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Would you drink your coffee in a toilet?

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Sara Walker

When did coffee machines, coffee beans and err…toilets mix so well together? Apparently only a few weeks ago when the Attendant Café in central London opened.

I’ve seen some pretty innovative uses of space in the past – shipping containers converted into homes, disused tunnels used for art exhibitions and an old train that was turned into a café. But, the Attendant Café took it one step further.

The owners rather creatively, turned public toilet in a disused Victorian underground station, into a rather trendy, chic looking café.

However, it’s not just about the toilet gimmick, the Attendant also serves a variety of top quality coffee beans sourced from all over the world and uses only the best coffee machines and roasters – so you can expect nothing less than great coffee.

You can also buy fresh gourmet sandwiches, soup, salad and a variety of delicious cakes and other yummy sweet treats.

From the outside, black signs with ‘The Attendant’ written in gold decorate the ornate iron archway leading down into the café. Despite the fact that it used to be a toilet, it’s become an iconic building in its own right and dates back to 1890.

Once upon a time, the sickly stench of urine might have wafted up the staircase, but now all you can smell is the comforting aroma of freshly ground coffee beans and good quality food.

The toilet may have gone, but some of the original details remain. The urinals have been re-purposed and the original Victorian tiling is still part of the interior. Other details include lampshades that have been positioned underneath an old cistern and the tiling adorning the entrance.

Overall, I reckon they’ve done an excellent job – I don’t think I’ve ever seen urinals look so beautiful. Thumbs up for the Attendant Café.

How to bake a 2 minute microwave cake in a cup with coffee beans

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Sara Walker

Cake baking doesn’t have to be a time consuming activity or something reserved only for special occasions. Follow the Wholesale Coffee Company guide to baking a microwave cake in a cup using freshly ground coffee beans.

Sometimes it’s nice to just treat yourself. Plus, the great thing about this recipe is it only takes a couple of minutes to make. And you don’t need to faff around with the scales!

Ingredients

Half an egg
2 tbsp self-raising flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
Ground coffee beans
1 tbsp butter

Optional Ingredients

Cream
Vanilla extract
Cinnamon
Chocolate

Instructions

Mix a large table spoon of butter with an equal amount of brown sugar in a small mixing bowl until smooth.
Crack half an egg into the mixture and then sieve in the self-raising flour until the mixture is smooth.
You can now add some freshly ground coffee beans, plus double cream, vanilla extract and cinnamon as optional extras
It’s now time to spoon your mixture into a suitable, microwave proof cup. Make sure you don’t fill it to the top or your cake will rise over the cup.
Finally, place your cup in the microwave and cook for an initial one minute. You can then check the mixture with a fork to see if it’s ready. If the mixture is still runny, put the cake back in and keep cooking.
You’re now ready to indulge and eat your cake. If you’re feeling in a sweet mood, drizzle dark melted chocolate over the top, sit down with a cup of coffee and enjoy your cake.

Microwave cake baking tips with coffee beans

When you’re baking, weighing all the ingredients out can be time consuming, which is why I’ve suggested you use table spoons to measure your ingredients.

The general rule for a basic sponge cake is to make sure all the base ingredients – butter, eggs and sugar are equally proportioned. You can then add a touch more flour. For a heavier recipe, add more egg and vice versa for a Victoria sponge cake.

When you’re baking in the microwave, you could make about 10 different cakes in the time it usually takes to make one in the oven. Try experimenting with measurements and different types of coffee beans to see what you like best.

Love coffee beans? Become a barista

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Sara Walker

Who wants to operate the coffee machines at Costa?

It was recently reported that a new
Costa coffee shop in Nottingham was inundated with applications – 1,701 to be specific – for eight new barista roles.

The amount of applications came as a surprise, especially as some applicants had as much as 15 years’ experience in retail. Did all these people just have a love for coffee beans? Were they all desperate for a job? Or is there something quite appealing about the barista label?

Barista after all has no stigma attached – not that there’s a stigma attached with sales assistant, bar person or café worker; it’s just that barista sounds more sophisticated. It has an attractive edge. Even in Hollywood, actors playing baristas are often portrayed as cool, calm and really attractive.

Barista has become more than just a job title – it’s become a sub culture with its own dress code, magazine (Barista Magazine) and attitude; there’s even a World Barista Championship. How many other job roles have all this?

