What’s So Great About the Keurig?

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Laura Woods

Keurig coffee makerKeurig hit the scene in 1998 with their B2000 brewer for office use. Keurig coffee makers are unique in that they are one-cup brewers featuring single use “K-Cups” of coffee. You pop the K-Cup into the machine; push a button, and voila – you have a hot, fresh cup of specialty coffee within minutes.

The K-Cup itself is a sealed package containing ground coffee (not instant) and a paper filter. When you insert the K-Cup into the machine and push the button, the machine punches a hole into both the top and bottom of the cup and forces hot, pressurized water through the grounds inside – a combination of the drip and espresso brewing methods.

The first B2000 just brewed coffee, but Keurig Introduced tea K-Cups two years later, followed by other beverages like hot chocolate and apple cider. As of 2012, Keuig offers three different brewing systems  – the original K-Cup, the Vue System that allows consumers to customize the brewing process (it uses Vue packs instead of K-Cups), and the Rivo System, which makes espresso drinks including cappuccinos and lattes.

Keurig now features nine different home brewers and three Keurig-licensed home brewers made by other companies using Keurig Brewed® Technology. The company also offers seven models of work brewers engineered for commercial use, designed to brew up to 10 times the daily volume of the home brewers.

What’s good about Keurig and K-Cups?

  • Keurig users rave about the ease of use. No set up, clean up or messy measuring. Just pour cool, clean water into the reservoir and push a button!
  • There are over 200 varieties of beverages to choose from – light roast to dark roast coffee, flavoured iced and decaf coffee, a variety of teas and iced teas, hot chocolate, and even apple cider. The assortment is perfect for parties, offices, meetings, or even families with varying tastes.
  • Consistent strength and flavour. You can count on the same results over and over.
  • Always fresh and hot, because you brew your beverages one at a time.
  • The machines themselves are attractive, with a clean, modern look.

What’s not so good?

  • Coffee purists turn up their nose at the Keurig brewers, insisting that a truly delicious cup of premium coffee can only be made with fresh roasted and freshly ground beans, and that the Keurig maximum water boiling point is too low to brew that perfect cup of coffee.
  • They’re not cheap. Even a small single serve brewer will run you around $88 on Amazon.
  • Then there’s the ongoing cost of the single serve coffee and other “pods”. A “valu pack” of 80 Green Mountain Columbian coffee K-Cups is $45 on Amazon, or 56 cents a cup. Time Magazine ran an article titled Beans vs. Single-Serve Cup: Just How Much More Does K-Cup Coffee Cost? in which the writer concluded that, factoring in the cost of coffee pots and filters, K-Cup coffee costs roughly $50 per pound – well over double the price of a bag of fresh premium coffee beans.
  • K-Cups can’t be recycled. The K-Cup is a self-contained plastic unit integrated with a coffee filter, coffee grounds, and plastic foil top; there is no easy way to separate the components for recycling. This has led to many calling the use of K-Cups an “environmental issue”.
  • Like any coffee maker, the Keurig machine needs descaling about every three to six months to avoid the build up of lime and calcium deposits. How often you will need to descale will depend on your frequency of use and the hardness of the local water, but the good news is that the Keurig machine has a “descale” light that takes the guesswork out of when to do it.
  • There are a number of complaints on consumerreports.com about the pricey coffee makers breaking down within the first year, although several consumers also report Keurig readily gave them a replacement unit.

Whatever the pros and cons, parent company Green Mountain Coffee Roasters have done an outstanding job of marketing the concept and the products. And consumers are buying in – the Keurig single cup coffee maker platform was named “Brand of the Year” in the “Coffee Maker” category in the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend Equity Study, based on consumers’ rankings.

As usual, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. A half dozen competing companies have launched coffee-capsule and pod-based coffee brewers for the home and commercial markets, hoping to capitalize on Keurig’s success.

