Category: Blog

Coffee fads: anyone for hot buttered coffee?

Posted on by Sara Walker

The ingredients of the perfect breakfast have always been hot coffee, toast, butter and marmalade. Now, though, we’re being encouraged to start combining some of those ingredients in slightly odd ways. The French like to dip their thickly-buttered toast into their milky coffee first thing in the morning – but here’s a trend that cuts out the middle man (or the toast). That’s right – adding butter to your coffee instead of milk.

At first glance, it seems very peculiar. It’s become normal, though, to add cream to coffee in certain speciality drinks, and butter’s certainly in the same category. Why would you want to do it, though? Well, in Tibet they’ve been doing it for centuries, using yak butter. Butter is nutrient-dense and rich in several vitamins including A, E and K2, and the result is a nutritious drink.

The main problem is that butter is very high in fat and doesn’t dissolve easily in hot liquids, so if you want to get the full experience you’ll have to use a blender. Add a cup of hot black coffee and one or two teaspoons of unsalted butter to a blender and pulse until the liquid is creamy and frothy looking. According to butter coffee aficionados, the trick is to use a very high quality premium coffee blend for the best taste.

We have to say we’re not totally convinced – but then someone had to be the first to think of putting milk in coffee! In some cultures, that’s just as odd as adding butter. So next time you’re sitting down to your toast and marmalade, why not give it a try – but maybe make enough coffee for two cups just in case.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company we’ve got everything you need for your commercial coffee business, including coffee beans, coffee accessories and coffee supplies, all at great wholesale prices. To browse our full range, take a look at our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

 

 

 

Coffee fads: coffee you can see through

Posted on by Sara Walker
Image: Pixabay

Every time we think we’ve really heard it all in the world of coffee, something else comes along to prove us wrong. A Slovakian inventor and heavy coffee drinker, David Nagy, was so concerned with coffee potentially staining his teeth that he came up with a brand new invention – clear coffee, which he claims uses a unique brewing process. The inventor spent several months developing the product, now marketed as ClearCoffee (Clrcff), and launched a Crowdfunding initiative to help him bring it to market.   Rather than a traditional cup of coffee, the finished commercial product looks more like a soft drink, as it’s sold in a bottle and designed to be drunk cold.

Mr. Nagy said that his inspiration was to ‘Create a product that would grab everyone’s attention,’ and came up with the idea while he was living and working in the UK and saw how important coffee was to UK culture. A standard 200ml serving of the drink apparently contains as much caffeine as a cappuccino (usually around 12.83 mgs per 100 ml), and has no sweeteners or artificial additives. Although the exact brewing process is a closely guarded secret, we’d guess that it possibly washes the caffeine from the beans in a similar way to decaffeination as ‘natural’ caffeine is then added back into the drink.

According to Mr. Nagy, the product has a unique taste and aroma and there are no chemicals used in the brewing process. The result is a drink which is low in calories and contains nothing but Arabica coffee beans, natural caffeine and water.

It’s certainly true that coffee in large quantities can stain your teeth, as tooth enamel has microscopic areas of roughness that can harbour tiny particles of food and drink. Alternating coffee with drinking a glass of water can help to prevent these particles from remaining on your teeth long enough to stain, as can regular brushing and dental care.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’re got everything you need to make your commercial coffee business a success. Choose from our wide range of coffee beans, supplies and accessories, all available at great wholesale prices.

 

Coffee fads: coffee in a cone

Posted on by Sara Walker
Image: Pixabay

Compared to other recent coffee fads, such as coffee served in an avocado shell (really, we’re not making it up), this one seems almost tame. In fact, it’s not really a coffee fad at all, more a coffee cup fad. While it’s certainly environmentally responsible to use a non-plastic container for your coffee, we think this might be taking it too far!