But is this just an illusion? Would the newly appointed baristas in the Costa coffee shop in Nottingham feel part of this culture or has the role of the barista simply been glamorised? Barista after all, means bartender in Italian.

Other than the culture, there has to be more to it. There’s no denying that being a barista in a busy coffee shop must be hard work and stressful at times; however, perhaps other things make up for it – working with lovely people, nice lighting and the smell of freshly ground coffee beans.

Or perhaps – going back to the second paragraph of questions, people just need jobs and Costa would have received the same amount of applications regardless of the initial advert.

Despite times being tough – job wise – I do think there’s something we can learn from the barista culture. Rather than stigmatising certain job roles, we should be looking to create – not necessarily sub cultures for every individual job title – but creating nice atmospheres and a lovely working environment with a sense of community could be a start.

Coffee quotes through time – from T.S. Elliot to Buffy and Zoe Deschanel

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Sara Walker

Coffee beans – films have been inspired by them (Coffee and Cigarettes), writers are often stimulated by them and Zooey Deschanel loves them so much, she reckons there should be vacations dedicated to them.

They’ve been featured in books, films and music – and of course, many conversations throughout history. There’s no doubt about it – the world loves coffee.

Wholesale Coffee Company has put together the following collection of coffee quotes to celebrate the wonderful world of coffee beans – first discovered half way through the 15^th century by Kaldi, the goat herder and still massively popular today.

Coffee quotes

“The morning cup of coffee has exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce.” Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr

“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” T.S. Elliot

“This seems to be the basic need of the human heart in nearly every great crisis – a good hot cup of coffee.” Alexander King

“You should ask him for coffee some night. It’s the non-relationship drink of choice. It’s not a date, it’s a caffeinated beverage. Okay, sure, it’s hot and bitter like a relationship that way, but…” Willow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

“As soon as coffee is in your stomach, there is a general commotion. Ideas begin to move…similes arise, the paper is covered. Coffee is your ally and writing ceases to be a struggle.” Honore de Balzac (1799-1859)

“I never laugh until I’ve had my coffee.” Clark Gable

“I want to go on a coffee vacation. It’s a vacation where you drink MORE coffee than usual and no one gets weird or judgy anout it.” Zooey Deschanel

“A cup of gourmet coffee shared with a friend is happiness tasted and time well spent.” Anonymous

“If you want to improve your understanding, drink coffee; it is the intelligent beverage.” Sydney Smith (1771-1845)

Coffee beans and sport – what difference does caffeine make?

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Sara Walker

Can coffee beans help you to perform better at sport? Research from the International society of sports nutrition suggests that caffeine can enhance athletic endurance and even reduce muscular pain after exercise.

Here are some of the findings:

1. Caffeine has been shown to enhance performance in athletes when taken in low doses (3-6 mg/kg); however, athletic performance did not get any better with a higher dose of caffeine (9mg/kg).

2. Rather than coffee beans, sport performance turned out to be better when caffeine was taken as a capsule, tablet or in a powdered form.

Could the placebo effect be playing a part here if tablets and coffee beans, for example, contain the same amount of caffeine? Perhaps if the caffeine was consumed in a sports drink, the results would be different.

3. Caffeine works particularly well for athletes who are doing intensive exercise for long periods of time; for example, rowing, hockey, football and cycling. Consuming caffeine seemed to help athletes to reduce their times.

4. Athletes who consumed caffeine with an electrolyte based sports drink saw a significant improvement in jumping and sprinting times.

5. Muscular pain after exercising also decreased when caffeine was consumed prior to exercising.

6. In regards to caffeine consumption and its effects on strength, caffeine didn’t seem to make a difference.

7. Interestingly, caffeine did not change sweat rate or change the fluid balance in the body, even when the athletes exercised in heat.

8. The effects of taking caffeine, however, before a work out seem to be short term. Although performance times increased in the first round of exercises, results weren’t repeated in the second set of exercises.

Consuming caffeine before a workout is thought to produce more adrenalin and increase the circulation and blood flow to the heart. So, providing you don’t have too much, a bit of caffeine or some freshly brewed coffee beans could help you to perform better when you’re exercising and playing sports.