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Vintage Doulton Urinals Make Underground Coffee Shop Unique

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Laura Woods

coffee shop urinals boothsLondoner Peter Tomlinson and his business partner took a chance on flushing a major investment when they decided to turn one of England’s oldest underground bathrooms into a gourmet coffee shop. The neglected, rubbish-strewn steps and cracked green subway tiles down to the 100-year-old entrance would not have inspired most people to think “trendy cafe”, but two years, a lot of elbow grease and about $150,000 dollars later, Tomlinson’s vision is paying off.

The Attendant (as in bathroom attendant) opened at 27A Foley Street in London in early 2013. The 1890′s era men’s lavatory, abandoned since the 1960s, had been thoroughly scrubbed and renovated. The original attendant’s office was transformed into a functional kitchen, and the lavatory space into a chic cafe. The once-dilapidated steps and entrance are now inviting – restored and painted a fresh white, with brass fittings and classic rope handrails.

Tomlinson and his partner made a point of keeping as many of the lavatory’s original features as possible, and the existing ornate porcelain Doulton & Co men’s room urinals are now a striking focal point, forming a row of  ”unique private booths”. They also preserved the original colour scheme – white with red tiles and a “pop” of kelly green in the stools to match the original Victorian floor tiles.

The Attendant serves breakfast, brunch and lunch – fresh sandwiches, salads, soups, cakes, tea – and, of course, premium coffee. Tomlinson admits that some people are put off at the thought of drinking and eating where Victorian gentlemen use to relieve themselves. “That’s why we have to work to hard to create and make the Attendant really exciting and nice,” he laughs.

The Attendant’s owners are not the only ones investing in London’s abandoned bathrooms. A London architect was one of the first to transform an abandoned lavatory into a cozy and attractive underground living space.  And someone just spent almost one million dollars for a similar derelict bathroom, with the intention of turning it into an ice cream parlour.

The Attendant has caught the attention of BBC London and CBS TV; magazines Elle (which called the original Victorian ceramics and fittings “architectural gems”), Vanity Fair and Square Meal; and numerous blogs and websites, including the design site inthralld.com.

To learn more about the transformation of the Attendant, check out some of the before and after shots on Pinterest.

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Divinely Delicious Coffee Drink Recipes

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Laura Woods

Coffee drinkFew ingredients lend themselves to as many, as delicious, or as varied drink recipes as coffee. While most of us are in the habit of going out to a coffee shop to have an experienced barista whip up our favourite fancy coffee drink, these same delicious coffee beverages can easily (and affordably!) be made at home.

The top 20 homemade coffee drinks recipes on allrecipes.com include a Gingerbread Latte, a Mixed Mocha with both white and regular chocolate, a Cappuccino Cooler, a White Chocolate Latte, an iced-cappuccino-like Coffee Shake featuring vanilla and chocolate, and a simple Vietnamese Iced Coffee made with sweetened condensed milk.

Then there’s Gunline Coffee, a contributed instant coffee powder recipe that consists of non-dairy coffee creamer, hot chocolate mix, instant coffee, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Perfect for camping, picnics or field trips, the recipe got its name from the contributor’s husband’s buddies in the artillery, who request it every time they go out in the field.

Over on the foodnetwork.com, a recipe for Dulce de Leche Coffee has earned five stars. Dulce de Leche (which translates to “candy of milk”) is a South American favourite prepared by slowly heating milk and sugar until it caramelizes, developing colour and flavour.

Or head over to aroundmyfamilytable.com to try out an amazing iced Nutella Blended Coffee Drink. Or what about moneysavingmom.com’s rich Homemade Frappuccino Recipe using instant pudding? And who could resist breweddaily.com’s S’Mores Latte, complete with mini marshmallows and graham cracker crumbs? Then there’s betterrecipes.com’s creamy Peanut Butter Mocha, made with vanilla frozen yogurt, and garnished with chocolate shavings.

Then of course there’s that whole other ball game – coffee drinks with alcohol in them.  Every country seems to have its signature alcoholic coffee drink: Mexican coffee with tequila, Kahlua liqueur and whipped cream; Spanish coffee with brandy, Kahlua and whipped cream; Jamaican coffee with rum, Tia Maria and whipped cream; or the classic Irish coffee with whiskey, Frangelico and whipped cream. Or kick it up a notch with a classy Espresso Martini.

