Best at-home mochas on a budget

I was always a decaf girl.

Drinking a little caffeine on an empty stomach resulted in a crazy frenetic version of me that only my closest friends could appreciate. In fact, I began to sense that my husband was The One after he enjoyed a brunch with an accidentally-caffeinated version of me. Instead of being frightened, he was charmed.

And as you might imagine, motherhood has rewarded my natural tendency to go to bed early and wake up early with a sledgehammer taken to my blissful nights of eight hours of contiguous sleep.

Until I had my second baby boy. Now, I need a little mocha to get things started in the morning. When we’re in our groove, Alec makes one for himself before he heads off to work and leaves a little pot of espresso on the stove for me to do with as I please throughout the day.

Not wanting to jinx any sleep improvements with too much caf, I tend to meter it out through the day with splashes of espresso added to my very rich hot chocolates.

Here are the ingredients to the very best at-home coffee house experience. If you are worried about saving money — like we are — but you have a developing coffee habit, this will pay off in less than a month:

• Gear for aspiring barista
• Bialetti Moka Express stovetop espresso maker, 3 cup.: enough for hubby to make some and leave behind the rest; since it works in minutes, it’s not a problem if you need to make more; true caffeine addicts may want the six-cupper.
• Aerolatte Frother: wicked fun milk foamer; also good at making “fluffy milk” for picky toddlers
• The very best ingredients
• Italian Roast espresso from Caffe Trieste or Decaf from Illy (I just noticed they have moka kits, but not in decaf, how odd)
• Cocoa powder by the 2 kg. case from Scharffen Berger (use your own sugar)

To save a few more pennies and the Earth in general, we both have travel mugs. He takes his to work on the bus and I (theoretically) can drop my spillproof cup in the stroller or diaper bag. But that’s a story for another day.

Now, go invite someone dangerous over for mochas!