We love a morning coffee or tea ritual. It’s a delightful way to wake the senses. But some mornings just don’t go to plan. Here’s your simple, sustainable backup plan.   

School starts tomorrow here in Austin, and like many families, we have multiple humans, all headed in different directions each weekday morning, and pets to care for before we leave.

For us, it’s two kids in two different schools, two adults with two different workplaces, three dogs, a few chickens, and assorted birds, fish and guinea pigs. (OK, we may have a few more pets than most).

We aspire to those calm and easy mornings with a ritual pour over coffee and easy chats. Mornings where everyone is on point, all shoes located, all backpacks ready, all homework complete, all hair brushed and breakfast eaten with time to spare. But yeah, that doesn’t always work out. 

We’ve always got a backup plan for breakfast (grab a cereal bar) and a backup plan for a failed packed lunch (money on the school lunch card). And for coffee? The usual backup plan is a trip to the local coffee shop or to simply do without it. 

If you’re trying to save time, money and paper, and “doing without” is not ideal when it comes to your morning caffeine of choice, we’ve gathered a few options for you. 

When you’ve got 10 minutes

We love a slow morning. And making our favorite coffee is a ritual part of that time. And while the slower the better is how we feel on the inside, sometimes (frequently), it’s just not an options. 

The good news? You can have a soothing morning coffee or tea ritual in about 10 minutes. We know because we’ve timed it and given you some detailed instructions! 

The healing power of slow coffee

IN A WORLD OF FRACTURED ATTENTION AND CONSTANT MOVEMENT, THE PRACTICE OF SLOW COFFEE OFFERS A DAILY MOMENT TO REFOCUS AND REGROUND.

Read more

When you can take those few minutes, it really changes your perception of how much time you truly have. 10 minutes at the beginning of the day can be enough to completely change your approach to everything that comes after. 

Try it if you can!

When you can only spare 5 minutes  

You can bust out a cup of our favorite pour over in about five minutes. Same goes for a cup of tea. Just be strategic! 

Get the kettle going and grind your beans at the same time. Prep your coffee sock and place a drip brewer right on top of your to-go mug. Then go attend to your other morning needs until you hear the kettle. 

Pour the first round of hot water over your grounds. Take 30 seconds to toss your things in a bag. Finish pouring the water and go!

When you have a few minutes…yesterday

If you’re not drawn to the ritual of coffee making, or if time is often short, you might have one of those automatic machines with a timer that brews the coffee for you and has it piping hot and ready for you when you wake up.

No shade from us! We’re glad you found your method. And there’s a reusable coffeesock for that!  Sock on, friend!

When you’re just out of time completely

There is nothing easier and faster than cold brewed coffee or cold brewed tea already sitting in your fridge. For us, a batch of cold brew lasts 3-4 days. It does take about 10 minutes to prep—but only once or twice a week. 

We always have cold brew in the fridge. On a truly busy morning, just pour and go. PRefer hot coffee? Nuke it for 30 seconds. The bonus here is that cold brew lasts for up to a week, and it’s fantastic as a shot for that afternoon pick-me-up, or to splash coffee in your chocolate dessert recipes.

What’s your busy morning caffeine trick?

Wait! Instead of tossing that last swallow of coffee down the sink, you can use it in clever ways that will have you thanking yourself later. Here are a few of our favorites.

If you’re like us, there’s always a little coffee left in the brewer and a little more left in the cup. Maybe some of it is black and some has a splash of milk and a little sugar. If you typically toss it down the sink when it’s time to clean up, try saving it instead. 

Why bother? Because in the future, you are going to want it, and it will be there for you. Trust us. Try a few of our favorite uses for leftover coffee—even small amounts. 

Use it in your chocolate desserts

We’ve written before about how to use coffee in your cooking. If you have some coffee already in the fridge, you’ll be ready to go the next time you need it. No need to grab your cold brew or make a small amount of fresh coffee for a recipe. 

Coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate, balancing the sweetness to deepen the taste and complexity. If you’ve never tried it, now’s your chance. 

Things you can do with ½ cup or less of leftover coffee:

• Swap ½ of water or milk in the recipe for ½ cup of black coffee. 

• Add a couple of tablespoons to a frosting or ganache recipe.

• Make coffee-hinting chocolate chip cookies!

Make ice cubes for your drinks…or your face

Whether your leftovers are black, milky, sweet, or flavored, you can add coffee ice cubes to so many drinks for an unexpected flavor punch. 

Of course, you can use it instead of regular ice cubes to flavor your cold brew so it’s never watered down. Or you can add the ice cubes to sparkling water or these cold brew and tonic mocktails. 

If you’re freezing black coffee, you can even use those cubes on your face for a quick depuff. Caffeine is a known vasoconstrictor (it shrinks little veins) and so is ice! Together, they can be a nice skin pick-me-up. 

Try tracing a frozen cube of coffee around your face and under (but away from) your eyes. You don’t need to use up the whole cube. Just give it a few circles around the forehead, cheeks and chin. It’s bound to feel extra good on a hot summer day. 

Flavor a smoothie or oatmeal

If you enjoy a cup of coffee with a morning smoothie or bowl of oats, try a breakfast mashup by replacing some of the liquid in your smoothie or oats with an equal part of leftover coffee. 

• Our chocolate peanut butter smoothie makes a devine breakfast or afternoon treat. 

• For the oatmeal, try creating overnight oats with one part oatmilk and one part coffee. If your leftovers already have a little sugar and milk, you can probably just use the coffee alone. 

How to save your leftover coffee

If you’re making ice cubes, we recommend you set aside one cube tray that you only use for freezing coffee. If you fill it before you’re ready to use it all, pop the cubes into a labeled, reusable freezer bag. 

To save the leftovers for baking or smoothies, grab a mason jar and some masking tape. Label the jar “leftover coffee” and add your leftovers in the same jar each time. As long as you use the coffee consistently and wash out the jar once a month or so, you’ll always have a few tablespoons ready to go when it’s treat-making time. 

Looking for a new way to ditch plastic?

Us too. Here are our three favorites for the summer.

Do you dream of a world with less trash? Us too. In fact, it is our mission to help eliminate single-use paper coffee filters, clean up our local beaches, and minimize the trash we create as a family and a community. 

We’re always looking for ways to reduce our footprint further without investing in expensive, time consuming or complicated products and strategies. 

That’s why we’ve sung the praises of simple and economical things—mason jars, the French market bag, and DIYing your own veggie stock and plant-based milk. And we’ve slowly been adding to the list of favorites, tried and tested by our family and friends. 

Here are three more favorite—inexpensive and simple—reusable products to help eliminate trash. 

See-through, glass, reusable straws

If you need or prefer to use a straw when you drink,  and if reusable is an option for you (we know it isn’t for everyone!), there are many reusable straws on the market. We’re in love with these glass straws because they solve some of the issues we’ve had with other types. The biggest one? Seeing that they are clean. 

If you’ve used a metal straw for a smoothie and didn’t clean it right away, then you know the anxiety of wondering if you’ve gotten it fully cleaned out. Even with the straw brushes, you can’t always tell. These clear, glass straws mean you can see clearly. 

And yes, they are sturdy—stronger and more break resistant than regular glass. The six pack comes with three straight and three curved, plus a cleaning brush.  

Thrifted or sewn napkins

This may be one of the easiest, cheapest and most overlooked reusable we know. The next time you’re at a thrift store, estate sale or secondhand shop, go looking for cloth napkins. You can usually snag them cheaply and in bundles. You may find soft cotton, cute vintage or classic linen cloths in every color. 

Buy more than you think you’ll need and put a few in every bag you own. You will use them. 

If you’re crafty, they are super easy to sew from old sheets, shirts and other spare cloth. 

Utensils from home

For ages, every single time I ordered takeout and opened a pack of plasticware, I cringed. I’ve seen several travel packs of flatware, chopsticks and other utensils, and finally bought myself one. 

Then two things happened: The flatware that arrived was not as sturdy as I had hoped and a spoon broke off in a particularly cold scoop of icecream. Looking for a more sturdy replacement, a friend laughed and pulled out her own set of flatware—from home. She literally took a fork, spoon and knife from home, wrapped them in a cloth napkin, secured them with a band and placed them in her bag. She’s brilliant, and you can stop what you’re doing and put some  in your bag right now. 

Don’t want to grab your good stuff from home? You can buy utensils at the secondhand shop too!

Every leap you take, you take it together. To strengthen your corner of the country this Independence Day, start with your community.

In 2011, I decided to quit my job and become an independent business owner. The full-time job I held at the time no longer worked with the life I wanted to create for myself and my family. I knew I wanted more time—with my family, my friends, my community. And I knew I wanted to contribute what I could to my corner of the planet. 

I had been brewing up the idea of CoffeeSock, and I was ready to make a go of it. And I haven’t looked back since.  Do you know what else I haven’t done? 

I haven’t been independent. 

An interdependent business

My family and friends were there cheering me on, even helping to cut and sew those early socks. Then there was my Sock team, a group of amazing makers out creating their own stories when they weren’t at the factory bringing the business to life.  (You can meet them, here!)

And of course there was and is the coffee community, from the shop owners and baristas who championed our product and helped make it better, to the roasters and distributors. And yes, the coffee drinkers who were thirsty for a more sustainable, simple and ritualistic way to enjoy their brew.  

The truth is, no person or business is ever fully independent. No family and no community is fully independent. We rely on each other. Sometimes a little and sometimes a lot. 

We are interdependent. And we celebrate that beautiful fact this July (and every month, really). 

Independence requires stronger ties

What does it mean to be independent? Does it mean you do everything yourself? Does it mean you never rely on anyone else? Does it mean you have no limitations or outside controls? 

