Magic Coffee

This is an ode to coffee. I'm having an affair. I love tea, I do, but sometimes I need that extra little kick, that richness in flavor that only coffee can subside. Especially now that my days are longer with school and all, coffee can do things that tea can't even dream of... most namely: keep me awake during night class, oy vey!

The key to great coffee is great beans. You really must use beans you love! If you can, try to grind it just before using. But, being that most of us are lazy (ahem, me) and we don't always have the time to grind our coffee fresh, I recommend grinding in small batches, which is what I do. It's easier to find the time to pre-grind for a week than to grind every day and to be honest, I can't taste much of a difference (shhhhh - don't tell)!

This coffee is cold brewed and has a bit of cinnamon and brown sugar added, which makes it incredibly warm and comforting. The cold brew method is super easy even though it sounds complicated. Just throw everything into a container, let it meld overnight, then the next morning, strain all the grinds out and enjoy! It really is magic.

I got these new measuring spoons from Chef Toys. Aren't they gorgeously minimalistic? I had a variety of measuring spoons in my house ranging from plastic, to Hello Kitty themed, to horrific. I decided to throw them all out and stick to these. I think I made a good choice.

Coffee grinds:

The finished product ready to be enjoyed:

Pour over ice:

Add milk (vanilla soy was my choice) and enjoy!

An assembly line of sorts:

Magic Coffee

Yields:

Original recipe here.

2/3 cups coarsely ground coffee

3 cups water

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 tbsn. dark brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Put all of the ingredients in a quart jar and stir. Cover and refrigerate over night. Before serving, pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and then pour back into whatever container you'd like to store it in. For each drink, fill a tall glass halfway with ice. Pour in the coffee until 3/4 full and add milk/ half and half/ cream to taste.

Here's a peek into my morning life: 

Just got the Macrina Bakery cookbook, so far it's love.