Whatever your coffee drink, it’s only as good as the coffee you base it on. So start with fresh premium coffee beans, and grind them just before brewing.

Image: Michael Allen Smith

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Mayo Clinic Study Points to Another Health Benefit of Coffee

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Laura Woods
Antioxidant-rich ripe coffee beans

Antioxidant-rich ripe coffee beans

Add another healthy association for regular coffee consumption, this time courtesy of the auspicious Mayo Clinic. Research conducted by the Clinic and presented at the Digestive Disease Week 2013 Conference in Orlando, Florida showed moderate coffee drinkers had a reduced risk of developing a rare but serious autoimmune liver disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis, or PSC.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis is an inflammatory disease of the liver’s bile ducts that results in inflammation and resulting fibrosis (thickened, scar-like tissue). That fibrosis can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure and biliary cancer.

Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist and study author Craig Lammert, M.D. described the findings as “intriguing”. “While rare, PSC has extremely detrimental effects,” he said, “We’re always looking for ways to mitigate risk, and our first-time finding points to a novel environmental factor that also might help us to determine the cause of this and other devastating autoimmune diseases.”

The study examined a large group of U.S. patients with PSC and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), a progressive inflammatory disease of the liver characterized by obstruction of the bile duct, and a group of healthy patients. Data showed that coffee consumption was associated with reduced risk of PSC, but not PBC.

“Ultimately over the past couple of years, we know that coffee’s been related to specific mortality reduction per the New England Journal of Medicine article of last year,” explains Dr. Lammert. “With this as well there has been important hepatology outcomes seen in the literature of the past 20 years, specifically a decreased risk in liver enzyme elevations in patients that are high risk for elevations, also a decreased risk in fibrosis progression, specifically in hepatitis C and alcoholic hepatitis. Therefore, these findings triggered our group to invest some time and effort to evaluate the question of coffee in these disorders.”

To view a video of Dr. Craig Lammert discussing his study of drinking coffee, PSC and PBC, click here. Other recent research has linked regular, moderate coffee consumption with a possible reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and with a reduced risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer.

Many of the health benefits of drinking coffee are believed attributable to its high antioxidant content. In fact, coffee has more antioxidants than green tea, fruit or vegetables. Antioxidant Café coffee contain up to six times more plant antioxidants that other specialty coffee, due to its triple-patented HealthyRoast® process, designed to preserve the high antioxidant content of green coffee beans throughout the roasting process.

Image: Marcelo Corrêa

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Antioxidant Cafe Coffee Now Available on Amazon

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Laura Woods

antioxidant coffee on AmazonGood news! Antioxidant Café International is proud to announce that the world’s most powerful antioxidant coffee is now available through Amazon.ca for our customers’ convenience. Buying your antioxidant coffee though Amazon allows you to shop online for other products at the same time, and have them delivered to your door together. Amazon’s convenient 1-Click ordering (which is turned on automatically after you place your first order) allows you to place an order to any address you’ve shipped to in the past by – you guessed it – clicking just one button.

Antioxidant Cafe coffee is eligible for fast, free Super Saving Shipping when purchasing $25 or more of any eligible items on Amazon. Members of the Amazon Prime program receive free two-day shipping on any size order.

The first Antioxidant Cafe product to be offered on Amazon.ca is our popular Signature Roast Whole Bean coffee, a rich, full-bodied dark roast specialty coffee. Our Signature Decaf Coffee (Swiss wash method) is also available. High antioxidant Signature Roast coffee beans are available in single bags for $14.99, a six pack for $77.94 (save $12), or in a bulk coffee 24 pack for $287.76 (save  $72!). Our decaf coffee beans are currently only available in single bags, but if you’d like the option to buy them in a six pack, please let us know.

Our unique brand of Antioxidant coffee is flavourful and robust, enriched with 6 times more antioxidants than any other premium coffee. Antioxidant Cafe coffee is roasted using an exclusive triple-patented Healthy Roast Process™, in which the natural antioxidants are extracted from a portion of the green bean during the roasting process, and re-infused into the whole beans after roasting. The result is a rich and flavourful organic coffee with up to six times more antioxidants than a typical gourmet coffee, with no additives or preservatives.

