Bringing Coffee From Home

Coffee is an essential part of the morning routine for many people, but drinking it can be an expensive habit if you’re not careful. Most cities in America have several Starbucks outlets scattered around the place, so it’s not hard for anyone to grab the kind of drink they like to start their day. If not Starbucks, you also have the option of Dunkin Donuts or any local coffee shop that happens along your way.

As long as you drink coffee at the right time, you can gain several health benefits from it. However, paying someone for a readymade brew every single day is going to add up. Plus, this habit might also end up with us consuming far more calories than we mean to.

The issues above can be resolved by bringing our own coffee from home. It might require some investment at first, but this habit can save you a lot of money and hassle in the long run. Here’s how you can go about it:

Get The Basics

Get The Basics

In order to make a decent cup of coffee, you’d need some quality coffee beans, a coffee grinder, and a means of measuring the beans. Some might be satisfied with instant coffee, but there’s nothing like freshly ground beans to get you the real experience.

If you’re working with instant coffee, you can always make your own mixture and utilize it on the go. All you have to do is take some instant coffee, add an equal amount of sugar, and add some drops of hot water. Mix these using an electric beater or your own hands. The mixture should turn light brown and creamy. Use a couple of teaspoons of this in a cup of hot milk and mix thoroughly for your homemade cappuccino.

Once you have this mixture ready, put it in a glass jar and store in the freezer. It won’t freeze up, and you’ll have an instant way to make your coffee in a flask just before you set out for work.

For coffee connoisseurs, a proper grinder is the need of the hour. The Skerton is one of the best options for this, with its adjustable settings and even grinding power. It’s also a durable model, so you’ll be able to get a lot of use out of it.

Measuring the Beans

Measuring the Beans

When you have the coffee beans available, you need to measure them out properly in order to get the perfect cup. Too many beans, and the resulting brew will be too bitter. Too few, and you’ll have weak-tasting coffee.

An OXO jigger will help to keep the measurements even and will even fit inside some grinder models for more convenience. This tool is also portable, so you can take it with you when on the go.

A Brewing Medium

A Brewing Medium

If you use the instant coffee cappuccino hack we’ve discussed above, no brewing is required. For the authentic coffee experience, though, you’d need something to brew your coffee quickly. If you want to have a fresh cup of coffee at your workplace or while travelling, getting a portable brewing option is best.

An Aeropress might be just what you need in this situation. With this machine, you can optimize your cup of coffee right at home or in the office. This will also be perfect for any workplace that doesn’t have its own coffee machine.

The Aeropress is light, compact, and very hardy. You can even take it on the road with you in order to get just the right brew even when you’re away from home. There’s a reusable metal filter sold separately that can allow you to take your whole Aeropress setup on a trip.

However, the Aeropress does come with some limitations. One of these is that you’d need to source hot water from somewhere. Fortunately, this requirement isn’t hard to fulfill even if you’re travelling or stuck at work all day. As long as you’re near some sort of civilization or can build a fire, the Aeropress will give you a quality brew every time.

Get A Commuter Mug

Get A Commuter Mug

We’ve seen the wave of people walking purposefully early in the morning, firmly clutching their to-go coffee cups. They might have paid top dollar for those cups, but at least their coffee is safely where it belongs. Carrying a regular mug or cup from home, however, might be too challenging. You’d attract quite a few stares and may drop a bit of the coffee on your way. Those drops are harmful to those near you and will also result in the coffee being wasted.

If you want to take your coffee and still be one the move, invest in a sturdy commuter mug or a travel thermos. These items will help you take your coffee anywhere you want without risking a spill. Some of the insulated models will even keep your coffee hot for several hours.

This Contigo travel mug is one of the many great options out there, so consider this one for achieving a regular caffeine intake the safe way. You can keep your coffee hot for up to seven hours with this version, or have your cold brew coffee stay cold up to eighteen hours. There’s also the ThermaLock technology included, which ensures vacuum isolation. The snap-seal lid technology means the mug won’t leak even after rough use. All you have to do is flip the lid and take a sip when you need a caffeine hit.

Look Into Other Options

Look Into Other Options

Grinding coffee beans and brewing them at home might not be too complicated. If you want to have a quick way of brewing your coffee, however, you might want to consider brews from various cultures. Turkish coffee, also known as Greek, Cypriot, and Bosnian coffee, is made with finely-ground beans and water in a special Turkish coffee pot.

Once you get the hang of making Turkish coffee, get the MisterCopper pot or a similar model. You can keep this at your workplace or even take it along on a camping trip. It’s a simple enough design, but the delicious cups of coffee you get from it will probably be healthier and more delicious than those calorie-laden cups from the market. However, make sure you have a decent heat source at the place where you’d need to use this pot.

Conclusion

Once you’ve set the routine of brewing your coffee and bringing it with you to work, the benefits of this practice will become apparent. You’d no longer have to wait in long lines at coffee shops, wait around for your order, or get frustrated when there’s a mix-up. Plus, you won’t be shelling out hard cash every time you need a quick pick-me-up at any point in the day. You’ll have to get used to the missing ingredients, but your waistline will probably be better off.

At the same time, make sure you regulate your caffeine intake throughout the day. Avoid drinking your coffee first thing in the morning, at midday, and late in the evening. With the proper precautions and a healthy diet, you’d be motivated and alert all day long.