Making Cold brewed coffee is super easy. Essentially, you get a jar and fill it with filtered water, I use a large Agee Jar, then fill the jar with 4 tablespoons of ground coffee. Then leave overnight to infuse. You can leave it on the windowsill to infuse too. then strain, refrigerate and use as needed over the next 48 hours. You can also put the coffee into a muslin bag so that straining is easy.
I'm a tea drinker and I drink a lot of it - But I love coffee - there's plenty of terrible brews out there, but I've managed to find cafes and boutiques with the most delicious flavours that I've been able to experiment with them. My son David has worked at a coffee roasters and his advice to me has been... "only go for single flavours, don't do blends, use the individual beans and find the rich, deep, caramel notes that resonate best with you." ... and you know, this is the best coffee advice I've ever had. Thanks son!
So, with all of the different things that I do in my kitchen I've been experimenting with flavours and have developed some recipes (under the coffee section in the recipes section of my website) that have kept me quite awake at times!
Some favourites are Coffee Kefir - made with cold brewed coffee and the hot brewed espresso infused with Cardamon. There's also lots of milk based drinks - that's where I use my home made milks. So simple and easy to make that we can often forget to do it. So I'm going to be sending you regular reminders about the delicious, beautifully scented liquid golds that you can imbibe every day and I hope you enjoy all the caffeinated possibilities!
Drinking coffee is often a taboo subject - either you love it or you aren't supposed to have it - The caffeine verses the anti-oxidants - So I often make cold brewed coffee. This is supposed to ensure that the caffeine is kept to a minimum while you are getting the maximum benefit of the anti-oxidants. For me it has always been an inexpensive way of catching up with friends and as one of my love languages is quality time, this really fills me up. Taking the time to prepare or really enjoy a hot brew that has been made for you with great company is just bliss.
Being dairy free - the coffee doesn't go too far when you have an espresso with cinnamon (my usual) - So I now turn up with - if I'm organised - some home made nut milk and most places are happy to froth it up for me and I get the deliciousness of a home made pure product - not the crappy commercial stuff that is way too sweet and watery - or I have it cold & turn my espresso into an iced coffee, of sorts.
Adding spices on top of your coffee, or infused with your coffee is an amazing way to enhance the flavour and make a sweet flavour if you use cinnamon and a deep European Bake-house scent when using cardamon. Find different flavours that suit the moods that you're in and just enjoy the company you share it with. Bliss.