Antioxidants are widely believed to help protect human cells from damage, disease and premature aging by neutralizing free radicals in the body. The natural polyphenol antioxidants contained in green coffee beans are the largest source of antioxidants in the average North American’s diet.

However, without the Healthy Roast Process™, the heat from the roasting process breaks down up to ninety percent of these healthy antioxidants as the beans are roasted to develop their flavour and colour. And the darker the roast, the more antioxidants are lost.

Containing only Rainforest Alliance certified, hand-picked Arabica premium coffee beans, our Signature USDA certified organic coffee is fast becoming a favourite of those who appreciate a rich, full-bodied dark roast coffee with no bitterness.

Don’t live in Canada?  Don’t worry, our delicious antioxidant rich coffee will soon be available on Amazon.com as well.

Image: jonobacon

 

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People’s Choice Five Best Coffee Makers

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Laura Woods
AeroPress Coffee Maker

AeroPress Coffee Maker

Lifehacker.com, which has devoted many articles to the popular subject of coffee, recently asked its readers to nominate their choice for the best coffee maker. Lifehacker offers helpful “tips, tricks, and downloads for getting things done.”

Lifehacker writer Alan Henry regularly puts out a “Hive Five” call for nominations of the best five in different categories: best iPhone case, best mind mapping tools, best document scanners, best sleep tracking gadgets or apps, best Google reader alternatives…  Henry then goes through the nominations and posts the reader’s top five choices. Henry asked for nominations for the best coffee maker, and then chose the top five from the “tidal wave” of responses.

So what was the number one choice for the best coffee maker? It was the ever-popular French press, or Bodum, also known as a coffee plunger or a cafetière. The number two choice may come as a surprise to many. In second place was a relative newcomer to the art of coffee brewing, the Aerobie AeroPress.

The AeroPress, invented in 2005, shares some of the characteristics of a French press, but uses a disposable paper filter instead of a wire or nylon mesh filter, takes a finer grind coffee, uses air pressure to extract more coffee flavour, and has a shorter brewing time) only 30 seconds). The AeroPress also has the advantage of a quick and easy clean-up.

In third place was the old standard pour over brewer, in which a plastic or glass cone with a paper filter holding coffee grounds is placed on top of a carafe or coffee cup, and the water slowly poured over it.

Coming in fourth was the Technivorm Moccamaster thermal drip coffeemaker. According to Henry, “The Moccamaster is a handmade thermal pot that represents a significant upgrade to traditional drip models. The Moccamaster (and its rival Bonavita BV1800) both strive to bring the temperature of the water up to the proper level in an independent heating area, away from the coffee and the carafe, and only then introduce the water to the coffee stored in the filter bed above the carafe.” The Moccamaster, a Cadillac of coffee makers with a starting price of about $300, was recently acknowledged in Cooks Illustrated Magazine.

Rounding out the top five was the humble Bialetti Moka Pot, also known as the Moka Espresso or the Moka Elite. Invented in the early 1930s, the Moka Pot is much more popular in Europe and Central and South America than in North America. Usually made of aluminum or stainless steel, the three-chamber pots are placed on the stove to heat the water in the bottom chamber. The steam pressure then pushes the water through the coffee grounds in a centre basket, and then the resulting coffee rises into a top chamber, ready to be poured into your cup.  Henry describes the resulting coffee as more like espresso than drip, with a flavor and balance to match.

It’s interesting to note that an “honourable mention” went out to Keurig Single Cup Brewers, which just missed being in the top five. Another honorable mention went to vacuum pot coffee makers (e.g. the Yama and the Cona).

Of course, Henry reminds us, whatever coffee brewing method you use, the most important thing is to start with freshly roasted premium coffee beans and good quality water. Grind the coffee beans just before brewing.

