How Café Grumpy crafts festive coffee blends — and how you can do it at home

Café Grumpy is a Brooklyn staple. It was co-founded in 2005 by Caroline Bell, an office worker tired of struggling to find a decent cup of coffee nearby. The brand opened its first shop in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn in 2005 and has quickly grown to 11 locations throughout NYC. The brand also sells its expertly sourced coffee online, allowing coffee lovers not local to a location still to enjoy a delicious Café Grumpy cup of coffee.

In the spirit of the holiday season, we’ve gathered some insight into what goes into making a delicious cup of coffee brewed at one of Café Grumpy’s 11 locations. Bell has provided expert insight to help you elevate your at-home coffee brew for the holiday season. We’ve learned that brewing festive coffee flavors at home starts with understanding what makes a good cup of coffee: quality sourcing and expert brewing.

Using quality coffee

The first and most important component of brewing festive coffee flavors at home is the consistency and quality of the coffee you use. According to Bell Café Grumpy has “quality controls at each step of the process, which starts with the coffee producers we work with who are experts in growing and processing coffee.”

“We roast in small batches in Brooklyn to ensure consistency, and our roast profiles let the coffee’s inherent characteristics shine through. We package the coffee the same day it is roasted. Our coffee bags have one-way degassing valves and a resealable zipper from renewable and compostable resources.” Customers can purchase Café Grumpy’s high-quality coffees directly from the online store or visit any shop to buy some in person.

We also asked Bell about the brand’s sourcing process to learn more about what makes Café Grumpy’s coffee of exceptional quality. The brand works closely with producers it has a relationship with, meaning that “[they] have worked with them year after year and can rely on them for traceability, consistent quality, and care.”

How to brew festive coffee flavors at home

The winter and holiday seasons offer many festive coffee flavors to explore. As for Café Grumpy’s take on seasonal blends, the brand considers “what the particular season evokes” when crafting fun, seasonal blends. For example, warming spices or peppermint in winter, tropical fruits, and brighter coffees in the summer. Chocolate and cinnamon are the two things that come to mind as perfect pairings with coffee, no matter what the season. Bell said the Honey Oat Latte is a popular holiday favorite in all stores.

For the holiday season, Bell loves the Cookie Butter Latte, Grumpy Nog, and Salted Caramel Mocha. Here’s how to make these festive favorites yourself.

Holiday Honey Oat Latte

• 1 packet Café Grumpy Heartbreaker Instant Coffee
• 2-3 teaspoons honey (adjust to your taste)
• 1/2 to 1/2 cup oat milk (or milk of your choice)
• Cinnamon
• Hot water
• 10 to 12-ounce mug

1. Add 2-3 teaspoons of honey (depending on sweetness preference) and 1 teaspoon of hot water in your favorite mug. Stir to combine.
2. Add one packet of instant coffee to the mug. Fill the mug 2/3 of the way up (about 8 ounces) with hot water. Stir until the instant coffee is completely dissolved.
3. Add a dash of cinnamon and mix well.
4. Steam 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oat milk (or milk of your choice) using a milk frother or heat gently on the stove. If you don’t have a frother, you can also heat the milk in the microwave to warm it and then whisk it to create foam.
5. Pour the steamed oat milk on top of the coffee and honey mixture. Stir gently to combine.
6. Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon for garnish, and enjoy your homemade Honey Oat Latte!

Café Grump Peppermint Mocha

Ingredients:

• 1 packet Café Grumpy Heartbreaker Instant Espresso
• 2 cups of water
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of peppermint flavor and stir well
•  1/3 to 1/2 cup oat milk (or milk of your choice)
• 1 tablespoon of chocolate powder (adjust to your taste)
• 1 tablespoon of peppermint syrup
• Candy cane

1. Combine 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Heat over medium heat, and stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved, then set aside to cool.
3. Once the syrup is cool, add 1 tablespoon of peppermint flavor and stir well.
4. Transfer the peppermint syrup into a clean container or bottle and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

1. Pull a double shot of Cafe Grumpy’s Heartbreaker Instant Espresso
   into your cup.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of chocolate powder, then mix and add 1 tablespoon of peppermint syrup.
3. Steam the milk and pour over the espresso and syrup mix to fill the cup.
4. Garnish with crushed candy canes, and enjoy.

Grumpy Nog with Maple Syrup

• Cafe Grumpy Momentum Blend
• Milk
• 4 cups water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 tablespoon whole cloves
• 2 tablespoons ginger juice
• 2 cups dark maple syrup

1. In a medium pot, combine the 4 cups of water with the 2 cinnamon sticks, ground nutmeg, and whole cloves, then bring the mixture to a boil.
2. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes to allow the spices to infuse, after 20 minutes strain out the spices and let the liquid cool to room temperature.
3. Once cooled, stir in the 2 tablespoons of ginger juice, mix the spiced liquid with an equal amount of dark maple syrup, and store in the refrigerator.

1. Steam the milk and combine it with equal parts Momentum blend.
2. Add your now chilled spiced syrup and enjoy.

How to improve your at-home coffee brewing

Recreating cafe-style coffee at home can take trial, error, and time to perfect. When asked what tips she recommends to recreate cafe-level drinks at home, Bell recommended setting up a small coffee area cart to make home coffee brewing more fun. She said, “It does depend on your budget and how much space you want to dedicate to coffee making, but a few changes can make a difference.”

She also added that she “used to save [her] favorite mugs for special occasions, but now, [she] makes a point to use them wherever she makes [herself] a coffee (or tea), which can add a little joy to a hectic morning.” We also asked Bell what people should avoid when making coffee at home. She highlighted the importance of preventing storing coffee in the fridge, which can impact the flavor of the coffee beans. Instead, she recommends using an airtight, light-tight container and storing coffee on the countertop or in a cabinet.

Additionally, Bell recommends using filtered water to make coffee whenever possible, which significantly impacts the taste of your brew. She also noted that home baristas should avoid reheating coffee. “If you brew extra, store it in a thermos to keep it warm to drink throughout the morning.”

Simple upgrades to improve brewing