How to Roast Your own Coffee Beans

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Sara Walker

Roasting your own coffee beans isn’t as hard as you might think. Although you can splash out on coffee roasting equipment, if you’ve got a reasonably well stocked kitchen, all you’ll need is the following:

Coffee Bean Roasting Equipment

An oven
An oven tray with holes in it
A metal colander
Some green coffee beans.

Some people might suggest using a heat gun or a popcorn popper, but for your first attempt I’d start with the oven.

So, how do you roast your own coffee beans? Follow the Wholesale Coffee Company step by step process for easy oven roasting.

1. Pre-heat your oven to at least 200 degrees celsius – 250 should be sufficient. You should then make sure your kitchen is well ventilated as coffee roasting will produce some smoke.

2. Place your green coffee beans on a metal baking tray with tiny holes in it. You might want to do a test batch first. Alternatively, keep some of your favourite coffee beans to hand so you can roast your own coffee beans to a similar shade.

For more information about coffee bean colours and roasting times visit Sweet Maria’s Coffee Library. You’ll be able to see pictures of coffee beans going through the roasting process and find out the difference between a Vienna Light Roast and Full City Roast.

3. Throughout the roasting process you should hear clicking/ cracking sounds which is normal. After about 15-20 minutes check on the beans and remove them from the oven if they look ready.

4. Remove your freshly roasted coffee beans from the tray and place them in a metal colander to cool.

5. Finally, once they’re cool (some people wait 24 hours before using them) they’re ready to consume. Make yourself a delicious cup of homemade coffee, sit back and relax.

For added flavour check out Wholesale Coffee Company’s yummy syrups. Choose from over 10 different flavours including Irish Cream, White Chocolate and Amaretto.

Image Source: www.sweetmarias.com

Tiramisu – the coffee lover’s dessert

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Sara Walker

Tiramisu, or Italian trifle, is the perfect pud for an adult dinner party – it’s light, creamy and gives that all-important coffee kick. It’s also quick and easy to assemble, and requires no cooking. Try these miniature versions for a variation on the traditional theme.

You’ll need (serves 4):

100ml/3½fl oz of strong espresso coffee, preferably made freshly from ground, roasted coffee beans
2 – 3 tablespoons of coffee liquer – try Kahlua or Tia Maria
4 boudoir (sponge finger) biscuits, available in most large supermarkets or delicatessens
2 large or 3 small egg whites
250g/9oz mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons icing sugar
2 – tablespoons of sherry, or other strong sweet wine
Cocoa powder, chocolate shavings and chocolate-covered coffee beans, to decorate

What to do

Make up the fresh coffee in your usual way, and let it cool completely. Mix in the coffee liqueur. Break each sponge finger into small pieces, and divide them between four small glass bowls, or shallow stemmed cocktail glasses. Pour the coffee mixture over the bicuits, making sure there are no dry bits left sticking out – push the biscuits down with a spoon if necessary until they’re completely submerged.

Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until they form soft peaks. Test that the eggs are sufficiently whisked by tipping the bowl slightly; the whisked mixture shouldn’t move.

In a separate bowl, beat together the mascarpone, icing sugar and sherry until completely smooth and blended. Use a metal spoon to fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture, taking care to keep as much volume as possible.

Spoon the mixture over the biscuits, one spoonful at a time so that it falls in attractive swirls. Chill the bowls for half an hour in the refrigerator, then dust with cocoa and top with chocolate shavings. Add a chocolate-covered coffee bean to the top of each dessert, and serve.

Coffee and paint colours

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Sara Walker

Black coffee and café au lait have become so iconic that they’re used as a colour comparison for everything from fabric to paint colours. In fact, if you’re a hardened caffeine addict who’s thinking about interior design, you can now choose from a range of ready-mixed coffee-coloured paints, and even mix your own, personal shades with real coffee.

Crown Paints offer a choice of Café au Lait or Frothy Coffee (soft beige shades), or Cafetière, a strong dark brown.

At Dulux, the shades vary from Irish Coffee (a pale cream), though Coffee Liqueur (a warm, darker brown) and Cappuccino to the darkest shade, Café Latte.

If you’d like to create something a bit more bespoke, you can mix your own paint with a mixture of a commercial white paint as a base and coffee.

