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Coffee and tea quiz

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Sara Walker

Think you know your Arabica from your Robusta? Your Assam from your Darjeeling? Take our coffee and tea quiz to see how much you really know about the world’s favourite hot drinks. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the answers.

What is a barista?
In which city was the first “Starbucks” opened in 1971?
What innovation was introduced in the UK by Tetleys in 1953?
What does the PG in “PG tips” stand for?
Where does the term cappuccino come from?
How did the popular global chain of coffee shops Starbucks get its name?
Which country is the world’s largest producer of tea?
Which British Prime Minister has a variety of tea named after him?
In which year did The Boston Tea Party take place ?
By what name is the small cup used to serve espresso known?
Which part of the tea plant is used for tea making?
Which aromatic oil flavours Earl Grey tea?
Which French philosopher allegedly drank more than 50 cups of coffee a day?
According to legend, in which African country did coffee originate?

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we love all things coffee and stock a wide range of coffee beans, hot chocolate, powdered milk, sugar sachets and accessories such as cups, lids and stirrers, all at great wholesale prices. For more information, please visit our website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Answers:

The word is Italian for bar tender, and means someone trained to operate a commercial espresso machine
Seattle
The teabag
Pre Gest – it was originally marketed as an aid to digestion
Cappuccino coffee is named for its foamy topping, thought to ressemble the habit of the monks of the Capuchin order
It was named after the first mate of Captain Ahab in Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick
China
The second Earl Grey, Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834
1773
a demitasse (half cup)
Leaves
Bergamot oil
Voltaire
Ethiopia

Seven hot chocolate variations

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Sara Walker

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’re proud to sell a wide range of coffee beans from all over the world at great wholesale prices. We’ve got a lot more strings to our bow as well though – did you know what we also sell coffee accessories such as cups, lids and stirrers, ingredients such as sugar and powdered milk and also a range of hot chocolate powder? If you like to swap your coffee for a cup of hot chocolate in the evenings, here are a ideas for a different experience.

Spice it up: Experiment with adding spices to your hot chocolate. Ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg all work well, or make up a mixture of your favourites. For a more subtle flavour, add a cinnamon stick and let it infuse.

Syrups and essences: An easy way to create a different flavour is to add a shot of flavoured syrup such as peppermint or hazelnut, or try a combination such as chocolate and caramel. You can browse our range here. Alternatively, try adding flavouring essences like vanilla or orange.

Milk: If you normally make your hot chocolate with milk, try replacing your normal milk with almond or soy milk. Both are low in fat and have a sweet, nutty flavour that’s an excellent partner for hot chocolate.

Chocolate chili: For something a little more unusual, try combining chocolate and chili for an extra warming kick. Cut a chili pepper into strips, removing the seeds, and put one or two strips in the chocolate to infuse. Remove before drinking. Alternatively, use a pinch of chili powder or cayenne pepper with a little ginger and cinnamon spices.

Chocolate with a kick: For the ultimate warming drink, add a dash of alcohol. Rum, Cointreau and brandy all work well, as do cream liqueurs such as Baileys. For the taste without the alcohol, try our Irish cream syrup, £7.29 for a litre.

Chocolate espresso dessert pots

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Sara Walker

A cross between a chocolate mousse and a souffle, these rich little chocolate espresso desserts are simple to make and will add a sophisticated twist to any dinner party.

To serve 6 to 8, you’ll need:

225g (8oz) good quality dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa solids
Yolks of six large freerange eggs
1 tablespoon freshly-ground espresso coffee
240ml double cream
80ml whole milk
60g (2oz) sugar