Voting is now in progress for the winner from the top five nominees. To read more about the best coffee makers, to vote for your favourite, or to check to see which one comes out of top, check out Henry’s Five Best Coffee Makers Hive Five on Lifehacker.com.

Photo credit: Tim Hollosy via Wikimedia Commons

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Coffee Joulies Put A End to Cold Coffee

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Laura Woods

Coffee_jouliesTwo young geniuses have invented “magic beans” that will cool your hot cup of gourmet coffee to the perfect drinking temperature, and then keep it there for hours. “Coffee Joulies” are stainless steel, oversized coffee bean shapes filled with a heat absorbing material.

According to Joulie inventors, “Dave and Dave” (Dave Petrillo and Dave Jackson), “Coffee Joulies work with your coffee to achieve two goals. First, they absorb extra thermal energy in your coffee when it’s served too hot, cooling it down to a drinkable temperature three times faster than normal. Next, they release that stored energy back into your coffee keeping it in the right temperature range twice as long.’

“This amazing feat of thermodynamics happens thanks to a special non-toxic material sealed within the polished stainless steel shell. This material is designed to melt at 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and absorbs a lot of energy as it melts. This is how Joulies cool your coffee down three times faster than normal. Once it reaches this temperature, the special material begins to solidify again, releasing the energy it stored when it melted. This is how Joulies keep your coffee warm twice as long.”

Kickstarter is an innovative web-based way to fund creative projects. The Kickstarter mission is to bring creative projects to life by providing a platform for supporters to pledge money to projects they would like to see come to fruition. Anyone that meets the guidelines can launch a project on Kickstarter. Project creators set a funding goal and deadline, and retain 100% ownership of their project. They offer rewards such as sample products to thank their supporters, rather than shares.

Dave and Dave’s Coffee Joulies project far exceeded their original fundraising goal of $9,500 by their May 1st, 2013 deadline. They raised an astounding $306,944, and attracted almost 5000 backers, who ordered 10,000 sets.

The material inside the “magic beans” is a proprietary substance the Daves call “phase change material”, or PCM. PCM is a food-based substance. The inventors point out that not only are Joulies food-grade and perfectly safe, they actually make drinking coffee (or any other hot beverage) safer than usual by reducing the risk of burning your mouth. The Joulies sink in your cup, so they don’t come into contact with your lips. However, they never get hotter than 140°F – not hot enough to burn you if they did.

Dave and Dave are both mechanical engineers who grew up across the street from each other in Pennington, N. J., and have been working on projects together for almost 20 years. The first 100 Joulie prototypes were built in Dave Petrillo’s parent’s basement. They have now re-opened a shut down Oneida silverware factory and gone into full production.

Coffee Joulies are dishwasher safe, although the inventors say they will usually just need rinsing.  The name “Joulies” is based on “joule”, the SI unit of energy. One bean is enough to cool, then heat, 4 ounces of liquid, making sure you get the most enjoyment out of your cup of premium coffee. A set of five beans sells for $49.95 and should last a lifetime with proper care. To learn more about or to order Coffee Joulies, visit www.joulies.com.

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Working Out of Coffee Shops

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Laura Woods

working in a coffee shopWith the growing availability of free wifi, an increasing number of telecommuters and the self-employed are escaping their home offices to work out of a coffee shop.  Many swear they are more productive away from the distractions of chores and family. Changing up your work environment and routine can help to avoid boredom and burn-out, and to spark creativity. As a bonus, coffee is a stimulant that increases wakefulness, and improves concentration and focus.

A coffee shop provides a sense of social interaction to those who might otherwise be alone all day.  Research has shown that a coffee shop provides “just enough” distraction – background conversation, espresso machines hissing, cups and spoons clinking – to boost creativity. There’s even an ambient coffee shop noise app, coffitivity, that “delivers the vibe of a coffee shop to your desktop”, providing what it calls “just enough noise to work”. The coffitivity website links to research on how the mix of calm and commotion in an environment like a coffee house aids in “creative cognition”.

For many, working outside of the office seems less like work. And a surprising number of people say they feel a need to look busy and stay focused when working out in public, where someone may glance at their computer screen and notice that they are on Facebook instead of the task at hand.