I don’t think so. Not exactly. To be independent means to understand the nature of your ties and choose them for yourself. It means you choose to whom you are bound, on whom you rely, what limitations and controls you freely accept as a means to live the life you choose. 

It might sound strange to say that you can be freely bound. But it’s true. As a mother and wife and daughter and sister, I choose to bind myself to my family in ways that support and nurture them and me. This may sometimes mean I take on burdens and limitations that strain me in the moment. It also means that we all can rely on each other in turn, as we need it. 

It’s pretty obvious to see with children and elders. They can enjoy more freedoms and choices the more community they have to support them. Our elders can enjoy independence for longer when we support them more frequently. Our children can grow more independent when we provide the scaffolding and limits they need to succeed.

And it’s true for all of us, regardless of age and ability. We are each more free and independent because of our ties. 

To strengthen your corner of the country this Independence Day, strengthen your community

These last few years, few months, few weeks—they have been EXTRA. At times, I have felt hopeless and wondered if we are irreparably broken and divided as a society. In those times, I find great solace in my chosen communities. Those whom I live with and near, and those much farther away who I connect to through my business or our shared love of beekeeping or sustainability. 

I find solace in the Earth herself, my beloved Texas beaches and the forests and mountains I visit every chance I get. 

These places and people make up my community, and in my moments of deepest doubt, they lift me up and make me stronger and remind me to grow myself and grow my community. 

If you’re reading this, you are part of it too. Thank you for making me stronger and more independent. May you be stronger in your ties and grounded in your independence, too.

In a world of fractured attention and constant movement, the practice of slow coffee offers a daily moment to refocus and reground.  

What if you stop reading this and notice the miracle of your senses? Yes, right now. All five of them. What do you see? Do you hear anything? Listen harder. Touch something nearby, and notice its texture. Are there smells? Tastes?

Whether you’re sitting comfortably at home or on a crowded train, to anchor in your senses brings you out of the jammed space of your head, out of the past and away from the future, and back into real life now. It’s a transformative habit, this pause. It offers clarity, calm, and healing.

There are many ways to experience this. By far one of our favorites is the ritual of slow morning coffee. It’s a daily act of self care that costs little money and requires no special tools. When the world feels overwhelming, it provides 10 daily minutes of calm.  

Slow coffee as pause

To pause requires patience in a world accustomed to convenience and distraction. Deliberate slowness is an act of resistance. I find this especially true at breakfast, a time when the pleasures of crispy toast and strong coffee are easily turned into mechanized experiences meant only to fuel some future productivity.

Slow coffee is a daily rebellion. A moment to give your brain a chance to reset—a reprieve from yesterday’s messes and today’s  to-dos. 

Here’s how to slow down and take back your morning coffee.

• Go analog. Silence your notifications. Leave your phone in a different room. Try to give yourself these minutes distraction free, if possible. 

• Savor the smell. You may grind your own or buy it pre-ground. Either way, coffee smells amazing. Notice it. Give yourself at least five full seconds to soak it in. 

• Look and Listen. Watch the water pour from the pitcher or the tap. Listen as it fills the kettle or the brewer. Don’t look away. Water is one of nature’s most powerful forces. Appreciate the heck out of the fact that you have it right here in front of you. 

• Feel all the textures. The ground coffee, the water, the kettle or brewer, your favorite mug—they all have a different texture. They are all made up of elements, just like you. Notice the differences. Notice the sameness. 

• Wait. Now for the hardest part. You wait. The brewing or boiling of water takes its own time. Resist the urge to check your phone. Don’t prep your to-do list or get a head start on absolutely anything. Your only activities are for the present moment. Do some gentle stretching. Sit and watch the kettle slowly warm. Count your breaths. Notice the sights, sounds, and smells of the brewer.  

• Pour and watch. If you use the pour over method, there’s still the whole process of slowly swirling the water from the kettle over the grounds and watching it drip through and turn into liquid magic. So satisfying!

• Savor. This may be the best moment of all—time to pour the brewed coffee into your favorite mug and enjoy the rising steam. In another act of patience, you must wait a minute or two before drinking so you don’t burn your tongue. Savor the smell, the heat, the dancing steam. 

• Express gratitude. When it’s time for the first sip, really notice the flavors and the chain of efforts that brought this moment to you. Consider  saying “thank you” out loud.  Because it’s all a modern miracle when you really think about it. 

When life interrupts your slow coffee

It’s inevitable. Unless you live deep in the woods away from all distraction, life will insert itself into your slow coffee. The dog will bark, a child will wander into the kitchen demanding cereal. Your partner will need to find a missing paper. Someone will knock on the door.

All is not lost. Pet the dog. Hug the toddler. Kiss the partner. Answer the door if you must.

This is your chosen life. Your one and only. Give it the attention it deserves. Then soak right back into your moment. Because now is always here for you. Right up until the day that it isn’t.

Hint: It involves coffee-flavored ice cubes, pre-mixed flavorings, and our forever favorite—the mason jar pour spout.

As May turns to June and the northern hemisphere warms to summer, many of us will head to the closest body of water to relax and keep cool. And while water is the beverage of choice to stay hydrated, a cold, lightly sweet coffee drink makes an exceptional afternoon and after swim treat.

We’ve compiled our three favorite tricks to keep your cold brew actually cold, not watered down, nice and sweet, and ready to pour.

Make coffee ice cubes

Depending on how much you want to bring, the cold brew container can take up valuable cooler real estate. Use the cold brew to make ice cubes and problem solved.

You can go about this a few ways. If you make the cubes with sweetener, then you can skip the sweetener on the side. If you pack your jar with mostly ice cubes, then you don’t need to put the cold brew in the cooler at all—at least not at first. Just pack a large mason jar full of the ice cubes and let it slowly melt to cold, slushy coffee.

How to make coffee ice cubes

• Make your cold brewed coffee (see our basic instructions or check out our many recipes.)

• Add simple syrup to taste, flavored or plain, if you want the melty cubes to sweeten your drink

• Pour into an Ince cube tray and freeze

Add your coffee ice cubes to your mason jar, fill with cold brew, and add to the cooler. With the ice cubes inside the coffee container, it will help keep everything else cool too! Or, like we said, just make ice cubes out of the whole batch.

Premix your favorite flavors

If you like your cold brew straight, then you can skip this part. If you want the whole batch milky and sweet, then mix it right into the container. If your group is like ours, then everybody wants their coffee custom made.

Fair enough. You can premix a couple of options and have them at the ready. Here are our favorite post-swim coffee mix ins:

• Simple syrup is always a favorite. You can flavor it with just about any flavoring and it does not need to be kept cold. Simply mix 1 part sugar and 1 part water and heat together on the stove until the sugar is dissolved. Mix in vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, orange, mint, more coffee… the choices are endless. Let the mixture cool and pop it into a container with a tiny spout—like the kind you use to dispense mustard.

• Presweetened milk does require cooler space…but it’s worth it if vanilla coconut milk cold brew or maple spiced cold brew make you smile. Again, make the flavored milk at home, add it to a pourable container, and stash it at the ready.

Bring a pour spout for your mason jar

Mason jars do absolutely everything. They are sturdy, inexpensive, high quality, and nice looking. Yes, they are glass, which you might not want to bring to the pool. If that’s the case, consider shopping for a quality plastic version. The size it perfect and you can mix and match the lids with standard mason jar lids.

And the best part is this: You can add a pour spout to the jar.

We’ve been using our Cuppow mason jar pour spout for years. You just remove the inner circle from the lid and replace it with the Cuppow spout. It’s genius and we wish we would have thought of it.

Enjoy your poolside or beachside coffee!

Pre-swim, post-swim…during swim? Either way, we hope this inspires you to try cold brew at your next outing. Don’t forget the plastic tumblers to drink out of and sure, little umbrellas if that’s your thing.

Enjoy!

Cuppow® Wide Mouth Lid

$12.99

They’re easy to store, have a million uses, and expand to hold all the produce you want to buy. That’s why we love French market bags—they’re an earth-friendly forever classic.

You probably have a lot of reusable bags. There’s the bags by the front door, the ones in your pantry or under your sink, the ones you have handy for your plane, train, or automobile commute, and the ones you have stashed inside of other bags!

And if some of those bags are the retro French market variety, then you already know what we’re about to say. These bags are some of our favorites.

Why? Because they’re inexpensive, super easy to stash anywhere, expand to hold a lot, and they double as air driers.

Need to be convinced? This is our ode to the French market bag.

Small but mighty

These string bags have been around for more than a century—for good reason. Fishermen have known for ages that the woven string structure can support a lot of weight as they haul up literal tons of wet fish each day.

The story goes that in the 1800s in Normandy, France, some genius started using the same material to make bags for carrying goods back and forth to market. And these iconic bags are still made in France, though we’ve caught on here in the states too.

Unfilled, the bags are small and can fit just about anywhere. When you’re ready to shop, you can load a high-quality market bag with 30+ pounds of goods. (Although we wouldn’t want to carry a bag that heavy home from market.) This flexibility is key for shopping, as anyone knows who has tried to arrange items from the store into less flexible bags.

They double produce storers

Once you’ve got those onions and potatoes home from the market, the best storage method may be the same one you used to bag them up. Lots of veggies prefer to be stored in a cool, dark and ventilated space. If you can hang a mesh bag of onions in a cool place away from direct sunlight (think a pantry, cabinet, or shadowy kitchen nook) the air flow will help them last longer.

They triple as air driers

When I was a kid in Girl Scouts, we brought our own reusable dishes and eating utensils in mesh bags. After we used our personal set, we washed them, put them in the mesh sack and strung them up to dry. No dish rack needed and definitely on paper plates or plasticware.

