Coffee Guide: How to Make Coffee/Espresso Syrup

The following recipe is derived from Coffee Love by Daniel Young

Want to make coffee syrup from your favorite coffee beans?  It's easy!  Follow these short steps, and you will have some fresh coffee syrup to drizzle onto cookies, ice cream, or other comestibles worth coffee syrup.  Point of note: This is my first time making syrup, so if you have suggestions or amendments to add, please contact me.

The following recipe makes a 3/4 cup of espresso syrup.  Espresso syrup is slightly sweeter than using brewed coffee.  If you want to make coffee syrup, use one cup of coffee rather than espresso.

Ingredients:

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of espresso (Yes, you read that right.  It took 4 double shots of espresso, roughly)

1 sauce pan

1 whisk

1 small glass or tupperware container for storage

Directions:

1.  Brew one cup of espresso.  This will take multiple shots.  Hopefully, the results will look similar to this:

Trust me, I wanted to drink it.

2. Turn the stove to med-high.  Pour the espresso and cup of sugar into the sauce pan on the stove.  Whisk till sugar is dissolved.  

The sugar is now mixed in.

3.  This is the tricky part.  I read in my recipe book that the mixture should be heated right before boil, and reduce for 7-10 minutes.  I found that the mixture did not reduce at this temperature quickly enough.  I attempted a "mini-boil," by turning up the heat, where it reduced for another 10 minutes. 

Mmmm, espresso syrup

4.  As the mixture reduces becoming viscous, it is a matter of preference when you want to remove the pan.  The longer it reduces, the thicker it becomes. 

5.  Wait for it to cool (~4-5 minutes).  Pour the syrup into a glass or tupperware container.  Place in fridge.

Conclusion: Woolah!  Now, you have 3/4 cup of homemade espresso syrup.  The taste was quite strong and sugary.  If I did it over again, I would cut the sugar to 3/4 cup and lessen the amount of reducing time.  Hopefully this would retain more espresso flavor.