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Grease six to eight ramekins, depending on size.
Put the cream, milk and ground espresso in a small heavy bottomed pan and heat the mixture until just boiling.
In a Pyrex or heatproof bowl, break the chocolate into as small pieces as possible and microwave for 30 seconds to soften. Strain the milk and coffee mixture through a fine mesh sieve into the bowl, whisking until the chocolate is melted and all ingredients are completely combined. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale. Add the chocolate mixture gradually, beating all the time until fully mixed.
Stand the ramekins in a large shallow baking dish or tin, and fill them all equally with the chocolate mixture.
Fill the baking dish with boiling water so that it comes about halfway up the ramekins, and carefully transfer to the oven. Bake for around 30 to 35 minutes, until set round the edges but wobbly in the centre.
Transfer the ramekins to a cooling rack until completely cold, then put into the fridge for at least three hours or overnight.
Serve garnished with creme fraiche, cream, chocolate covered coffee beans or sprigs of fresh mint.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we sell a wide range of coffee beans, ingredients and accessories all at great wholesale prices. To find our more, visit our website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Tipsy coffee cake

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Sara Walker

This delicious moist cake is soaked in coffee, liqueur and milk to give it a soft, melting texture. It’s ideal for a dinner party pudding, and can be made the night before you need it.

To serve 12, you’ll need:

For the cake:

30g (1oz) butter, softened
85g (3oz) self raising flour
40g (1.5 oz) cocoa powder
5 medium freerange eggs, separated
200g (7oz) sugar
80ml whole milk

For the drenching liquid:

100ml single cream
100ml strong black coffee, made from freshly roasted coffee beans
40ml coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua or Tia Maria
1 x 410g tin evaporated milk
1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Grease a 20cm cake tin, and line the base with baking paper.
Put the flour, 3/4 of the sugar and the cocoa in a bowl, then beat in the egg yolks and milk. Mix to a smooth batter.
In a separate, clean bowl, beat the egg white until frothy. Add in the remaining sugar, and beat until they stand up in soft peaks.
Carefully fold the beaten egg whites into the flour mixture using a metal spoon, and try to keep as much volume as possible.
Pour the batter into the tin and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Transfer to the oven, and bake for around 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out cleanly with no mixture adhering to it. Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
Put all the ingredients for the drenching liquid into a large saucepan, and heat very gently until fully combined. Don’t let the liquid boil.
Use a skewer to prick small holes all over the cake. Transfer it to a shallow bowl or plate, and gradually spoon the liquid over,a little at a time. Cover the bowl with clingfilm, and transfer to the fridge for at least two hours, or overnight.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company we sell a great range of coffee beans at wholesale prices. For more information, visit our coffee beans page.

Coffee and Arabia

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Sara Walker

The Arabian Peninsula (now split into Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yeman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait) has a long and distinguished relationship with the world’s favourite hot drink, as it was was the first area where coffee was deliberately cultivated. By the fifteenth century it was being grown in what’s now the Yemen and a hundred years later it was being traded and grown across Persia (Iran), Egypt, Syria and Turkey.

Coffee quickly became so popular that public coffee houses, or gahveh khaneh, were set up, quickly becoming important social hubs. Activities not only included coffee drinking, but also music, entertainment, board games, conversation and an exchange of the important news of the day. The coffee houses became so important both culturally and as a quick and efficient way of exchanging information that they became known as ‘schools of the wise’, and coffee itself as the ‘wine of Araby’.

At the time, Arabia was in a unique position as thousands of pilgrims flocked to the holy city of Mecca every year on a pilgrimage, coming from all over the world. With so many people visiting from foreign lands, news of the wonderful new drink began to leak out. Arabian had a virtual monopoly in the early coffee trade, and wasn’t anxious to share its secrets. Exported beans were often boiled or parched to render them infertile, and it’s believed that for a long time no coffee at all grew outside Africa and Arabia.

In the 17th century, legend has it that an Indian pilgrim named Buba Budan managed to fool the authorities and smuggle a few fertile beans out of Mecca strapped to his stomach.