Same thing for our wet swim suits and other washable cloth. Just toss them in the bag and hang on a tree branch and they’ll be dry and ready wear by morning. (But do check the forecast for rain.)

Bonus: They’re affordable, cute, and will last a long time

Of all the products you can buy with the “eco-friendly” label, not many will cost you less than $10 and last you for years. But our favorite French market bag costs $7.

Interested? You can pick one up right here at CoffeeSock.

Zero Waste Grocery Bag

$7.99

Coffee grown in the sun produces more coffee faster, but it’s not great for the life and livelihoods of those who grow coffee, for the environment as a whole, or even for the flavor of the brew. 

If you love coffee, you already know that quality beans matter. But did you know that the way the beans are grown matters too? 

The coffee plant first grew in forested, shady areas. As farmers began to cultivate and grow coffee to sell, the demands of the market led to more and more sun-grown varieties. Why? Because sun-tolerant plants grow faster, leading to more crop yields. And if you can clear away trees for more land, then you can grow more coffee too. In other words, the sun-grown variety brings short-term profits. 

Sun-grown coffee varieties can have their place in a sustainable coffee farming ecosystem, but on their own, they can deplete the land, ruin local ecosystems, and impoverish the farmers that grow them. 

Here’s three reasons to choose shade-grown coffee.

Shade-grown coffee preserves local ecosystems

In forested areas, shade-grown coffee means that farms do not need to clear out trees. Instead, the forest canopy that shades the coffee plants, provides habitats for local birds and other wildlife. This is why the Smithsonian’s Migratory Bird Center developed the “Bird Friendly certification” for coffee and cocoa.

According to the organization, “When you purchase Bird Friendly® certified coffee or cocoa, you preserve critical habitat for birds and wildlife, fight climate change, protect biodiversity, and support farmers committed to conserving bird and wildlife habitat by farming sustainably.”

And what is good for the wildlife is good for the local and global environment, maintaining the rainforests, reducing carbon emissions, and preserving the soil. 

Tree-filled farms offer additional food and income for farming families

According to Food4Farmers, “Coffee is not enough.” When farms produce only coffee, then they lose income when prices drop and can be devastated by crop failures and diseases. And even those farms that produce certified fair-trade coffee rarely bring in enough income through coffee alone. As a result, coffee farming families can go hungry even as the world demands more coffee.

The trees in and around farms that grow shade-grown coffee provide a wealth of food and income opportunities. With support from organizations such as Food4Farmers, these farms can develop practices such as agroforestry and beekeeping. 

Through agroforestry, local communities select and cultivate trees that bring specific benefit to that community, such as fruit trees for more food options, shade trees for the coffee plants, and even trees that can eventually be used for lumber. 

As for beekeeping, the practice provides additional food and additional income. And the trees that shade and surround the coffee farm provide an ideal environment. 

While coffee itself provides few nesting sites and food for bees, bee diversity and abundance depend on the presence of trees inside or around the coffee farm — demonstrating an additional benefit of shade-grown coffee.

In short, the trees in and around shade-grown coffee farms help ensure the farmers have livelihoods that don’t depend entirely on the coffee market. 

Bonus: Shade-grown coffee tastes great

For the environment and the livelihoods of farming families, we’re sold on shade-grown coffee. So, it’s a real bonus that it tastes great too. 

Of course, many factors determine the taste of the coffee in your cup, from the roast of the beans to the tools you use to brew. But it all starts with the bean. 

Consider these factors of shade-grown coffee:

• The coffee is grown in an environment that resembles its natural environment, producing high quality beans.  

• The soil on a shade-grown farm is likely healthier soil in a more biodiverse environment. 

• The plants grow slower, producing a fully mature bean.

While there’s no scientific proof that it tastes better in the cup, there’s plenty of proof that shade-grown plants are grown in biodiverse farms using more sustainable practices to produce a high-quality bean. 

CoffeeSock supports Food4Farmers through 1% for the planet

Did you know? CoffeeSock is a member of 1% for the Planet. That means that 1% of our sales—and more during certain times of the year—goes to support Food4Farmers and their work at Maya Ixil coffee cooperative, a group of 205 coffee farmers in the northwestern highlands of Guatemala.

Read all about it. We thrive when farmers thrive: Our commitment to the Maya Ixil coffee cooperative.

When we support small, femme-owned businesses, we support issues that affect everyone—pay equity, child care, equal opportunity, and civil rights for all. Here’s how. 

Corina Guillory, founder and owner of CoffeeSock

In 2011, Corina Guillory started sewing and selling CoffeeSocks from her house. It was both a finish line and a beginning. As a young mother and wife with a big dream, she knew there was a more sustainable way to have her dream career while also being present for her beloved family. So she quit her full-time job and invested fully in this new venture. 

Her dream? A sustainable world for herself, her family, her community and the world. She believed then and now that big, global changes radiate out from communities of individuals. It’s how we heal people and the earth. 

When we support small businesses owned by women, like CoffeeSock, we invest in the means for women’s autonomy. It’s pretty simple—women will hire other women. They will pay women equally to men. They are more likely to support family-friendly work environments. And they are more likely to invest in the surrounding community and promote equal opportunity across all intersecting racial, cultural, and sexual identities. 

Don’t take our word for it. Consider these facts:

• According to a 2013 U.S. Trust Insights on Wealth and Worth report, “successful women are more likely than successful men to own a business so they can pursue a personal passion and to make a positive impact on the world.”

• Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Research reports that women are 1.23 times more likely than men to start businesses based on environmental principles rather than economic ones. 

• According to MetLife’s Employee Benefit Trends Study, “female small business owners are more likely to recognize when employees are stressed, tired, or burned out.” 

• That same study shows that female small business owners are more likely to recognize the importance of employee benefits that meet the needs of diverse employees and employees in different life stages, including those who are parenting, sick, or caring for aging parents. 

• Research on startups shows that “a company with a female founder and a female executive will hire 6x more women.” 

• “Studies show women reinvest up to 90 percent of their income in their families and communities, compared to 40 percent for men,” according to Women Owned. 

• Nerdwallet reports that in 2020, “40% of US businesses are women-owned” and in 2019, “64% of new women-owned businesses were started by women of color.”

To own a business can be liberating. It can also be an economic necessity. The pandemic pushed far more women than men out of the workplace, and ongoing discriminatory policies and corproate environments lock still other women out, especially women of color, trans women, and women with disabilities. When women own their businesses, they have the means to own their lives.

As Women’s History Month 2022 comes to a close, you can invest continually in femme futures by shopping from femme-owned small businesses. 

We’re so glad you’re part of the CoffeeSock community. We are proud to offer simple, sustainable, and economical products across the globe. We employ a rad group of women artists and leaders to produce products that add value to our community far and wide. And we’re proud to support the Austin, Texas economy and contribute to the city’s civic life. That’s what small, femme-owned businesses do all over the globe.

Sources

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/geristengel/2016/02/03/women-entrepreneurs-fuel-social-change-and-economic-growth/?sh=428d65f2c593

• https://www.womenownedlogo.com/about-women-owned

• https://www.law.upenn.edu/live/files/9464-womens-economic-empowerment

• https://www.metlife.com/workforce-insights/small-business-strategies/women-at-work-how-resiliency-and-well-being-are-fueling-female-owned-small-business/

If you’re looking for a coffeemaker that’s simple, beautiful, and makes a whole pot of coffee, meet the Chemex.

Let’s just get right to the heart of the matter—the Chemex brewer is simple, beautiful and makes a great cup of coffee—or eight. For these reasons, the brewer has a large and dedicated fan base. And it’s why the Chemex is the brew method we use at home.

That’s the short version of the story. The longer version is about your own needs and values when it comes to coffee. For us, we drink multiple cups of coffee daily, so we need a brewer that produces several cups at a time with a consistently great flavor. And we value simple, economical and ecological things, with huge bonus points for being beautiful.

What are your coffee making needs and values? This explainer can help you figure out if Chemex is the brew method for you.  

(We’ve also written about the Hario V60, the Aeropress, the automatic coffeemaker, and cold brewing. Check those out too!)

Your needs and values = your best brew method

For most of human coffee-drinking history, we used simple brewing methods that involved boiling water, mixing it with ground up beans, and putting the results through some kind of sieve. There were not a ton of options.

It was hundreds of years later—the early 1900s—when Melitta Bentz invented the first paper filter in an attempt to remove some of the bitterness of the brew, though her filters were not widely used until a few decades after that. From there, the world’s coffee making options multiplied, with methods that used some combination of pressure, steam, electricity, filters, plungers, and gravity. 

In short, nothing about your preferred brew method is a given. Instead, you can choose the brew method that best meets your needs and matches your values. 

Do you need multiple cups on a daily basis? Is speed important? Precision? The ability to use a kitchen scale to get the water-to-grounds ratio just right? How much storage space do you have? How important is simplicity? Do you have a kettle?

You get the idea!  

What is a Chemex and why would you want one?

According to the Chemex company’s website, the Chemex was invented in 1941 by chemist Dr. Peter Schlumbohm. He wanted a brew method that combined simplicity, excellent coffee, and art.

“Schlumbohm desired to not only make brewing the perfect cup simple, but also to have the vessel be a thing of beauty. Being a chemist, he studied and understood clearly the chemistry behind the extraction of flavor and caffeine from coffee beans.” 

It’s hourglass shape is designed with coffee science in mind to brew a great cup. And it’s probably the only coffee maker regularly featured and sold in art museums. 

Here are the advantages of the Chemex:

• It’s simple. Add a filter, ground beans and hot water. That’s it.

• It’s beautiful. You can leave it sitting on the counter and it looks great. 

