Because coffee should not require a weighing scale, three timers and a minor engineering degree.

There’s a certain kind of coffee recipe that starts with 18g of coffee, 36g of water, extracted for 29 seconds…

And honestly? Good coffee. But sometimes you just want a really good cup without having to behave like you’re defusing a bomb.

So here are a few MOKA recipes for people who like their coffee delicious, slightly chaotic, and preferably made before 9am.

No exact measurements. No judgment. Just ratios you can eyeball, taste and make your own.

01 — THE “I NEED COFFEE” COFFEE

You need:
Coffee. Water. A cup. A functioning nervous system.

Brew your coffee however you normally do. Make it strong enough to taste like coffee, but not so strong that it starts making decisions for you.

Add hot water if it’s too intense. Add more coffee if it’s too polite.

The rule:
There are no rules.

Good with:
Mondays, unread emails and pretending you’re going to have an early night.

02 — THE LAZY ICED LATTE

Fill a glass with ice.

Add a generous amount of cold milk.

Pour your espresso over the top.

If you want it sweeter, add syrup. If you want it richer, add more coffee. If you accidentally make something that tastes perfect, congratulations — you’ve invented your own recipe.

MOKA move:
Try a medium-to-dark espresso here. You want enough roast character to cut through the cold milk without disappearing into it.

03 — THE BROWN BUTTER LATTE

This one sounds complicated. It isn't.

Warm some butter in a pan until it starts smelling nutty, toasted and suspiciously expensive.

Add a little brown butter to your cup.

Pour in your espresso.

Add steamed milk.

Sweeten if you want.

Give it a stir.

That’s it.

The brown butter brings out caramel, toasted nuts and biscuit-like flavours in the coffee, making the whole thing taste somewhere between your morning latte and a very good dessert.

Important:
Don't turn the butter black. We're going for golden and nutty, not smoke alarm.

04 — THE “DESSERT FOR BREAKFAST” MOCHA

Espresso.

Chocolate.

Milk.

Ice, if you're feeling it.

The technical recipe is basically:

more chocolate = more dessert.

Use melted chocolate, chocolate sauce or even a little cocoa powder. Stir it into the espresso before adding milk so everything actually comes together.

Finish with a little salt if you want to make the chocolate taste deeper.

You can stop there.

Or add whipped cream.

We won't tell anyone.

05 — THE FRIDGE-CLEARING COLD BREW

Got cold brew?

Great.

Got milk?

Also great.

Got something vaguely sweet in the fridge?

Now we're cooking.

Pour cold brew over ice. Add milk until it looks like the colour you want. Add a little syrup, honey, condensed milk or whatever sweet thing is currently taking up space in your fridge.

Taste.

Adjust.

Drink.

The only ratio that matters:
Make it taste good to you.

06 — THE AFFOGATO THAT COUNTS AS COFFEE

Put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a glass.

Pour a hot espresso over it.

Watch it melt.

Eat it with a spoon.

Technically, this is coffee.

Technically, it is also dessert.

We're comfortable with both interpretations.

For something a little more grown-up, try a chocolatey espresso with notes of caramel and nuts. For something brighter, go for a lighter roast with fruitier acidity.

A FEW RULES WE ACTUALLY BELIEVE IN

Taste before you tweak.
If your coffee tastes too bitter, don't automatically add sugar. Try more milk or water first.

Ice is an ingredient.
Especially in iced coffee. Bad ice-to-coffee ratios can turn a great brew into brown water.

Milk changes everything.
Oat, dairy, almond — they're all going to bring something different. Pick the one you actually like drinking.

Recipes are suggestions.
Your kitchen isn't a laboratory. If you like it sweeter, make it sweeter. If you want more coffee, add more coffee.

And please don't overthink it.

Coffee has been around for a very long time.

It survived without your kitchen scale.

It'll survive without ours.

Make it yours.

Start with good coffee. Change things until you like what’s in the cup. Then forget the recipe completely.