The newest trend in Johannesburg, South Africa, is for coffee in a cone. That’s a waffle ice-cream cone. Dubbed ‘the most Intagrammable coffee trend yet’, it consists of a waffle cone lined with dark and milk chocolate and filled with latte coffee, decorated with a heart. It certainly looks pretty, and would create an instant mocha if that’s your thing. Would you really have time to drink it before it leaked, though? How would you manage to put it down in you wanted to, and what about drinking it on the tube? It was invented by The Coffee Grind Company, who invented special cones with four layers of chocolate, each with different cocoa percentages to help show down the melting process. Once poured, you’ve only got a few minutes to down your coffee before the ‘cup’ leaks. ‘Coffee in a cone’ became an instant hit on Instagram when it was first launched, with photos being shared a million times. We’re not sure that this is a trend that’s here to stay, though – we still think mugs are probably more practical, particularly if you’re at work!

While we may not be in the business of quirky cups, we’re certainly in the business of coffee. We’ve got everything you need for your commercial coffee business, including top quality coffee beans, accessories and supplies, all available at great online prices. To find out more, just take a look at our main website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

 

Espresso or latte? It’s all in your genes.

Posted on by Sara Walker
Image: Pixabay

Ever wondered why you can knock back three cups of coffee in one go while your other half can never drink more than one? A study carried out by Harvard School of Public Health, in conjunction with Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers, could hold the answers. The study involved analysing the coffee drinking habits of 120,000 participants and was able to isolate six genetic variants.

The six included two genes involved in the way we metabolise coffee, POR and ABCG2. Two others, BDNF and SLC6A4, could have an effect on how rewarding we find caffeine. The final two, GCKR and MLXIPL, were known to have an impact on how we metabolise glucose and lipids, but hadn’t previously been associated with the metabolism of caffeine.

The findings of the study suggest that we automatically moderate our caffeine intake to experience the fullest effect. Marilyn Cornelius, the lead author of the study and a research associate at Harvard School of Public Health, said that the research may allow for the identification of groups likely to receive health benefits from increasing or reducing their caffeine consumption.  Marilyn Cornelius’ colleague Daniel Chasman, senior author on the study and associate professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital said the research was interesting as an example of how genetics can influence behaviour such as caffeine consumption, and similar patterns could be seen with alcohol and smoking.

So the next time that you think you can’t get through the morning without a large cup of coffee, remember it could be your genes to blame!

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’re dedicated to supplying our customers with the very best in coffee beans and coffee supplies, all available at great wholesale prices online. To find out more or to browse our full range, take a look at our main website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

 

UK coffee drinkers spend around £16,000 on takeaways over lifetime

Posted on by Sara Walker
Image: Pixabay

Do you like to stop off at your favourite coffee shop for a cappuccino or latte on your way to work? If so, you’re definitely not alone. As a nation, we spend around £130 million a week on takeaway coffee, which works out to around £400 a year or £16,000 over a lifetime.

Nationwide, that adds up to around £6.5 billion a year, with over 16 million of us drinking at least one takeaway coffee a week.

This trend could be due to change, though. So called ‘latte levy’, a proposed tax which will see a 25p surcharge added to drinks sold in disposable cups, will push up the cost of takeaway drinks even more unless customers supply their own cup. As a result, more and more consumers are planning to switch their coffee drinking habits and choose to stay in the office for their caffeine fix.

With coffee machines becoming more sophisticated, customers are increasingly aware that it’s possible to get excellent quality coffee from a machine rather than making the trip to a coffee shop. Installing a bean to cup coffee machine in your office means costs savings for employers in the form of less downtime for employees, and cost savings for consumers who are still getting the same quality of product. Modern coffee machines will grind the beans freshly, brew them expertly, and deliver the perfect drink at the press of a button so there’s minimal waiting time. The only difference between takeaways coffees and using an in-house machine is the price, efficiency and speed.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’ve everything you need to keep your business running smoothly. Choose from a variety of coffee beans, and various accessories such as milk and sugar portions. To find our more or browse our extensive range, visit our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

 

 

Perfect partners: specific food and coffee pairings

Posted on by Sara Walker
Image: Pixabay

Pairing the right food with the right coffee can be a tricky business, as the combination needs to enhance each component rather than over-power. In our last blog post, we looked at what types of food work generally with which types of coffee. Now, we’re going to look in more detail about exactly what goes with what, and why.

