holiday

Fun Coffee Recipes for the Holidays! [Bonus Guest Post]

Special thanks to Blogger Jennifer Birch for writing this piece just for our Ethos family!

Ah, coffee — the ideal way to start your day and the best drink to pair with dessert. With coffee shops everywhere you look, it’s easy to get your hands on a cup of joe. But what if we told you that you could make a coffee shop-standard brew from the comfort of your own home? That’s right. You don’t need to head out to get some quality caffeine. You can do it by yourself!

Don’t believe us? Think about it: All you need are some quality ingredients and the right kitchen appliances. It’s no wonder entrepreneurs have found success in starting and running a café! The margins are impressive, as people go to coffee shops to pay $3.50 to $4.50 for a cup of coffee that only costs around $1 to make. Factor in the fact that some 83% of Americans enjoy a cup of coffee regularly, and you’ve got yourself a nice business model. Pretty awesome, right? Remember to give us a shoutout once you’ve built your coffee empire. Until then, here are four fun coffee recipes for you to make at home:

1. Cold Brew Coffee | Iced Coffee

No special equipment needed for this coffee recipe. Cold brew coffee is made by steeping around two ounces of ground coffee beans in cold water for a long period of time (~20 hrs). It yields a rich taste that isn’t at all bitter. We recommend leaving it in the fridge overnight, then serving it the next day with milk and honey.

But if you’re looking for a quick coffee fix, we’d recommend some good old iced coffee. It uses the same amount of coffee beans. Just dump it into your coffee press with some hot water. After a couple of minutes, push down the plunger, then serve over ice.

2. White Chocolate Mocha

Got some leftover white chocolate in the fridge? Why not repurpose it into a decadent white chocolate mocha? Pour some milk into a pot, throw in around three tablespoons of white chocolate, then whisk. Once the mixture is smooth, pour it into a cup of coffee and stir. To make it look fancy, top it with some whipped cream and a little nutmeg!

3. Gingerbread Spice Coffee

Craving coffee with a hint of spice? Try a cup of gingerbread spice coffee! Mix a spoonful of molasses with a half teaspoon of brown sugar, baking soda, ground ginger, and cinnamon in a bowl. Once it’s all blended, cover and leave in the fridge for around ten minutes. After it’s chilled, you can prepare your coffee as usual and stir in a teaspoon of the spice mixture. We recommend having this with some milk and whipped cream. You can even make your own gingerbread cookies to go with it! They pair really well with any cup of coffee.

4. Banana Coffee Smoothie

This last recipe is a little bit different. It’s a great way to kick start your day, but also a delicious way to end your meal. To make a banana coffee smoothie, drop two frozen bananas, some sugar, a cup of vanilla ice cream, and a cup of strong coffee into your food processor. Blend the mixture until smooth, then serve in a tall glass. It’s a healthy smoothie with a kick of caffeine!

Four delicious coffee recipes, and each one can be made in your kitchen! Ready to try them out? With so many choices, you’re sure to find the perfect cup of coffee for you. Happy brewing!

Ethos 2020 in a Cup : Introducing this year's Red Swan!

What a year this has been! Full of surprises, challenges, many (perhaps too many) learning opportunities… and yet, we’ve done some of our most impactful work this year. It has been a year full of uncertainty and despair, yet we’ve been able to offer certainty and hope to our farmers. It has been a year of a few losses driven by unfortunate events and a few painful changes… yet, we feel so much clearer about our path for the future, and are even more convinced on our ability to make a difference. It has been the year of social distancing… yet we feel more connected to each of you than ever before! - to the extent we’ve secretly started calling you our Ethos family.

As we began working on our Holiday Blend for this year… we wanted to do something extra (truly extra) special - that could help embody our immense, deep gratitude for each of you this year. It is not an understatement when we say Ethos exists only thanks to you - our High-Impact coffees are now 80% supported by our online customers and subscribers! With this in mind, we began by sourcing a coffee that would only be featured on this blend - a women-farmed, Organic, Direct-Trade Honey-processed Bourbon from Copán, Honduras… and combined it with two of our most special, most impactful single-origins we currently have: Poaquil Natural and Umoja (Washed Bourbon). And, as some of you may have already noticed… we also combined all main coffee processing methods (washed, honey natural) into this intoxicatingly aromatic, well-balanced, sweet cup featuring fruit-forward notes that contrast nicely with strong earthy, subtly spiced undertones.

We hope you love it… and we hope you can taste our intense joy and gratitude for getting to still be here, in this journey…. Brewing Greatness in the world with you!

Gracias familia!

Jolian & Lisbeth

PS. We’re adding a little surprise to every online order that includes Red Swan this and next month (and I’m dying to tell you… but I think you’ll be happier to just see it when you open your box!). We hope you love it, we hope it makes your Holidays a little more special this year, and above all - we hope we’re able to show our gratitude for all the love and support you’ve shown us this year! YOU are truly awesome, family!