• It’s economical. It will last for decades and costs less than $60 for an 8 or 10-cup classic brewer. Even if you decide to be fancy and buy the $150 13-cup handblown version, it’s a steal considering its durability and beauty. 

• It’s a pourover option for multiple cups. Whether you have multiple coffee drinkers in the family or guests visiting, you can easily make 6, 8 or 10 equally delicious cups.   

What about the special Chemex filter?

If you’re familiar with Chemex brewers, you’ll know that Chemex makes their own special paper filter. According to the company, they use “bonded filter paper to remove bad fats, bitterness, acidity and sediments that all other types of filters leave behind.”

Because CoffeeSock values simple, reusable, and ecological materials, we designed our organic cotton Chemex filters to work just as well as the lab-grade Chemex paper filters, but without the paper waste. In fact, organic cotton produces a brighter brew with a more balanced acidity level than paper.

Each organic cotton filter lasts from six months to one year, depending on how often you use it. And a three pack costs only $14. You can even buy a 3-cup or 8-cup Chemex brewer with filters directly from CoffeeSock!

How to brew coffee with your Chemex

With Chemex, you’ll start with a medium ground coffee, on the coarser side if you’re using their paper filters. 

For four cups of coffee, use around 50 grams of ground coffee and 750 grams of water. 

 From there:

• Boil your water in a gooseneck kettle.

• Dampen your cloth or paper filter with warm water and discard the water. 

• Line your Chemex with a filter and place on a kitchen scale. Zero the scale.

• Add 50 grams of ground coffee to the filter.

• Using a wide circular motion, pour about 100 grams of the boiled water onto the grounds and let stand for 45 seconds to one minute. This is the “bloom” when the coffee de-gases.

• Pour the remaining water using the same large, slow circles, pausing occasionally to let the coffee drip through a bit before continuing. 

• After pouring all of the water (measuring by weight) allow the coffee to fully brew and drip through. 

• Toss the grounds in the compost. If using cloth, rinse the coffee filter and hang to dry for next time. 

• You can keep your coffee warm by placing it on a glass stove top or gas flame on low.  (Don’t put it on an electric coil stove! Use this wire grid if you have a coil stove.    

How to clean the Chemex

Most Chemex brewers go right into the dishwasher. Or you can hand wash with a gentle dish soap. Be sure to read the instructions that come with the brewer you select. Treat your Chemex brewer well and you’ll have it for a lifetime.

Chemex® Style

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Kaffeeklatsch comes from the German words for coffee and gossip, and was long known as a women’s group that partook of both. “Gossip” in these groups was really just talk of domestic importance, which was talk of just about everything. These days, we might be missing out on the best parts of those informal gatherings. It’s time to bring back the coffee klatch.

If you were a man in the late 1600s, living in Paris or London or Hamburg, you may have been among the first to drink coffee at a European coffeehouse. You may have enjoyed a cup while discussing mathematics with Sir Isaac Newton or poetry with Jonathan Swift. You may have helped found the London Stock Exchange. 

If you were a woman in the late 1600s, living in Paris or London or Hamburg, maybe you too found yourself at a coffeehouse, though probably not, unless you were engaged in some kind of work. For all but the most wealthy of women, you more likely witnessed the coffee revolution from your home.    

As the centuries rolled on, coffeehouses and at-home coffee gatherings continued. In both cases, the location itself set parameters on the conversation. Where you drank dictated, to a degree, what you discussed. 

While coffeehouses specialized around topics such as science or business or literature, at-home gatherings, especially those hosted by women and for women, focused on domestic life. And here’s the thing about domestic life that still holds true today—our day-to-day life is as affected by the politics of the day as it is by childcare and our favorite recipe for roast chicken. And so women then as now discussed it all.  

What about happy hour?

It’s true that happy hour may be the modern stand-in for the coffee klatch. At happy hour, we gather to discuss the news of the day, our work, our home lives, our plans. It’s a time carved out to be in community, something we desperately crave and need. It’s also a time to drink booze, with a focus on “happiness” that doesn't always gel with our current realities.  

And there’s an interesting connection between booze-centered gatherings and coffee-centered gatherings that may have changed the history of the world. 

According to Michael Pollan “Before caffeine came to Europe, people were drunk or buzzed most of the day. People would have alcohol with breakfast. Water was contaminated with disease, but alcohol, because of the fermentation process, would kill a lot of microbes.”

In other words, before we started drinking lots of coffee and tea, and when we lived in cities without access to clean water, all of our gatherings were booze-centered gatherings. Historians like Micheal Pollan speculate that coffee changed more than what we drank together—but also what we talked about and did together. 

Drinking coffee lends itself to clear thinking and higher productivity. Drinking alcohol…doesn’t. It’s no wonder that coffee-fueled conversation tended towards big ideas and the means to see them through. 

There’s something else about happy hour that functions in a very different way than coffee gatherings. Happy hour is, by design, a time to sever ourselves from the stresses of work life and domestic life.

We are told we should enjoy a glass of wine or a stiff cocktail and relax. The concept hinges on the separate spheres of work, home, and play. If these spheres were ever truly separate, those days are two years gone now. 

Let’s bring back the klatsch

The coffee klatch doesn’t ask you to put aside life, and you don’t even need to be happy. In fact, you can hold a coffee klatch on a Monday morning before your first Zoom meeting.

The purpose is community and the topic is that which is on the community mind, from navigating school closings (again!) to strategizing a career switch, swapping plant-based dinner recipes, or attending the City Council hearings about the budget. (Really only one of you needs to go for all of you to be informed.)

Happy hour can still hold court for those times when wine and celebration fill the need of the day. Let’s bring back the coffee klatsch for its own sake and in its own place. To fortify our communities, strengthen bonds, swap ideas, inspire and encourage each other, and then get it all done. 

Maybe you’ll be talking to the next Marie Curie or Toni Morrison at your next klatsch. Maybe you’ll help found the Austin Sock Exchange. 

(Oh, and you can also make coffee mocktails if you want to do a happy hour/coffee klatch mashup.)

The Japanese brand Hario makes a popular line of beautifully designed pour over drippers. The V60’s shape allows you to dial in your perfect cup of coffee. Swap out the paper filters for cotton and get an even better brew.

If you’re a fan of the Hario brand or just Hario-curious, you’ve probably seen their popular line of V60 pour over drippers and gooseneck kettles (perfect for pour over coffee).  The V60 is popular for good reason—it’s beautifully designed, long-lasting, and comes in multiple sizes, materials, and colors.

We keep a sturdy plastic model in our camp kit for an excellent brew in the woods. And the design of the ceramic and glass models look gorgeous on a countertop and make great gifts. 

But the Hario shape is about more than beauty. It gives you control over the coffee grind size, flavor, and strength of your brew. To make it even smoother and avoid any papery taste, swap out the paper filter for a reusable cotton filter specially designed for your Hario V60. 

About the Hario company

The Hario company was founded in Tokyo in 1921 to make and sell glass instruments for laboratories. By the 40s, the company had researched and perfected their heat proof glass and expanded into making coffee carafes and other glasswares.

While the company has since expanded all over the world, they continue to make glass products in Tokyo.

In short, the Hario company has been researching and manufacturing high quality products for more than 100 years. And their V60 drippers and other coffee-making supplies benefit from their early research in lab instruments with an intentionally designed shape and look. 

What is Hario V60?

The Hario V60 is a V-shaped coffee dripper that sits right on top of a coffee cup or serving vessel. You add a filter and coffee grounds, and pour hot water through to brew the coffee. But that’s a super basic way to describe how you make pour over coffee. 

Check out our guide to pour over coffee for great detail.

If you’ve seen multiple pour over drippers, you’ll notice that the Hario V60 has a more conical shape than some and features wavy ridges down the side on the inside of the dripper. According to Hario, that’s more than a fashion choice.

According to the company’s website, “The V60's conical shape allows for deeper layering of coffee grounds, and its spiral ridges and lack of flow restriction allow the user to pour the water quickly for a delicate body or slowly for a heavier flavor.”

In other words, with slight changes to the way you pour or the size of your coffee grind, you can change the flavor of your cup to suit your liking. 

How to use the V60

To make a single cup of coffee with your Hario dripper, start with about 15 grams of medium to medium-fine ground coffee and about 17 times that much water, around 250ml. For two cups, double the amounts.

• Boil your water. Your water will be around 100 degrees when you pour it, give or take a few degrees.

• Wet the filter. We recommend you use a cotton filter (we explain below), but whether you’re using cotton or paper, pour your hot water over the filter and into the cup or pitcher. This primes the filter, removes the paper flavor if you’re using paper, and warms the container below. Be sure to pour out the water after a few seconds. 

• Add your coffee to the filter and bloom. Add ground coffee to the damp filter and even it out. Some people put a small “dent” in the center with a spoon to encourage the water to flow inward through the coffee instead of outward towards the filter. Using a gooseneck kettle for maximum control, slowly pour about 50ml of hot water over the grounds in a large circle starting on the outside and moving towards the center until grounds are evenly wet. Let it sit for 30 seconds to “bloom” and de-gas. 

• Finish pouring the water. Pour the rest of the water in slow circles, avoiding the outside edge or the very middle. It should take about 90 seconds to finish pouring the water. You can stop every few seconds if it seems like the filter is getting too full of water.

• Allow the coffee to drain through, and give the grounds a stir. Allow the water to completely drain through the grounds, giving a light stir of the coffee grounds after a few seconds to encourage the process.   

Experiment with slight variations on the grind size and your pour speed to get the coffee flavor just the way you like it. If you notice the water draining too fast, use a finer grind size. Too slow? Make it a bit coarser next time. 

Which V60 should I use?

