5 handy uses for coffee

The 1st of October 2019 is International Coffee Day and other than celebrating coffee as a delicious beverage, it is also a day when fair trade coffee is promoted and the plight of coffee growers around the world is highlighted.

Head barista of Origin Coffee Roasting South Africa Neil Gouws has shared a list of 5 interesting uses for coffee for you to try out. Take a look below.

Cook with it

Coffee is a great ingredient to use when cooking due to its high acidity and powerful flavour. You can use freshly ground coffee to coat meat before cooking it, this will tenderise the meat and gives it a beautiful crust. Next time you are feeling adventurous, try adding coffee grounds to your favourite bread recipe. On weekends Origin bakes espresso sourdough, or as I like to call it powerdough.

Make coffee cocktails

Want to know how to impress your friends at your next party? Add coffee to some of your favourite cocktails. One of my favourite coffee cocktails is a coffee negroni. One-part gin, one-part Campari, one-part sweet vermouth, one-part coffee (espresso is preferable but not essential) and one slice of orange peel. Shake all liquid ingredients over ice, pour into a lowball glass, rim the glass with orange peel and add the peel to the glass.

Keep things squeaky clean

Coffee is surprisingly helpful on cleaning day.  Coffee grounds make a great scrub. Mix used coffee grounds with a little dish-soap and scrub everything from pots and pans to counter-tops. You can clean out grease from sink drains with the same mixture of soap and coffee grounds. Coffee grounds in a breathable fabric container like a stocking or mesh bag is great for removing unwanted smells from just about anywhere.

Pets and garden

Coffee makes a great fertiliser, ask your local coffee shop to keep some of their used coffee aside for you. Work into the topsoil of our beds and pots for an all-natural, eco-friendly fertiliser. Sprinkle some leftover coffee on around the plants to keep slugs and snails at bay. Fleas, and other pests are repelled by the smell of coffee, dry coffee grounds are a great substitute for flea powder.

Keep your skin and hair healthy

Before washing your hair, massage your scalp with coffee grounds, rinse out and wash as normal, the grounds will exfoliate your scalp, remove any build-up of hair products and natural oils, the caffeine can help stimulate hair-growth. Coffee can also be used as a body and face scrub. Mix coffee grounds and coconut oil to make a scrub that will exfoliate and refresh your skin.