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The story of Colombian coffee

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Sara Walker

Situated in the north west corner of South America, Colombia has had a long relationship with coffee. It’s thought that the beans were first brought to the country in by Jesuit priests, although the date of the importation varies from the 1500s to the 1800, according to different sources.

What’s sure is that the plant acclimatised very well, giving the native coffee beans a rich, smooth flavour. Colombia first exported its own coffee to the rest of the world in 1835, with a tiny offering of just 2000 bags. Now, millions of Colombian beans travel all over the world every year, and form a significant percentage of the global total.

Colombian coffee is exclusively Arabica, as the volcanic soil, dry climate and high altitude of the growing conditions provide a perfect environment.

The country boasts two main coffee growing regions, eastern and central. The central region is sometimes referred to as ‘MAM’, an acronym for ‘Medellin, Armenia and Manizales’. The eastern area is the more mountainous region round Bogota, and the beans from this area tend to be lower in acidity.

In 1927, the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia) was founded to help support the small estate growers, and provide uniform controls and guidelines. Under their guidance, Colombian coffee growing has gone from strength to strength.

Although, as with any other product, commercialism has seen the advent of cheaper, lower quality grades of coffee being exported, pure Arabica Colombia coffee is still seen as one of the best in the world. It’s a very versatile coffee that can be blended to make a espresso blend, or drunk as it is.

At the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’re proud to supply expertly-blended beans from a variety of countries. To browse our range, please visit our coffee beans page.

Coffee bread and butter pudding

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Sara Walker

Bread and butter pudding is a great everyday family standby. It’s quick and economical to make, and useful for using up odds and ends of none-too-fresh bread. With a few extra ingredients, though, you can elevate it to the status of dinner party dessert while keeping the ease of preparation.

To serve four, you’ll need:

300ml milk
100ml single cream
3 tablespoons very strong espresso coffee, made from freshly ground coffee beans
4- 5 tablespoons sugar
75g butter, softened
4 free range eggs
6 slices white bread, crusts on
200g dried dates, stones removed

Ideally, start this recipe the night before so that the bread has time to absorb lots of liquid. If you run out of time, though, it will still work made on the day. Make the coffee and pour it into a measuring jug or bowl. Chop the dates roughly into small pieces, and drop them into the coffee while it’s still hot. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, put the milk, cream and eggs into a bowl and whisk vigorously until the liquid looks frothy on top. This will help trap air into the mixture and help the pudding rise.

Butter the bread generously, and cut it into triangles. Layer half of it into a shallow ovenproof dish, and sprinkle with half the sugar. Pour over the coffee and date mixture, and add another layer of bread. Sprinkle the top with sugar.

Cover with clingfilm, and leave in the fridge overnight.

The following day, heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. While the oven’s heating, remove the dish from the fridge and leave it to come up to room temperature, then put it in the oven and bake for around 30 minutes. When ready, the pudding should look risen and golden, and the custard should be just set, with a slight wobble.

Serve immediately, with cream or coffee sauce.

To browse our range of great quality coffee beans at wholesale prices, please visit our coffee beans page.

Coffee sauce and coffee syrup

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Sara Walker

Need a quick coffee fix? These two recipes should meet your coffee-flavouring needs – the coffee sauce is smooth and chocolaty, and makes a perfect partner for ice cream or chocolate desserts, while the syrup is perfect for flavouring milk, or pouring over ice-cream for an instant pud.

Coffee sauce

340g sugar
400ml water
40 to 50 good quality roasted coffee beans
180g good quality cocoa powder
60g dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids

Put the sugar in a pan and heat very gently until the granules begin to dissolve. Once the sugar is completely liquid, heat, stirring occasionally, until it just starts to turn a pale golden brown colour, meaning it’s starting to caramelise.

