Category: Blog

Autumnal Tea – Tea for Autumn

Posted on by Sara Walker

It’s officially snuggle season. Even if you don’t have a significant other you can snuggle with your blanket, whilst sipping tea by the fireplace. Your home, if it isn’t already, should be filled with the scent of cinnamon and apple cider. If you live alone and think you can’t be bothered, think again. There is nothing nicer than coming home to a home that feels like home.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Co. we think snuggle season is perfect, because people tend to sip more tea. Our tea, preferably. As the days are shorter and the darkness longer pick-me-ups in the form of coffee also come in handy. And when you smell our freshly roasted coffee beans you won’t stay sleepy for long. It’s almost impossible. In fact we heard one study proved people started typing faster just by smelling coffee.

We are of the opinion that it’s best to make the most of each season and deck the halls with all things warm and cozy. Otherwise it would just be dark, cold, and sad. Add some colourful leaves, spicy teas, and red knitted scarves and the story starts to look slightly differently.

Below you will find an autumnal tea recipe, but just in case you notice your employees or co-workers fall asleep, get some of our green coffee beans and roast them yourself. The aroma should most certainly awoken the rest of the office.

Apple Cranberry Tea

This tea is served warm and is perfect for an autumn day. It has autumn-inspired ingredients such as apple juice, cranberry, and pumpkin pie spice. This is sure to put you in the autumn spirit.

Ingredients:

  • 5-6 tea bags (preferably black tea)
  • 5 cups of apple juice (the real kind, not concentrate and no added sugars/sweeteners)
  • 2-3 cups of cranberry juice (to taste)
  • ¼ – ½ cup of honey
  • ¼ cup of lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
  • 5 cups of boiling water

Directions:

Add tea bags to the boiling water and allow to steep for 7-10 minutes (depending on strength you desire).  Remove tea bags from water and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir and serve. This tea will be warm, not hot, since the cranberry and apple juice are added to the hot water – if you want it hot you have to heat the juice as well.

Christmas coffee

 

‘Tis the Season

Posted on by Sara Walker

‘Tis the season…to drink coffee. Naturally. It’s always the season to drink coffee. However, in Christmas time you can add some extra spice to those fresh roasted coffee beans of yours. You can do so by adding traditional Christmas spice into your regular blend, like cinnamon and nutmeg for example. You can also try candy cane lattes, or why not eggnog lattes?

Below we have listed some recipes we found. Of course you need to buy coffee online from us and then it’s just to get started. And if you really can’t buy from us then we recommend truly fresh roasted coffee beans that you grind at home. The fresher the better. You can even buy green coffee beans and roast them yourself.

Eggnog Latte – recipe from Mother Nature Network

Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook time: 1 minute
Ingredients
• 1/3 cup 2% milk
• 2/3 cup eggnog
• 1 shot (1.5 ounces) brewed espresso
• Nutmeg (optional)
Directions
1. Pour milk and eggnog into a steaming pitcher and heat to between 145-165 degrees F, using the steaming wand.
2. Brew the shot of espresso, then add to mug.
3. Pour the steamed milk and eggnog into the mug, using a spoon to hold back the foam. Spoon foam over the top. Sprinkle ground nutmeg (or grind fresh nutmeg yourself) on top of the foam. Serves one.

Candy Cane Latte

1 cup almond milk or regular organic milk
1/2 cup brewed coffee or 1 shot espresso
2 tbsp crushed peppermint candy canes + extra for decoration

Whipped cream (optional

Mix the coffee with the candy cane, then add the steamed milk (if you can’t steam it at home, whip it whilst heating it to get it frothy. Almond milk, however, does not really froth). Potentially add some sweetened whipped cream. Sprinkle some crushed candy cane on top and serve with a candy cane to the side.

Who doesn't want to wake up to a yummy peppermint latte on Christmas morning??

Dinner party desserts made with coffee – coffee ice cream

Posted on by Sara Walker

coffee ice creamYou’ll need an ice cream maker for this simple recipe, but the results are really worth the investment. Using espresso beans such as our great value Suprema coffee beans will give a rich depth of flavour. This ice cream is great served on its own, accompanying another dessert or made into a sundae with whipped cream, chocolate-covered coffee beans and a drizzle of caramel syrup.

