People often stop to comment on how pretty my furbaby is whenever I’m out and about with her. They ask her name, and I say, “Starbuck.”

“No,” I say, “not Starbucks. Starbuck. I didn’t name her after the coffee chain,” I explain. “I named her after the lead female character on the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ reboot. Captain Kara Thrace is a fighter pilot whose call sign is Starbuck.” The series is among my top 10 favorite TV shows.

“Ah! I see.” Followed by nervous laughter. And once in a while, happily, I get an “Oh! I loved that show!”

The funny thing is that these strangers assume what most of my friends did when I first introduced them to my little American cocker spaniel. Why? Because everyone who knows me personally knows how much of a coffee fanatic I am.

Even with weekly visits to that big coffee chain for my grande quad-shot extra hot nonfat latte, I have been making daily lattes at home for years. I burnt out four $80 espresso machines before finally dropping nearly $700 for a dual-thermometer double boiler machine in 2007 (that still makes a great cuppa). I’ve lost count of how many regular drip machines I’ve gone through since college. Embarrassingly, I currently own three French presses (single serve, 4-cup and 8-cup) and two Moka pots (9 cups and 3 cups). My uncle gifted my aunt and me an AeroPress a few years ago, which sits primarily unused after the first few bungled attempts. Our everyday workhorse is a Keurig with a water reserve so that we can make several cups without having to refill after each one. I’ve also recently bought a stovetop percolator and contemplated investing in a pour-over cone. Why? All in search of a great cup of coffee.

Before the commercial cold brew industry exploded a couple of years ago, many of my blogging friends were raving about cold brew coffee. Once I finally got around to making it, I fell in love with it. I’ve especially welcomed it these last two years of working from home.

Without getting too bogged down in the science, there are two vital differences between making a cold brew concentrate and pouring hot brewed coffee over ice: bitterness and concentration.

Cold brew is a gentle extraction method, bypassing the compounds that can make coffee bitter. Hot brewed coffee is tricky to do well: Too-hot water creates bitterness and higher acidity.

A hot brewed pot of coffee is full strength as is. As the ice in an iced coffee melts, the coffee becomes weaker. Cold brewing creates a coffee concentrate, so you have the opposite effect. You start with a strong but not bitter or pungent sip, and as the ice melts, each sip gets better and mellower. To rival a chain shop’s cold brew, I fill a glass with ice, coffee, cream and a hint of sweetness. It’s perfect for summer when you want a caffeine fix but it’s too warm for a hot beverage.

However, I always like to start my day with a hot cup of coffee regardless of the weather. You can also use the cold brew concentrate for a hot cup that is sweeter and more flavorful than hot-brewed. Just add two parts of hot water to one part concentrate (or to taste).

Come evenings, as the weather cools down, I start jonesing for a hot beverage again, especially after dinner. My warm drink of choice is a Mexican mocha latte. A latte is espresso plus steamed milk. A mocha latte is espresso, chocolate and steamed milk. A Mexican mocha latte uses Mexican drinking chocolate (our family prefers Ibarra, which has a pronounced cinnamon flavor profile).

Mexican mochas were my Aunt Sally’s favorite drink. She passed suddenly in 2011. When I lived alone, I would invite both of my aunts over for dinner and would make the drink after our meal.

I now live in what used to be her bedroom, and I often feel her in the space. Sometimes I hear an odd knock, something fairly secure will fall, or the bathroom door will open on its own, and even sometimes, I swear I hear my name spoken with so much love softly near my ear. Starbuck hears it, too. Her head will follow the sound, her nubby tail wagging, and in my head, I hear my auntie say, “Hi, dog” because she was not a dog person, and that’s how she would greet Starbuck. Maybe Starbuck sees what I can only feel.

What a comforting thought, though, that maybe she comes to visit sometimes, watching over me as I brew another Mexican mocha latte, thinking of her as I do.

