Category: Blog

Coffee all over the world: Italian bicerin

Posted on by Sara Walker
Turin is the home of bicerin, a chocolate and espresso drink. Image: Pixabay

ou might think that coffee is just coffee, but additives and preparation methods vary all over the world. Whether your additive of choice is cow’s milk, plant milk, sugar, spices, salt, cream, ice cream or just a nice biscuit to dunk, it seems there’s almost nothing someone hasn’t tried at some point. In Italy, though, they’ve taken it to a whole different level.

Popularised in the 18th century, bicerin is ubiquitous in the Italian town of Turin. The name itself means ‘little glass’ in Piedmontese (a diminutive of bicchiere meaning glass), and that’s how it’s traditionally served. Similar to a miniature Irish coffee, part of the appeal is visual, with clearly defined layers of very dark brown through to cream.

Possibly the world’s most indulgent drink, the layers are made up of chocolate, espresso and cream or whole milk. Fortunately it’s normally served in tiny shot glasses, so you don’t need to feel too guilty!

It combines fresh, strong espresso coffee as the first layer, with thick Italian drinking chocolate. If you’re making it yourself, melt some good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) with enough milk to make it liquid without being running. Pour the chocolate over the back of a spoon to create the layers, then top with a layer of either foamed whole milk or gently whipped cream. Again, pouring the milk or cream over the back of a spoon will help create a distinct layer.

If you drink it carefully, you can sip the thinner liquid of the coffee through the chocolate layer to get the full flavour hit. Otherwise, mix it all up with a spoon for a sort of ultra-sophisticated hot chocolate!

To get the full experience, you can visit the ‘home’ of bicerin, the Caffè al Bicerin itself in Turin. It’s been serving the drink for over 200 years, and may even have invented it.

 

 

 Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we specialise in all things coffee too. For wholesale coffee supplies for your coffee business or cafe, just take a look at our main website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Coffee fads: the ‘custardo’

Posted on by Sara Walker

Do you love affogato as a pudding? The name is Italian for ‘drowned’ and the dish/drink itself is a shot of strong espresso coffee with a scoop of ice cream. You can eat it with a spoon, or wait a bit, give it a stir and drink it. It’s the world’s easiest dinner party dessert, and tastes fantastic.

Now, hot on the heels of the affogato is the new kid on the block – the custardo. Invented by a cafe in Peckham, the original creation used creme anglaise (swanky, thin French custard, if you didn’t know) instead of a good dollop of the traditional stuff. The result is sweet, rich and still delivers that vital caffeine punch. The main beauty of this coffee/dessert hybrid is that it’s incredibly easy to make – even easier than affogato. You can experiment to put your own special twist on it, too – if you use thin, creamy, French-style custard, you’ll get something a little like a thick, sweetened latte. If you use either ready-made custard from a carton or make your own with milk and powder, you’ll get a dollop of custard that sits on top of the coffee for quite a while before slowly surrendering and sliding below the surface. Put a standard measure of espresso in a clear coffee glass so that it half fills it, and add enough custard to take the coffee just below the brim. The sweetness of the custard complements the espresso for an indulgent pairing. To make it into a real showstopper, sprinkle the custard with nutmeg, grated chocolate or chocolate powder and serve with long spoons so everyone can choose whether or not to stir.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we specialise in all things coffee. From coffee beans to cups and accessories, we’ve everything you need to equip and run your catering business or cafe, all at great wholesale prices. Just take a look at our main website to find out more.

 

Coffee shops buck high street trend

Posted on by Sara Walker
Image: Pixabay

The character of our high streets is changing. As online shopping soars in popularity and customers prefer to browse from the comfort of their arm chairs, shops are also being hit with rising costs. The number of new shops opening in Britain is currently at its lowest for seven years, and a study commissioned by Price Waterhouse Coopers has revealed that almost 6,000 shops closed last year. Famously among recent casualties are big chains such as BHS, Toys R Us and Maplin. Among the sectors hardest hit are clothes shops, banks and travel agents, with more and more customers preferring to shop, bank and book holidays online.

