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Top five gifts for coffee lovers

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Sara Walker

if you’ve got a coffee lover in your life, buy them a coffee-themed gift with a difference. Here are five of our favourites.

1. Coffee necklace, Gift Wrapped and Gorgeous

This pretty pendant necklace features a coffee cup hand stamped onto a fine silver disc, which measures approximately 15mm. Each necklace is hand crafted from start to finish using 100% recycled fine silver, and each piece is unique. Priced at £32, for more information see www.giftwrappedandgorgeous.co.uk.

2. Coffee tea towel, Stuart Gardiner

Possibly the perfect gift for a coffee lover, or for someone who wants to pass themselves off as a connoisseur! If you think you know your ristretto from your espresso or can tell a French press from a stove top, then this tea towel is for you. Made and printed in the UK, it costs £9.95 from www.hintonshome.com.

3. Vintage coffee grinder, Raspberry Mash

his beautiful wooden vintage French coffee grinder is as attractive as it is useful. Use to decorate your kitchen, or to grind your own coffee beans for that freshly-ground taste. £38, available from www.raspberrymash.co.uk.

4. Coffee advertising wall clock, Newgate

The coffee advertising clock is a reminder that the day will improve, just as soon as that triple espresso makes an appearance. As well as the retro-look convex metal dial, the clock features wrap-around hands to follow the contours for perfect time keeping so you won’t miss your coffee break. Priced at £65, available from www.redcandy.co.uk.

5. Vintage metal coffee sign, Mollie & Fred

Remind everyone in the house how your day has to start with this vintage-style shabby chic metal sign. Designed to have a worn, distressed appearance with a vintage post card style background print, the sign measures 26.5cm by 35cm, and costs £9.99 from www.mollieandfred.co.uk.

Of course, the only thing you really need to keep a coffee lover happy is large amounts of good quality coffee – and that’s where we come in. At the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’re proud to supply a range of coffee beans at great wholesale prices. For more information, please visit our website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Chocolate brownies with coffee icing

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Sara Walker

This could possibly be the ultimate indulgence – rich, gooey chocolate brownies topped with squidgy coffee icing. These are great for a dinner party, served with vanilla ice cream, or make in small batches for a treat.

You’ll need (makes 8 – 12):

For the brownies

180g butter or margerine, softened
180g good quality dark chocolate
85g plain flour
3 large freerange eggs
40g cocoa powder
270 sugar
60g walnut pieces (optional)

For the icing:

60g butter, softened
120g icing sugar
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, and grease and base line a 20cm square tin..
Break the chocolate into pieces and put it in a large heatproof bowl. Add the butter. Melt the mixture in the microwave in short bursts until fully melted. Allow to cool.
Beat in the eggs, then gradually add the sugar, mixing until fully combined. Gradually add in the flour and cocoa powder, then stir in the walnut pieces.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, and smooth off the top. Bake for 20 minutes, then take the tin out and shake it. If it wobbles in the middle, put it back in for another 5 minutes. You’re aiming for sticky and gooey in the middle rather than baked solid.
Leave to cool in the tin completely, then turn out onto a chopping board and peel off the paper.
Make the icing. Beat all the ingredients together until you’ve got a smooth, glossy paste then spread it evenly over the cake. Cut into small squares, and store in an airtight tin until required, up to two weeks.

The perfect partner for these rich little cakes is a large cup of your favourite coffee. Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we stock a wide range of coffee beans and coffee related products, including instant coffee powder, ideal for all your drinking and cooking needs. To find out more, please visit our website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Coffee all over the world: Brazil

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Sara Walker

Since the coffee bean was first introduced from French Guiana in the 18th century, Brazil has quickly become the world’s largest coffee producer. Unlike Colombia, where the size of the farms are limited by rugged terrain, plantations in Brazil can be immense. With no natural boundaries to stop the expansion, some plantations are run on an industrial scale with hundreds or even thousands of workers operating each one. This doesn’t mean, though, that Brazil produces sub-standard coffee; on the contrary, modern equipment, a suitable climate and advanced processing methods tend to mean a consistently high quality product.

