Category: Blog

Would you drink coffee from an elephant’s bum?

Posted on by Sara Walker

We love a good bargain in the UK which is why at the Wholesale Coffee Company, the products we supply such as commercial coffee machines, and coffee bean supplies are excellently priced without the quality being compromised.

But, not everyone loves a bargain. There’s a coffee shop in Melbourne selling coffee for $25 a cup. The Geisha coffee, also nick-named the ‘God shot’ takes four minutes to make and the brewing process involves bunsen burners  and is said to look a bit like a school science project. The result is a coffee that tastes rather like tea with a jasmine and strawberry aroma – intriguing.

Moving things up a notch to the Maldives – home to the world’s most expensive coffee beans – is the elephant dung coffee, going for about $50 a cup. It sounds like something from Brass Eye, but coffee from an elephant’s bum can be found on the menu at Antara Resorts in the Maldives and Antantara’s Golden Triangle property in Thailand.

The coffee beans, called ‘Black Ivory’ are being sold for a massive $1,100 per kilo, the equivalent of £693.11 – all because they’ve passed through the bum of an elephant. But it’s not just about the gimmick.

Coffee beans that have been naturally refined by elephants are less bitter because during the digestion period, the elephant enzymes break the coffee protein down as it’s the protein in coffee beans that’s responsible for the bitter taste. The outcome is a coffee with a chocolate, floral, nutty aroma with traces of red berry and spice.

It doesn’t end with elephants though – there are other similarly if not more bizarre and fascinating coffee bean creations out there such as civet coffee which is made from the poo of civet cats, coffee beans made from deer dung and finally, there’s even a special breed of bat that can harvest coffee.

Coffee Table Book Ideas

Posted on by Sara Walker

Top 10 Coffee Table Books Ideas

Once you’re stocked up on your coffee bean supplies and you’ve made yourself a fresh brew and some chocolate brownies, relax and enjoy one of these coffee table books.  Or, use them if you’ve got guests over for coffee and the conversation runs dry.

  1. The Art of Looking Sideways

This is the ultimate coffee table book featuring collections of anecdotes, images and interesting facts – all beautifully presented to form a coffee table experience that goes beyond being just a book.

  1. The Earth from the Air

This fascinating photography book features almost 200 images taken from helicopters flying over 75 different countries around the world. Enjoy your coffee whilst gazing at photos of lush coffee bean plantations, patchwork quilt landscapes and polka dot like crowds.

  1. Monsters in the Movies

If you’re a film fan, Monsters in Movies is an epic collection of film stills of the greatest movie monsters of all time. Sip your coffee on the edge of your seat as you work through some beautifully scary illustrations and photographs.

  1. Unseen Vogue

Unseen Vogue takes you on a journey from the 1920’s to 2004 and features over 1, 000, 000 photographs, annotated contact sheets and unedited film that never made it into Vogue – a must if you’re into fashion and photography.

  1. Post Secret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives

Laugh, feel inspired, shocked and more when you flick through this stunning book, featuring postcards with handwritten secrets from real people. Post Secret is irresistibly addictive, a great conversation starter and perfect to flick through with a hot mug of coffee.

  1. The Greatest Album Covers of All Time

Feel nostalgic leafing through this stunning book filled with 500 of the greatest album covers of all time from 1956 to 2005. Rock, pop, blues and more, this beautifully illustrated book is the ultimate pick for music buffs all over the world.

  1. Sports Illustrated: Athlete

Sports photographer, Walter Ross showcases some of the world’s most iconic sporting photographs from the last couple of decades. From Michael Jordan’s ‘Blue Dunk’ shot to images of Tiger Woods, this is a must for any sport enthusiast.

  1. Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Experiences for a Lifetime

Have you always wanted to explore the world? Feel inspired as you flick through images of paradise beaches, snow-capped mountains and tropical rainforests. Follow the suggestions or create your own ‘to do’ list.

  1. Vitamin Green

Vitamin Green brings sustainable design and living to a new level and shows us what really can be achieved with our future buildings. It’s full of inspirational photographs, ideas for designers and consumers and even DIY projects.

  1. I Love Coffee: Over 100 Easy and Delicious Coffee Drinks

Our list wouldn’t be complete without an actual coffee table book all about coffee. Jam packed with amusing anecdotes, colour photographs and of course lots of yummy coffee drink recipes, this book will inspire you to start stocking up on your coffee bean supplies.

What is the fastest bean to cup commercial coffee machine?

Posted on by Sara Walker

What is the fastest bean to cup commercial coffee machine?

If you are looking for a high output fast dispense coffee machine the La Costa bean to cup is the answer. A fully automated double cup dispense bean to cup coffee machine with the ability to serve both crockery and takeaway drinks.

La Costa | Commercial Bean to Cup Coffee Machine

Composting With Coffee

Posted on by Sara Walker

Composting with coffee

If you use commercial coffee machines on a daily basis, you’ll know how much waste those freshly-ground coffee beans can produce. Those grounds aren’t really waste, though – they’re full of nutrients that plants love, so instead of tipping them into the bin, you could try using them in the garden.

Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, which means they’ll help a compost heap to decompose more quickly – and you can even throw the paper filters on the heap too. If you don’t have a compost heap, you can spread the grounds directly onto the soil as a mulch. Rainwater will wash the nutrients out of the coffee and into the soil, and a thick layer of grounds will help warm the soil and protect delicate plants or bulbs. In addition, slugs and snails aren’t as fond of caffeine as we are, and faced with a layer of coffee mulch might decide to quit your garden for easier pickings. Using coffee as a mulch can also help to deter neighbouring cats from using your garden as a litter tray, as they’re said to dislike the strong smell.

If you don’t have a compost heap or flower beds, treat your window box plants or tubs to an occasional feed made with coffee grounds. Dilute a few good handfuls of grounds around 1:40 with lukewarm water to produce a feed that’s rich in nitrogens. Plants with dark green leaves tend to love nitrogen, and will be particularly grateful for a little leftover coffee. These plants include rhododendrons, camellias and hydrangeas as well as vegetable plants such as Brussels sprouts and rhubarb.

If your garden is tiny or non-existent, or you don’t think you’ve got green fingers, why not put a sign up offering leftover grounds to local gardeners – it’s a shame to let all those lovely nutrients go to waste.

Visit www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk for commercial coffee machines and coffee supplies with next day UK delivery.

What kind of coffee drink are you?

Posted on by Sara Walker

What kind of coffee drink are you?

Once it was just coffee; then in the 1600s, a French doctor added milk – the latte was born. Fast forward to today and there are now dozens of coffee based drinks to feast on – from the caramel latte (skinny or with soy) to the mocha in a clear glass. What kind of coffee drink are you?

Black Coffee – no milk – maybe a sugar or two – but never instant

If you’re partial to a freshly brewed black coffee made from your own good quality coffee beans, you probably have opinions, an intellectual outlook and sophisticated tastes. Your sense of humour is dry, you’ve got a quick wit and you hate trashy T.V. You’re not a snob – you just have good taste.

Espresso – or anything – as long as it’s strong

On the ball and moving it in the right direction is the best way to describe you. You’re an entrepreneur – a career focussed go-getter on a mission and nothing’s going to get in your way. It’s either this or the clock on your office wall has reached 3pm, you’re hung-over and you’re about to drift into a deep sleep on top of your mouse mat. If it’s the latter, you’ll take any coffee that’s to hand – from one of the coffee machines, instant… as long as it’s strong.

Mocha – served in a clear glass

You’re not a huge coffee lover, but you’ve been invited out for coffee with Sue from up the road and she loves coffee. So you order a mocha, but you’d actually prefer a hot chocolate but mocha seems like a good compromise and it looks nice served in a glass cup.

Instant Coffee – out of choice – not laziness

You’re straightforward, down to earth and practical. A coffee is a coffee and you can’t understand why there are now so many different types. You think that anyone ordering a cinnamon skinny/ soy latte, for example, is just trying to show off – you’re not impressed.

Syrup (Caramel, vanilla, toffee…) Latte – as long as it’s sweet

Add some complementary pick ‘n’ mix sweets to your order – in a bag or on the saucer and you’re happy for the rest of the day or at least the next couple of hours. You appreciate the little things, you’re a lover of surprises and you love life best when no two days are the same.

And there we have it – a small descriptive selection of some popular coffee drinks and the kinds of people who drink them. If you have some suggestions for the list, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

For more information on commercial coffee machines and coffee beans visit our website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk

Homemade Chocolate Brownies

Posted on by Sara Walker

Homemade chocolate espresso brownies from the Wholesale Coffee Company

You’ve got up early to grind the coffee beans, you’ve kick-started your day with the perfect cup of espresso – now make sure that lovely, fresh leftover coffee doesn’t go to waste. Coffee is the secret ingredient in many cake recipes, and works particularly well with chocolate, adding a depth of richness and flavour.

Use what’s left in the coffee machine to make these easy Chocolate Espresso Brownies – the coffee gives a lovely, squidgy texture and a rich dark colour. It’s best to use good quality chocolate, with a high cocoa content, ideally around 70%. This will combine with the espresso to give an intense flavour hit.

Before you start:

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 20cm square tin, and line the base with a double layer of greaseproof paper.
  • Make sure you’ve got some leftover coffee – if not, it’s time to fire up the coffee machine and maybe have a small cup just to keep you going…

You’ll need:

  • 60g butter or margarine
  • 50 g good quality plain chocolate
  • 175g sugar
  • 70g self raising flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 60g walnut pieces (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons espresso coffee

Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt it in the microwave, using 20 second burst of power and stirring between bursts to make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn.

Add the sugar, and mix thoroughly. Add all the other ingredients except the nuts, and mix to a smooth batter. Finally, add the nuts, if using.

Pour the batter into the tin, and smooth it out evenly. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes, until set round the sides and just slightly soft in the middle. Leave in the tin until completely cool, then cut into squares or bars.

These are great served as a mid-morning treat with a latte. For a decadent dinner party dessert, serve with vanilla ice cream and decorate with a couple of chocolate-coated coffee beans.

For more information on our commercial coffee machines and coffee beans visit www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk