Coffee Month

Once and a while I end up with some leftover coffee. For me it is usually the second pot I cannot finish. When it is over half a pot, I just hate to let it go waste. Good thing I know what to do with my leftover coffee (and the used grounds).

One of the few ways to keep coffee drinkable later is freezing it properly. You can make ice cubes, popsicles in many variations with leftover coffee. To ensure the best flavor, freeze the coffee as soon as you know you are done with the pot. I would not recommend freezing or saving coffee that has been sitting the whole day, even a few hours is pushing it. You can use these coffee cubes for cooling down hot coffee, making a variety of smoothies. (Some recipes at the bottom of post)

There are mixed views about refrigerating leftover coffee, some say it is just as good and some say it is awful tasting. I say it depends on how long you plan to store it (one day, two days) and, how you store it (must be in an airtight container). I would not save it longer than a day in the refrigerator, and maybe four days in the freezer. It all boils down to personal preference, whether or not you like the way it taste after a certain amount of time. Tip: if you know ahead of time you will have leftover coffee (like it is the second pot and you hardly ever finish) mix a pinch of salt in the grounds before you brew. It will take the bitterness out of the coffee and will make the leftover coffee taste better; of course, you can do this whenever you brew coffee.

Within the same day of refrigerating, you can use the leftover coffee to marinate meat. I have heard it is great for steaks. You really do not get much of the coffee flavor in the meat, so do not worry about your steak tasting just like a cup of joe. It mostly gives it a nice dark color. There are so many recipes for using coffee in marinates that all use different amounts of coffee, you should be able to find one that makes your mouth water. If not, just try adding a cup or so to a marinate recipe you already make. Also, try some in stews, pork chops, brownies, gravy, roast, etc. almost anything. You can add coffee in to the mix when you are making brownies, cookies, cakes, anything you want some coffee flavor in, just remember it is mostly water to you may have to cut back on some other liquids in a recipe so it is the right consistency. Coffee ice cubes can be thawed for use in baking.

Mix coffee with some chocolate milk mix, use enough that thickens up the coffee a little, add some vanilla extract (and creamer if you want), mix it thoroughly.
Put is airtight container and refrigerate. Use this concoction with a day on ice cream, brownies, cakes, etc. or you can go light on the chocolate milk mix so it is a drink instead of syrup.

As for the grounds, here are some things you can do with them:

• Used coffee grounds are really good for plants. You can mix them in the dirt when transplanting (in vegetable beds too), or sprinkle some on top of the soil (indoor and outdoor plants) before watering or rain for slow release nitrogen that your plants love.
• Your compost pile will benefit greatly from used coffee grounds, and go ahead and throw the filters in there too. They break down (used tea bags are almost as good as coffee grounds so save them as well)
• Mix used coffee ground with eggshells to get rid of pests, encircle the base of a plant with the mixture to repel pests.
• Make a fast acting and gentle liquid fertilizer by soaking the used grounds in water (about a half-pound of wet grounds per five gallons of water. Let mixture soak outside.

Recipes:
• Red Eye or a Turbo Hot as Dunkin Donuts calls it is a shot or two of espresso in coffee. Try it cold! Add one shot for a 10-12 oz cup of iced coffee, two shots for a 16oz coffee and three for a 20oz.
• Black and White milkshake, it is made with vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup with two shots of espresso.
• To make an iced version of a Starbucks latte use about half a dozen coffee ice cubes, around ½ cup of milk, and sugar and vanilla (as you like it) in a blender. Blend until frothy and light.
• Make a cool White Russian by using coffee ice cubes instead of regular ice. Use coffee cubes in other Kahlua or Coffee Liqueur based drinks.

What I am drinking now: Tully’s Keurig K-Cup Italian Roast

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Espressos are available in almost every coffee shop and they are the base for many coffee drinks like lattes, cappuccinos, etc… But, how many espresso drinkers know what makes it different than regular coffee? It is made from the same beans that coffee is but to be used for espressos the beans must be ground with a burr grinder (a tapered male and female blade grinder). This is very important if you are going to grind your own beans for espresso. A spinning blade grinder (propeller shaped) works fine for grinding coffee beans for filtered coffee, however it just smashes them up making the resulting grinds vary in size which will just not work for espressos.