As coffee is a natural product, remember that the results will vary from batch to batch – so make up as much paint in one go as you’ll need to finish the job. The finished paint colour will look a couple of shades lighter when it’s dry, and may also fade gradually over time, particularly in bright sunlight. Using coffee to tint paint gives a soft, cream/beige effect, equally suitable for period properties or setting off a modern interior.

How to do it

Every time you use your coffee machine for a few days, collect the grounds until you have at least half a pint. Put them in a large saucepan with a pint of water, and bring to the boil. Leave to steep for at least an hour, or longer if you want a stronger colour. (The depth of the colour will depend on the amount of coffee grounds used as well as the steeping time).

Strain the coffee thoroughly through a filter, making sure that you remove all traces of the grounds. Add the strong coffee to the paint a tablespoon at a time, stirring thoroughly between each addition, until you reach the required colour.

Tempting coffee cake toppings

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Sara Walker

While coffee makes a great baking ingredient, adding flavour to many cake recipes, it works equally well as a cake topping. Use one of these ideas to quickly jazz up any plain cake, such as Victoria, Genoise or chocolate sponge, Madeira cake, plain muffins or cupcakes.

Coffee glacé icing

You’ll need:

100g/4oz icing sugar, sieved
15ml spoon/1 tablespoon strong black coffee, made from freshly-ground coffee beans

Mix the sugar and coffee together until thoroughly combined, then spread over the top of the cake. For a variation, add two teaspoons of cocoa powder to the mix along with a few drops of extra coffee.

Coffee buttercream

You’ll need:

125g/4½oz butter, softened
200g/7oz icing sugar, sieved
50ml/2fl oz strong black coffee, as above

Beat the butter and icing sugar together until the mixture looks pale and fluffy. Add in the coffee, and mix until thoroughly combined. Spread over the cake, and use a fork to draw decorative swirls.

Coffee frosting

Frosting is a U.S. version of buttercream, but tends to be even richer and sweeter.

You’ll need:
3 teaspoons instant coffee
125g/4½ oz butter, softened
175g/7 oz icing sugar, sieved
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 teaspoons single cream

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, then add in the remaining ingredients. Beat until thoroughly combined, and spread over the cake.

Coffee sauce

This easy, syrupy sauce is great poured over ice-cream. To revive dry cake, make holes all over the top with a skewer and pour the warm sauce over.

You’ll need:

50g/2 oz butter
4 tablespoons golden syrup
50g/2 oz cocoa powder
2 tablespoons strong black coffee, made from freshly-ground coffee beans.

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently until the butter’s melted, stirring constantly until combined. The sauce will keep for up to week once refrigerated.

Make your own coffee-flavoured Easter eggs

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Sara Walker

Looking for a more sophisticated twist on the humble Easter egg? Many commercially-produced eggs are aimed at children, and more elegant chocolates can be prohibitively expensive – it’s much better value to make your own, and the process is easy. Wrap the finished eggs in clear cellophane bags and tie with ribbon and a homemade tag for a gift that looks as good as it tastes.

You’ll need:

An Easter egg mould, such as this one from Cakes, Cookies and Crafts. Solid, miniature eggs are easiest to make if you’ve never done it before – practice on these first before attempting a larger, hollow egg.
Good quality, dark chocolate – the amount depends on the number of eggs you want to make
Pestle and mortar
Instant coffee granules
Coffee beans, to decorate

Put a teaspoonful of coffee granules into the pestle and mortar, and grind to a fine powder.

Break the chocolate into small pieces, and put it in a microwave-proof bowl. Melt it on a low setting for a few seconds at a time, removing the bowl and stirring the contents each time. Don’t be tempted to rush this step, as if the chocolate burns it won’t be usable.

When the chocolate is completely melted and smooth, gradually add in a little of the coffee powder, stirring between each addition, until you’re happy with the flavour. If the chocolate has cooled down too much, you might need to put it back in the microwave for a few seconds.

Spoon a little chocolate into each mould, tap the mould against the work surface to remove any air bubbles, and smooth the back off with a knife. Place the mould in a cool, dry place until the chocolate is set, and the eggs should have contracted slightly so that they’re easy to remove.

For a finishing touch, use a little extra melted chocolate to stick a coffee bean to each egg, before packing them into gift bags.