A Great Coffee Idea for the Holidays
Halloween and Thanksgiving are right around the corner and both of these holidays immediately bring to mind pumpkins. While it may not be something that you would immediately think to add to your coffee, you are in for quite a treat when you actually do try it out. This is great for dessert or just when friends come over to visit on these cold winter nights.
There are two ways you can go about doing this. You can use a creamer (store bought or homemade) or you can make a pot of coffee with a flavored bean. This is truly going to be a matter of preference. If you prefer a stronger flavor, I would recommend going with the bean. If you would like the ability to adjust the flavoring from cup to cup, you are probably much better off going with a flavored cream.
As far as actual coffee beans go, Arbuckle makes a great one. Their Pumpkin Spice Blend is about as good as it gets and it is going to fill your nose with enough smells to get your taste buds going crazy. This is not a mild flavored coffee and you can definitely taste the cinnamon, nutmeg and even a little clove in there. To be honest, it will probably be a bit much for those that do not like stronger coffee.
For the meek and mild, a great creamer that you can buy at the store is International Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice. I kept this in my fridge last winter and about a week in, had to go out and get another quart. By the end of Christmas, we had gone through about a case of this stuff as it was far and away everyone’s favorite way to enjoy some holiday flair to their coffee. It is a great alternative and when you figure in the cost of your normal cream, much cheaper than buying a flavored bean like Arbuckle’s.
If you want to make the creamer yourself, it is fairly easy to do. As long as you have everything in your pantry, you can whip it up in a few minutes and have it ready to go for the next day. If I make my own, I use the recipe below and then allow the cream to sit for a day to let the flavors combine and become one with the cream. Enjoy!
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Creamer Recipe
1 pt non-dairy creamer
2t allspice
4t ground nutmeg
4t ground ginger
8t ground cinnamon
2t ground cloves
Put all ingredients into bowl and use a wire whip to very gently mix all ingredients. When all are combines, pout into an airtight container and allow to sit for one day in refrigerator before using. It is ready to use right way, but tastes much better after it sits for a day to allow flavors to combine and settle.
brewed on Jan 21st, 2010
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