The espresso brewing process was invented in Italy around the turn of the century and it made its way to the US after World War II. The word espresso comes from the Latin word Expresesre which means “to press out”. This dark rich black coffee is traditionally served in a small “shot” type glass (about an ounce), you will see the word ‘shot’ used in recipes that include espresso. Example: Drinks like Cappuccinos take two ‘shots’ of espresso to make. Using dark roasted coffee beans is usually preferred when making espressos. Many people think a darker roast makes a difference in the taste, but it does not. A lot of the flavor depends on the quality of the blend, the beans being used, and where the blend was made. However, it is largely a matter of personal preference. The only MUST for beans that will be made into espresso is they have to be finely ground.

Espressos have to be made with an Espresso Machine, which can cost a minimum of $50.00 and the prices just go up from there. Nevertheless, if you drink a lot of espresso or other coffee drinks that espresso is the base for you may want to invest in an Espresso Machine. I recommend one that has a steam apparatus for frothing milk.
How does an Espresso Machine work? A pump in the machine forces hot (not boiling) water through the grounds at about nine atmospheres of pressure. This extracts the heart of the beans. An 18 to 23 second pull on the lever should extract a ‘shot’ from an espresso machine and should produce ¾ of an ounce to one whole ounce of yummy espresso. The water temperature is very important, and most at-home espresso machines take some time to warm up to the right temperature. If the water is not at the right temperature your homemade espresso may not taste too good, so read the instructions that come with your machine, it should tell you how long the warm up will take (usually 10 to 15 minutes).

Enjoy!

What I am drinking now: Green Mountain Coffee Breakfast Blend K-Cups

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You may think that your addiction to coffee is a bad habit. Consider a scenario where this bad habit turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Yes, this blessing is coffee. Coffee can work wonders for your health. However, coffee has been considered the root of all evils for quite some time now. People thought that coffee created health problems ranging from birth defects to breast cancer.

Today, after conducing hundreds of hours of research work it has been proven that there are no harmful side effects of coffee. Therefore all the blame piled onto coffee is coming to an end. You may be surprised to know that there are a vast number of benefits of drinking coffee daily.

By drinking coffee, the risk of colon cancer can be reduced by twenty five percent. It can help in keeping your bowel movements regular. Other studies suggest that taking coffee regularly can lessen the risk of kidney stones. There is good news for those suffering from asthma. Asthma patients who drink coffee daily have symptoms reduced by twenty five percent. This is due to the fact that coffee contains theophylline, a substance that provides relief to asthma patients. There are a numerous other ailments that coffee can prevent. Some diseases like the cirrhosis of liver, Parkinson’s disease, skin cancer and gallstones can be avoided by drinking coffee in moderation. All this evidence supporting coffee doesn’t necessarily mean that you should start drink coffee in large quantities. Studies suggest that three to four cups per day will have no harmful side effects on a healthy individual. However pregnant women should limit their consumption to less then two cups per day. Therefore, drinking some high quality coffee is defiantly going to boost your health.

Further research has proven that coffee contains antioxidants. They are evening the aroma coming from a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Antioxidants prove beneficial by improving our immune system. They can also reduce the risk of both cancer and heart diseases. Drinking coffee within twenty minutes of brewing will provide some three hundred antioxidant phytochemicals. They will remain in your body for up to one month. A diet containing plenty of antioxidants will effectively protect you body from cancer, cataracts, heart diseases and other symptoms related to aging. Vitamin C and E are two of the most famous antioxidants. A great amount of research has shown that they are extremely essential to our health. Vitamin C is easily dissolvable in water and protects aqueous portions of cells and tissues inside our body. Where as, vitamin E is soluble in oil and plays a vital role in protecting lipid parts like cellular membranes. With all this research supporting coffee, drinking a wholesome cup regularly will go a long way in improving your health. It will ensure your long term fitness and well being.

What I am drinking now: Boca Java’a Riviera Roast (Very good dark roasted coffee)

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