Brazil produces both robusta and arabica coffee beans in its different regions, many of which are large enough to have differing climates. ‘Brazilian’ has become an industry term for a mild blend, although Brazil has now started to produced specialist coffees as well. Depending on the area, beans are wet or dry processed and this is one of the factors that has an effect on taste, helping to distinguish the beans of different regions.

In the mid 20th century, the Brazilian Institute do Café set quotas for exporting coffee. Unfortunately, this had the unforeseen effect of reducing quality, as suddenly growers were expected to produce a certain quantity. Some sources also believe that the institute was founded primarily for political reasons, and promoted cartels rather than the coffee industry itself. The organisation is long defunct, and in the 1990s the new government encouraged significant reforms in how the beans were grown, processed and exported, leading to a sharp increase in quality which has continued to this day.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we stock a range of coffee beans from all over the world, all at great value wholesale prices. For more information and to browse our range, please visit our website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Espresso and walnut tray bake

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Sara Walker

If you’re hosting a coffee morning or just expecting a houseful over the weekend, this super simple tray bake will solve your catering problems. Serve with a big mug of your favourite coffee for an extra caffeine hit.

You’ll need:

250g granulated sugar
250g margarine or butter, softened
250g self-raising flour
4 freerange eggs
90ml freshly brewed strong espresso coffee
100g walnuts, finely chopped
300g icing sugar
12 walnut halves

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Grease a 20 by 30cm cake tin, and line the bottom with a sheet of baking parchment.

Put the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl, and beat together either by hand or with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add 30ml of the coffee, then beat in the flour. Add in the chopped nuts, and beat until you have a smooth batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, level it off with the back of a spoon and bake in the centre of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until well risen and golden. To check it’s cooked, insert a clean skewer into the middle part of the cake and check no uncooked batter is sticking to it when removed.

Leave to cool in the tin for ten minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Meanwhile, beat the remaining coffee and icing sugar together to form a thick glace icing. Spoon the icing over the cake, and decorate it with the walnut halves, positioning them at regular intervals so that when the cake’s cut into twelve squares each has a walnut.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we stock a range of top quality coffee beans suitable for all uses, all at great wholesale prices. To find out more, please visit our website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Homemade coffee creams

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Sara Walker

This simple sweets are a great end to a dinner party, served with a cup of espresso. Although we know there’s no-one out there who doesn’t like coffee, dividing the mixture and making a few sweets flavoured with rose water, orange essence or peppermint will allow you to make a pretty pattern on the serving plate. Colour each flavour of sweet with a drop of appropriate food colouring so that guests can tell the difference.

To make around 24, you’ll need:

450g icing sugar
white of one freerange egg
4 tablespoons very strong black coffee, made from 2 teaspoons of instant coffee in 4 tablespoons water
60g plain chocolate

Beat the egg white until frothy. Put the icing sugar in a large, separate bowl and add the coffee. Add enough of the egg white to form a stiff dough, working it in with your fingers. Dust your fingers with icing sugar, and form the mixture into 24 small balls. Put them on a baking tray or plate covered with clingfilm, flatten then with the tines of a fork and leave in a cool place (not the refrigerator) until set, which should take a few hours.

Break the chocolate into small pieces, and put it in a small, heatproof bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for short bursts. Take a coffee cream, and holding it at the side dip half of it in the melted chocolate. Put it back on the clingfilm and repeat for eleven more sweets. Fold a square of greaseproof paper in half lengthways then again widthways, and scrape the remaining chocolate into the middle of the square to form an icing bag. Cut the corner of the square off to form a piping hole, then drizzle the chocolate over the remaining sweets. Leave them to set for another hour or so, then either pack into airtight boxes or serve.

For a full range of instant coffee and coffee beans, all available at great wholesale prices, please visit our website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.com.

Top five coffee spoons

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Sara Walker

For the coffee lover who really does have everything, how about a special coffee spoon just for making their favourite drink? We’ve picked out five of our favourites.

