Looking to spice things up in the kitchen? Hey, who isn't.
Coffee is a necessity for most of us hard-working (and otherwise) guys.
It's what gets us going in the morning and powers us through the day.
But, as with all of the best things in life, having the same cup of coffee every day can get a little mundane and, well... predictable after a while.
I wasn't really feeling this way because I think coffee's always awesome, but I hear it's possible to feel that way for other people. Still, I decided to try to spice things up by adding a little cayenne pepper to my coffee. And I'll tell you what—it's pretty damn good.
If you're looking for something different and exciting (and you can handle the heat) I highly recommend giving this a try. You probably won't regret it!
Cayenne Pepper: A Beginner’s Guide
Even if you don't usually cook spicy foods, you might remember cayenne pepper from the spice aisle of every grocery store you've ever been to in your entire life—or perhaps from that little orange-reddish bottle in the back of your cabinet with "Best by October 2011" printed on it.
If you're already as familiar as you want to be with cayenne pepper, you can skip down to "how to make cayenne pepper coffee" below.
For the rest of you, here's the low-down on this unique spice:
Cayenne pepper is a type of chili pepper that is commonly used in spicy dishes. It is made from the dried, ground up flesh of chili peppers and has a fiery, hot taste. It's used in a wide variety of cuisines, including Latin American, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Korean, Creole, and Cajun. (In Cajun cuisine, you might also hear cayenne referred to as cayyyonne.)
Cayenne pepper is said to have many health benefits, including helping to improve circulation, boost metabolism, and clear congestion. It has an extremely potent flavor—at least quality cayenne does—and unless you're my Peruvian ex-girlfriend, it's generally used sparingly in dishes. So if you're not used to eating spicy foods, cayenne coffee might be a bit of an adjustment.
Boy, after all that these instructions are going to seem really short. But hey, that’s a good thing—right? Everyone loves an anti-climax.
How to Make Cayenne Pepper Coffee:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of brewed coffee
- About 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (I recommend starting with less than you think you should use...if that makes sense.)
- (Optional, but recommended) Chocolate syrup
Instructions:
- Brew your coffee as you normally would.
- Add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper to the grounds before brewing. Proceed slowly, adding some and tasting if you’re not used to spicy things.
- (Optional) Add the chocolate syrup to the coffee after it's brewed. This helps to offset the heat of the cayenne and makes for a delicious spicy mocha-like drink.
While cayenne coffee might not be for everyone, I think it's worth trying at least once. (And hey, if you don't like it, you don't ever have to try it again.)
It's a nice change of pace from the usual cup of joe and, as an added bonus, the spice might give you a little bit of an extra kick in the morning.
So go ahead and give cayenne pepper coffee a shot—you might be surprised at how much you like it. Or you might not!
