There's nothing like waking up in the morning before the morning rush and prepping my own personal cup of coffee. No long lines, no mistakes on my order, no one breathing over my shoulder. Sometimes, though, the morning ritual gets monotonous, so when I get the chance to transform my coffee, I always take it. After some failed attempts at adding a unique flavor to my coffee, I did find some ingredients that add an exquisite flavor and provide some additional health benefits to your favorite morning drink.
You can add these ingredients with your coffee grounds before your preferred method of brewing your coffee. Personally, I enjoy using a French press and just adding in whatever I want with my dry coffee grounds before pouring in the hot water, and then continuing my coffee making process as usual.
1. Ginger
Veganbaking.net on Flickr
Throwing a teaspoon of freshly ground ginger in with the dry coffee grounds adds spiciness to the coffee, but you can always alter the amount of ginger depending on your preference. With each sip of the coffee, you'll be able to taste the tingling on your tongue. Ginger helps with indigestion and it tastes great with coffee. Not crazy about ginger? Try adding cinnamon.
2. Cinnamon Stick
TALMADGEBOYD on Flickr
Adding in about half of a cinnamon stick in with a serving size of dry coffee grounds is my favorite way to boost the flavor of my coffee. The cinnamon flavor adds a bit of sweetness and woodiness to coffee. A little bit of cinnamon goes a long way, so you can add as much or as little as you like depending on your palate. Cinnamon strengthens digestion and eases muscle pain, rheumatism and arthritis.
3. Cardamom
Steven Jackson Photography on Flickr
Adding this spice to your coffee may give it that chai flavor that you know and love. A few sprinkles of cardamom in with your dry coffee grounds will suffice to add a balanced flavor to the coffee. Cardamom coffee is great alone but can also be accompanied by a tablespoon of coconut oil or your favorite coconut or almond milk. Cardamom also has medicinal uses that help to ease stomach cramps and improve blood circulation, which means it helps relieve stress!
4. Dried Orange Peels
bdesham on Flickr
You can dry your own orange peels and make the most out of your oranges. However, I do recommend using pesticide and herbicide free oranges since you will be using the peel. Like the rest the foods listed, you can drop in a couple pieces of orange peels in with your dry coffee grounds, make your coffee as usual and—voila!—your orange coffee is ready. Not to mention, orange peels have twice the amount of vitamin C than the flesh and are rich in flavonoids, which prevent cancers and heart disease.
5. Turmeric
Steven Jackson Photography on Flickr
The miracles of turmeric have been widely spread around the inter-web these past few years. With benefits like treating depression, arthritis and heartburn, you would think this herb comes with a hefty price, but you can find turmeric in most stores with different price ranges that increase accessibility. I like to add a quarter teaspoon of turmeric powder to my dry coffee grounds, so I get a hint of the turmeric taste without it being too overwhelming.
With these five ingredients, you can create your own blend to complement your morning (or evening) cup of coffee. Switching up your morning routine with something simple like adding a little somethin' extra to your coffee is a great way to practice mindfulness and spend a little more bonding time with yourself instead of getting lost in the morning hustle.