by Melissa Reiss, Purchasing Assistant
Like many people, I drink coffee every day. I look forward to my hot, steaming morning cup, and I enjoy an occasional refreshing cold brew in the afternoon.
When I realized it would be likely that I’d be working from home for quite a while through the pandemic, I purchased a five-pound bag of French Roast from Equal Exchange to limit my trips to the Co-op. Being the only coffee drinker in my house, I was interested to see how long this bag would last me. It’s been one month and I have consumed 2.23 pounds. In addition to my morning cup, I’ve been keeping a constant stock of cold brew in my fridge. I like the smooth, refreshing taste, which is also less acidic than hot-brewed coffee.
Cold Brew
The best grind for making cold brew is a medium-fine grind. Start with two cups of ground coffee, and add five cups of fresh, room-temperature water. Mix well, and let sit! I soak my coffee grounds for 12-15 hours.
When the time is up, I strain using a fine mesh stainless steel strainer, which removes the majority of the grounds. This gives you a liquid that looks drinkable, but another filtration method is needed. If you look at the surface of the brew, you’ll see it’s quite oily. To get rid of this excess oil, I use a pour-over and carafe with unbleached paper filters. I usually go through about four filters per batch, since the brew is quite sludgy.
I prefer this double-filtration method over brewing with a French press because the filtering process removes a lot of acid, as well as super fine particles which can give the drink a gritty, bitter mouthfeel.
Chill your cold brew in the fridge in a container with a lid. The coffee will likely be very strong. This is basically a light concentrate. I make it like this so I can customize it later.
To make one serving: Add ice to a glass, pour in cold brew. Taste it. Add a little cold, fresh water to taste and drink as is or add cream and/or sweetener. If you like your coffee with sweetener, you can make a simple syrup ahead of time by mixing equal parts white cane sugar and water into a saucepan, and bring to boil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow to cool. Keep in the refrigerator. If you like cream, add your cream of choice. My current favorite is Oatly’s Barista Edition oat milk. Yum.
Repurposing coffee grounds
Running this little experiment and making my own cold brew made me think of all the coffee grounds I go through—is there something else I could do with them other than toss them in the trash? Here are some ideas.
Use as compost in the garden:
This is the easiest use and will benefit your soil in your garden. Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and other trace minerals. Layer them in with other green compost materials such as food scraps and grass clippings. For more information on composting from the City of Madison's website, see here: https://www.cityofmadison.com/streets/compost/howto.cfm
Keeping pests away:
Some say it will keep mosquitos, snails, and ants away. You can create a barrier around your garden with coffee grounds or try setting bowls out around outdoor seating areas. Coffee grounds in the garden may even deter cats from using your garden as a litter box.
A word about using coffee grounds directly in garden soil and for fertilizing houseplants. In researching this article, I came across a lot of conflicting advice about using coffee grounds as a direct application. However, one study I came across sites that the caffeine in the grounds could stunt plant growth. I personally have added coffee grounds to my garden soil and mixed in, and also a sad-looking azalea plant, and they seemed happy about it. So keep that in mind before you go all out—maybe try an experiment before tossing all your grounds into your garden.
Feed your worms:
Do you have worms? Add a cup or so of grounds per week to your worm bin, and they will be very happy. Happy worms make great soil for your garden!
Use as a cleaning scrub:
Coffee grounds can be used to make an abrasive scrub to remove buildup on some surfaces, like stainless steel sinks, cookware, and grills. Just be sure to not use them on white, porous materials, as they will likely stain.
Make your own exfoliating soap:
Melt a bar of glycerin soap (Clearly Natural, found in our Wellness section, is a great choice here) and add 1/3 cup coffee grounds. Stir well so grounds are evenly distributed, and reshape the bar in a mold. You don’t need a fancy soap mold—many household containers can be a mold! This soap may be too rough for the delicate skin of the face and neck, so avoid those areas. Instead, focus on hands and rougher parts of the body.
Make a shower scrub
The caffeine and antioxidants in the grounds can help stimulate skin cells to promote tighter skin. Great for thighs and exfoliating legs before shaving. Simply add melted coconut oil, jojoba oil, and a splash of vitamin E oil to coffee grounds, slowly, until you reach the consistency you want. Place the mixture in a jar or container with a lid. Massage it on wet skin in the shower, and rinse off.
I invite you to pick up a five-pound bag of Equal Exchange coffee. You may use it quicker than you think! If you’re feeling a bit less adventurous, we are also carrying 2.2 pound bags from Kickapoo Coffee during the bulk aisle closure, and of course, our usual 12-16 oz sizes as well.