October may herald the coming of scary movies with Halloween at the tail end of the month, but it kicks off on a different note: International Coffee Day. Celebrated on 1 October, it’s one of many delicious food and drink-themed days throughout the year. Other fun excuses for deliciousness include Hot and Spicy Food Day, Waffle Day, Bacon Day, and Doughnut Day.
For many people, coffee day is every day as we kickstart our mornings with a fresh cup of brew. But with load shedding throwing a spanner in the machinations of our morning ritual, we’ve had to come up with other plans. Here are a few backup plans to ensure you can still have your cup of joe.
Gas it
If you have a gas stove, you should be able to continue as normal. Boil a pot of water or even better, get a moka pot or one of those kettles that whistle once the water boils, and you’re all set.
Ice it
It’s summertime, so whip up a frozen one instead. Make a good batch of strong coffee while the power’s up, stick it in the fridge, and once load shedding hits, take out the coffee, mix it with ice (and milk if you like), and you’re good to go. Jazz it up by adding ice cream or condensed milk.
Martini it
Why not jazz it up even more by using your cold coffee for a martini? Mix a coffee liqueur like Kahlua with vodka and coffee, shake it, and serve. At the end of the day, of course. Although when load shedding hits in the morning many of us wish we could be downing these instead!
Café coffee
This one is not the most practical of solutions at home, but it works on the way to work. Grab a cup to go by stopping at a garage to refuel on caffeine and spare your colleagues the misery of your caffeine-deprived company. Or leave earlier if you can and take a moment to yourself by sitting down with a fresh cup. If you’re grabbing on the go, get a reusable cup so you cut back on waste.
Flask it
Of course, buying a cup at a café or garage every day can get expensive. Fear not coffee lovers, we have another solution. Make coffee before the power goes off and place it in a flask to keep warm. This can work at home or away. You can also heat water before the power cuts so that you have some on hand when the power goes.
Now you have a coffee backup plan! Plus, we even have a backup entertainment plan. Remember: you can download movies and episodes on the DStv and Showmax apps, so you can keep watching when darkness descends.
Catch up on episodes of My Kitchen Rules SA with DStv here. The fifth and final Instant Restaurant of Group 1 will air on Sunday 2 October at 18:00 on M-Net channel 101. We’re crossing all fingers and toes that you can watch along with us. Otherwise, catch up afterwards and follow the conversation on social media using #MKRSA.