Make Your Own Custom Coffee Blends
1) Blend Hot Coffee To Make A Custom Coffee Blend
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| Blend Hot Coffee To Make Your Custom Blend Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher |
The first time I realized that you could blend hot coffee was years ago at a small coffee shop. I ordered a large coffee, expecting to get a house blend that was a medium roast.
The barista asked if I wanted a light roast or a dark roast- those were the only options. I didn't pick one of those choices, instead I said I was looking for a medium roast.
The barista said, "no problem, I can make you one." She proceeded to fill a cup 1/2 full of light roast and then topped it off with dark roast. I was a little surprised, but gave it a try and it was pretty good.
The coffee was not really a medium roast, since it contained no medium roast coffee. It was a mixture of the dark, smokey flavor of a dark roast and the lighter, citrus flavor of a light roast. This was interesting- as simple as it seems, I never thought to mix hot coffee to make my own blend.
A variation of this is Cafe Americano, which is prepared by blending a shot of espresso with hot water to make a cup of coffee. Sometimes I get a decaf made this way. It is always fresh and always good. Also, you don't have to wait for an entire pot to brew.
Lately, when I get coffee at the coffee shop at work, I make a blend of 3/4 cup of Seattle's Best Level 3 decaf and 1/4 cup of Level 4 which is a dark roast. At this coffee shop, you pump your own coffee, so it is easy to try different hot coffee blends.
2) Blend Coffee Beans Or Coffee Grounds To Make Your Own Coffee Flavor
Another way to make your own coffee blend is to mix coffee grounds or coffee beans to get the coffee flavor you want. My Mom blends Butternut coffee grounds with a couple other brands in a certain proportion. When she lived out of state for a few years, she could not get Butternut at the local stores, so she would buy large quantities of it when she came back to visit. This was the only way she could keep her blend the same, just how she likes it. |
| Blend Light Roast, Medium Roast, and Dark Roast Beans to Make Your Custom Coffee Blend Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher |
Some people like to blend other flavors into their coffee grounds, such as chickory to make New Orleans style coffee. My sister-in-law likes flavors like hazelnut flavored coffee. Flavored coffee has flavoring added into the grounds or beans. To me, flavored coffee tastes like chemicals and is hard to drink at all. I once gave her a perfectly good bag of expensive coffee grounds because they were butterscotch flavored and I didn't notice this when I bought it.
I blend different coffee beans together sometimes, usually when I only have a few coffee beans left in a bag. I have made some really good tasting blends. My favorites are mostly medium roast with some dark roast beans mixed in.
Another popular blend is to mix regular coffee with decaf coffee. A mix of half regular coffee and half decaf is known as "half caff" coffee.
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| Blend Coffee Beans or Coffee Grounds to Make a Custom Coffee Blend Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher |
Recommended Reading
Here is my article on coffee terms- learn more about coffee terms such as Cafe Americano.
Learn about coffee alternatives and coffee substitutes that have less caffeine than coffee. There are many options for low caffeine or caffeine free coffee beyond decaf or half-caff!
Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher. All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal
Me, I like/love to make coffee in my favorite Keurig coffee maker that I purchase at allbestcoffeemakers.com. It really brings out the real taste that I wanted in my coffee. I really enjoy my coffee day by day.
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