If you’re going to work over a cup of gourmet coffee at your local coffee house, here are some basic pointers:

– Don’t overstay your welcome. Some shops will state a time limit, but otherwise the unwritten rule is an hour to an-hour-and-a half per cup of coffee or snack, depending on how busy the place is.

– Tip the wait staff and/or barista. Tip especially well if the shop is busy and you may be displacing other customers.

– Choose your seat wisely to avoid uncomfortable drafts (by the door), or overly distracting high traffic locations (by the cash register).

–Use a small table instead of taking up a large table, and don’t take up too much room with your laptop case, papers, etc.

– Make sure your battery is charged. Not all coffee shops will offer a place to plug in, so make sure your laptop is charged, or bring an extra battery.

– The same goes for your cell phone, if you need it for work. Keep your phone on vibrate, and if you do need to take or make calls while at the coffee shop, make them very brief, or step outside.

– Don’t hog the receptacle if you do plug in to power your laptop. Be alert to others who may also need it. And don’t string your power cord where it may trip anyone.

– Bring your headphones. Noise cancelling headphones can save the day those times when the coffee shop is especially noisy, you’re having trouble concentrating, or you don’t want to be interrupted by fellow patrons.

– Be friendly. In his lifehacker article How to Stay Productive Working from Coffee Shops (or Anywhere Out of the Office), Kevin Purdy writes, “Most coffee shops want to see people meeting, events getting publicity, and people generally happy. If they wanted to reside over some nearly mute, screen-fixated stress junkies, they would’ve started a Wall Street accounting firm.”

– Be security conscious. Don’t leave your laptop unattended while you go for a refill or to the washroom. Be wary of keying in passwords or account numbers when using shared wifi. Purdy suggests you stay safe on poorly encrypted and secured public networks by ensuring your firewall is turned on, turning off public sharing in your network settings, and using SSL whenever possible.

Purdy suggests the following helpful apps and tools for those who regularly work outside of the office:

  • A file hosting service such as Dropbox, Google Drive or SkyDrive, which allow you to store up to 2 GB of files that are always available on your computers, your smartphone, and on the web.
  • Tethering software such as PdaNet for your phone, to allow your laptop or iPad to go online wirelessly through your phone’s network over Bluetooth or via a USB cable should the shop’s wifi go down.
  • An offline mail client such as Modzilla Thunderbird, Apple’s Mail.app, Microsoft Outlook which offers some kind of function for reading and writing email, then syncing it later for making the most of your battery and your offline time.

This should go without saying, but chose a coffee house that serves a good cup of premium coffee. If you’re going to pay for it, you might as well enjoy it.

Image: Andrew Bogott via Wikimedia Commons

 

 

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Good News for Lovers of Dark Roast Gourmet Coffee

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Laura Woods

Screen Shot 2013-04-21 at 7.49.22 PMAntioxidants are widely believed to help protect human cells from damage, disease and premature aging by neutralizing free radicals in the body. Scientists and nutritionists have long known that green coffee beans are an excellent source of natural antioxidants with antiviral and antibacterial properties. In fact, the natural polyphenol antioxidants contained in green coffee beans are the largest source of absorbable and metabolizeable antioxidants in the average North American’s diet.

However, as the beans are roasted to develop their flavour and colour, the heat from the roasting process breaks down these beneficial antioxidants. As a matter of fact, up to ninety percent of these healthy antioxidants are lost as the coffee beans are roasted. And the darker the roast, the more antioxidants are lost. For all but one premium coffee, the darkest roasts are the lowest in antioxidants, forcing coffee drinkers to sacrifice the heath benefits for taste.

But Antioxidant Cafe coffee is roasted using an exclusive triple-patented Healthy Roast Process™, in which the natural antioxidants are extracted from a portion of the green bean during the roasting process, and re-infused into the beans after roasting. The result is a rich and flavourful organic roast with up to six times a much antioxidants than a typical gourmet coffee, with no additives or preservatives.

