How To Make Homemade Coffee Creamer (And Ditch the Additives)

Adding some delicious coffee creamer is every coffee drinker's right. What is not right is adding in expensive coffee creamer that is loaded with additives. That leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and it's not from the gas station coffee I got the other day. So how can we make our own coffee creamer? Let's get started. 

The base ingredients: 

• 3 cups of any combo of milk (your choice of milk)
• 4 tbsp of your favorite sugar for sweet cream

Instructions:

• Milk:
• Choose a milk that does not have any hormones, antibiotics, and GMO-fed dairy in it
• You can also use soy milk, rice milk, or almond milk. 
• Sweetener:
• Less processed sugar, the better. You can also use substitutes like Stevia or raw/organic honey. 
• Flavor: Chose any of the flavors listed below. Mix them into the base of 1.5 cups of milk and 1.5 cups of cream. 
• Mocha java: 2 tbsp of cocoa powder, 4 tbsp of brown sugar
• Mexican mocha java: 2 tbsp of cocoa, 4 tbsp of brown sugar, and 1 tsp of cinnamon
• Gingerbread: 2 tsp of molasses, 2 tbsp of brown sugar, 1/2 tsp ginger, clove, and cinnamon
• Almond toffee: 5 tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp of almond extract
• Vanilla latte: 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 4 tbsp of sugar
• Mocha mint: 2 tbsp of cocoa, 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract, 4 tbsp of sugar
• Cinnamon roll: 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 4 tbsp of brown sugar, and a pinch of salt
• Cherry amaretto: 1 tbsp of almond extract, 4 tbsp of sugar, and 1 tsp of cherry extract
• Chocolate raspberry: 4 tbsp of seedless raspberry jelly, 2 tbsp of sugar
• Salted caramel: 6 tbsp brown sugar, pinch of salt
• Bring it all to a slow simmer- mix in the sweetener and the flavoring into your milk and slowly bring the mixture to a simmer and steams slightly (do not let it come to a boil). Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool. Once it is cool, place it in the fridge. 

Enjoy your K-Cup coffee or fresh ground coffee with some homemade, delicious coffee creamer! 

GIF source: http://wherethecontrailsgo.tumblr.com

Where's the Best Place to Store Bagged Coffee?

Buying coffee is the easy, fun part. Finding the right place to store it is not so easy. You read all these things about "don't keep your coffee here!" or "Don't keep your coffee there!" And it seems like you basically have to have a vault in your basement with a 9-digit code to keep your coffee fresh.

Bottom line, keep your coffee light, air, heat, and moisture. A simple shelf in a cupboard that is not near your stove is a great spot. The cupboard door will shield it from the light, so you just need an airtight container. To shield it from moisture, keep your coffee away from your sink, fridge, and freezer.

For bagged coffee, make sure to keep the top of the bag closed tightly; this can be done with a bag clip,  office clip, or a rubber band. Just make sure that the top of the bag is rolled a couple times and held tightly with one of those options.

Why does it matter to keep it away from light, heat, moisture, and air? All of these things change the cell structure of the coffee. That cell structure change causes a reduced quality in flavor and aroma. Light and heat create higher temperatures in the delicate coffee grounds, which break down the cell structures that hold the great flavor and aroma together. Think of it like a building, if there is a fire (which creates lots of heat), then the structure is broken down and ruined. Specifically for moisture in the coffee, when the moisture from a fridge or freezer gets into the coffee, which it will, it soaks into the grounds and beans. It then absorbs the coffee's flavor and aroma and takes it away when the water evaporates out (when thawed). Think about anything else that you've had when it's watered down; the flavor is reduced, right? That's how it is with coffee.

It would be a real shame to buy great fresh ground coffee and then have it ruined by something like keeping coffee in the wrong place. Especially when that coffee is Starbucks bagged coffee or Marley bagged coffee.

4 Common Mistakes People Make with Coffee

Coffee is at the heart of many Americans, and frankly, people around the globe. Many of us consume it first thing in the morning, then again later on in the morning, perhaps again in the afternoon, etc. We drink a lot of it. It smells good, it tastes great, and keeps us happy and sane.