The Hario V60 comes in three sizes. 

• The 01 is your best bet for a single serving. 

• Choose the 02 if you consistently want more than one cup or if you’re making coffee for up to four people. 

• Choose the 03 if you’re making coffee for up to six people—or two people who each want multiple cups. 

Can I make one cup in an 02 or 03?

Yes, but…. If you’re trying to be efficient and choose an 03 because you sometimes serve five people but usually only want one or two cups, be aware that the grooves and opening on the 03 will alter the way a smaller amount of coffee tastes. 

You can totally make one cup of coffee in an 02 or 03, but you’ll want to go with a small grind size and experiment with your pour to get it just right. 

Hario sells their own paper filters, why choose a cotton filter instead? 

The Hario paper filters are designed by the company to work with their product, so it’s very tempting to use them. But cotton filters make a better cup of coffee. 

Why? Two key reasons: Better flavor and less trash. 

Coffee made with cotton filters tastes better. 

If you watch all the videos of knowledgeable baristas showing you how to make the perfect cup of coffee, you’ll inevitably hear them tell you to wet the filter to remove the papery flavor. That’s because paper imparts flavor. Sadly, the bleached paper filters impart the least flavor, but at the expense of adding chemicals into the process of creating the filter. 

Organic cotton imparts no flavor and is made with no chemicals. It makes a brighter, more balanced cup of coffee. 

Cotton filters keep trash out of landfills

Humans consume 2.25 billion cups of coffee every day. Assuming that at least 1/3 of those cups are currently made with paper filters, we throw out about 750 million paper filters daily and 275 billion each year.

In one year the volume of trash created by the filters only (not counting the grounds) is enough to fill 128 buildings the size of the Louvre to a height of 10 feet.

Organic cotton on the other hand is reusable and totally compostable.  You’ll use your organic cotton filter for several months and when it’s time to replace it, you can put it right in the compost bin. CoffeeSock products are organic down to the thread. 

Choose your filter

Check out organic cotton filters designed specifically for the HarionV60 01, 02 and 03 drippers.

Shop Hario + CoffeeSock

Pour over coffee is simple, sustainable, portable and delicious. With a few small tweaks, you can refine your process to get it just right. Get all the details for your best cup of coffee yet. 

If you already make pour over coffee regularly, then you know the benefits it brings over machine-brewed coffee. If you’re new to the process and want to understand the differences between the pour over method and machine-brewed or French Press coffee, head over to our blog about the benefits of pour over.  

In this article, we’ll discuss the basic elements of making a great cup or two, and help you refine those basics to get your brew just right.

Looking for a recipe? We’ve got 101 brew instructions here and a <recipe for spiced pour over here>!

Start with the basics and refine

OK, let’s jump in with the basics. To make a cup of pour over, you don’t need much. 

• A kettle to heat the water. 

• Ground coffee

• A coffee filter that works for your coffee maker 

• Fresh water

Let’s dig a little deeper into each by answering the most-asked questions. 

Can I use any kettle?

Technically you just need a kettle that can heat water, whether a stove-top kettle or an eclectic one. However, it truly helps to have a kettle with a small spout so that you can more precisely direct the flow of water. 

A large spout allows a lot of water to come out all at once—which is great if you want to quickly get hot water into a cup quickly. For pour over, that is not what you want. To properly “bloom” your grounds (we explain this below), precision is better.  

Choose a “gooseneck” kettle

A kettle with a long, thin spout is called a “gooseneck” kettle. It works great for pour over coffee, and works fine for all your other hot water heating needs too. It’s worth a small investment if you don’t already have one. And you can find these kettles in electric and stove top varieties. 

Choose a “gooseneck” kettle

See that small opening on end? That will give you more control, allowing you to pour the water more slowly and direct it right where you want it to go.

What is the best coffee bean to use?

There are so many different flavors to play with for pour over, and no two sites agree on a “best.” The one you choose will depend on your preferred flavor profile. 

Here are the basic factors to help you narrow down your favorite. 

Blend or single origin?

A blend combines beans grown throughout a region or in different regions. A single-origin bean is just that—the beans come from the same region. 

According to Gear Patrol, a site that deep dives into hobby gear, pour over is a great way to explore single origin flavors.

Because the pour-over technique is effective at highlighting more delicate coffee flavors, you're more likely to be able to highlight origin-specific flavor differences. Similar to how wine tasting can evoke the terroir in which it was grown, coffee takes much of its flavor from the soil it grows from. In contrast, blends take beans of different regions and combine them to create a roaster's idea of an ideal flavor profile. 

In fact, our own sock papa, Robert, prefers “single origin Tarrazu, Chemex brewed.” 

Of course, if you have a favorite local roaster, you might experiment with their blends and benefit from their expertise.

Light roast or dark?

On this, most sites agree. Light roast better highlights the pure flavor of the coffee bean and is better for pour over. But again, experiment with flavor profiles to get the taste that works best for you. 

Pro tip: If you’re serious about finding your ideal brew, take notes! Note the origin, grind size, and roast of your coffee and how it tastes. Review your notes to figure out your favorite.     

Which filter should I use? 

We designed CoffeeSock filters especially for pour over coffee. The organic cotton filter results in a brighter, richer brew with just the right amount of acid. And while we started with a few basic sizes, we’ve developed socks for most brew methods. 

• Chemex pour over: Chemex makers come in multiple sizes. We use a six cup Chemex, but you’ll find filters for all sizes in the shop. 

• Small pour over drippers: For most small pour over devices that sit on a cup, you’ll use the #2 cone.

• Hario v60 style has a slightly different shape. And we’ve got a filter for it. Same goes for the Kalita wave style.

• Custom filters: Not finding what you’re looking for? We make custom filters too. 

What is the right ratio of coffee to water for pour over? 

We’ll let the experts over at Stumptown take on this one:

Using a consistent water to coffee ratio will help you with your dose. Then you can adjust for taste. As a general rule, we suggest about a 1:17, coffee to water weight ratio. In other words, for the Chemex we use 42 grams of coffee and about 700 grams of water.

This is close to the “golden ratio” you may have read about for a cup of coffee, which is 15-18 grams of water for every 1 gram of coffee. Again, play around to get your own golden cup!

Do I need a scale to weigh the coffee?

The short answer is no. You can “eyeball” your grounds and water or use a precise scoop if that’s your personality type. Some of our sockers definitely have a “devil-may-care” attitude about the golden ratio. 

Of course, if you’re going for precision in your experiments, it will be easier to play around with that ratio if you can weigh your coffee and water.  If you already have a kitchen scale handy, you’re in business. 

Place your coffeemaker on top of the scale with the filter already in it and “tare” or zero out the scale. From there, add your coffee grounds to correct weight for the amount of coffee you’ll make and then keep on the scale as you add water. Stupmtown gives you a great starter weight for a single cup of coffee brewed with a Chemex. 

How fine should I grind the coffee?

For this, you’ll want to do a little research to find out the right grind size for the coffee maker you’re using. As a general rule, you want a medium grind for pour over. Your grounds should look like table salt. Not a powder and not large sea-salt like pieces. But clearly defined individual grounds. 

Some coffee makers will use a slightly smaller or larger size grind for an optimal cup. But a medium ground works for most pour over methods. And home-ground, fresh coffee is best. But if you don’t have a grinder and don’t want to invest, ask a barista at your local shop to grind it for you if you can.

Should I use boiling water?

You’ll want to bring your water to a boil and then give it a few seconds “off the boil.” Your water should be between 200-210 degrees when you pour it.  

To start your pour over coffee, bloom the grounds

The “bloom” is your first pour. It allows the coffee to fully degas. Don’t skip the bloom! This method ensures that you get your grounds evenly wet and have a full flavor and even brew. 

To bloom your coffee, pour the hot water slowly over the grounds in a spiral, starting at the outside and working your way to the middle. Make sure you get everything wet, then let the grounds sit for about 30 seconds. 

You should see some slightly bubbling and rising action. 

After 30 seconds, use the same even, slow spiral method to finish pouring the water.

Put it all together, step-by-step

To make your ideal pour over:

1. Rinse and wet your coffee filter and place it in your coffee maker

2. Place the coffee maker with the filter in it on a kitchen scale and zero it

3. Grind your coffee, if doing so at home

4. Measure out your coffee at about 42 gram per cup

5. Bloom the grounds with hot water (about 205 degrees) and let sit for 30 seconds

6. Finish pouring the hot water in slow spirals until you have the right amount of water, about 700 grams per cup.

7. Pour into your mugs and enjoy

We cannot always be home and together. Through an ongoing game of chess, we stay connected, even when we’re apart.

In the fall of 2020, we were homebound when the wildly popular series The Queen’s Gambit gifted our family with a chess craze. In fact, so many people took up the game that chess sets (the affordable ones) sold out globally, probably the least predicted shortage of the pandemic. 

We played together, at length. Chess champions may play short games, but for a group of novices, the games could take hours. And hours, in the fall of 2020, we had. 

Our opening move

In the hyper-modern, screen-focused world on lockdown, chess was a true gift. An ancient and immersive game, it met some of our deepest needs during the pandemic, beyond mere survival. It gave our worn out and stressed brains something new, with simple rules, elaborate strategies, and a new language.

We set up a board on a corner of our dining table, and learned the unique talents and vulnerabilities of bishops, knights, pawns and rooks. We snuck off to study brazen openings and sneak attacks. We played in pairs and in teams, though I don’t think that’s regulation. 

For a while, we stretched a long-dormant muscle—focused and sustained attention. 

Until we couldn’t. Or didn’t. In came 2021 and, eventually, out went lockdown. In-person school returned and soon thereafter, homework and sports clubs and occasional meetups. Time became scarce again, and out went most things long, sustained, slow, leisurely and nonproductive.   

