THE SECOND LIFE OF COFFEE GROUNDS

OUR JOURNEY TO ZERO WASTE PT. 1

Each of us knows that coffee is essential - of course! For most of us, it is an inseparable companion every day, be it in the morning for breakfast or in the afternoon with the cheesecake. And now, if we think of how much of this coffee we actually drink ... well, we drink a lot! In addition, if we brew it using traditional methods that require the use of the ground beans, after finishing, we should have some grounds left. They usually end up in the bin but it doesn’t have to be the case. 

If you are a zero-waste fan and you lead an environment friendly life and you’ve never used your coffee grounds before… well, now is the time!

You’ve probably known this but here’s a reminder - coffee grounds are a component of many natural cosmetics that you can find in stores - scrubs, shampoos or masks, but few people know that sometimes you can prepare much healthier and simpler ingredients in the privacy of your home using the very coffee grounds that you would otherwise throw away.

What’s stopping you from making your own face mask and peeling? The caffeine contained in coffee grounds makes the skin smoother and more firm, and when applied to the lips - it restores their natural colour. Such peeling can be safely used on the whole body, e.g. during a shower. And it’s also so easy to make! There is no single recipe for it - just mix the coffee grounds with a bit of honey, body oil or shower gel (of course, considering which part of the body we want to use the scrub on). For example, oil with coffee grounds is recommended for the face, and a mixture with gel and honey for the body. Although there are many ways to combine them, so you can easily explore all of them!

A word of advice - as it happens with peels, they can cause allergies, so we recommend that you first rub a small part on the back of your hand and wait whether your skin accepts the new cosmetic or not. 

In addition to the miraculous effects of coffee grounds on the skin, they can also be used in the kitchen. Coffee is famous for absorbing unpleasant odors, so you can put it in the refrigerator on a saucer (both beans and/or coffee grounds). The unpleasant smell you wanted to get rid of should disappear!  

Jest to też taki naturalny dezodorant – można umyć nią ręce po krojeniu cebuli czy czosnku, aby zniwelować uporczywy zapach (a przy okazji zrobić sobie peeling dłoni 🙂

In addition, if you are painting your apartment and you can’t open the windows for some reason (smog for example?), place plates with coffee beans around the place and, we promise you, the strong smell of coffee will disappear much faster!

Of these domestic uses, we have a few more: coffee grounds are also a natural fertilizer! Coffee contains a whole lot of ingredients that are very useful in urban jungle farming, such as nitrogen, potassium and magnesium. If you dry the coffee grounds and combine them with the soil on the bottom or on the surface of the pot, this wonderful mixture will improve the health of your plants, but also it will hold water longer and make the flowers grow much faster.

I na koniec taka ciekawostka – podczas letniej walki z komarami, spróbujcie ułożyć fusy na talerzyku i je podpalić. Zapach nie będzie przyjemny, ale przynajmniej ochroni Was przed atakami tych krwiopijców! (działa, sprawdziliśmy! Podpisujemy się więc pod tym swoim zbiorczym imieniem 🙂

Oh, and one more very important thing - if you want to store the coffee grounds as long as possible, don’t just put them from the cup straight into a box. Spread them evenly on a tray first and dry them in the oven. “Cooking” them will get rid of the water and prevent them rotting. 

In our café you can get small bags with coffee grounds for free (one per person because we don’t have that much storage capacity!). If we’ve run out, let us know and we will prepare a bag especially for you!