It’s certainly not all doom and gloom though, and the good news is that there are several retail genres bucking the trend – including coffee shops. It seems that spending all that time hunched over our computers buying shoes isn’t replacing our need to socialise – so after our online shopping, we’re still strolling along to our local cafe for some actual human contact. Other industries on the ride include bookshops, tearooms, craft beer pubs, ice cream parlours and shops selling beauty products and services such as nail bars.

It seems that stores offering experiences rather than just products are being more popular rather than less. Ordering a six pack of craft beer online simply doesn’t compare with the experience of drinking it in a pub with your mates – and it’s the same with coffee shops. Despite pressures on the British retail industry, 25 new coffee shops opened in the UK last year. Perhaps the ideal new business idea is a coffee shop selling books, ice cream, beer and face cream? It can only be a matter of time.

For all your commercial coffee needs for your cafe, catering or retail business, take a look at our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk. You’ll find everything you need to keep stocked up in style, including beans, accessories, flavoured syrups and more.

 

 

‘Flat black’ gets lots of flack

Posted on by Sara Walker
Image: Pixabay

The ‘flat white’, launched in Australia a few years ago, is now standard fare on many coffee menus. Like a latte, it;s a blend of milk and espresso, but the secret lies in the exact proportion of ingredients and the way the milk is prepared. A true flat white contains a double shot of espresso with micro-foamed milk, which has been heated consistently and contains thousands of tiny bubbles for a smoother, creamier result. This results in a velvety texture throughout the drink, as opposed to a latte which is a mixture of coffee and milk with foam heaped on top.

The flat white took a while to gain traction in the UK, but now it’s commonplace. Now, UK chain Costa Coffee has announced the new ‘Flat Family range’, of which the ‘flat black’ has come in for widespread criticism on social media. If you take away the micro-foamed milk, commentators have been quick to point out that you’re basically left with an espresso topped up with water – aka black coffee or Americano. Costa have retorted that the flat white IS a different drink – apparently the different coffee extraction process results in a stronger, smoother taste than a standard black coffee, and contains the equivalent of three shots of espresso.

 Other variations on a theme include flat whites flavoured with caramel or vanilla. The ‘flat black’ retails at around 15% more than a standard Americano, but customers don’t yet seem to be convinced it’s worth the extra money, with the majority seeing it as a gimmick rather than a serious menu option.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we think we’ll stick to what we do best – providing great quality, fairly sourced coffee beans at excellent wholesale prices, supplying directly to UK coffee businesses. To find out more about our product range and what we offer, take a look at our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Coffee news: independent cafe sparks online debate

Posted on by Sara Walker

The owners of a Surrey cafe have found themselves involved in an online discussion after they rebuked a large group of customers for not buying enough food and drink.

Many of us now treat cafes as an extension of our offices, browsing the internet, sending emails and arranging to meet clients. With the recent upsurge in remote working, more and more freelancers and homeworkers head to coffee shops for at least part of the day, lured by fast wifi and the prospect of some social interaction in an otherwise featureless day. There’s a tacit understanding between cafe and customer, though, that in order to qualify for the central heating, wifi and comfortable seating you need to keep being a customer – ie. you need to keep ordering food and drink. Try to get through a day on nothing more than free glasses of tap water, and you’d rightly expect to be asked to leave.

There are no hard and fast rules about how many drinks or sandwiches you should order per time period, though, and Henry’s Bistro Cafe in Wallington, Surrey, clearly thought they’d got the thin end of the bargain recently. The independent run cafe recently informed a group of 17 customers that they had been occupying the premises for too long, and hadn’t spent enough in return.

One of the group shared the cafe’s comments, which stated that the party of 17 had spent only £55 in total over three hours, on social media. The business claimed that this equated to ‘less than the price of a cup of tea’ per person per hour. The cafe went on to justify their comments by saying as they’re an independent business and a new start-up, they don’t have the financial cushioning of other, larger businesses. They pointed out that the amount spent by the group didn’t cover the costs of serving them (adding up staff costs and overheads), and said that the group had given them ‘no incentive or obligation’ to serve them in the future.

