Whenever I write about my love of coffee — which, admittedly, has turned me into a coffee snob — reader feedback is as enthusiastic as it is voluminous. I'm happy to know I'm not alone in my snobbery.

Many of you bring up interesting points — and questions, too. What do you do with brewed coffee that is no longer ideally fresh but too good to throw down the drain? How do you make your own cappuccinos, lattes and even "steamers," made popular by Starbucks — which, surprisingly, contain no coffee at all.

Short of purchasing an espresso machine that uses high-pressure steam to make espresso and has a gizmo that steams the milk, there are ways we can improvise to create reasonable facsimiles of our favorite coffee drinks.

POPULAR COFFEE DRINK HACKS

—Espresso. Both cappuccinos and lattes are typically made with espresso. You can fake that by making very strong brewed coffee.

—Lattes. Your very strong coffee mixed about 50-50 with hot milk and then topped with foam makes for a very tasty latte. Experiment as necessary to find your ideal proportion of coffee to milk.

—Cappuccinos. Making an authentic cappuccino is a somewhat complicated process. But you can cut through all of that by simply making a mix that you store in the pantry, adding just 3 teaspoons of it to a very strong cup of coffee. You'll be amazed by just how good this is.

CAPPUCCINO MIX

1 1/2 cups powdered coffee creamer

2 cups instant chocolate drink mix

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Mix well, store in airtight container. To use, stir about 3 teaspoons of mix into a cup of hot freshly brewed strong coffee. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

—Steamer. A "steamer" is simply steamed milk plus your choice of flavored syrup. Heat milk in the microwave, on the stovetop or using a frother, making sure it does not come to a boil. Pour into a mug, stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons flavored syrup, to taste. Tip: You can find Torani Italian Syrups at a considerable discount at Cost Plus World Market, now located in 35 states and counting. Check their website for a store near you.

A milk frother, less than $20, makes it so easy to turn out perfect steamers and lattes at home.

TIPS AND TRICKS

—Leftover Coffee. It's not easy to toss excellent coffee down the drain simply because it is no longer ideally fresh, especially when it's made from beans you've roasted yourself. Don't. Pour it into ice cube trays and you'll never drink watered down coffee again.

Once frozen, pop the cubes into a zip-lock bag to be stored in the freezer. Coffee cubes are ideal in place of ice for iced coffee and other summertime blended coffee drinks. Coffee cubes also come in very handy when a recipe calls for just a small amount of brewed coffee.

A true coffee addict will love cookies or brownies that substitute coffee for water.

—Cold Brew. Cold-brewing your own coffee is both easy and cheap, and it offers a much different taste (less acidic) than hot-brewed coffee. To do it, soak ground coffee beans in water for 12 hours (overnight) and then strain out the grounds. Now you can either pour this coffee over ice and add cream and sweetener, or you can heat it up in the microwave.

—Reuse Coffee Grounds. Don't throw those old coffee grounds away; there are many ways to reuse them. Old grounds are great fertilizer and pest control in the garden. They can also help improve your home, as you can use them to absorb food odors (make a small bundle in a used dryer sheet, tied with twine for the refrigerator). You can make your own candles with the grounds at the bottom giving off that wonderful fragrance of coffee. Coffee grounds make an excellent exfoliant and hair treatment, too.

—Just a Pinch. Don't suffer through bitter coffee. A pinch of salt added to the grounds prior to brewing counteracts the bitterness and gives the coffee a smoother taste.

Mary invites questions, comments and tips at [email protected], or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: at Pixabay