Why are all designers so obsessed with mugs? Is it to take cute aesthetic shots of our office setup while working? To offset the growing pile of mugs on the desk? To weirdly justify our mass amounts of caffeine intake?
I’m definitely not an exemption from this stereotype. My coffee shelf is stacked layers high with mugs, and I definitely totally don’t have more hiding in a box in the attic… On a totally unrelated note, does anyone know what the weight-bearing capacity of a cabinet is?
But without further ado, let’s save ourselves some fancy coffee shop money and put those mugs to good use with some of my go-to, mug-filling recipes from a former barista turned designer. Because we all know those two career paths go hand in hand.
Disclaimer - I don’t know the size of your mugs. These are the “measurements” that work for my mugs, but adjust as needed for yours. It’s also very handy to have a little hand frother to make your drinks feel extra fancy. Something like this one will work.
Also, you’ll see pretty quick below that I’m a lover of oat milk - feel free to sub in whatever dairy or other alternative milk you love. And lastly, of course you know I'm going to shout out my awesome clients - if you're in search of a great coffee to pair with your mugs and recipes, check out Philly Fair Trade Roasters for fair trade and organic coffee! ☕
You’ll Need
Half Mug of Oat Milk
A Tiny Bit of Maple Syrup
Half Mug of Hot Water
4 tsp Matcha Powder (We don’t make weak matcha latte’s here.)
Directions
Fill a quarter to half of your mug with hot water and add 2 tsp of the matcha. Use your handy-dandy new frother to whisk together the matcha and hot water.
In a small pot, add your half mug worth of oat milk, a small dash of maple syrup (depending on how sweet you want it to be), and the remainder of your match. Mix with the hand frother. The milk should turn bright green, which is how you know you’ve added enough matcha. If you vary the depth of the frother as you’re frothing the milk, you can start to play with how foamy it gets.
Add your warmed matcha milk to your tea and enjoy!
You'll Need
Half Mug of Coffee
3/4 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
A Tiny Bit of Maple Syrup
Half Mug of Oat Milk
Directions
In a small pot, stir together the cocoa powder and maple syrup until smooth.
Add coffee and a bit of oat milk. The ratios for this recipe are totally up to how much of each thing you like, so feel free to experiment and have fun. Heat until steaming. You can use a hand frother to make it nice and foamy too.
Top it with some nice oat whipped cream if you’d like and enjoy your warm beverage!
You’ll Need
Half Mug of Oat Milk
Half Mug of Coffee
1tsp Vanilla Extract
A Tiny Bit of Maple Syrup
Directions
In a small pot, warm and froth your oat milk to make it foamy. Add maple syrup and vanilla, use the frother to mix it in.
Once warmed, add the milk to your warm half-cup of coffee and enjoy your latte. Bam, you’re done.
Okay, so that’s it. My very half-assed recipes to help you guys fill all your mugs and save some fancy coffee shop money every once in a while. What’s your favorite coffee shop or at-home drink? Share recipes at hello@freehouse-design.com - I’m always looking to try new things!
P.S. Are other career paths also obsessed with mugs? Please reach out if so. It’s for science.