Sweet

For those countries who have a coffee culture, the traditional pairing is a sweet, milky drink with some form of pastry. Think lattes and cappuccinos, then think France and croissants or Italy and hot, fresh rolls. On the Continent, the idea is to dip your chosen pastry into the coffee and eat the whole thing together, which is why breakfast coffee is served in large, wide-mouthed cups. Most coffees will go well with sweet foods, but some perform better than others. The idea is to choose your food to mimic the natural topnotes of the coffee, so for example coffee with a citrussy note would pair well with a lemon cake. South American coffees tend to have chocolatey, spices tones which make them an ideal breakfast choice. As a general rule, as well, the lighter the roast the most delicate the coffee flavour.

Savoury

If your food has a stronger flavour (grilled meat, spicy foods, vegetables or the Great British fry up), then look for a more robust coffee that will enhance your meal without overpowering it. You can look for a medium or darker roast, which will give a more intense flavour. Some flavours that pair surprisingly well with coffee include cheese (you’ll have to do your own experimentation here!). Cheese is low in acidity and coffee is high, so they work well together as a team. A similar thing happens when you add avocado to the mix – the smooth blandness is a perfect foil for coffee. Fruity coffee from Ethiopia and Kenya can enhance a spicy dish such as mild curry or Chinese.

At the Wholesale Coffee Company, we specialise in supplying great quality beans and coffee accessories at wholesale prices. To take a look at our range, just visit our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

 

Perfect partners: how to pair coffee with other foods

Posted on by Sara Walker
Coffee is surprisingly versatile as a drink. Photo credit: Pixabay

Coffee and cake, anyone? Coffee and full English breakfast? As well as these traditional partners, coffee goes surprisingly well with a wide range of other foods, and taste-savvy consumers are pairing it just like wine. We find out how it’s done.

What to look for in your coffee

The trick to getting the right food/coffee pairing is to understand the subtleties of the coffee flavour. Coffee can vary in acidity, which affects the taste, ranging from smooth and rich to bright and crisp. Broadly speaking, if you can identify certain taste notes in your coffee (chocolate, red fruit, citrus) then that particular blend should pair well with that same food. Avoid food that’s too over powering, such as anything too garlicky or spicy.

Each country tends to specialise in producing a different coffee blend, as the flavour is affected so much by soil types, climate and growing conditions. Beans from South America tend to have smooth, chocolatey flavours, while those from Africa have lighter, more floral tones.

Before you can decide, you may have to teach yourself ‘coffee tasting’, in a similar way to wine tasting. Breathe in the aroma first, without tasting – that will give you an idea of the acidity levels in what you’re about to drink. Next, draw a little of the coffee into your mouth and slosh it around. Wait for the flavours to develop – they could be sweet or sour, fruity or nutty. If you taste a range of different coffees and beans of different origins, you’ll soon develop the ability to differentiate between the flavours.

At the Wholesale Coffee Company, we specialise in supplying great quality beans and coffee accessories at wholesale prices. To take a look at our range, just visit our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

 

 

How coffee was the inspiration for the world’s first webcam

Posted on by Sara Walker
Image: Pixabay

If you can’t get any work done without coffee, you’re not alone. Coffee is such a vital component of the working day that at the beginning of the 1990s it was the inspiration for the world’s first webcam. Without coffee, we may not have had all the live video streaming technology we now take for granted – or it may not have been developed until much later.

The time: the early 1990s, before search engines, social networking and much of the other functionality that’s so much a part of modern life. The place: Cambridge University.

Computer scientists working on a range of projects got very fed up when they took a break and went to the main computer lab, where the percolator stood, only to find that the coffee pot was empty. Two of the research scientists decided to rig up a camera to monitor the coffee, and wrote some bespoke software which allowed the camera to send images to the internal computer network.

