I'm a bit of an addict, although I suspect my poison of choice is pretty benign. I, like many, am obsessed with coffee. After all, coffee is healing, and therefore modern-day magic. So what could be better than a good cup of coffee? How about a good cup of coffee served in a coffee cup made of coffee grounds? That's like coffee inception! That's like...heaven. And the best part? Coffee cups made of coffee grounds are poised to be a real thing you can buy with earth dollars in the near future. BLESS.
German designer Julian Lechner spent the past five years developing a way to repurpose used coffee grounds into a hard material with which cups and saucers and other important coffee accessories may be made. Lechner, some may say, is a freaking genius. (Me. I would say that. And I'll do it again: Lechner is a brainy hero.) He gathered heaps and heaps of used coffee grounds from various Berlin cafes to combine with natural fibers to create preliminary models of espresso cups and their associated saucers. Lechner calls the line Kaffeform and although the wares are not yet available for purchase, they will be soon. Oh — as if this weren't a perfect enough idea already—these will also be dishwasher-safe (!!!). Madness. Although Kaffeform is still in pre-production, you should keep checking in on the official site for updates.
HELLO GORGEOUS. No, but seriously. I cannot wait for these. In the meantime, we can focus on other ways to repurpose used coffee grounds (which, for me at least, very much builds up), which includes:
Face and body exfoliator
I moved into a sublet years ago and barely knew my roommate even a little bit, but saw an old salsa jar in the shower holding what looked like dirt or coffee grounds. It was the latter. She eventually revealed this information to me slow-release style and much later after I first saw the stuff in there. But anyway, I've followed her lead in other apartments and showers and not only does it smell great, it's completely free (well, not counting paying to make that coffee you drink to get you the used grounds) and 100 percent effective at sloughing off gross old skin.
Scouring pans
Cast iron skillets can be a real pain to get completely clean since you're not ~supposed~ to use soap when doing so. I've heard of using kosher salt to help scrape dried-on food off, but that can add up. If you already brewed the coffee and no longer need the grounds, this is a great way to put them to use before dumping 'em.
Keep your fridge odor-free
Instead of a box of baking soda you could use for baking projects (and also delicious, delicious treats), try placing a small tub of used coffee grounds in your refrigerator to absorb various, potentially weird smells. Who wants a smelly fridge, anyway? Not me, and I'd guess not you, either.
Images: Getty Images; Giphy(3)