The family gambit

But we didn’t put away the board. 

We moved it. It got dusty. The cat knocked over the pieces, and the dog carried them away. But the board stayed out and opened. And every so often, one of us would dust it off, recover the scattered pawns, and make an opening. 

A chess board, all set up with one opening move, is an invitation. If it sits there long  enough, someone will respond. 

A day or two passed, and a second move appeared. Another few hours and there was a third. Within a week, we had a full-blown game in progress. We didn’t know who made each move. It’s entirely possible that someone played themselves. And it didn’t matter. The competition wasn’t the point.

Each new move that appeared on the board was a small gift of time and care. It meant that someone else had stopped in the midst of whatever else they were doing and engaged with this shared experience. It meant that the game, the experience, the connection had value. It meant we craved presence, even when we were apart. 

No endgame

As 2021 comes to a close, we’ve played through many week-long (month-long?) chess games. Each one is a victory for us—a little celebration of connection and a rebellion against the short-attention-span world.

I don’t know how long these epic chess games will last. I know that someday, I will probably close the board and put away the pieces. And when that day comes, I will thank every single one of those little avatars for reminding me every time they showed up on a new square, that I am loved.

When friends, families, and communities make small efforts together, the rewards multiply—for our health, our budgets, and the environment.

I don’t know about you, but we’ve been hearing mixed messages and having mixed feelings this holiday season.

Feel safe gathering with friends and family again! (But travel is still a little scary.) Feel free to shop! (But everything is more expensive or missing from store shelves. And for many of us, the photos of cargo ships idling in the ocean is really making us think twice about what we buy and where it’s from. ) The economy is recovering! (But the traffic is creeping back into our lives and emissions are at pre-pandemic levels.) 

If things are getting back to normal, are we good with that?

What if some of the most important lessons we learned during the pandemic can actually improve our holidays, our everyday lives, our communities, and the planet? What if small, meaningful, collective efforts can bring us joy?

How effort causes joy

You’re probably experienced it—a sense of accomplishment or pride, or a rush of endorphins or pure joy when you’ve managed a challenging task. 

I recently received a FREE treadmill from my neighborhood Buy Nothing list, and I vowed to walk or run at least five days per week. I don’t always want to do it. But every single time, about halfway through, I am proud of myself and feeling pretty great.

And this phenomenon extends beyond physical challenges. Studies show that meeting challenges through personal effort can make you feel more confident, stronger, and happier in the long run, even when the effort isn’t joyful in the short run. It’s true in academic accomplishments, in exercise, in building things, growing things, cooking, cleaning, making and more. 

Community efforts you can take this season (and the joy they bring)

Small shopping & gift giving tweaks

According to the Wall Street Journal, “Buy Nothing” neighborhood groups “added two million members between March 2020 and October 2021.” Part of the allure was necessity—with millions out of jobs, communities came together to help one another with food, clothing, and the goods of everyday life. 

But part of the allure was the community itself, and not all Buy Nothing exchanges were for goods. Many people gave gifts of service, do grocery shopping trips for those who couldn’t get out or rewrite resumes for those seeking a job. 

This holiday season, we can take a note from the values of Buy Nothing and bring that sense of community into our holiday celebrations.

A few ideas:

• Buy locally-made. No shipping container necessary for products that are made locally. And you’ll be supporting your neighbors. 

• Buy less, or nothing at all. Know a loved one who has worn out their favorite sweater, boots, or bag? Try mending or sending them out for repair.  Or offer up toys and other items in good repair to your Buy Nothing group and take advantage of a book or piece of art that someone you love would enjoy. 

• Pay attention to Love Languages. Thoughtfully purchased gifts can be perfect. But for some of the people closest to you, they may prefer acts of service or words of affirmation. Consider having your loved ones take the love language quiz. Use their results to offer handwritten letters, a clean house, a massage, or a one-on-one hiking trip. 

• Buy secondhand or reusable. I don’t know about you, but I’ve found some of my favorite articles of clothing at vintage, secondhand, and thrift shops. You can make an adventure out of it, taking friends, family, or kids to the thrift shop on a mission to uncover the hidden treasures. 

Small food tweaks

Eating and drinking is one of the biggest pleasures of the holidays, for kids and adults alike. During the pandemic, we came face-to-face with food shortages, the need to cook at home, and the missed pleaser of eating with friends. With a few small tips from the past two years, you can increase the joy of party food while benefiting your wallet, your waist, and the planet. 

A few ideas:

• Expand your side dish offerings. On the holiday table, side dishes are where we typically find the veggies. And eating more veggies costs less, is healthier, and is better for the planet. Check out these yummies and these for inspiration.  

• Eat more and waste less. We are big fans of making our own stock, which you can do with all the things you trim from your side dish veggies!  And this year, we plan to make dumplings with leftovers after taking this dumpling-making class from the Li sisters of Food Waste Feast. And what we don’t use up, we’ll compost. https://coffeesock.com/the-sock-life-1/2021/5/23/three-simple-ways-to-compost-at-home az

• Try the gift of foraging. If you’re one of the millions who watched the Netflix documentary Fantastic Fungi, then maybe you’ve already started noticing the mushrooms poking out of the ground around you. Of course, you don’t want to toss them in your mouth without knowing they’re safe. That’s where a guide comes in. Consider a foraging adventure as a gift or alternative to an indoor party. Hire a guide or take a course, and get to know the bounty of mushrooms, berries, nuts, fruits, and other edibles that grow right from the ground around you.  

Small transportation tweaks

The parties, the family gatherings, the happy hours and events! Travel seems like an inevitable part of the holidays. During the pandemic, we saw clear (literally) benefits from driving less. Many people saved time from not commuting, and virtually everyone experienced cleaner air from…people not commuting. And being outside instead of confined spaces, like cars, was safer. With a small amount of effort, you and your crew can even make the travel part your events!

• If it’s possible for you, walk or bike. With a little planning, you may be able to map out a route to your celebration by foot or by bike. And if it’s in the budget and makes sense for your commute, electric bikes are showing up more and more as a mode of transportation that’s much cheaper than a car and much better for the environment and the waistline. Even better? Build the walk or bike into the celebration’s agenda!

• If it’s possible for you, swap out public transport. If you have a bus or rail option, now may be a good time to see if it can work for you. Yes, it takes more planning. But it can also be part of your holiday adventure. And experience on public transit can be an excellent part of learning independence and safety for kids. 

• Try carpool, or even car repair. CoffeeSock is in Texas, so yes we drive cars regularly and have fewer public transport options than we wish we had. To offset our driving, we arrange carpools when possible and keep our tires aired up properly and our car in good working order. You can read more about the impact of car maintenance here.  

Small things, often. 

Have you heard of The Gottman Institute? Drs John and Julie Gottman have been teaching relationship skills for couples and parents for more than 40 years. And what does this have to do with small community efforts? A lot, actually. 

One of the key principles of relationships, according to the Gottmans, is making regular small efforts. It’s even the title of their podcast! 

And when we think about our relationships with our communities, our families, our own selves and yes, our significant others and children, the same ideas apply. Small efforts, done often, create lasting change and bring joy. 

What small effort will you make today?

Image by edbo23 from Pixabay

Yaupon tea is the only caffeinated, leaf-based infusion indigenous to the United States. Tribes in the southeastern states have been preparing and drinking this holly leaf brew for centuries. You’ve probably heard of its South American cousin, Yerba Mate. It’s time to get to know Yaupon. 

Here are 5 key facts about Yaupon tea.

Yaupon is a caffeinated leaf, but not from the tea plant

If you read our article on DIY tea blends, then you know that all tea comes from a single plant, the camellia sinensis, also known as the tea plant. But camellia sinensis is not indigenous to the United States. The tea plant is primarily grown in Asia, and the U.S. still imports millions of tons of tea each year from all over the Asian continent. 

Yaupon, on the other hand, is a plant in the holly family. It grows abundantly in the southeastern U.S., and it’s even used commonly in landscaping as a shrub. Yep, you may have it in your yard right now. 

Similar to traditional tea from the camellia sinensis plant, yaupon is made from the plant’s dried leaves. But take note: Most sources say you should avoid eating Yaupon berries. 

Indigenous people have been drinking it for centuries

Native Americans had been drying and brewing the leaves for centuries when Europeans arrived. According to our friends at Lost Pines Yaupon Tea:

Many Native American tribes made use of this plant, revering its energizing, healing and magical qualities. The Cherokees called it "the beloved tree." It was used as anything from a daily social drink to an ingredient in highly ceremonial beverages collectively called Black Drink. It was drunk before going into battle, entering into new business and making important decisions.

Other sources claim that indigenous people drank yaupon along with cacao in ceremonies and consumed the tea itself as a more regular beverage. 

According to the BBC Travel article, “Yaupon: The rebirth of America's forgotten tea,” “The oldest-known evidence of yaupon consumption comes from the Cahokia Mounds in Illinois, where the holly’s residue was identified inside ornately decorated ceramic vessels dating to 1050 AD.”

It’s related to Yerba Mate

There are hundreds of varieties of holly plant. Yaupon is one variety, while yerba mate comes from a different member of the plant family. The plant that produces yerba mate grows farther south, in Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina. 

Mate or yerba mate has a long history in South America and is still very popular, especially in Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.

You can calibrate the caffeine 

Most sources say that the caffeine in yaupon is roughly equivalent to the caffeine in green tea, about 60 mg per cup. According to Lost Pines, “Yaupon contains between 0.65 - 0.85% caffeine by weight.  Coffee is about 1.1% caffeine by weight.”