The initial camera sent images only three times per minute, but that was enough to save a wasted journey if the pot was obviously empty. A couple of years later, another scientist looked at the original code and decided to develop it. Soon, computer geeks around the world were able to access the real-time images of the ‘Trojan room coffee pot’ (so named after the lab in which it was kept). Soon, those in different time zones were requesting that a light be left on overnight so they wouldn’t miss out on the ‘action’.

Eventually, after 10 years and millions of hits, the system was retired and the original coffee pot sold via an online auction site – where it went for £3,350! The new owners, the German newspaper Der Spiegel, did use continue to use the pot for making coffee in despite its historic connections.

Twenty five years later, the internet has developed to such an extent that our top quality coffee beans, supplies and accessories are available only online and we’re proud to be the UK’s leading wholesale. To find out more about our range, take a look at our main website, www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

How a UK start up is transforming coffee waste

Posted on by Sara Walker
Image: Pixabay

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’re very conscious of our environmental footprint and are always looking at ways to minimise it. That’s why we were interested to hear about bio-bean, a UK start up company who’s turning used coffee grounds into fuel.

In the UK alone, we produce around 500,000 tonnes of used coffee grounds every year. Only a very tiny proportion is currently recycled, mostly as garden fertiliser. When coffee grounds are sent to landfill, in common with other organic waste they emit methane, a greenhouse gas.

Four years ago, Arthur Kay set up bio-bean with the aim of minimising the UK’s coffee waste. They’ve now got a recycling centre in Cambridgeshire, where grounds from across the UK are transported into new energy sources as biofuel. The new ‘coffee logs’, each one made from the grounds of 25 cups of coffee, burn around 20% longer than wood as they have a higher calorific value. Bio-bean have launched ranges both for industry and for the domestic market.

If you’re keen to get your hands on some ‘coffee logs’, suitable for woodburning stoves and chimeras, then they’re available from retailers including Amazon, Ocado and Morrisons for £9.99 for a bag of 16. Coffee shops big and small have been joining in and sending their grounds in for re-use, and bio-bean promise that they’re transporting it as economically as they can using waste management companies. They’ve also partnered with companies such as Network Rail, so the remains of your early morning latte are now likely to go into the programme. Plans for the future include developing a liquid bio-fuel that could even be used to power London’s iconic red buses.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we supply the finest coffee for your commercial coffee business, including beans and ground coffee, all available at great wholesale prices online. You can find out more by taking a look at our main website, www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Drink your greens: add new broccoli powder to coffee

Posted on by Sara Walker
Image: Morguefile

It’s really hard to imagine two odder partners than broccoli and coffee. And while we appreciate how good for you broccoli is, it’s harder still to think of incorporating it into a snack break. Don’t panic, though – you’re not going to be asked to swap teaspoons for brassica spears for dipping into your Americano. Australian researchers have come up with a much easier way of helping to get to your five a day.

Scientists have developed a method of reducing the vegetable to a powder form, which can be stirred into almost any drink or added to cooked dishes. Even better, they’re using up the non-uniform broccoli that would otherwise have been discarded by wholesalers and thrown away. Two tablespoons of the powder, made from ground broccoli, has around the same nutritional benefits as one serving of the fresh vegetable. It’s easy to store and has a long shelf life compared to fresh broccoli, which makes it practical. The brassica is one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat, containing vitamins A, K and C as well as folic acid, fibre, calcium and antioxidants.  

A survey carried out by the World Cancer Research Fund revealed that only one in five Britons are eating their five portions of fruit and veg a day, so this simple powder could help those finding it difficult.

One Australian cafe has already tried adding the powder to coffee to create the ‘broccoli latte’, which has a greenish tinge to the foam. We’re not sure what it would do to the taste, either. Perhaps we’ll stick to drinking our coffee naturally and eating our broccoli in vegetable form – there are some things that are just better apart.

For all your commercial coffee needs, take a look at our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk. We’ve got coffee beans, coffee accessories and coffee supplies, all available online at great wholesale prices.