Raktajino

Klingon coffee from Star Trek

No one knows exactly what’s in Raktajino, the Klingon coffee drink enjoyed by the officers on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I’ve seen a number of Raktajino recipes online. Most involve espresso along with cinnamon (sometimes other spices too) and often chocolate or instant cocoa. Some call for powdered milk; others call for liquor. One recipe used Turkish coffee and cardamom. And then there’s the Raktajino cocktail made with Kahlua, butterscotch Schnapps, chocolate liqueur, chocolate syrup, and half-and-half!

Here is my take on “the best Klingon coffee," using a moka pot, which is a stovetop brewer that makes something almost like espresso. Infused with spices and then blended with drip coffee, chocolate syrup, and hazelnut creamer, this yields a strong but surprisingly smooth and delicious brew that will either prepare you for battle or send you into space!

Ingredients:

For the moka coffee

This is for a 6-cup (10 fl. oz. or 300 ml) moka pot; adjust as needed. This will make two servings (see below).

• Ground coffee to fill the moka pot: a semi-fine grind is best, but in a pinch, you can use equal parts of finely ground espresso and medium ground dark roast coffee
• Water to fill the moka pot
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)

For each serving

Use a 16 oz. (475 ml) mug.

• 3 cups (5 fl. oz. or 150 ml) of the spiced moka coffee
• 8 fl. oz. (240 ml) of drip coffee
• 2 tablespoons sugar or no-calorie sweetener (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate syrup
• 1 tablespoon hazelnut-flavored non-dairy coffee creamer

Give it a stir and enjoy! A bit of whipped cream or frothed milk over the top will make it even better.