Of course, you can make it stronger by brewing more tea per cup of water. And, unlike teas, you can reuse your yaupon leaves for a second or third cup, with slightly less caffeine each time, perfect if you always want that extra cup, but don’t want the caffeine jitters.

You can reuse yaupon leaves because they don’t contain tannins like tea does. So, if you’re sensitive to tannins, this is great news.  

When you drink it, you’re helping conservationists and farmers

If you live in the U.S., yaupon may be especially attractive because it’s more local. No long voyage across the sea required. If you’re interested in local food, you might find a source of yaupon near your home.   

There are other benefits too. In some areas, like the Gulf Coast, harvesting yaupon helps farmers and the endangered Houston toad. Because it grows so abundantly, yaupon can take over fields and limit space for other crops. During a drought, a dense and dry mass of yaupon becomes a wildfire hazard.

We turn again to our friends at Lost Pines here:

“Most of the remaining Houston toads (only about 2,000-5,000 total!) live in Bastrop county, Texas, in the Lost Pines Forest area. Over time, largely because of human impact on the land, the forest has gotten out of balance and yaupon has formed massive, dense thickets, which are bad for the toad.”

In Florida, we see a slightly different story. According to the Orlando Sentinel, climate change has devastated some citrus farms. To help maintain their land and incomes, some farmers have turned to growing and harvesting yaupon.  

So, enjoy sustainably grown and harvested yaupon knowing you’re drinking more locally and supporting farmers and frogs!

Bonus fact from history class 

If you’re from the U.S., you probably remember learning about the “Boston Tea Party.” When colonists from England tossed all that tea into Boston Harbor, it made such an impact for a couple of reasons: No tea to sell meant no taxes to collect on the tea. But that was only meaningful because colonists drank so much tea and imported it all.

In other words, they either didn’t know about, or chose not to drink, the yaupon brew already growing on the local land. We can’t be sure why that is. But some speculate that people who wanted to continue profiting on the imported tea found ways to limit access to and knowledge about yaupon.

As more people lean towards local plants and ancient foodways, we’re excited to welcome back yaupon tea!

It’s portable, easy to clean, and makes an espresso-like brew. Here’s why so many coffee drinkers love their Aeropress—and how to use it.

If you’ve ever wondered about the Aeropress coffee maker, you’re not alone. It’s an intriguing little coffee device with a relatively short history. According to the company’s website, the first Aeropress made the scene in 2005, when it’s inventor, Alan Adler, brought his new invention to its first trade show.

An inventor and Stanford University engineering instructor, Adler believed he had invented a machine that brewed superior coffee. Plenty of coffee lovers agreed. 16 years later and the Aeropress has many devotees. And where there’s a popular brew method with a filter, there’s a CoffeeSock.

How does the Aeropress work?

Aeropress is a small plastic coffee maker that sits on top of your coffee cup and uses a filter and plunger method along with pressure to produce an espresso-like brew. You’ll use a fine-ground coffee, then stir the grounds and hot water for about 30 seconds before using the plunger to produce several ounces of concentrate.

The result is a very strong brew, which is just the way some like to drink it. If you prefer American-style coffee, simply add more hot water directly to your cup. 

How is it different from French Press?

It’s similar to French Press in that you pour the hot water directly onto your grounds and use a plunger to push the water through and extract the brew. A big difference with Aeropress is that you use a small disc-shaped filter, which some prefer since it removes any coffee grounds and filters out cafestol, a chemical which can increase cholesterol if you drink several cups per day.

Aeropress is smaller and more portable. It also makes less coffee, typically one cup at a time. But if that’s all you’re looking to brew, then consider this, from NYT’s Wirecutter: “This device, which has since been embraced by countless coffee professionals and enthusiasts alike, provides one of the quickest ways to brew a single cup of coffee ever invented.” 

It’s plastic. Is that OK?

The company’s website has a pretty cool feature showing you just how the materials have evolved over time from polycarbonate to BPA-free polypropylene.

According to the site, “The AeroPress has always been free of phthalates and has been free of BPA since August of 2009.”

While we tend to prefer the simplicity of plastic-free pour over methods, the Aeropress is sturdy and lasts for years. And it makes a very excellent cup of coffee and travels well.   

How do I use it?

We made a video using the Aeropress and our disc filter. 

What if I don’t have fine-ground coffee?

Several users have reported that you can use store-ground beans in the Aeropress. Part of the method requires you to stir the grounds and hot water together. If you’re not using fine ground coffee, try stirring a bit longer to give the water more time to mingle with and penetrate the coarser grounds. 

But is the coffee good?

This, of course, is in the taste buds of the drinker. Aeropress devotees will give an enthusiastic “yes.” And because you can choose your roast and decide on the exact strength of the coffee you drink, the method offers a lot of flexibility so that you can experiment and customize!

Do you use the Aeropress? Tell us what you think!

There’s a lot to love about pour over coffee. You need very little equipment and have maximum flexibility to customize your brew. If you’re not already doing it, here are six big benefits and two total joys to inspire you to give it a try.

 But wait—why is pour over even different from machine-made coffee or French Press? The magic is in  the method.

When you use an automatic coffee maker, you simply can’t control several elements of the brew process—like how hot the water gets and how fast or slow it pours through the grounds. And subtle changes to those elements change the flavor and texture of the finished coffee. In a word, you have more control over the end taste.

In the case of French Press, you also get the added benefit of a filter, which absorbs some of the oils and chemicals in the beans and results in a balanced brew. 

Need motivation to try it? We rounded up the top eight reasons people make the switch.

It’s so so simple

After years of having a big automatic machine sitting on the counter, it feels remarkable to have...almost nothing in its place.

You need ground coffee (of course!), a kettle, a filter and some way to hold the filter in place over your cup. We love our trusty Chemex, but you’ve got lots of options. 

When you’re ready to make a cup or four, just heat water, pour it through the grounds in the filter, then enjoy your coffee.

You don’t (technically) need electricity

OK—you do need to heat the water. So, if you have an electric kettle, then you’ll use a little electricity. But it’s not strictly required. If the electricity goes out or your travelling, you can break out the camp stove or build a fire and still have your perfect cup of coffee. 

It’s more sustainable

Because pour over coffee is so simple, the equipment is simple too. A glass, metal or ceramic dripper will last ages before you need to replace them, if you ever do. And if you’re reading this blog, then you know your can skip the paper filters too. 

Check out your sock options for drippers in our hot brew shop. 

Less waste—exactly the amount you need

Pour over is infinitely flexible and customizable. Because you have more control over the water and grounds, you’ll figure out the exact amount of each you need and minimize waste.  

Then there’s the filter—we toss out billions of paper filters each year. With a reusable filter, you’ll throw out less paper waste.  

It’s super portable

If you’re frequently on the go, this may be the biggest and best reason to love pour over. You can take it with you and always have your coffee just the way you like it.

Check out our blog on how to brew your coffee on the road or the trail. 

Easy to customize to your tastes

Experiment with coffee types, ground sizes, water temperature and how fast or slow you pour the water through. If you’re a budding coffee aficionado, you’ll have maximum ability to calibrate each input and savor the subtle differences they create.

For the scientifically minded, try isolating the variables and keeping notes until you get just the right formula for your own perfect cup. 

It really does taste better

We may all have slightly different tastes and preferences, but most agree that pour over simply tastes better than machine dripped coffee. That could be for a couple of reasons. The first is that you can get your brew just right (see “easy to customize” above), the second is the way pour over uses fresh water.

When you pour hot water slowly over the grounds, the water soaks through the grounds slowly, picking up more of the nuance of the beans. Then, you pour on more fresh water to do it again. So, the method deepens the flavors and tastes fresher. 

The method adds a sense of ritual

Some mornings, it can feel like autopilot—get your coffee and jump into the day ahead hoping we’ll be productive. When you have to slow down for just a few short minutes and pour water slowly over grounds, you can find unexpected joy in the stillness. You’ll feel the steamy water, small the fresh coffee, and have a minute or two to wake up and reflect.

That may be the biggest magic of pour over—what felt at first like an inconvenience becomes a lovely little morning ritual. 

Ditch the paper and never run out of filters again.

We’ve all been there. You wake up to prep a pot of coffee in a standard auto-drip coffee maker, you reach for the pack of filters and...it’s empty. Not a single stray filter hiding anywhere. You start looking  around for something—anything—you could plausibly use as a filter. Anything to keep you from putting on pants to head to the store. Not to be dramatic, but it really is the worst.

Even if you typically use a pour over or French press, you’ll likely find yourself using an auto-drip at some point. If you have guests over and need a larger batch, or when you’re in a vacation rental with an old-school brewer, you can swap the paper filters for cotton. 

Here, we answer the questions we usually get about making the switch.

Does a cotton filter work as well as paper?

Yes! In fact, we think it works better. Here’s why.

Organic cotton adds no flavor to your brew, unlike most paper filters. The flavor of the beans takes center stage. Cotton also traps more of the oils from your beans than French press, but less than with paper, which results in a more balanced brew. You’ll taste the difference.

Of course, you can reuse the cotton filters as well. So you’ll save money and keep trash out of landfills. 

But isn’t paper compostable too?

Technically, yes, most paper is compostable. But most paper also contains chemicals like bleach that leach into the compost. Even the premium filters may contain chemicals from processing. And of course, every paper filter originated as part of a tree.

For dry paper, you can also recycle, but recycling requires chemicals too. And while both paper and cotton production uses land and water, reusable and compostable cotton keeps more trash off of the ground and out of the water. 

What about metal filters?

To reuse is always better than to throw away, so a high-quality metal filter is better than paper in that respect. The trouble is, most metal filters don’t have a tight enough weave to filter out enough oils or other chemical compounds that you don’t want in your cup. And they typically have plastic parts, making them trash that doesn’t compost or recycle when the time comes to replace them. 

