International Coffee Day: 5 useful things you can do with coffee

October 1 is known as International Coffee Day, used to promote and celebrate coffee as a beverage. Supplied

October 1 is known as International Coffee Day, used to promote and celebrate coffee as a beverage. Supplied

Published Oct 1, 2019

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October 1 is known as International Coffee Day, used to promote and celebrate coffee as a beverage. 

It is also a day to promote fair trade coffee and to raise awareness of the plight of the coffee growers. We spoke to the head barista of Origin Coffee Roasting South Africa Neil Gouws about the many things you can do with coffee. 

Cook with it. Supplied

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 tenderize 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. Supplied

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. Supplied

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. Supplied

Pets and garden

Coffee makes a great fertilizer, 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 fertilizer. 

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. Supplied

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.

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