However, there are certain things that we do with coffee that are not great to do with coffee.

1. The first thing is that some people try to use coffee as a substitute for smoking. While this can be a great idea, replacing the cigarette with the coffee K-Cup is that some of the effects of the chemicals in the cigarette and the tobacco can make the liver perform faster; this makes the metabolism burn the caffeine faster than a coffee drinker who does not smoke. Due to this, smokers can have a higher caffeine tolerance than non-smokers and might have to drink three to four times the amount of coffee to have the same effect. Having too much coffee can create some health risks, remember, everything in moderation.
2. Having coffee too late in the day creates another issue. The point of coffee is to wake us up but we do not want to have coffee but we do not want it to prevent us from falling asleep at night. If you have coffee too late, then you might find your bedtime is thrown off, which disrupts your sleep cycle. Know your body and how it reacts to caffeine. If you really want more coffee later in the day, try using decaf coffee.
3. Trying to sweat out the caffeine is not something that works too well either. Have you ever had one cup too many and then you feel jittery and anxious? Often times, we try to do something to sweat out the caffeine. Sometimes, we try to eat something to soak up some of the caffeine as well. The ladder might work, depending on what you eat but not always. See, caffeine is metabolized at the same rate no matter what so trying to sweat it out or eating food to soak it up does not really work too well.
4. Believing that only die-hards can tolerate espresso. Yeah, we know that espresso can be a real bold way to drink coffee but it is not reserved for the dedicated and seasoned coffee consumers. A shot of espresso has less caffeine than an 8 ounce cup of coffee. You also might find it interesting that a lightroast coffee has more caffeine than a dark roast coffee or a mediumroast coffee.

Coffee sure is an interesting beverage. We love it!

Do you need a quick fix for your short coffee supply? Then shopCoffeevines and get your coffee delivered to your door right away! No need to stop at the store, especially if the closest one is a long drive away!

The Differences Between Dark Roast Coffee & Light Roast Coffee

When it comes to K-Cup coffee, or any coffee for that matter, roast matters. Not all coffee roast are the same since they all feature different flavors, caffeine levels, roasting time, etc. Dark roast, medium roast, and light roast coffee are the three main ones but there are roast levels within those.

The roast is one of the aspects about coffee that completely changes the drink depending on which one you go for. If you are into roasting your own coffee beans, then depending on which bean you have, it requires a different roast. So how are the roasts different and why should you care? Let's find out.

• Light roast: This coffee is light in color, as figured by the name. When you want a mild coffee, then you will want to order a light roast because the typical coffee flavor is not as potent; however, the amount of caffeine is greatest. The beans do not have oil on the surface. 

• Common names for light roast include: light city, half city, cinnamon, and New England. 
• Medium roast: The beans are a medium brown in color and have a bolder flavor than mild roast. Still, there is no oil on the surface of the beans. This is the roast that Americans tend to enjoy the most. 
• Common names for this roast include: City, American, and Breakfast. 
• Dark Roast: The coffee is really dark brown, much richer and bolder than the other coffee roasts. There is some oil on the surface to a lot of oil on the surface. There is much more bitterness with dark roast. This roast has the least amount of acid and caffeine in the coffee. 
• Common names for dark roast include: high, continental, New Orleans, European, Espresso, Viennese, Italian, and French. 

If you want to try a roast that you are not used to having, then an easy place to purchase coffee is www.coffeevines.com! We have these roasts with plenty of brands to choose from. 

3 Tips for Making the Best Iced Coffee from K Cups

It is technically summer, official summer does not start for another month, but the weather is already saying, "I'm here!" and so this means iced coffee. Coffee lovers still need to get our fixes every day, perhaps more than once a day, but sometimes the heat just makes it too difficult to enjoy a hot cup.

