Last verified 17 September 2026
Copycat Breve Recipe
How to build the 7 Brew Breve at home — 4 ingredients, 10 minutes, 292 calories a serving, and roughly $3.34 cheaper per drink than the $5.57 you would pay at the window. This is the recipe I keep coming back to when I am not standing in line.
What you are aiming for — a Breve off the board. The stand's Medium is 292 calories; this version comes in at 292.
A Breve is a breve build. A breve is espresso and half-and-half and nothing else. It is the simplest drink on the board and the easiest to wreck by over-heating. Pull it at 60 °C and it is silky; push to 75 °C and it turns grainy.
At a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Prep time | 5 minutes |
| Cook time | 5 minutes |
| Total time | 10 minutes |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Yield | 1 drink (16 oz) |
| Calories (per serving) | 292 kcal |
| Sugar | 37 g |
| Caffeine | 135 mg |
| Home cost | $2.23 |
| Stand price (Medium) | $5.57 |
| You save | $3.34 (60%) |
Ingredients
- 2 shots espresso (60 ml)
- 240 ml half-and-half (half-and-half)
- no syrup — the dairy is the point
- a spoonable foam cap
Equipment
- Espresso machine or moka pot
- Small saucepan
- Whisk or frother
- 16 oz mug
How to make it
- Pull 2 shots of espresso (60 ml). Breve is rich, so stop the shot as soon as it blonds — over-extraction turns it harsh.
- Warm 240 ml of half-and-half over medium-low heat until it reads 60 °C. Half-and-half scalds above that and goes grainy.
- Whisk hard for 30 seconds, or run a frother through it, until it holds a soft spoonable foam.
- Stir no syrup — the dairy is the point into the espresso, then pour the frothed half-and-half over the top in one slow stream.
- Rest 20 seconds so the foam sets into its own layer, then add a spoonable foam cap.
- Breve thickens as it cools — drink it within about 10 minutes.
Tips that actually matter
- Stay under 65 °C. Half-and-half scalds far faster than milk.
- Do not whisk it into stiff foam — a breve should be dense.
- Use fresh half-and-half. Older dairy splits when it hits acidic espresso.
Variations
- Iced breve: half-and-half over ice, espresso floated on top.
- Vanilla breve: 2 tsp of vanilla syrup.
- Honey breve: 1 tsp of honey dissolved in the hot espresso.
What it costs to make at home
| Component | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| 2 shots espresso (60 ml) | $0.55 |
| 240 ml half-and-half (half-and-half) | $0.48 |
| no syrup — the dairy is the point | $0.35 |
| a spoonable foam cap | $0.35 |
| Total per serving | $2.23 |
| Stand price (Medium 24 oz) | $5.57 |
| Saving per drink | $3.34 |
Costs assume supermarket prices and a syrup bottle amortised over roughly 25 drinks. The first drink is more expensive than $2.23 because you are buying the bottle; by the fifth drink you are clearly ahead.
How this recipe compares
Across all 46 copycat recipes on this site, this one is the 36th fastest at 10 minutes and the 22nd lightest at 292 calories — 10 calories below the 302-calorie average.
Same technique (breve)
More Coffee Classics recipes
Verified · prices & nutrition are estimates — confirm at your stand