Crafting Your Own Caffeinated Beverages in 5 Easy Steps

Don't have money to go to Starbucks every day? (What student does?!) Be your own barista, get your caffeine fix, and save money with this five-step process.

As a full-time dual-enrollment student, it’s a rare occurrence that I’m able to make it through the day without caffeine. But unfortunately, I don't have the time or finances to take a trip to my local Starbucks to get my coffee fix every morning. That’s why I taught myself how to make my own delicious, customized, caffeinated beverages. Stay tuned and I’ll be extending my knowledge to you in an easy, five-step process!

Step 1: Power up the right equipment

Here’s where it all begins—the method of bringing your drink into existence. If you already have a coffeemaker in possession, congratulations! You can skip this part. But for those of you in the market for a beginner coffeemaker on a budget, I recommend this single-serve Vimukun. It’s compatible with ready-to-go coffee pods for ease of use, but you could also opt for reusable K Cups to use with your own grinds. If you’re looking for a more professional machine to turn all your caffeinated dreams into realities, set your sights on the Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker, fully equipped with six sizing options, four brewing modes, and a built-in frother. Finally, for the least expensive and least hassle option, I propose a simple electric kettle that you can use to quickly boil up some water and pour right into your coffee or tea.

Related: 6 Smart Coffee Hacks for College Students

Step 2: Choose your wake-up factor

The next thing to consider is the base of your drink: the coffee or tea that will balance everything else you add in with a strong, steady flavor. Your options are boundless in this category and there’s no wrong choice, but just in case you aren’t sure where to start, I’ll let you in on a couple of my top picks. I switch out my collection often, but one staple I always keep stocked is Trader Joe’s Shade Grown Ground Espresso Blend, which you can get in-store or on Amazon. If you’re looking to keep it more simple, try Starbucks’ Premium Instant Medium Roast Coffee—same great flavor without the bother of waiting for it to brew.

If you’re interested in supporting a fan-favorite influencer, be sure to check out Chamberlain Coffee, founded by California’s own Emma Chamberlain. You can also find some great options that help others, such as Fire Department Coffee, a company that's run by active and retired firefighters and gives back to first responders who've been mentally and physically injured on the job. As for tea, my go-to for a high-quality, organic brand with a myriad of specialty flavors is The Republic of Tea (make sure to check out their Daily Matcha and Ginger Peach).

Step 3: Fly through the Milky Way

Some opt to skip this step and move right on to sweetener, but in my opinion, a splash of milk (or dairy-free substitute) is essential for balancing the richness of your caffeine and the denseness of your creamer. Personally, I love a good oat milk more than anything else (this Chobani one is perfect), but whatever you keep in your fridge will work! 

Step 4: Satisfy your sweet tooth

This is my favorite part of the drink-making process because there are so many different ways to do it. For the most hands-off option, scour your local grocery store for creamers and syrups that you can mix and match until you find the perfect combination. If you’re willing to do some stovetop work, my go-to handmade creamer is a quarter cup of both coconut sugar and brown sugar (plus a dash of vanilla extract to your liking) boiled together into a light syrup. Make sure to let it cool completely before use to let it thicken up. For cooled sweet tea, I like to blend a bit of granulated sugar with a handful of frozen strawberries and a cup of milk. Or, in honor of spooky season, you could forget all the fancy combinations and just use a dash of this Pumpkin Spice Flavoring Syrup to give your drink a cozy, fall feel. Overall, the most important part of this step is to be creative and have fun. Don’t despair if your first attempt doesn’t match up to your expectations—it’s all part of the process!

Step 5: Bring it all together

The portions of your drink ultimately depend on your personal preference, but for a basic frame of reference, I recommend using a cup of coffee/tea (or two shots of espresso), a half cup of milk, and two tablespoons of sweetener. To make it an iced beverage, throw in an extra cup of ice and you’ll be good to go. If you’re interested in pretty layering techniques, take care to add the elements of your drink in the order of sweetener, milk, and caffeine and use an extra tablespoon of your sweet component to keep the layers neatly separated.

Related: 9 of the Best Colleges and Universities for Coffee Lovers

With this quick guide, I’m confident you’ll be able to craft your very own caffeinated beverages just as well as any Starbucks barista. Don’t be afraid to try different techniques and products until you find exactly what you’re looking for. Not only will you have a handful of fun drinks to try along the way, but you’ll also develop a brand-new hobby to impress your coffee-obsessed friends with. (And yes, I wrote this while drinking coffee.)

Find the perfect snack to accompany your homemade beverage with our College Cooking playlist on YouTube.  

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Hailey Myers

Hailey Myers is a homeschooled high school student from California. She's been drawn to literature and creative activities from a young age and is ecstatic to share what she knows with fellow students. 

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress
Lydia Huth

Lydia Huth

Student, Campbell University; CollegeXpress Student Writer

I discovered CollegeXpress while embarking on my college search journey as an excited—but scared and way confused—high schooler without a counselor or college-bound sibling to give me advice. Let me tell you, I’m so glad that I stumbled on this community! CollegeXpress helped me find potential colleges and keep application deadlines straight. It gave me a great list of scholarships, and the blogs and emails made me feel like I wasn’t going it alone. Almost three years later and with freshman year of college down, I still love the CollegeXpress vibe so much that I’m writing for them. I’d recommend this site to anyone!

Michael

Michael

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress showed me that Western New England University was a great match for me both with curriculum and location. CollegeXpress is an excellent resource both future and current college students.

Ruth Aguilar

Ruth Aguilar

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress helped me by providing me with many scholarship opportunities and information about universities I want to attend. What I love about CollgeXpress is how it provides a variety of information, and as the first child attending a university next year, it has been very essential and helpful. I’m so grateful for this because the information provided by CollegeXpress has also helped me see that there are so many college opportunities, and it always informs me by email. In other words, CollegeXpress has been like a guide for me as a future college student.

Jessica Rinker

Jessica Rinker

Student, Fairhaven High School; CollegeXpress Student Writer

My high school counselor introduced me to CollegeXpress freshman year. It has made such a difference in high school, and I plan to continue relying on it in college. CollegeXpress is my go-to because it addresses each aspect of being a student. There are the articles you’d expect regarding college applications and financial aid, but you will also find advice on things like de-stressing and maintaining relationships while balancing a heavy course load. CollegeXpress will also keep you updated on current scholarships through e-mails each Saturday. (They don’t harass you with any product promotion like so many other sites do.) CollegeXpress is a lot like an older sibling who has already conquered the challenges you are facing. Now, they are reaching out a helpful hand. I say take it.

Asia Stockdale

Asia Stockdale

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress helped me overcome a huge hurdle. Because of the small town I live in, I felt like I would never achieve more. I felt like I could never go beyond because of costs. I feared I wouldn’t be able to find scholarships. I had no idea of where to start. With CollegeXpress, I easily found scholarships—they came to me. It was a helper, and I was instantly matched with opportunities to go above and beyond educationally.

College Matches
X

Colleges You May Be Interested In

Saint Louis University

St. Louis, MO

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

Carlow University

Pittsburgh, PA

Trine University

Angola, IN

College of Saint Benedict

Collegeville, MN