Peppermint Mocha, the tutorial

I had an expensive addiction. My favorite treat is a cup of gourmet coffee from our area's drive-thru coffee experts, Dutch Brothers. In the summer, I ordered a iced, sugar free, low-fat, decaf, Snickers. Delicious. When the weather turned cold, I turned to the peppermint mocha. At $3 a cup, my indulgence was rare. How can I make gourmet coffee at home? I asked my question on FB last month and got lots of feedback. The consensus: strong coffee + flavored syrups.

For Christmas, a wonderful friend gave us a French Press coffee maker. I began my experimentation for the perfect home-made peppermint mocha. It took me awhile, but I found the ratios that give me Dutch Brother's taste at home for a lot less money.

First, I start with 3 heaping tablespoons of regular ol' coffee grounds. Add almost boiling water to fill the french press 3/4 full, stir and let set for 4 minutes. Not 3 minutes or 5 minutes. 4 minutes.

Let set for 4 minutes and then press out the grounds. I love this process.

While waiting for the coffee, I mix my flavoring concoction for the peppermint mocha. I use 1/4 cup milk plus .5 ounce chocolate mint syrup (plain peppermint would work here too, but it gets a bit sweet with the kind I have).

I also add 1 oz. chocolate sauce, Torani brand. Hershey's works too.

Stir the chocolate sauce together with the syrup and the milk and warm up in the microwave for 30 seconds. It would be awesome if I could make it frothy to, but maybe another day when I feel like getting out the blender. Add the flavorings to the pressed coffee...

Perfection.