CoffeeSock basket filter.

Basket, #2, #4, or #6—which cotton filter should I use?

This will depend on your machine. Our basket filter is made to fit the standard, 3-6 cup, auto-drip machine with a rounded basket. If your machine has a cone-shaped basket, you’ll want a cone filter. The #2 is the smallest and usually meant for a pour over dripper. Try the #4 for a small machine or the #6 for a larger machine. 

Check out these hot brew filter options.

But what if I do run out?

With a cotton filter, you just need to compost the grounds, as usual, rinse the filter clean, then hang it to dry and use it again. You can typically use a CoffeeSock cotton filter for 6 months or more. When oils build up in the filer, simply boil it in water for 10 minutes and drip dry.

You’ll have plenty of advanced warning when you need to reorder, so you really should never be out. Each box comes with two filters, so order your next box when you start the second. Better yet, grab and extra box and put in your travel bag for the next vacation brew machine you encounter.

When you get stay in your PJs and out of the store, you’ll thank us!

Need help figuring out which filter you need? 

Email us at coffeesock@coffeesock.com! We’ll help you pick the filter that best for your brew method.

The world loves tea. Besides water, people drink more tea than any other beverage. It’s no surprise, since tea has been around for more than 2000 years—some say much longer.

Since tea is really just the dried leaves of a plant, it doesn’t take modern processes to produce an herbal blend and steep it in hot water. Whether you’re using the dried leaves of the tea plant, or an infusion of other plants, it’s actually pretty simple to make it yourself with a few of your favorite flavors.

This guide walks you through the basics to make your own signature tea blend.

In this article

• What makes is tea? Are herbal drinks tea?

• Building a tea blend

• Drying your ingredients

• Getting your mix right

• How to store your dried tea

• Brew methods for loose tea blend

First—what is tea?

To be totally honest, I was surprised to find out that all tea comes from a single plant—except many herbal blends (more on those in a minute). Tea, by definition, is a drink made from the dried leaves of the camellia sinensis plant—A.K.A the “tea plant.”

Green tea?  It’s from the camellia sinensis plant. And Oolong? It’s from the camellia sinensis plant. White tea though? Camellia sinensis. Same with Darjeeling, Ceylon, Earl Gray, English Breakfast, and...you get the picture.

So what’s the difference? The difference is where the plant is grown and how the dried leaves are processed. Different regions have different climates and soil, which naturally produces a slightly different plant. And of course, humans have long chosen their favorite crops to replant and reproduce. This is a key way we get teas (and wines and coffees) with different flavor profiles.

And local growers have developed their own methods for drying and processing the leaves, resulting in leaves of different colors and flavors. Pretty cool, huh?

Herbal “tea” isn’t tea—but we call it that

As for herbal “tea”—it’s not technically tea if it doesn’t contain the key ingredient. Herbal blends are typically infusions of fruits, flowers, herbs, and spices. Think peppermint, lavender, camomile flowers, orange, ginger, and so on.

Armed with this basic knowledge, your next step is to decide what you want to use in your blend.

Yes, there are other kinds too

If you know your teas, you’re probably thinking “what about fermented teas, and Rooibos and...” Yes, there are other plant varieties and blends we commonly call tea. And tea growers, producers, and aficionados are always finding new ways to produce, brew, and enjoy them. It’s more than we’ll dive into in this article, but there’s a fun and nerdy tea world out there if you care to explore. 

Building a tea blend

You don’t actually need anything other than dried tea leaves. If that’s your favorite way to drink it, then we recommend you find the highest quality dried leaves you can find in the varietal you prefer.

If you want to build your own blend, then let’s talk about flavor profiles. 

What’s a flavor profile?

Do you prefer smooth, spicy, floral, fruity, or herby? Are you a chamomile fan or do you go for mint? Maybe raspberry is your jam? (Pun intended, sorry.)

To build your blend in the flavors you like, you need to choose the ingredients that work with the flavor profile.

Here are a few examples.

• For a fruity blend: Try dried berries, citrus peel, pear, or apple. 

• For something spicy: Grab cinnamon sticks, dried ginger, cardamom, or cayenne.

• For an herby brew: Go for dried flowers such as chamomile, echinacea, or sage.

• For floral or minty: Dried mint is an obvious choice here, and you have several mint varieties to choose from. You can also go for lavender, rosemary, or rose.  

Select the ingredients you want to try from the grocery store, farmer’s market, or your own backyard garden. Then, it’s time to dry them. 

Drying your ingredients

To turn fresh fruits or herbs into a tea blend, you’ll have to dry it all out. That’s not the same as cooking it—though it does involve heat. To get everything dry, you need to remove the natural water. 

If you have access to a dehydrator, that’s great! But you don’t need one. For drying herbs, we’ve got a simple 101 over on our recipes page. 

For other ingredients, like lemon or orange peel, you can use the low-temp oven method described over at The Spruce Eats.

Getting your mix right

Once you’ve got your dried ingredients, it’s time to put together your mix. Here’s where your math skills will come in handy. We know that you want 1-2 teaspoons of your dried mix for a cup of tea. So, you can scale up from there to decide how much tea you want to store for later use. 

One cup has 48 teaspoons in it—about 25-30 cups of tea. So, to keep things simple, we’ll work with one cup in our examples. But you can adjust to the amount that works for you.  

A caffeinated brew 

If you want a tea tea, you’ll need those dried camellia sinensis leaves. Yes, you can grow the plant yourself, but it’s not as common as the other ingredients you’ll work with. So, you may need to purchase dried tea leaves for this. Choose the tea you like best. You can purchase bulk dried tea leaves in many stores or online.

Keep in mind that some are strong than others. Green and Oolong varieties play nicely with more delicate herbs. Black teas may work better with stronger flavors, like citrus, mint, or cinnamon.

You can also blend the tea varieties too for a mix of black, green, and herbs, for example.

Ratio of tea to herb

In general, we like a 2:1 ratio of tea leaves to herbs. For one cup, that means ⅔ cup of tea leaves and ⅓ cup of herbs. But you should experiment. 

A few to try:

• DIY Lady Gray: Earl Gray tea mixed with dried citrus.

• Minty Green: Add dried mint to green tea. I love a hint of chamomile here too. 

• Chai Spice: Mix black tea with cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon.  

Herbal blends

Herbals are a little different and there’s no magic formula. Simple choose the ingredients you like and blend them in the strength you like. But we’ll get you started with a few examples. 

• Try our Hibiscus tea recipe. We’ve got it put together for sun tea in a pitcher. But you can store the dried blend for hot te too. 

• Or try one of these eight options such as ginger tea or herbal chai.

How to store your dried tea

We love a mason jar—but any airtight container will do the trick, especially if you’ll drink the tea regularly. The key is that you don’t want tea leaves to get any oxygen—it will change the flavor since oxygen is one of the key ways tea gets processed. 

If you think you’re tea will sit for a long time, consider vacuum sealing or a container that you can hermetically seal. Keep this in mind if you plan to harvest your summer herbs and give tea to  friends and family for the holidays!

According to Tea Epicure, you need to keep your sealed tea from light, odors, and heat too. A cool, dry, dark spot is best. It’s not as simple as storing in the fridge or freezer. Check out their blog about how to store tea.

From the blog:

“Storing tea can be very simple. If you keep your tea in an airtight container and then store your container in a dark, cool, dry place free from strong odors, you will likely consume it before any degradation in aroma or taste occurs. However, tea is constantly deteriorating, very slowly, as soon as the leaves are picked off the plant.” 

Brew methods for loose tea

It’s finally time to make yourself a cup! What are the best methods for brewing loose tea? As with most things, you have options.

For hot brew

For tea, as coffee, it’s all about gathering the loose bits, allowing them to sit in hot water for a couple of minutes, and then removing them from the water without any leftover particles floating around. To do that without purchasing pre-bagged tea, try one of these methods.

• A tea sock is like a coffee sock, made the right size and weave for tea leaves. For dried herbs approximately the same size as tea leaves, use a tea sock. For larger herbals, try the infusion filter. For cold brewed tea, there’s a larger filter for that too!

• Lots of people use a tea ball to gather loose tea and steep. This typically resembles tongs with a mesh ball at the end. Simply place your tea inside, close the ball tightly, and steep.

• A tea strainer is more like basket brewed coffee. You place the loose tea in the basket and let it sit in hot water, then remove the basket and compost the leaves. You can also use a cheesecloth or similar cloth strainer to pour your brewed tea through and capture the loose bits.

FOR COLD BREWED TEA

Like cold brewed coffee, to cold brew tea, you let the tea steep in cold water rather than hot. This method allows you to easily brew a full batch of tea without heating the stove. Some say this method produces a richer flavor as the herbs and leaves steep more slowly. 

• There’s a tea sock made just for this method!

• You can use the tea sock to make sun tea as well. This allows you to apply some heat, depending on how sunny and warm the day is. 

• Again, you can use a strainer for this too. We don’t recommend the back type for cold brewed tea. But a cloth strainer works fine. It’s like using a sock, but at the end of the process rather than the beginning. 

We hope you find this guide useful! Have suggestions? Send them our way!

Get your tea gear

Pick up a pack of CoffeeSock filters specially-made for hot or cold-brewed tea and herbal infusions. Plus we partner with several eco-friendly businesses to bring you Dona loose leaf chai or herbal teas and Lost Pines Yaupon tea. Both brands come alone or packaged with CoffeeSock filters.

Grab an 8oz, double-walled insulated glass mugs to round out your tea brewing kit. And there’s gift sets and wrapping for the tea lovers on your list, too!