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

How Is Decaf Coffee Created?

Decaf coffee is one of the most popular ways to consume coffee. It's great for times when you want to some coffee but you do not want to be kept awake by the caffeine, or, perhaps you can't handle the caffeine for other reasons. Regardless, one of the most frequently asked questions is how they remove the caffeine from the coffee beans?

Before we get into the processes to remove caffeine, let's take a look at what exactly it means to be "decaf". This is when you separate caffeine from the coffee bean, seeds, or the leaves from their natural ways. Caffeine is not bad in coffee, it is there naturally. To be decaf in the US, 97 percent of the caffeine must be removed. Due to it being a natural part of the coffee bean, it is hard to remove it 100 percent.

There are three methods for decaf coffee:

1. The natural process: When it comes to the natural process, the coffee beans are put through a steam process, or it is soaked in water; either way, the caffeine is easier to extract. Once either of these processes are done, the caffeine is removed via ethyl acetate and water. Once that combo is used, the beans are again steamed, this process will remove any residue that is left on the beans. If you are wondering what ethyl acetate is, it is a perfectly natural compound that is extracted from veggies and fruits. 
2. The direct process: To start this process, the beans are soaked in water and also steamed. A liquid is then mixed with the beans that will remove the caffeine. Once that is done, the beans are again steamed and then allowed to dry, this will remove the caffeine from the beans. What is the decaffeinating agent? This is a substance that is utilized to remove the caffeine from the beans; there are different agents used depending on the specific process. 
3. The water process: This process starts off by soaking the beans in intensely hot water for a specific period of time and the caffeine is leached out. Once that happens, the solution is then moved though a filter that is made out of carbon; this will grab the larger caffeine molecules and will allow for the smaller oil and flavor molecules to stay. The beans are finally dried. 

Buy your next box of decaf coffee from Coffeevines.