Some folks advocate using a mild, light coffee bean. I found it to produce a flat, one-note cold brew. I prefer a darker roast and have opted for Italian, French and espresso. Start with your favorite and use it as a guide to finding your perfect choice. The concentrate will last, refrigerated, for about two weeks in a tightly covered jar (Mason jars work great for this).

2 cups coarsely ground coffee 8 cups filtered water

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: 2 (2-quart) containers Wooden spoon or rubber spatula Fine mesh strainer Cheesecloth Coffee filters Mason jars or other airtight containers

Add coffee to a large, 2-quart container. Slowly pour in the filtered water.

Gently stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon (a metal utensil will leave a metallic taste) to ensure that all the grounds are wet — this will be the only time you stir. Stirring more later can agitate the compounds that make coffee bitter. Secure container with cheesecloth and let steep on the counter for at least 10 hours. Alternately, steep in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Line a fine mesh strainer with two or three layers of cheesecloth. Set it over a large container with at least a 2-quart capacity. Slowly pour in the steeped coffee and let drain naturally. Discard cheesecloth.

Line the strainer with coffee filters to cover completely. Rinse the original container well to remove any grounds and place the strainer over the container. Pour the strained coffee slowly into the strainer to remove any remaining grit in the coffee (this might take a few minutes).

Store in tightly covered Mason or Ball jars or a 2-quart pitcher with lid. For best results, refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

To serve: For hot coffee, add 2 parts very hot (but not boiling) water to 1 part concentrate. Add sugar and cream as desired. For iced coffee, fill a large glass with ice, pour in coffee concentrate, add half and half or creamer of choice and sweeten to taste. Or, try it with sweetened condensed milk for a real treat!

If you don’t own an espresso maker, see the notes at the end.

⅓ cup of whole or 2 percent cold milk 2 tablespoons grated Ibarra Mexican Chocolate, plus more for garnish 4 tablespoons ground espresso beans or enough for 2 freshly pulled shots of espresso 2 to 4 tablespoons freshly made whipped cream (see recipe)

FOR GARNISH: Ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican

Pour the milk into a frothing mug and stir in the chocolate. Using the steaming wand of your espresso maker, steam the milk until it reaches 145 to 160 degrees. The frothing action will incorporate the chocolate into the milk; set aside.

Pull two espresso shots simultaneously if your machine allows for it by adding enough espresso grounds to your portafilter’s double shot filter basket, tamp and pull according to your machine’s directions. Pull one shot at a time if you only have a single-shot filter or are using a coffee puck.

Add the frothed chocolate milk to a tall glass. Add the two shots of espresso. Top with freshly made whipped cream. Garnish with some grated Ibarra and a dash of ground cinnamon.

Notes: If you don’t own an espresso machine, you can brew your coffee in a Moka pot or French press using ground espresso appropriate for the chosen brewing method. Alternatively, you can use instant espresso powder. I use Medaglia D’Oro (Café Bustelo makes one that is decaffeinated, if that is your preference). Follow the directions on the jar for two shots. For the chocolate milk, warm the milk in a saucepan. Once it starts to simmer, add the chocolate. Vigorously whisk until the chocolate is dissolved and the milk is frothy.

Homemade whipped cream is super easy to make and much more flavorful, since you control the sweetness.

Ice ½ cup very cold heavy whipping cream 1 teaspoon sugar (ultrafine baking sugar works best)

Place several ice cubes in a medium-size mixing bowl, then nestle a smaller bowl inside the ice-filled one. Place in the refrigerator for 5 minutes for the bowls to chill. Add heavy whipping cream and sugar to the smaller bowl. Whisk until stiff peaks hold their shape. Use immediately.

Recipes are copyrighted by Anita L. Arambula and are reprinted with permission from “Confessions of a Foodie.”

Arambula is the food section art director and designer. She blogs at confessionsofafoodie.me, where the original versions of this article were published. Follow her on Instagram: @afotogirl. She can be reached at anita.arambula@sduniontribune.com.

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