your local grocery.

For $30 you can have all the devices necessary to make an absolutely incredible latte at home. I love that I can wake up on Sunday morning, or ANY morning and have a latte without leaving my house. I also enjoy not spending ridiculous amounts of cash on hand crafted espresso beverages I can make myself. Cheers to being your own barista.