Steemit Culinary Challenge #21: Up-cycled Orange Mocha Coffee With a Smile.

For this chocolate orange coffee recipe, start by gathering your ingredients and your tools. (Most of the tools that I have used have been salvaged, up-cycled or custom-made from existing objects, which makes the process really fun.)

The tools needed:

1. a coffee machine or french press of some description (Today, I am using an espresso machine.);
2.  a coffee grinder (Today, I'm using flavoured beans that are already ground.);
3. a tamper;
4. a coffee cup that will hold 400 ml or 12.5 ounces of liquid;
5. a teaspoon;
6. a glass dropper;
7. and a frother. 

A gently used espresso machine, that was purchased through an online auction.

A frother to hold the coconut milk and a tamper.

(This frother is made using a recycled restaurant-style, stainless steel, single serve tea-pot that I purchased at a second-hand store. The tamper is custom-made using a 2" x 1/4" piece of barstock copper and a drawer pull. @knarly327 cut the lid off the tea-pot to create the open frother container and he fabricated the tamper from material that we had left-over from other projects.)

The ingredients needed per cup:

1. 2 tbsp of ground vanilla flavoured coffee beans;
2. 300 ml or 10 ounces of spring water;
3. 1/4 cup of full-fat coconut milk;
4. 1 square of dark orange and almond flavoured chocolate (any plain dark chocolate will work too);
5. a pinch of ground cinnamon to dust the top of the coconut milk;
6. 4 drops of pure orange oil;
7. and a slice of fresh orange to garnish.

Directions:

• Add 2 tbsp of ground coffee to the filtre basket of the espresso machine.

• Press the grounds down with a tamper.

• Add 300 ml of spring water to the machine.

• Secure the basket with the grounds in place and the glass carafe. Switch the machine on and try to wait patiently. ;)

Coffee is being produced as hot water is forced under pressure, through the coffee grounds.

• Froth the coconut milk, using steam from the single boiler of the espresso machine.

Lots of bubbles in the coconut milk.

• Place a single piece of orange and almond flavoured dark chocolate in the bottom of the coffee cup. 

• Pour the brewed hot coffee directly over-top of the square of chocolate.

• Once all the coffee is poured into the serving cup, stir well with a spoon to blend the melted chocolate evenly into the coffee.

• Add the frothed coconut milk to the top of the coffee. (It will sit as a layer on top.)

• Dust the top of the coconut milk with cinnamon, add 4 drops of orange oil, gently stir the coffee to blend the flavours of the cinnamon and orange oil.
• Add an small slice of orange to garnish.

• Serve with an additional piece of chocolate and a twist of orange on the side.

Enjoy this bit of sunshine in a cup!

The flavours of orange, chocolate and coffee blended together will put a smile on anyone's face. 

A big thanks to:

@oldamster for designing the SCC logo;

@vegascomic for designing the SCC trophies;

@knozaki2105 our guest judge;

@smooth and @sirwinchester our prize sponsors;

and @woman-onthe-wing for taking on the running of the SCC.

I welcome your comments and invite you to join me...there is always room for one more at my table.

~ Rebecca Ryan