50 beans | a blender for winter

Am I an odd duck or do other people like an iced drink in the wintertime too? I know…as an espresso man, there’s something about holding a frappuccino that makes me feel a little…well, a little out of place. Couple that with the fact that it’s raining or snowing outside (depending on where you are), and you’d look just downright nuts. So what am I left to do?

I’m currently on the market for a blender, which on the face of it doesn’t seem to be that tough. Just go to Target and pick one up, right? Well, it’s not that simple. A cursory glance at the kitchen appliance aisle will cause any warm-blooded guy to feel light-headed. There are so many options! Some are quite simple…on/off switch and 3 settings. Then there are ones with more levers and switches than a 747. How does one choose?! I swung by Costco the other day for church-lunch shopping, and the blenders there are beasts! It’s a little alarming when a kitchen appliance boasts horsepower. The one that they had on demo was 3HP. For reference, the go-karts we had at RPM in Sac were 9HP. This thing will tear up anything in its path.

With frappuccinos going for roughly $5 each, the desire for a homemade alternative increases. Of course, there are so many lingering questions after the purchase of said blender. What kind of coffee do I use? How do I sweeten it? What happens if the lid flies off mid-blend?! Homemade coffee slushies are not as simple as initially thought…

The actual coffee choice is rather simple. Since the coffee is consumed nearly frozen, subtle tastes are slightly masked by the numbing coldness, pretty much any kind of coffee would work, although I would prefer a v60 pour-over hovering above a pitcher of ice. Then, throw them into ice cube trays and freeze. Coffee ice cubes are supposed to be amazing when blended and don't cause the drink to water down much. Sugar can be used to sweeten, but from what I hear, condensed milk give it a thicker consistency when blended (once I get my blender I must try this…) and it gives it some creaminess too. Of course if the lid flies off mid-blend then I suggesting arming yourself with a few shamwows and taking control of the situation asap.

This blender solution would, of course, be a big upfront investment in a piece of equipment, which means that I would have to really enjoy blended coffee in order to make full use of it (either that or start a road-side slushie lemonade bar). Anything less, and it's not really worth it to get one. Time to pay the blender aisle another visit...