Introduction

Introducing the TED x La Marzocco Home 2023 Menu. Each year, our team pops up at the TED Conference in Vancouver to serve espresso and teach attendees how to make their own espresso at home. Over the years, we’ve landed on a simple, but delicious menu that gives attendees something good to drink while also giving us a teachable menu that can be repeated at home.

Below, we’re excited to share the recipes for each drink on our menu, in the hopes that attendees—and home baristas around the world—will be able to recreate the taste and experiences of the La Marzocco Home experience bar at TED from home.

The Menu

The Recipes

Espresso

2 oz.
Finely-ground coffee brewed under pressure.

Well-made espresso is the foundation of any drink. Whether drunk straight, or with added milk and sweeteners, extracting delicious espresso will lift a drink to another level. To make espresso, start with a 17 gram basket in the portafilter and place the portafilter on top of the scale—dose 17g of coffee into the portafilter. Tamp the coffee down and make sure the coffee puck is flat & even with a smooth surface. Lock the portafilter into the grouped, place a cup underneath on top of a scale, and begin the brewing process. To know when to stop the shot, aim for double the amount of ground coffee in liquid espresso. In this case, 34g. Espresso is brewed based on ratios and the most common ratio is 1:2—a normale shot. You should reach your target weight in roughly 25-35 seconds. If the shot finishes too quickly or too slowly, make small adjustments to the grinder. Too fast, go finer. too slow, coarser.

This is a general guideline, but is the foundation of the rest of the drinks on this menu.
For more details on brewing espresso, check out our blog post: Using Espresso Brew Ratios.

Macchiato

3 oz.
Espresso “marked” with milk—2 oz. Espresso + 1 oz. Milk

Mainly espresso, the macchiato is a traditionally Italian drink with a small dollop of milk on top. In order to top off this drink with milk, it’s good to know how to steam milk properly. Pull a shot into a cup and steam 2-3 oz. of milk. Pour steamed milk into espresso. Use an espresso cup for this drink.

How to Steam Milk: To steam beautiful milk, a powerful steam wand is required. Place the tip of the steam wand into the milk, slightly off center. The closer the tip of the wand is to the surface of the milk, the more air will be added in. Give the knob a full turn to start the steaming process. You will hear the air being added to the milk, and if the positioning is right, it should come in the form of small hisses or like the sound of paper ripping. Leave the pitcher in one place and refrain from moving it around. Once the pitcher feels almost too hot to touch with your free hand, turn it off. A good temperature to aim for is 55-60 degrees Celsius or 130-140 degrees Fahrenheit.

For more details on steaming milk, check out our blog post: How to Steam Milk.

CORTADO

4 oz.
Espresso ‘cut’ with steamed milk, typically equal parts—2 oz. Espresso + 2 oz. Milk

Bearing Spanish roots, the cortado has recently surged in popularity— especially in many of America’s most technical cafes. As a simple visual reminder, cortados are served in 4.5 oz clear or glossed glasses—referred to as “gibraltar” glasses. The drink’s recipe is simple: equal parts espresso and milk. This perfect harmony creates a canvas for strong flavor notes of the espresso to shine through, while balanced just-so with the milk.

Pull a shot into a cup and steam 2-3 oz. of milk. Pour steamed milk into espresso using a design of your choice. Use a cup corresponding to a cortado size.

Cappuccino

6 oz.
Espresso with steamed milk—2 oz. Espresso + 4 oz. Milk

Italian cappuccinos abide by the rule of thirds: ⅓ espresso, ⅓ milk, and ⅓ foam. While many follow that traditional definition, cappuccinos at modern specialty shops have more to do with the ratio of milk to espresso (typically 1:4) and less to do with foam. If you order a cappuccino in a cafe, you’ll likely be handed a 6 ounce espresso and milk drink with very little foam, made much the same way as a latte.

Pull a shot into a cup and steam 2-3 oz. of milk. Pour steamed milk into espresso using a design of your choice—monk’s head, heart, tulip, or rosetta. Use a 6 oz. cup corresponding to a cappuccino size.

Latte

8 oz.
Espresso with 6 oz. steamed milk—2 oz. Espresso + 6 oz. Milk

In European countries, latte simply means espresso with milk, but for Americans, a latte is an 8-12 ounce drink with a double shot of espresso and steamed milk with a small layer of microfoam. It’s much weaker than all of the previously mentioned drinks due to the high milk-to-espresso ratio of about 1:5+.

Tuscan Sunrise

8 oz.
A delicious, velvety drink with flavors that remind us of a crisp morning in the hills of Scarperia

Paying homage to our company’s Italian heritage, and remind us of a crisp morning in the hills of Scarperia. Utilizing a delicious black tea “Peacemaker Syrup” this espresso based drink is sweet, complex, and can be enjoyed by both coffee lovers and non coffee lovers alike.

Ingredients

30g Peacemaker Syrup (recipe below)
24 – 36g Espresso
Steamed Milk

Directions

1. Add Milk & Syrup to Steaming Pitcher
2. Pull a shot of espresso
3. Steam milk and syrup
4. Pour milk into espresso
5. Top with Cinnamon and garnish, serve

Peacemaker Syrup

6ml black tea
450g water
1 Ground Clove
150g Orange Juice
250g Sugar
2g Cinnamon
3g Orange Zest
2 Dashes Orange Blossom Water

Instructions

Brew Tea (6g) in Hot Water (450g), this will serve as the base of your simple syrup. Once tea is steeped, remove tea leaves and add the remainder of the ingredients. Bring to a boil (4-5 minutes). Remove from heat, allow to cool.