1. Ceramic animal spoon, Berry Red

This pretty little spoon is made from white ceramic, and features either a bird or bunny in a shabby chic design. Handwash only, 16cm tall. Priced at £3, available from www.berryred.co.uk.

2. Acrylic demi tasse spoon, House Envy

This little spoon has an old fashioned design but is made from modern materials. ‘Demi tasse’ spoons were originally designed to go with coffee cups, so this spoon has an appropriate heritage. Available in a wide range of colours, it’s dishwasher safe and costs £3 from www.house-envy.co.uk.

3. Spanner coffee spoons set, Culinary Concepts

A perfect gift for those with a mechanical bent, this set of four coffee spoons is made from hand-crafted stainless steel, with a spanner handle design and ‘drop forged’ detailing. Costing £28.99, the set’s available from www.cotswoldtrading.com.

4. Long handled spoons, Rice DK

If you prefer a long coffee drink like latte or even regular coffee in a large cup, these long handled melamine spoons are the answer. Long enough at 18cm to stop you burning your fingers, they’re sold as a set of six individual colourful spoons and measure and cost £8.50 for the set. Available from Berry Red as before.

5. Bud coffee spoons, Robert Welch

We love these slender, elegant coffee spoons by Robert Welch. Each one has a sculpted handle which tapers and gently curves into the palm of the hand for a comfortable feel, and is made from high quality stainless steel. £26 for a set of eight, other items are available in the same range. Available from www.johnlewis.com.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we take our coffee very seriously. To browse our range of coffee beans all available at great wholesale prices, please visit our website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Coffee all over the world: Indonesia

Posted on August 9, 2014 by Sara Walker

Indonesia has the perfect climate for growing coffee, and is currently one of the world’s largest producers. Composted of thousands of islands, some of the larger islands, such as Java and Sumatra, are well known in the coffee world for the quality of their beans. Not indigenous to Indonesia, coffee bushes were introduced by Dutch colonists in the mid-17th century in an attempt to break the Arabian monopoly, and they soon began to thrive. As the industry grew, roads and railways were built to aid transport from the interior of the islands to the ports, and so the landscape of Indonesia was shaped by the coffee trade.

At the end of the 1800s, many of the coffee bushes were smitten with coffee rust, a fungus that produces a fine powdery covering on the underside of the leaves. This wiped out whole plantations, and some owners replanted with tea or rubber plants which they felt were hardier and more resistant to disease. Others replanted with different varieties, initially Liberica coffee from Africa and then the tougher robusta, which still makes up the majority of the coffee crop in Indonesia.

Famous for its speciality coffees such as kopi luwak (civet cat coffee), Indonesia is also the home of aged coffees. Originally, this referred to coffee stockpiled by farmers who were waiting for the high point of the market. It was discovered that storing the coffee in this way enhanced the flavour, and now these coffees are sold to connoisseurs.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’ve got a range of coffee beans available, all at great wholesale prices. For more information, please visit our website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.com.

Easy coffee cake recipe

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Sara Walker

If you think you can’t bake, this simple coffee bake recipe will have you changing your mind. Delicious mid-morning with a cup of your favourite coffee made from freshly-roasted beans, it’s also brilliant at lunchtime. Any leftover slices will freeze for up to three months, just leave them to defrost at room temperature until required.

You’ll need:

4 freerange eggs
250g self raising flour
310g butter or margerine, softened
250g granulated sugar
120g icing sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons very strong black coffee

