If the kitchen is the heart of the home than the coffee pot keeps the pulse. As Americans we love our coffee and The National Coffee Association’s Trend Article confirmed this year that our passions for specialty coffees, espresso-based beverages, and iced or frozen drinks is on the rise.
Considering the high cost of retail coffee drinks we wanted to find some approachable alternatives to store-bought beverages that we could make at home. Beyond your average home brew machines, our challenge was to find innovative, reasonably-priced ways to get flavorful caffeinated drinks in our own kitchen.
IT STARTS WITH THE WATER
Pfister Clarify Xtract Pull Down Kitchen Faucet with Integrated GE Filtration System
It may come as a surprise that it wasn’t until after we started research for this article that we even thought about the importance of great tasting water as part of our coffee equation! Many are lucky enough to have good-quality public water or filtered appliances in their homes, but for those where water purity is an issue there are solutions.
Pfister’s innovative engineering team has developed a unique filter solution built right into the Xtract Faucets that is activated through the faucet handle. The faucet functions like any other kitchen pull-down faucet but in addition it dispenses cold filtered water by pushing the handle back.
Pfister Lita Xtract All-In-One Pull Down Kitchen Faucet with Integrated Water Filter
2X faster than typical water filter products, Xtract uses GE® 2X High Flow Filtration which reduces contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, chlorine, and lead. Pretty awesome, right?
Bottled water is of course an alternative but has a huge impact on the environment, costs significantly more than tap water, and is less regulated. Our fans love our Clarify and Lita faucets with Xtract technology for getting great-tasting, filtered water at home for well less than a family of four spends on bottled water annually. A self-filtering faucet might just make a terrific addition to your kitchen help you start your brews off right.
OUR FAVORITE FINDS
Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
COLD BREWED COFFEE CONCENTRATE. Browse your supermarket’s dairy case and you’re bound to see new cold brew coffee products in store and we can guess why! If you’ve ever tried making home brewed coffee with your traditional drip machine you’ll know that it often comes out bitter and weak. Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate provides a convenient, great-tasting cold brewed coffee crafted from the best quality 100% USDA organic Arabica coffee beans from Central and South America. Each 28 oz. bottle makes about 6 cups of hot or cold coffee which saves a bundle over coffee shop prices.
EZE Cold Coffee Maker Bottle
OVERNIGHT BREWS TO GO. The EZE Cold Coffee Maker Bottle is ideal for making your own cold brewed coffee to grab and go in the morning. Designed specifically to help reduce the acidity and bitterness of machine brewing, this shatter-proof bottle is virtually fool-proof. Add your grinds, water, shake, place in fridge overnight (or at least 8 hours) then enjoy cold brewed coffee. This is flavor, price and convenience in one smart bottle.
Handpresso Outdoor Complete French Press
POTENT AND PORTABLE. When we first saw the handsome Handpresso Outdoor Complete French Press it looked too good to be true. Everything you need to make espresso in a case? The idea of purchasing an espresso maker that could work in AND out of the kitchen secured the Handpresso’s place in our story. This portable set is made from thermo-formed EVA (Extreme Vibration Attenuation) plastic that’s designed to withstand pressure up to 50 psi, giving you the ability to make a great cup of espresso. You can use fresh-ground coffee or the E.S.E. pod of your choice with just a bit of hot water to get a rich expensive-tasting brew. Compact and clean!
Capresso frothPRO 202 Automatic Milk Frother
LATTE, ANYONE? Once we had espresso on our minds a stand-alone milk frother was a must, and the Capresso frothPRO 202 Automatic Milk Frother got our attention. Designed to create thick and rich frothed milk for cappuccinos, steamed milk for cafe lattes, and frothy hot chocolate, the Capresso automatic milk frother produces professional quality results with a quick touch of a button. We love that it’s small design won’t clutter countertops and is easy to clean.
IF YOU STILL HAVEN’T WOKEN UP…
It’s just good sense to follow the rule of “everything in moderation”. Every once in a while, however, our morning cup of joe or the afternoon pick-me-up mocha just misses the mark. For the true caffeine-lovers out there here are a couple of fun additions for your morning routine to help you perk up and start the day off right!
Shower Shock Caffeinated Soap |ThinkGeek
Caffeinated Shaving Cream | Pacific Shaving Company
Shampoo with Caffeine | Alpecin
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!
If you are a coffee lover, what are you doing at home to create a coffee shop feeling on a budget?