The Facebook post was widely discussed among the members of the Wallington town group. Many comments were in support of the business, pointing out that no independent enterprise could thrive in the town unless it was properly supported.

If you run your own independent coffee business, take a look at our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk for great prices on all your coffee needs.

 

 

 

 

Gin cocktail coffee recipe

Posted on by Sara Walker
Image: Pixabay

This recipe, a twist on the classic Irish coffee, is perfect for keeping the unseasonable chills at bay this month. The classic Irish whiskey is replaced with gin and coffee liqueur for a warming kick.

To serve one, you’ll need:

    • 25ml good quality gin
    • 10g good quality coffee beans
    • 15ml coffee liqueur, such as Tia Maria or Kahlua
    • Pinch of seasalt
    • 15ml sugar syrup solution (see below)
    • 25ml hot, freshly made espresso coffee
    • 100ml boiling water
    • 50ml double cream

What to do:

Ideally, you need to be organised and start this well in advance! Put the coffee beans and gin into a small, clean jar and leave them to infuse at room temperature for at least 12 hours. Shake the jar from time to time to release the flavours. If you like, you can make the mixture several days in advance, but drain the beans out after 12 hours and put the lid tightly on the jar until you need to use it.

 

Make the sugar syrup by mixing a teaspoon of sugar with 30ml water and letting it boil for two minutes, stirring to dissolve. Retain 15ml for the drink, you can keep the rest in a clean, sealed container for a few days until you need it again. You can also make this up in larger quantities if you like.

Lightly whip the cream, and set aside.

In a large, heatproof glass, combine the coffee liqueur, the salt, the infused fin, sugar syrup, espresso and hot water. Mix thoroughly. Pour the cream carefully over the back of a spoon so it stays in a layer on top of the coffee. Serve!

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’ve got everything you need for your commercial coffee business, from top quality beans to accessories. To find out more, take a look at our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

 

Why coffee shops are going back to basics

Posted on by Sara Walker

A few years ago, you were simply no-one if you didn’t have free wifi available in your coffee shop. From businessmen to teenagers checking social media, the first question many people ask is ‘What’s your wifi password?’ – often before they’ve even ordered a drink. Now, coffee shops across the UK are starting to buck the trend for constantly-accessible wifi and return to their roots – conviviality, socialising and great coffee.

According to the Guardian newspaper, the spearhead of the movement is in Brighton, where apparently the citizens knock back more caffeine per head than anywhere else in the UK. There are also a large number of tech companies based in and around the city. As a result, cafes are starting to scrap their free wifi as they believe that users are tending to ‘table hog’ as they work away, sometimes only buying a single coffee for several hours usage of the network.

As well as the financial aspect, crowds of businessmen all beavering away in concentration, focusing on their screens, don’t contribute to the social aspect of a coffee shop, leaving it more an extension of the office than a sociable meeting place.  A cafe in the USA has also reported a 14 per cent increase in year on year sales since it scrapped its wifi, and at the Enghave cafe in Denmark customers are encouraged to chat or pick up a book instead.

 

 

 

Although not everyone is happy with the new policy of certain coffee shops, the movement is attracting a following. Could we soon be moving towards a similar system to that seen on trains, where you can choose between a standard and ‘quiet’ coach? Will we soon be able to choose between ‘work’ and ‘play’ cafes, with or without wifi?

One way you can be sure your cafe will be attractive to customers is serving our top quality coffee – all available online at wholesale prices. To browse our full range, take a look at our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

 

Why Rwanda is full of beans about coffee

Posted on by Sara Walker

Some of the best coffee in the world is grown in the African country of Rwanda, but its population is still a nation of tea drinkers.

Now, a new government campaign is encouraging people to try the results of all their hard work, and drink coffee. Coffee is Rwanda’s leading export, and boosting domestic consumption will help to tap new markets and help introduce coffee culture. As Rwandans currently have very little background in actually drinking coffee, the government feels the new campaign will help to raise awareness of their own product and lead to even better quality. Currently, the country drinks hardly any of its own crop, sending almost 99% of it for export. The few coffee shops the country had to offer were frequented almost exclusively by tourists and expats, but now increasing interest among Rwandan professionals has meant a rise in the number of establishments, as well.