What to do:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease two springform 20cm sandwich tins, and line the bottom with circles of greaseproof paper. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and 250g of the butter together until the mixture looks pale and fluffy. Break in the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition, then add one tablespoon of coffee. Add the flour, and beat vigorously until the batter is fully combined. Lift a spoonful of batter; it should cling to the spoon for a second before sliding off. If the mixture looks a little thick, add a drop of milk. If it’s too runny, add a little more flour. Finally, spoon the batter into the prepared tins and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Bake in the centre of the over for around 30 minutes until well risen and golden. Push the surface of the cake with the tip of a finger, it should feel slightly springy. Leave to cool in the tin for ten to fifteen minutes, then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, put the remaining butter and icing sugar in a bowl, and beat until combined. Add the coffee, a few drops at a time, until the mixture is a spreading consistency. Use the buttercream to sandwich the cakes together.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we stock a wide range of coffee beans, all at great wholesale prices. For more information, please see www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Top five coffee coasters

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Sara Walker

Every cup of coffee needs a home. Protect your desk or coffee table from heat rings, splashes and spills with a coaster – we’ve picked out five of our favourites.

1. Ceramic camper van coaster, The Mosaic Garden

These lovely hand-painted 10cm by 10cm ceramic coasters have been fired to give a wipe-clean glossy, heatproof finish. They’re backed with cork so they won’t scratch furniture. These coasters are also available in a range of other designs including seagulls, puffins, mallards and bees, and cost £4 each. For more information, see www.themosaicgarden.co.uk.

2. Glass swallows coaster, In-Spaces

This glass coaster has a sandblasted swallow and wave design and is fitted with non-slip rubber feet to protect furniture. Hand made to order, the coaster measures 10cm by 10cm and is washable in warm water. Each coaster costs £12.50, available from www.in-spaces.com.

3. Wooden coffee coaster, Wooden Toy Gallery

These wooden coasters spell out the letters of ‘coffee’ and would make a perfect parking spot for your favourite mug. Made from eco friendly teak plywood, they measure 10cm square and come in sets of two, four or six. Prices start at £5.98 for two, woodentoygallery.co.uk.

4. Pantone coaster set interior shades, Berry Red

What a fantastic present for a printers’ or graphic designers’ office. This set contains six coasters in contemporary interior shades of celery, warm grey, heather, grape juice, shrub green and printers’ blue. Each 10.5cm square coaster is laminated, wipe clean and has a cork backing. Priced at £15 for the set, visit www.berryred.co.uk for more information.

5. Tickets please coasters, ATA Designs

These ‘tickets please’ cork-backed coasters were inspired by London transport’s double decker bus, and are part of the “All Things British” range by ATA designs. Made from melamine, they’re heat resistant and measure 10cm square. Priced at £19 for a set of four, made to order. For more details, see www.atadesigns.com.

Now you’ve got your coasters, you’ll be needing a cup of coffee to put on them. For the best in coffee beans at great wholesale prices, please visit our website, www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Coffee all over the world: Colombia

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Sara Walker

Continuing our series on coffee production around the world, we take a look at Colombia in South America, probably the part of the world most associated with coffee.

Colombia ranks very highly in terms of production, and is the second biggest producer of Arabica beans which are of higher quality than robustica. There are almost 600,000 coffee producers in Colombia and the cultivation, trading, processing, transportation and marketing of the beans provides employment for many. Colombian coffee is mostly grown on thousands of small family-run farms, owing to the terrain which is rugged and lacking in the space needed for large commercial farms. While this environment produces good quality beans, it makes transport to the processing centres very difficult. thousands of small family coffee farms across the country. An extremely rugged landscape provides the perfect natural environment for the growth of the coffee. But a terrain so rugged has also made it historically difficult to transport the harvested coffee beans to production and shipment centers. The region is also subject to occasional earthquakes, which destroy the infrastructure of the roads so that even today the most practical form of transport is often Jeep or mule train.

As many varieties of Colombian coffee beans are naturally resistant to crop diseases, there’s been a lot of enthusiasm in recent years about producing organic coffee which is now forming a small but significant part of the market.

Colombia’s coffee market is regulated by the Colombian Coffee Federation, which guarantees growers a minimum price for their crops. The Federation also invests in education, healthcare, transportation and transportation for coffee growers, and supports environmentally friendly growing techniques.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’ve got a wide range of coffee beans available from all over the world, all at great wholesale prices. For more information, please visit our website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.