The Healthy Roast Process™ was developed by American cancer researchers, and is patented by AMC Cancer Research and The Oncology Group. Basically, the antioxidants are extracted from a portion of the beans before roasting, and then reintroduced to the roasted beans through a spray-metering process. The extracted antioxidants are quickly reabsorbed into the porous roasted beans, where they remain until the coffee is brewed.

According to best-selling health writer Dr. Mercola, it’s often the case that foods with the darkest pigments offer the most robust health benefits, and the benefits of dark-roast coffee may be superior to those of light roast. He writes on mercola.com that “organic whole-bean black coffee does appear to have some health benefits, and it seems the darker the roast, the more benefits it provides”. He also points out that darker roast coffee has less caffeine. Dr. Mercola cautions that most coffee produced today is heavily contaminated with pesticides, and advises that you drink only pesticide-free organic coffee.

The good news for coffee lovers is who enjoy the rich, full-bodied aroma and flavour of a dark roast is that they can enjoy a delicious cup of Antioxidant Cafe’s signature dark roast without losing out on the all-important health benefits of antioxidants.

Antioxidant Cafe Breakfast coffee is also available in for those who prefer a lighter roast, and Antioxidant Cafe Decaf premium coffee is ideal for those avoiding caffeine. All Rainforest Alliance certified Antioxidant Cafe coffee is 100 percent hand-picked quality Arabica beans from Honduras.

 

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Six Unusual Uses for Coffee Grounds

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Laura Woods

Coffee_groundsDo you want to get the most value out of your precious gourmet coffee? Here are some unusual ways of using leftover coffee grounds that may make you wonder who thought of them in the first place. You’re going to want to try at least one of these:

1) Removing stubborn odours from your hands.

Rub a few coffee beans in your hands to get rid of stubborn odours on your hands from cooking strong smelling foods like garlic, onions, or fish. You can even use your used coffee grinds to avoid “wasting” coffee beans. When the unwanted odor is gone, wash your hands to remove the smell of coffee.

2) Reducing cellulite.

Caffeine is a vasodilator that constricts your blood vessels and tightens your skin, and is the primary ingredient in many expensive cellulite creams. Mix ¼ to ½ cup of warm coffee grounds with about two tablespoons of virgin olive oil and apply them to the “problem area”. If you want to take it up a notch, you can add a few drops of juniper or rosemary essential oil. Rub the mixture in well using a circular motion; cover the area with plastic wrap to hold it against the skin for about ten minutes; then rinse off. This can be messy, so is best done in the shower.

3) Fertilizing your plants.

Watering your houseplants with leftover coffee can provide them with a healthy dose of nitrogen (needed for good leaf growth and color) and trace amounts of phosphorous, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Use only black coffee; dilute it half and half with water, and don’t use it more than once or twice a week. Coffee has an acidifying effect on soil, so this works particularly well with acidic soil loving plants like African violets and dieffenbachia.

You can also use coffee grounds to fertilize your outdoor plants, especially those that like acidic soil such as blueberries, azaleas, rhododendrons and evergreens. Bonus: the grounds discourage garden pests like slugs, snails and insects.

4) Touching up scuffs and scratches on wood furniture.

You can use leftover coffee grounds to darken light scratches on wood. Dip a cloth or a Q-tip in the grounds, and simply dab them on the marred area. Don’t overdo it – let it dry for a few hours between applications to avoid the touched up areas from getting too dark.

5) A natural flea treatment for your dog.

Unlike most people, fleas don’t like coffee. This makes used coffee grounds a useful rinse to combat fleas on your pet. Simply shampoo your dog; rub used coffee grounds well into its coat, and then rinse them out. You may want to brush out any remaining grounds after your dog’s fur has dried. Some pet owners also place used coffee grounds in sachets in their dog’s bedding or favourite resting places. Important: DON’T let your pet lick or eat the grounds – caffeine is toxic to dogs.

6) Treating the worms in your compost bin.

The worms in your compost love coffee grounds! Add a cup or so of grounds per week to your worm bin for a small compost bin. Adding more, or adding them more often, could be too acidic for the worms.

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