You can't deny that having a single cup coffee machine gives you the latest and greatest coffee offerings and is also convenient. Forget about measuring out all sorts of amounts for coffee every morning. Now, k cup coffee machines have yet to really nail down the "iced coffee" option, so we still have to brew it like normal and then mix in some ice but still, having one of these makes making an iced coffee even better and easier.

So what are three things that every coffee lover needs to remember when they try to make their cup of iced coffee this summer?

1. The ice. This is a really common mistake for people to make. A lot of "at-home baristas" think that you need to wait until the end of the brewing to add in your ice cubes. While you can still achieve a real good cup of iced coffee by adding in your ice post-brewing, you can get an even better result by putting them in the mug before brewing the coffee. Why? Well, when you put the ice in before brewing, you allow the coffee to cool while brewing; this allows the coffee to become cooler and creamier, faster. 
2. The coffee blends. Choosing the best coffee blend is a a big help to making a
   
   delicious cup of coffee. The right coffee will make a nice and delicious cup of iced coffee that will get your taste buds buzzing. Try to use either a french vanilla k cup because that will go really well with any cream you add into the coffee. 
3. The cream, sugar, and milk you add. You can add your combination of these and in varying amounts, it's up to you; it depends if you like a creamier coffee or a stronger coffee flavor. 

The heat of summer will not squash your love of good coffee, so conquer the heat with a great iced coffee. 

Coffee Has Been Tied to Lower Risk of Diabetes

Enjoy that java? Good, it turns out that coffee has been linked to lowering the chances of developing Type-2 Diabetes; also, as it turns out, cutting down on your coffee consumption can even increase your chances of developing Diabetes, as new studies report.

Over the course of 20 years, researches collected extensive information about diets, lifestyles, and medical conditions for more than 120k individuals; the discovered 7,269 individuals with Type-2 Diabetes.

Upon controlling factors such as smoking, age, weight, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and any family histories of diabetes, researchers realized that people who had increased their consumption of coffee by more than one eight-ounce cup of coffee a day (during a four year frame) had lowered their risk of diabetes by 11 percent. Individuals who decreased their coffee intake by the same amount had increased their chances of diabetes by 17 percent.

The thing is that the researchers found it was not the caffeine that was the trick; see, coffee actually has a lot of antioxidants as well as bioactive compounds in it; both antioxidants and bioactive compounds are good for glucose metabolism, which is what is affected with diabetes.

With all this being said, coffee is not a magical elixir that will cure everything; you still need to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.

What Food Pairs with Coffee?

Coffee is a big deal, it is consumed by millions of people around the world every day. It is rather common to enjoy our coffee with some delicious food. However, what foods were basically created with coffee in mind and are the perfect partner to our java friend?

1. Beignets. This is pronounced like "ben-yay", like you just got really excited for some dude named Ben. These little guys are like heaven in your mouth! They are deep fried dough that you enjoy with a lot of powdered sugar. They are a famous treat at the renowned Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. Due to the powered sugar, they can get a bit messy but it is worth it and they blend so well with a cup of your favorite single cup coffee. 
2. Coffee cake. Yeah, I mean "coffee" is in the name! Whether you like coffee cake that has fruit, cheese, nuts, plain, whatever, it is going to go well with some coffee. 
3. Donuts. How many times do you see someone enjoying a donut with their coffee? Think about this pairing and how perfect it is, a whole company is dedicated to this concept (Dunkin')! The best donuts for k cup coffee is a nice cake donut because they are denser but let's be real, any donut is going to work well. 
4.  Toast. Perhaps the simplest food pairing for some coffee, especially since the average household has at least one loaf of bread so you can make it whenever. Put some butter, margarine, or jam/jelly/preserves on it and you are in a good situation. 
5. Bacon, egg, and cheese bagel. Sometimes you want something savory to enjoy with your coffee, that's where this sandwich of awesomeness comes into play. Now, you don't have to do it on a bagel, an english muffin or toast works well too. 

If you are itching for some delicious coffee to enjoy with some breakfast, then visit Coffeevines and find your favorite brands of k cups of coffee and tea!