Wherever Islam went, coffee was sure to follow. With the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, coffee quickly spread to the Eastern Mediterranean. However, it is believed that no coffee seed sprouted outside Africa or Arabia until the 17th Century, as coffee beans exported from the Arabian ports of Mocha and Jidda were rendered infertile by parching or boiling. Legend has it that this changed when a pilgrim named Baba Budan smuggled a few fertile coffee beans out of Mecca strapped to his stomach. He raised them at Karnataka, India, where a shrine bearing his name still stands.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we love all things coffee and we’ve got a great range of coffee beans, ingredients and accessories for you to buy online at wholesale prices. For more information, visit www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

The legend of coffee

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Sara Walker

Coffee has become a part of almost all cultures across the world, and was established in Europe long before tea became popular. Although no-one really knows how coffee was originally discovered, there’s a story from Ethiopia that has passed into legend that’s said to explain how the world discovered coffee’s energising properties.

Coffee bushes have grown in the highlands of Ethiopia for centuries, and it’s where the arabica plant first originated before spreading across the world. Today, the country still accounts for 3% of global production.

The story starts in the 9th century, and involves a goatherd called Kaldi, who noticed his goats browsing on the berries of a certain bush. Afterwards, they were energetic and lively and didn’t want to rest at night. Kaldi took his news to the abbot of the local monastery, who was interested enough in the tale to try brewing a drink from the berries. After drinking it, he was able to keep alert during the long hours of evening prayer. The news of the discovery began to spread, at first throughout the monastery and then gradually throughout the country. When the news of the energising drink reached the Arabian peninsula, it started on a global journey and coffee’s reputation was assured.

Although the story is now widely known, it doesn’t appear anywhere in writing until the mid-17th century, so it’s impossible to tell how much truth is in it, if any. What’s beyond dispute, though, is that coffee can make you feel more alert and focussed and that’s led to it becoming one of the world’s favourite drinks.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’re proud to supply a wide range of coffee beans, coffee ingredients and accessories, all available to buy online at great wholesale prices. To find out more, please visit our website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.com.

Perfect coffee break treat: coffee muffins

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Sara Walker

Coffee and cake: were two words ever more perfectly paired? These coffee muffins are the perfect accompaniment to your mid-morning cup of coffee, and make the perfect treat to take into work on a Friday or to celebrate a colleague’s birthday.

To make 6 muffins, you’ll need:

260g self raising flour
40g granulated sugar
30g soft dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large freerange egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
120ml milk
120ml strong black coffee
120ml vegetable or sunflower oil
six-hole muffin tin, and paper muffin cases

What to do:

Preheat the over to 190 degrees Celsius.
Start by making the coffee from freshly-roasted espresso coffee beans. Set aside until completely cool.
Line the muffin tin with cases, and set aside
In a large mixing bowl, combine both the sugars, flour and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl or measuring jug, put the egg, milk, coffee, oil and vanilla. Beat together until fully combined.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Fold with a wooden spoon until combined.
Spoon the batter into the muffin cups until they’re about three quarters full, to give plenty of room for the muffins to rise.
Put the tray in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes until well-risen and firm to the touch. A skewer inserted into the thickest part of the muffin should come out clean with no traces of uncooked batter.
Transfer to a serving rack, and serve slightly warm with a large mug of your favourite coffee.

At the Wholesale Coffee Company we sell a great range of espresso coffee beans and lots of other varieties too, all at wholesale prices. For more information, please visit our website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

American-style coffee cream pie

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Sara Walker

Various types of ‘cream pie’ is something you’ll often see on an American menu, from banana to toffee versions. We’ve concocted our own version of this US classic, using our favourite ingredient: coffee.