 

The campaign is struggling to overcome entrenched Rwanda culture, though, which means that the vast majority of the population prefer tea to coffee. Coffee is also more expensive than tea, especially ‘artisan’ style coffees bought in cafes.

Coffee from Rwanda is prized globally, especially their top quality arabica beans, and the government has plans to increase production. Rwanda also has its own version of ‘fairtrade’ which sources coffee from cooperatives so that farmers receive a fair price for their crop. Some cooperatives are predominantly run by female growers.

Just as in trendy London coffee bars, drinking coffee is starting to become as much a status symbol as having a good job and a car, and is considered sophisticated among Uwandan professionals – so perhaps it won’t be long before you can order coffee with yak butter!

For all your commercial coffee needs, take a look at our main website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk, where you’ll find coffee beans, coffee accessories and much more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Choc-ful of comfort – why hot chocolate will never go out of fashion

Posted on by Sara Walker
Image: Pixabay

While you’ll never tear us away from our cup of coffee, there are times, we have to admit, when only a hot chocolate quite hits the mark. Forever associated in our minds with comfort and cosiness, the colder it gets outside the more people crave it. A mug of hot chocolate at the end of a long walk is our idea of heaven, and if – every so often – you add a couple mini marshmallows, some chocolate shavings and maybe just a tiny dollop of cream – well, who’s counting?

Now, we’re not claiming that hot chocolate is a health drink – after all, the mix contains sugar and fat as well as cocoa – but consumed in moderation (ideally after a long walk or skiing down a mountain!) it can really lift your mood. If you’re drinking it regularly, perhaps think about laying off the cream and biscuits on the side, though! Good quality chocolate contains antioxidants which have a range of health benefits, and also flavenoids which can act as a temporary energy and memory booster. Hot chocolate contains more antioxidants than you’ll find in a comparatively sized bar, and the hot temperature means they’re released more efficiently.

In addition to being good for our brains, flavenoids are also good for arterial health and can help lower blood pressure.
Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’ve got a wide range of hot chocolate options available to suit every palette and budget. Choose from premium, superior, fairtrade and many more, all available by the case at our great wholesale prices. Many of our blends are suitable for use with commercial drinks machines, so there’s sure to be something to suit your business. To find out more about our other products, including premium coffee and accessories, take a look at our main website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

 

 

 

 

Could this be the world’s best hangover cure?

Posted on by Sara Walker

It’s that time of year again – lots of socialising, some (purely social) drinking and a few late nights leave you feeling a little below par. A simple way to feel better is to drink lots of water (the majority of hangover symptoms are caused by dehydration), then have a cup of coffee and an aspirin. A combination of the caffeine and the anti-inflammatory ingredients in the painkiller help react against the chemical compounds in the alcohol, helping to reduce symptoms.

If you’re feeling tired and listless, a protein boost may help as well. Traditionally, the best hangover ‘cure’ is bacon and eggs, which is packed with protein – and fat! It may not be the fairest thing to inflict on your poor overworked digestive system, so how about this protein-packed ‘eggnog latte’ instead? Don’t worry – there’s no alcohol in it – just protein, caffeine and a little sweetening and flavouring.

What you’ll need:

  • Around 350ml hot strong coffee. If you’re making it from scratch, make it just a little stronger than usual.
  • 2 eggs, plus 1 extra egg white
  • 1 tablespoon maple or agave syrup
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • A blender

While the coffee’s brewing, put the eggs and egg white in the blender, add the syrup and pulse until pale and frothy. Add three or four tablespoons of the coffee slowly and pulse again to combine. Don’t be tempted to add all the coffee at once, or you’ll just end up with scrambled eggs! Add the remainder of the coffee, a little at a time. Taste (don’t worry, it won’t taste of egg!) and sweeten a little more to taste if necessary. Drink in a darkened room, and wait until you feel human again.

For all your commercial coffee supplies for your coffee business, whether it’s a cafe, restaurant, coffee shop or hospitality company, take a look at our wholesale coffee supplies over at our main website.