8 Ways to Up Your Coffee Game

Annnnd, we are back to school! What does this mean? If you are thinking an increasing in coffee consumption then you might just be correct. I love my coffee, but that being said, coffee with a splash of almond milk can be boring. I love going out for coffee, but in Madison, it seems hard to get a drink without paying over $5 (no thanks!). Instead of going out for coffee when a change is needed, I have come up with 8 ways to make your morning coffee more exciting. 

| Flavored Syrup |

You can just buy the flavored syrup you so love to get at a coffee shop. They are sold at most grocery stores and on amazon. Just add a splash to your coffee to instantly amp it up. If you are feeling more adventurous, and want to save extra money, make your own syrup. There are tons of recipes out there that only involve sugar, flavoring and water!

| Add Flavored Extract |

If you don't want to have the added sugars found in flavored syrups, extracts are a great way to go. I like adding vanilla or cinnamon extract to change up my coffee. BE CAREFUL WITH PEPPERMINT EXTRACT... one time I put too much in and my lips tingled for over a 1/2 hour. 

| Use Cream or Whole Milk |

I loved to add whole milk to my coffee in the mornings before I had to stop having milk. It makes the coffee so much creamier and what is not to like about that? You can even make your own creamers with just milk and extracts. This is such an easy way to make your cup of Joe seem fancier. 

| Make Coffee Ice Cubes |

Are you an iced coffee type of person? Then if you haven't made coffee ice cubes yet, you are missing out. Having watered down coffee is no longer an issue. Just take your leftover coffee one morning, pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze! I also love adding these to peanut butter smoothies instead of normal ice. 

| Cinnamon |

This is probably the simplest, and cheapest way to spice up your coffee, literally. Just sprinkle in some cinnamon and mix it up. This adds a unique sweetness to your drink that plain sugar just won't do. By adding cinnamon, you are making your coffee healthier due to the health benefits of cinnamon. 

| Ice Cream |

Affogado. This is really all the explanation necessary. What could be better than coffee over a scoop of ice cream? Don't limit yourself to just vanilla ice cream. Any flavor will work. I love to have caramel based ice creams with a shot of expresso. This is my favorite guilty pleasure in the summer. (with a bunch of Lactaid pills of course) 

| Salt |

Bitter coffee is no fun. I have never tried it, but supposedly if you add salt to bitter coffee it, it with create a smoother taste. If you try this, let me know, I have always been interested in this idea, but never remember it when I have bitter coffee.

| Sweeten Condensed Milk |

Vietnamese iced coffee is a thing for a reason. It is simply just adding sweetened condensed milk into your cup, then hot coffee. This can be made either iced or hot, but it looks so pretty iced that I would recommend it this way. 

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee - The Gilmore Girls 

xoxo,

Maddie