Coffee is great for mornings. In fact, it is probably the sole reason any of us get out of bed. But coffee has a place throughout the day in other forms besides a hot black liquid in your cup. The flavor is perfect for mixing with chocolate, homemade syrups and warming spices. Plus, it’s super easy to roast your own coffee beans, make your own cold brew and impress friends with latte art . . . from a French press. Here are 11 ways to jumpstart your day with coffee that don’t involve a pot.
1. Coffee ice cubes
This is a no-brainer, but adding frozen coffee cubes to your iced coffee drinks will keep them from becoming diluted with ice cubes made with plain old dumb water.
2. Reuse your old coffee grounds Once you're done with your pot of coffee, don’t toss your grounds! Not only does it make for great compost, you can use them to scrub your pots and pans, and deodorize your fridge. You can even use them in your next chocolate recipe.
3. Add coffee grounds to your baked goods Chocolate and coffee is a wonderful combo. Adding coffee in place of water to your boxed chocolate cake mixes enhances the cocoa flavor. It even tastes good in yellow cake mixes.
4. Make homemade coffee syrups You can get as fancy as you want with flavored syrups. But a simple vanilla flavor only requires sugar, water, a vanilla bean and some vanilla extract. Perfect in iced lattes and cold brew.
My sister is a genius in the kitchen, and she whipped up Homemade Blackberry Syrup just for you over on the blog today! 🍇🍯☕️💕You're going to want try this... it makes your coffee pink! @kylajicha #coffeesyrup #blackberries #homemade #glutenfreedairfree A post shared by Ashley Brooke (@ashleybrookedesigns) on
5. Drink with grapefruit
The compounds in grapefruit keep caffeine, whether it comes from coffee or chocolate, active in your body longer. On the downside, grapefruit has the same effect with alcohol, which means mixing grapefruit juice, alcohol and coffee together could be a dangerous trifecta.
6. Roast your own coffee in an air popper
While popping your way to roasted coffee beans won’t make the coffee taste any better, it will make your home smell amazing!
7. Make iced coffee popsicles
Seattle’s Caffe Ladro has an easy recipe that requires nothing but coffee, simple syrup, and cream. It’s as easy as brewing up a pot of coffee. Make sure you have popsicle molds and you’re good to go!
8. Froth your milk with a French press Like, who knew a French press could be so multi-talented? Not only can it make a killer cup of Joe, but it can froth milk quickly. After your coffee is in your cup, fill the French press with about as much milk as there was coffee. Heat up in the microwave for a minute, just until the milk is hot-ish, being careful not to overheat and cook the milk. Then proceed to repeatedly “pump” the milk with the plunger until you reach your desired consistency of foam.
French press latte kinda day 😎 . . . #manualbrew #manualbrewing #manmakecoffee #manualbrewonly #manualbrewcoffee #manualbrewingcoffee #manualbrewingonly #coffee #coffeecup #coffeetime #coffeeshots #coffeelover #coffeeaddict #coffeeaficionado #frenchpress #frenchpresscoffee #frenchpresslatte #beantocup A post shared by @stolenholiday on
9. Make cold brew in a blender
The only way this DIY cold brew recipe could be any easier is if someone else made it for you. A step-by-step guide is also available.
10. Add a pinch of salt to bitter coffee
Add it to the grounds before brewing, or after it’s brewed “in a pinch.” It works!
11. Add spices to coffee grounds before brewing
By adding warming spices like ground cinnamon and nutmeg to your coffee grounds before the brewing process, you’ll not only add some depth of flavor to your morning cup, but the lingering aroma will smell like you’re baking pies!
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