Ingredients

  • 600 ml whole milk
  • 4 tablespoons coarsely-ground coffee, made with fresh coffee beans
  • 135g caster sugar
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons cornflour
  • 250ml double cream

 

  1. Put the coffee and milk together in a saucepan, and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, and leave to stand for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve to remove the coffee grounds, and put about three quarters of the mixture back into the pan, retaining a quarter. Stir the sugar into the pan, and heat gently until dissolved.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cornflour then gradually pour on the hot milk. Tip the mixture back into the pan, and heat until it comes to the boil, whisking constantly. It should thicken just enough to coat the back of a spoon – at this stage, take it off the heat quickly before it curdles.
  3. Stir in the reserved milk, and leave the mixture to cool.
  4. Once cold, remove any skin that’s formed and churn it in an ice cream maker until slushy.
  5. Whip the double cream until it stands up in soft peaks, and fold into the ice cream. Finish the freezing process.
  6. To serve, remove from the freezer 10 to 15 minutes before required, to allow the ice cream to soften.

For a wide range of top quality coffee beans, suitable for all uses, please visit our coffee beans page at the Wholesale Coffee Company website. We also stock a range of flavoured syrups and other coffee ingredients, perfect for making coffee drinks or for using in recipes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Educating Your Coffee Shop Clients

Posted on by Sara Walker

Have you ever heard about educating your clients? If you haven’t, you might wonder why you should educate them? Why do you tell your clients you sell fresh roasted coffee beans if they don’t have nose enough to figure it out themselves (like hello that scent should say it all)? Why tell them that if they buy the green beans they can roast them at home to come up with their own roasts and blends? And why tell them about the laborious process of harvesting and roasting coffee? Why not just serve them the coffee and the associated products and hope they like them?

There are two reasons why you educate your clients: passion and money. If you sell the best fresh roasted coffee beans in the vicinity chances are you are passionate about it. Likewise, if you are selling fairtrade coffee, knowing that the farms your coffee comes from have properly paid employees, you are probably passionate about letting clients know so that next week they don’t buy coffee that came from slave trade.

So where do the money come in? Well, if someone knows for sure that your coffee is fairtrade, chances are they are prepared to pay more for it. Likewise, if you describe the elaborate process of finding the best beans, roasting them yourself and making unique blends, it will sound like you are selling something valuable. If people know it’s valuable, they are happy to pay more. When they know the hard work and expertise that’s gone into something they are usually prepared to pay more.

If you manage to really impress someone, or make an impression there is also the possibility of them telling their friends about it. If they tell their friends then they might end up your customers also. You will also find that the more someone thinks about coffee the more they want it – the more engaged you get in something the more you wanna try everything around it.

So let us tell you right now: we’re passionate about coffee and the coffee we sell is great. For example we have various different green coffee beans for roasting. Perfect if you have a coffee shop and want to make your own blend. Try our Forte or Caribana for example. Of course we also sell Nespresso. In case you have too much to do to spend time perfecting your espressos. So if you want to buy coffee online, check out our shop!

Specialty Coffee Drinks An Illustrated Guide by letteredandlined

Coffee drinks

How to Present Drinks Beautifully

Posted on by Sara Walker

In Sweden there is something called “kaffe kalas” which directly translated means “coffee party.” Usually you do this for a birthday, or when gathering friends. It’s an old term and not used so much by the younger generation, but the tradition stays the same today: when there is a celebration you invite friends and family over for coffee and cake. In Sweden, according to tradition, it should be seven different kinds of cake. To say a lot of cake is eaten in Sweden is an understatement, yet in comparison to the copious amounts of coffee that are drunk, it’s nothing.

If you are hosting a coffee party in Sweden you use your finest china. It’s rare you see elaborate coffee drinks and intriguing presentations. If you want to host a coffee party yourself, have friends around for tea, or if you own a coffee or tea shop you might consider looking into cute presentations though. There is nothing quite as impressive as getting a nice tasting drink served looking like it was a piece of art. And let’s face it: if your significant other shows up with breakfast in bed and have made incredulous cups of coffee, hot chocolate, and tea, it only makes it that much better.

Of course, to truly impress someone you need the best ingredients as well. Here at the Wholesale Coffee Co. we’ve made a living out of selling coffee online. If you are buying bulk it’s perfect buying coffee online and we have many different varieties (we even have green coffee beans if you want to roast them yourself), as well as tea and coffee.

Yummy Coffee Drink. :)

An old fashioned glass jar can be perfect for serving coffee drinks and hot chocolates – rustic and pretty. You can tie a ribbon on top and match the straw with the ribbon.

Fancy Coffee Drinks by gee.deasis

Fancy drinks with coffee from Indulgy.com (made by geedeasis.com)

Coffee drink that tastes like frappucinos! Just mix coffee and sweet condensed milk!

Coffee mixed with sweet condensed milk and ice cubes. Perfect for summer or if it’s really hot by the fireplace!

cokiee cup :D drink n eat..!

