Cardamom and Rose Coffee – My New Afternoon Treat!

cardamom and rose coffeeAnyone who knows me (or reads this blog) knows I’ve had a life long love affair with chai. What you might not know is that I also love to indulge in speciality coffees. My love for calorie laden, sugar filled lattes started when I was 20 years old. I got my first “real” job with a travel agency and my trainer took me to Starbucks – it was my first time ever at the famous $5 latte stop (it was the year 2000, in case you are curious). She asked what I wanted and I said something sweet; the barista suggested a Caramel Machiato, and I was hooked!

Over the years my drink has switched to a White Mocha in the summer and a Pumpkin Spice in the fall, but the thrill of sneaking away for a little treat in the afternoon a few times a week hasn’t gone away. For me, coffee is a break from the every day; a treat. It’s a time to catch up with a friend, or indulge in some quiet me time.

I’ve often considered making my afternoon cup of coffee at home, but I don’t own a coffee maker. My hubby doesn’t drink coffee, and I’m not keen on giving the kids caffeine (sic), so the idea of getting a big coffee maker and taking up valuable counter space has always seemed a bit silly. I briefly tested out a single server coffee maker last year but it was too clunky, and I couldn’t stomach throwing all those plastic cups into the garbage. So I quickly returned to making an afternoon coffee run a few times a week. The only problem is … those lattes add up on the credit card statement and the hips!cardamom and rose coffee

Enter the Hamilton Beach Grind & Brew Coffee Single-Serve coffee maker. This baby gives you the option of grinding fresh coffee beans or using pre-ground coffee and making one cup at a time. For a solo coffee drinker this is perfection – say goodbye to instant coffee, and afternoon drive thru visits forever my friends! It’s also a sleek little machine that takes up minimal space on my counter and provides hot (like really hot) and delicious coffee in a matter of minutes, what more could a girl ask for? 

Once I played around with the proportions and figured out how many scoops of coffee give me the right flavour and caffeine kick (2 scoops of beans, and 3 of pre-ground is my magic number), I started thinking about ways to add a special flavour to my cup of joe. Part of the allure of the coffee house is the flavoured coffee and speciality toppings after all. I quickly learned that you can buy flavoured coffee beans, but you know that the DIYer in me couldn’t be satisfied with that option right? So, after a little bit of tinkering around in my spice cabinet, the Cardamom & Rose coffee was created. cardamom and rose coffeecardamom and rose coffee

Inspired by a traditional Turkish Coffee, this sweet, milky coffee is super easy to make with the Hamilton Beach Grind and Brew Single-Serve Coffee Maker. 

Cardamom & Rose Coffee:

Ingredients:
2-3 scoops of coffee beans (depending on how strong you like your coffee)
3 cardamom pods pounded and shell removed
1 tsp dried rose petals (or 2 drops rose water – but I really prefer the petals in this coffee)
Warm milk with sugar to taste cardamom and rose coffee

Start by placing the coffee beans, cardamom pods, and rose petals right in the grinding section of the coffee maker and start it. If you don’t have a coffee machine that has a built in grinder you could use your coffee grinder to do this as well, however, this is one of my favourite features of the Hamilton Beach model I have.  

Remember to add only 3/4 of a cup of water into the machine so that you have room at the top of your cup to add milk. hamilton beach grind and brew single serve

While the coffee is brewing, warm some milk to just before boiling point and melt sugar in it. I use about 1/3 of a cup of milk and 1 spoon of sugar because I like sweet milky coffee. You could use more or less as per your taste. cardamom and rose coffeecardamom rose coffee

Once the coffee is ready to go, top with your milk mixture, hide from the children, and enjoy!

I’m extremely happy with the Hamilton Beach Grind and Brew Single-Serve Coffee Maker because it’s easy to use, easy to clean, and doesn’t take up my entire counter. It’s also nice to have a coffee grinder for the first time, since the only one I have currently serves as a spice grinder! {Maybe I’ll make garam masala flavoured coffee next…who knows?

Images by: Aziz Dhamani for Pink Chai 

Are you a coffee lover? Good news, the awesome folks at Hamilton Beach are going to give one Pink Chai reader a Grind and Brew Single-Serve machine of your own! Just follow the directions below for entry and keep your fingers crossed! {This contest is open only to those with a Canadian mailing address}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note: I am part of the #HBSocialKitchen program and received compensation for this post. As always, the opinions provided are my own. 

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8 Comments

  1. April 20, 2015 / 9:09 am

    This coffee sounds so good! I sometimes put cardamon in chai but I never thought about adding it to my coffee… great idea!

  2. Pearl S
    April 20, 2015 / 2:27 pm

    I am going to try this!! Looks good!

  3. April 21, 2015 / 7:54 am

    I also live in a house where I am the only person who drinks coffee. For about 10 or so years, now, I’ve used a small stovetop espresso maker, and I have this fancy milk frother thingy, as well. I always make my morning latte, usually with a drop or two of vanilla simple syrup. But this–this would be an excellent alternative, and I’ve been thinking about replacing my coffee maker lately. It’s getting a little worn. 🙂

  4. April 21, 2015 / 9:11 am

    Woah. Wait – can you clarify, the machine grinds the coffee beans for you? Entered draw, crossing fingers!

    • April 21, 2015 / 3:13 pm

      Yes, it does the grinding for you! Brilliant right?!

  5. April 21, 2015 / 10:08 am

    I’m a 2 a day so 14 cups for me! 🙂

  6. April 21, 2015 / 10:54 am

    I love that this is a single serve that is not in those plastic pods or cups and grinds the coffee beans, I prefer by coffee with freshly ground beans as does my hubby. We stopped using coffee machines that have pots as we don’t drink that much in one sitting. I have one cup of coffee a day so 7 cups a week 🙂

  7. lisa
    October 2, 2019 / 5:17 am

    Coffee is my best friend , every morning I’m normally have a cup of hot cappuccino if I haven’t get it I can’t work till afternoon !!!!!coffee lover

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