To serve 4 to 6, you’ll need:

For the pastry:

225g plain flour
110g butter
80g sugar
60g hazelnuts
1 large egg
Milk

For the pie:

40g plain flour
85g caster sugar
20g butter
Two large egg yolks
200ml double or whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons icing sugar
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua or Tia Maria
240ml strong black coffee
240ml milk

What to do:

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Arrange the hazelnuts on a baking tray, and put them in the over for three or four minutes until just starting to colour, Remove, and grind to a coarse powder using a pestle and mortar. Set aside.
Make the pastry by rubbing the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and hazelnuts, and add the egg and enough milk to bind the mixture into a soft dough.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll out until sufficiently large to line a 20cm deep flan dish. Transfer the pastry to the dish, pressing it well into the edges and trimming off any overhang. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork, and transfer to the oven for around 15 minutes or until the pastry is pale golden brown. Remove, and allow to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Make the coffee from freshly roasted espresso coffee beans, and allow to cool completely.
In a large saucepan, add the flour, caster sugar, coffee and milk and cook over a low heat until the mixture thickens. Beat the egg yolks, and slowly add them to the mixture, stirring constantly to prevent them scrambling.
Stir in the butter until completely melted, then let the mixture cool before spreading it into the pastry shell.
Whip the cream, liqueur and sugar together until the mixture is stiff but not solid. Spread it over the pie filling, and serve.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’ve got a wide range of coffee beans and other ingredients at wholesale prices, suitable for all uses. To find out more, visit www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Cream of celery soup with powdered milk

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Sara Walker

Mostly, we feature sweet recipes on our coffee site, as coffee is such a good partner with cakes, chocolate and desserts. As we also sell coffee ingredients, though, such as powdered skimmed milk, we thought you might appreciate this savoury store cupboard standby – cream of celery soup, made with powdered milk. Ideal for when you run out of fresh milk!

To make four good servings, you’ll need:

8 stalks of celery, washed, trimmed and cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 litre of stock (chicken or vegetable)
100g skimmed milk powder
creme fraiche and chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
fresh black pepper

What to do:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and gently fry the onions until soft and tender. Add the celery, and saute for a few minutes until translucent and softened.
Turn up the heat, and gradually add the stock. Bring the mixture to the boil, then simmer for around 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Transfer to a food processor, and blend until smooth. Season to taste.
Mix the skimmed milk powder with a little water to make a thin paste, then add to the soup. Blend until completely dissolved.
Spoon into dishes, and garnish with a spoonful of creme fraiche, a scattering of fresh parsley and some freshly ground black pepper.

This soup is great as a light lunch served with crusty bread, or makes a filling starter for an evening meal.

At the Wholesale Coffee company, we specialise in all things coffee related, including bulk bags of skimmed powdered milk. These make a great choice for adding to your coffee, but they’re also a kitchen cupboard essential for cooking and baking. For more information, and to view the rest of our range, including individual milk portions and coffee whiteners, visit our milk products page.

Easy chocolate fudge

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Sara Walker

If you like to drink your coffee on the move, you’ve probably come to appreciate the ease and convenience of powdered milk. As well as a useful coffee ingredient, though, powdered milk is also a great cooking ingredient. This chocolate fudge is incredibly easy to make and involves no temperature measuring, and as there’s very little cooking involved it’s also ideal for children to help with. The secret ingredient? Powdered milk.

You’ll need:

8 tablespoons hot water
60g butter
130g skimmed powdered milk
100g sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
450g good quality plain chocolate

In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan, put the butter, water, powdered milk, sugar and vanilla and heat gently until the butter melts. Stir continuously until all the ingredients combine to make a smooth paste.
Break the chocolate into as small pieces as possible, and add to the mixture. Keep stirring until the chocolate melts. Don’t be tempted to turn the heat up, as if the chocolate burns the mixture will be ruined. Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Line a 20cm square baking tin or shallow dish with clingfilm, pressing it well into the corners of the tin.
Spoon in the chocolate mixture, and spread it out evenly, pressing it into the edges and corners.
Put the tin in the fridge and allow to chill for three to four hours or overnight. Turn out onto a chopping board, remove the clingfilm and cut into small pieces.

The perfect accompaniment to this rich, sweet treat? A large cup of your favourite coffee. As well as all manner of coffee ingredients such as powdered milk, we also stock a wide range of coffee beans in single bags or wholesale quantities. For more information, please visit our coffee beans page.