International Coffee Day: Coffee’s side hustles beyond the cup

How about, for once, looking at other uses that coffee is put to, apart from the nonchalant dunk in a cup to kickstart one’s day?

International Coffee Day has been around for years, but it has now received a stamp of recognition from the UN General Assembly. So, here’s to a freshly brewed International Coffee Day on October 1. And pray, what will it celebrate? This year’s theme is ‘Celebrating Coffee, Honouring the People Behind Every Cup’; hence, the focus is on the economic, social, and environmental livelihoods of coffee farmers and sustainable agrifood systems.

However, that’s the obvious, predictable route. How about, for once, looking at other uses that coffee is put to, apart from the nonchalant dunk in a cup to kickstart one’s day? Nescafe will have you know that coffee is rich in antioxidants; it helps with headaches and keeps athletes energised.

But is that it? Is that all coffee can do? Give us a shot of caffeine, depending on our liking for a cappuccino or a latte?

No, in this age of humans aggressively going above and beyond, we will make coffee don other avatars. It cannot just be a drink, to be taken with or without milk, with or without sugar. We will force it out of its jar, add it to scrubs, use it as paint, heck, even fertiliser. Basically, we will take a handful of coffee powder, just strew it about, and see where it lands, quite literally, and then decide how well it works there.

Anyway, so here is our list of uses the not-so-humble coffee has, other than just being an amazing mood-lifter and energiser of a drink:

Painting

Time to put away all the boxes of paint you may have gathered over the years. Chalk, acrylic, pastel, water colour, oil pastels…who needs so many shades and types when you can mix coffee in some water and get going? You can also use it on paper to give it that aged look. Write a love letter on it, and you instantly fake the vibe of a timeless, historical romance. You can also use coffee as a natural dye.

Skincare

Since the Indian skincare regimen calls for stuff from the pantry, and we have had our fill of flour, different varieties of pulses ground into a coarse powder, besan, lemon, tomato juice, and potatoes, why leave the coffee out? There are some pretty fancy brands out there that are selling coffee scrubs. Don’t want to spend that kind of money? Mix it in oil or honey and create your own scrub. I am told there are some coffee soaps also doing the rounds. Personally, I love the coffee smell, just not on me.

Haircare

People add it to their henna mix for a natural colour. Coffee also makes a great hair mask if mixed with olive oil and egg yolks, and don’t think about how half your breakfast is on your head. If you’re squeamish about putting egg on your scalp, mix coffee with yoghurt instead. For an even better aroma, throw in some lemon and cinnamon.

Odour neutraliser

Coffee grounds are great at absorbing unpleasant odours. I am not sure how this one works, but I am told that leaving used coffee grounds in a bowl in the fridge or near the garbage can helps absorb odours.

Fertiliser

Coffee grounds are a great source of nitrogen, which is essential for plant growth. Mixing used coffee grounds with soil or compost provides nutrients to plants. But this one comes with a caveat. Coffee grounds are acidic, so they must only be used for plants that thrive in acidic soil, such as tomatoes and blueberries.

Olfactory palate cleanser

If you thought using expensive coffee (or even grounds) as a scrub or fertiliser was pretentious enough, I saved the best one for last: using it as an olfactory palate cleanser. So, when your nose is overwhelmed by this blast of multiple odours, give it a caffeine fix by smelling coffee. Honestly, given the sensory overload of stepping outside in India, we should all be carrying an emergency sachet of instant coffee just to get through the day. And no, not to drink it—just to violently sniff it when the street food and traffic fumes collide.