Why buy a cup when you can bake one? We’re guessing it’s lined by some fatty frosting (like coconut butter/oil mixed with sugar and potentially some flavouring like fresh vanilla, coffee, etc.) to prevent the coffee from being soaked up by the cake. We also presume the coffee is cold or needs to be drunk fast as frosting melts…

yum - fall brunch - wrapped coffee drinks

Once again straws, but this time matched with bottles. Perfect if you have some old fashioned milk bottles.

coffee & chocolate a beautiful partnership

Even something as simple as an espresso can be beautifully presented.

Maiko, Geiko... Most Things Geisha

Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you put in the cup – it’s just all about the presentation. (Although of course it would be better if what’s in the cup is palatable.) Who wouldn’t be awed by this?

Dinner party desserts made with coffee – hot coffee soufflé

Posted on by Sara Walker

beansIf you’re a little more confident in the kitchen, try impressing your guests with this coffee soufflé, served with a spiced cream flavoured with cardamom pods. As with any soufflé, the trick is not to overcook it – it should be soft in the middle and crisp on the outside. Make sure the oven is really hot before you put the dish in, resist the temptation to check on it partway through the cooking, and you should get a perfect result.

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 160g caster sugar
  • 45g plain flour
  • 75ml Tia Maria or Kahlua coffee liqueur
  • 375ml milk
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely ground coffee, made from fresh coffee beans
  • 350ml single cream
  • 2 cardamom pads
  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade, and butter a 1.5 litre soufflé dish.
  2. While the oven’s heating, start by preparing the spiced cream. Lightly crush the cardamom pods, and put them in a saucepan with the cream. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Strain, then put in the refrigerator until needed.
  3. Put the milk in a saucepan, add the coffee and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, and leave to stand for about 15 minutes.
  4. Whisk the egg yolks with 120g of the caster sugar until really light and fluffy. Trapping air in at this stage is what will cause the soufflé to rise, so spend some time on this stage.
  5. Whisk in the flour, then strain in the milk, whisking constantly until combined.
  6. Pour the batter back into the saucepan, then bring to a boil, whisking constantly until it thickens. Remove from the heat, and add the coffee liqueur.
  7. Whisk the egg whites until they stand up in stiff peaks. Fold in the remaining caster sugar, and carry on whisking until you have a glossy meringue.
  8. Fold the meringue into the coffee mixture, and pour the finished batter into the dish.
  9. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until well risen and firm on top. Serve immediately with the spiced cream.

For a wide range of top quality coffee beans, suitable for all uses, please visit our coffee beans page at the Wholesale Coffee Company website. We also stock a range of flavoured syrups in our coffee ingredients section, perfect for making coffee drinks or for using in recipes.

 

 

Easy dinner party desserts made with coffee – chocolate mocha sorbet

Posted on by Sara Walker

sorbetTasting like a cross between a sorbet and an ice cream, this sophisticated dessert will draw gasps of appreciation from your guests, but it’s surprisingly easy to make. It uses strong espresso coffee to give a slight sharpness to the rich, chocolaty base, and as it can be made several days in advance it’s a stress-free option on the night. Use the best quality chocolate you can find, at least 70% cocoa solids.

Ingredients

  • 675ml water
  • 90g plain dark chocolate
  • 5 tablespoons strong espresso coffee, made from freshly-ground coffee beans
  • 300g caster sugar

Start by breaking the chocolate into little pieces, then blitzing it with short bursts in a food processor until it looks like very coarse, lumpy powder. Tip it into a saucepan, add 300ml of the water and the coffee and warm over a very low heat, stirring until all the ingredients are fully melted together and combined.

Add the caster sugar and remaining water and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for around ten minutes until it thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before transferring to an ice cream maker.  Churn until slushy, then transfer to a chilled bowl and freeze for several hours. If making this dessert beforehand, it will need to soften slightly before serving. Don’t be tempted to make it more than a week in advance, though, as it may granulate and lose its smooth, creamy texture.

Serve in glass dishes, decorated with chocolate-covered coffee beans.

For a wide range of top quality coffee beans, suitable for all uses, please visit our coffee beans page at the Wholesale Coffee Company website. We also stock a range of flavoured syrups and other coffee ingredients, perfect for making coffee drinks or for using in recipes.

 

 

Apricot-Espresso Glazed Roast Pork Loin

Posted on by Sara Walker

Now you always hear about cacao used for savory food, but coffee a little less so. It’s most commonly known as a meat tenderizer. We found a recipe using it for roast pork though and as it’s coming up to the weekend, why not try? Personally I don’t eat pork, but I have a feeling it might work well for chicken too. It’s definitively a flavour I have not tried previously.

