Whether it?s the first cup of the day or a complement to a great dessert, coffee is an indulgent little treat in every cup. As you hold the warm mug of caffienated goodness to your lips, the aroma is enough to kick-start our mornings and the taste plays with the flavors of our after-dinner delights.
Here are some other interesting uses for those good-tasting grounds:
Stay cool, add flavor
A great way to beat the heat and still get your coffee fix is to go the blended, iced route. Dante Hahn, owner of Downtown Coffee Cafe in Longview, said his most popular item is his mocha frappuccino, a frozen treat with a chocolate kick. This fairly new coffeehouse on Tyler Street brews a slew of drinks of both the hot and cold variety. Dante and staff will also ground coffee beans for you to take and enjoy in the comfort of your own home.
"People love to drink coffee in their own homes and, with that in mind, we've decided to start grinding coffee for our customers to take with them," Dante said. "After all, coffee tastes richer and more flavorful if you drink it soon after the coffee beans are ground and roasted. It makes sense to send people home with freshly ground beans."
Roast your own
A good roaster must be part artist, part scientist and part coffee fanatic. Because you can purchase preroasted coffee bags by the pounds, many people opt to go that route to fulfill their coffee fix. Before these bags were available, though, people jonesing for a hot cup of joe roasted small batches on the stovetop - a technique that still rocks, yet is not as common a task. For the roast-minded, there are many choices of roasters on the market. You can use general kitchen equipment such as a frying pan or popcorn maker. Just make sure that whatever equipment you use is clean, because if it's not the coffee will absorb the flavor of any left over food.
Invite it to dinner
Coffee grounds make great flavorful additions to some dishes. Try marinating a savory rib-eye steak in brewed coffee, salt, pepper, crushed garlic and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, or dry-rub pork chops with a mix of equal parts of ground coffee, brown sugar and kosher salt before throwing them on the grill.
For dessert, try this twist on coffee ice cream: sprinkle fresh-ground coffee, coarse or fine, on top. Mmmm!
Grow your garden
Plants such as rosebushes, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreen and camellias that prefer acidic soils will appreciate the leftovers from your morning cup. Also, grounds can add nutrients to your compost bin.
"I watched my grandmother as she would spread coffee grounds around her garden and under the fig trees. She explained it kept the ants away, and it was a cheap source to amend the soil," said Bonnie Holloway of Emerald Gardens of Longview. "Our 'old timers' were true recyclers. Most experts agree coffee grounds are great for compost and for worm beds. Experiment! That's the fun in gardening."
Get your scrub on
Rubbing your skin with coffee ground extract may sound silly, but it's actually a good idea. It removes dead skin cells, which results in better-looking skin. It can save you hundreds of dollars since this simple product can practically replace several pricey sessions with your dermatologist.
