Gingerbread Latte

written by

posted on

December 21, 2023

Christmas is upon us.

There's nothing quite like snuggling in at night to watch the lights twinkle, basking in the warm glow of a cozy home, feeling surrounded by warm fuzzy things, listening to nostalgic songs, and hearing the fireplace crackle. The only thing that would make this "Hallmark-esque" scene better is the smell and taste of warm gingerbread.

For fellow coffee lovers, I have just the thing. (For tea fans, you could also replace the espresso with a strong cup of chai tea!)

For years, I've searched for a way to combine my love of coffee with classic Christmas flavors and nothing ever seemed quite right. But I think I've found it.

This Gingerbread Latte is SO close to eating actual gingerbread that it ticks all the requirements without being gritty or TOO strong on the spices.

You only need a couple of things to make this delicious taste sensation in a mug.

Your favorite Holiday Mug. (I'm sure you already have one.)
Good coffee. I highly recommend Blue Elk Coffee.*
A good espresso maker. My favorite espresso maker is an Italian Moka Pot. You can even find them in Stainless Steal if you prefer.**
A milk frother. I prefer a handheld option so I don't have a large appliance cluttering my kitchen.

After you have those basic tools, you're ready to make your latte.

Start with a double shot (or 1 moka pot) of very hot espresso.

Mix in your cinnamon, nutmeg, and of course ginger.

Add a pinch of REAL salt, maple syrup, and molasses.

Stir in your favorite vanilla, and set the mug aside.

In a separate cup, froth your milk. (Raw milk is preferred but, of course, any milk will work.)

Pour your frothed milk over the coffee, toss a dash of nutmeg and ginger across the top, and enjoy.

We hope you take time to relax this holiday season as we end 2023. Let us remember, relax, and rejuvenate.

Merry Christmas to all.

Live well,

Hannah

RECIPE:

Gingerbread Latte

1 double shot of espresso - caffeinated or decaf. (can also substitute Chai tea)

2 tsp. molasses (reduce based on personal preference)

2 tsp. maple syrup

1 pinch ground cinnamon

1 pinch of ground nutmeg

2 pinches ground ginger

1 pinch of REAL salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 - 1 cup frothed milk (warmed)

Mix all ingredients except for milk in a festive mug. Set aside. Froth milk and pour slowly over the coffee mix. Top with a garnish of nutmeg and ginger. Enjoy warm.

*Blue Elk Coffee Company is a roastery located in Staunton, VA. Owners Jeff and Nova Jean are presently featuring direct-trade coffee from 5 ranches in El Salvador. They profit share 50/50 with the growers for all coffee they roast - AND they're part of the Polyface Team!

**Moka is the original stovetop espresso maker. It provides the experience of the real Italian way of preparing a tasteful coffee. They were invented in 1933 by Alfonso Bialetti. It is Made in Italy.

Short of Turkeys and Beef

For the first time in many years, we’ll be short of turkeys for Thanksgiving. Consistent with our policy of full transparency, here is why. And we’ve been short of beef now for some time. The underlying theme of this explanation is to inform you completely about why and what we’re doing about it. Unlike many businesses, we don’t call up other outfits to supplement ours when we’re short. We figure out how to produce more and until then, simply run behind. Because of that, when we explore new markets, we can’t adjust our inventory instantaneously.We’ve had a couple of incredibly exciting market developments this year. We’ve always tried to experiment with new opportunities when markets request product. You never know which ones will be long term, short term, positive, or negative. Over the years, we’ve given away turkeys when we overproduced due to assuming a certain market opportunity would come through; that’s not financially viable. As a result, we’re pretty careful about expansion. Three years ago, a large corporation in Virginia asked us to supply turkeys and Christmas hams to their 300 employees. We had no idea they would hang with us this long, but here they are, happy and showing unbelievable loyalty. We’ve been reluctant to count on them simply because these kinds of things normally don’t last. But isn’t it exciting and even exhilarating that a big company is buying our kind of turkeys and hams for their employees? The other thing that developed—and these things develop slowly—was Azure Standard asked us to supply them with 1,000 turkeys as a trial to see if their customer base would like them. By the time that deal was formalized, we were too late to order more turkeys and did not have the full number for them, but we we did the best we could. Some of you who are Azure Standard customers will no doubt see our turkeys pop up on their sales platform. When an engine going somewhere wants to hook to us, we always try to at least collaborate in an experiment. That’s where we are; if all are happy, this could be an extremely positive strategic client for us in the future. In the same way, we’ve been contacted by a new internet marketing outfit wanting some of our beef. We’ve agreed to let them have five in 2027. We’re hoping ongoing discussions will lead them to carry our poultry and pork as well—right now they’re only beef. None of this is about building an empire. It is about collaborating with the cutting edge of authentic food and circumventing Big Food, Big Ag, and Big Pharma. Innovation comes in many ways. Polyface perhaps leads the world in the production element. But processing, marketing, and distribution are also undergoing innovation and staying relevant is a daily objective. That some of the most creative significant players in the integrity food movement are asking us to play with them is wonderful. They could just handle industrial organic meat poultry, which doesn’t see pasture and doesn’t enjoy the happiness context of Polyface livestock. But they’re talking to us, and that’s awesome. All innovation carries a ragged edge as it develops, refines, and hopefully becomes efficient over time. Thank you for indulging us the freedom to explore these new venues and to collaborate with some of the best players in the good food movement. As you can imagine, growing and experimenting create their own sore muscles. Being short is not fun for either of us, but be assured it’s not because our animals are sick or we’re getting tired of being farmers. You can laugh at that. It’s because, true to our history, we are committed to putting food worth eating on plates held by friends. We count you as friends; that’s why we’re taking you on this little explanation behind the curtain. Hang in there and thank you, thank you for your loyalty and patronage.

Gingerbread Latte

RECIPE:

Gingerbread Latte

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