One might scoff at the freeze dried instant coffee if one is food connoisseur enough, but the only other option (unless you want freshly ground coffee beans in the actual glaze) would be to cook the apricots with coffee when making the jam and somehow we believe the instant coffee will do just fine. After all we sell it. It’s easy to use and has it own unique flavour that some actually prefer.

So fresh roasted coffee beans aside, we are looking forward to try this recipe. Let us know what you think!

Ingredients

  • 1 3-pound boneless pork loin, trimmed
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup apricot preserves
  • 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet with foil.
  2. Tie kitchen string around pork in two or three places so it doesn’t flatten while roasting. Rub oil, salt and pepper all over the pork. Place the pork in the prepared pan.
  3. Roast pork, turning once, for 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, combine apricot preserves, espresso powder, mustard, Worcestershire, garlic and cloves in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat.
  5. After the pork has cooked for 30 minutes, brush all over with 1/2 cup of the glaze. (Leave the remaining glaze in the pan.) Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the meat registers 140°F, 20 to 40 minutes more. Transfer the pork to a clean cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, add broth to the remaining glaze in the pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove the string and slice the pork. Serve with the sauce.

Healthy Coffee

Posted on by Sara Walker

It’s Friday and if you’re anything like me you think this is the perfect excuse to indulge in some treat or other. Of course you don’t want to turn into a complete pig though, so you may decide to health-ify your indulgence. Today I was craving some delicious coffee drink (read: whipped cream, caramel sauce, and coffee), so I decided to see what’s out there in the way of healthy, but still delicious, coffee drinks. I found some interesting tips. Like blending coconut oil and butter into your coffee to speed up metabolism and get the best tasting and smoothest coffee. Ever.

Of course I had to try this. It is very indulgent actually because the fats make the coffee incredibly creamy. I made it into a latte, using rice milk, as I don’t like my coffee black. It worked. I also added a tiny amount of raw cane sugar and used only one drop of stevia as it does have a bit of a “plastic” taste. I would use raw honey instead of sugar had I not been out of it.

It says 1-3 tablespoons of coconut oil, but I really recommend starting off with only one as it does make the coffee very, very creamy and it might be too much with any more. You might even want to start off with just 1/2 a tablespoon.

Of course get fresh roasted coffee beans for this – always use the best quality coffee beans. You can even roast your own! (We have green coffee beans for sale in our coffee shop for that reason.)

Recipe from Wellness Mama
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 1 cup of organic coffee, herbal coffee or chai tea
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or more, I usually put in 2-3 tablespoons)
  • 1 teaspoon organic grassfed unsalted butter (I get it here)
  • ¼ tsp vanilla
  • a few drops of stevia extract (optional)
Instructions
  1. Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Mix on high speed for 20 seconds until frothy. Drink immediately and enjoy all the energy!

A way to supercharge coffee and make it healthy and great for your skin The Only Way I Drink Coffee...

Mocha Cake

Posted on by Sara Walker

There is this saying: “I love you more than coffee, but please don’t make me prove it.” Right, especially not at 8am on a Monday morning when the waft of coffee made from fresh roasted coffee beans reaches your nostrils. This could prove lethal. At least in the “love you more” section in any relationship, because coffee might just win.

For some of us it’s not coffee you need to battle with for quality time, but rather chocolate. Maybe you don’t need it first thing in the morning, but after a long day you chocolate pralines and a hot bath may just be on top of your priority list. You have no energy to deal with anyone else until you have had your chocolate fix. And potentially, just potentially, a coffee to go with it. To wake you up.

So for those coffee and chocolate lovers out there we found a new recipe for you. (And don’t forget, if you are running out of coffee beans or hot chocolate at any time, our shop offers you plenty of options, delivered to your doorstep. Perfect during winter storms.)

Mocha Frappe Pie adapted from Pillsbury

Uploaded by Monica H at www.lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com

Crust:

  • 1-1/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs

  • 3 Tablespoons sugar

  • 1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:

  • 1/2 lb. (about 35-40) large marshmallows

  • 3 Tablespoons sugar

  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk

  • 3 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder

  • 1 cup (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream

To make the crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients until well blended.

Press firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes until set. Cool completely.

To make the filling: In top of a double boiler, combine marshmallows, sugar, evaporated milk and instant coffee/espresso powder.

Cook over boiling water, stirring occasionally,until marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat. (This can be done in the microwave, but be sure to keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t boil over.)

Stir in chocolate chips until well blended. Cool completely.

Spread 3/4 cup of the cooled filling into the bottom of the cooled crust.

In a separate bowl, beat heavy cream until thick. Fold whipped cream into the remaining chocolate mixture. Pour over chocolate layer.

Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Top with additional whipped cream, chocolate curls or chopped pecan if desired.

pie2