Add the rest of the ingredients carefully, as the hot sugar may spit. Stir everything until completely mixed, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, and allow to simmer until slightly thickened. Pour through a sieve to remove the coffee beans, then allow to cool completely before serving. This sauce will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Coffee syrup

300g ground coffee, made from freshly ground coffee beans
300g sugar
750ml water

Put the sugar and water together in a saucepan, and bring them to the boil. Boil for about five minutes, then add the coffee. Reduce the heat, and allow to simmer for another five minutes until the liquid is reduce and thickened.

Strain through a very fine sieve or a muslin, and pour into a clean, sterilised jar. The syrup should keep for several weeks in the fridge.

To browse our range of great quality coffee beans at wholesale prices, visit our coffee beans page.

The perfect Irish coffee

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Sara Walker

Coffee cocktails – mixtures of coffee and alcohol – have been around a long time, but the traditional Irish coffee is one of the best known and most popular. Called ‘Irish coffee’ as it was invented in Limerick, Ireland by head chef Joe Sheridan, it’s a mixture of hot coffee and Irish coffee. Sheridan invented the drink for group of passengers who got off a flight on a cold winter evening in the 1940s, adding whiskey to hot coffee to warm them up.

The drink quickly became so popular it spread worldwide, and it’s particularly well known in the US.

A traditional Irish coffee consists of strong black coffee, Irish whiskey, brown sugar and double cream (not whipped cream). The secret lies in pouring the cream over the back of a spoon so that it forms a floating layer on top of the coffee. The coffee is then sipped through the layer of cream.

Irish coffee recipe (makes two servings)

425ml strong black coffee, made from good quality, fresh coffee beans
25g brown sugar
4 tablespoons Irish whiskey
90ml double cream

You’ll also need tall, heatproof glasses, preferably special Irish whiskey glasses, although it’s possible to improvise with mugs.

Start by dividing the whiskey and the sugar evenly between the two glasses, and stirring until the sugar has dissolved.

Carefully pour the hot, fresh coffee into the glasses, finishing about 4cm from the top. Slowly pour the cream over the back of a tablespoon, so that it forms a layer on top of the coffee. Continue to pour the cream until it almost reaches the rim of the glass, then serve immediately.

To browse our range of quality coffee beans online, please visit our coffee beans page.

Chocolate and coffee terrine

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Sara Walker

Chocolate and coffee are the ultimate dinner party pairing, and what better way to combine them than this sophisticated dessert? It incorporates coffee in both the terrine and the sauce for a double caffeine hit.

To serve 8, you’ll need:

600 g good quality plain chocolate, 70% cocoa solids or more
600ml double cream
125g sugar
8 egg yolks
125g sponge fingers
200ml strong black coffee
For the custard sauce:
200ml double cream
8 – 10 roasted coffee beans
6 egg yolks
75g sugar
200ml milk

Start by making the coffee using your usual method, and let it cool before putting it in the fridge to chill. Line a 1.5kg terrine dish or loaf tin with clingfilm, making sure you press it firmly into the edges and try not to leave too many wrinkles, as these will show on the finished terrine. Break the chocolate into small pieces, and place it in a heatproof bowl. Melt in the microwave in short bursts until fully melted. Stir in half of the double cream, and set aside.

Bring a pan of water to the boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Put a heatproof bowl over the pan, making sure the bottom doesn’t touch the water. Put in the egg yolk and sugar, and whisk until the mixture looks pale and thick. Add the egg and sugar mix to the chocolate, then whisk in 75mml cold water.

In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining cream until it stands up in soft peaks. Fold it into the chocolate mixture using a metal spoon, trying not to break up the volume too much.

Immerse the sponge fingers briefly in the cold coffee, then use them to line the tin or dish vertically. Make sure each biscuit buts right up to its neighbour without leaving a gap.

Spoon the chocolate filling into the tin, pushing it right into the corners. Cover the tin, and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours until the filling is set.

To make the coffee custard, put the milk, coffee beans and cream into a pan and bring to a simmer. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and thickened, then pour in the cream mixture, and cook the custard over a low heat for three or four minutes. Pass the custard through a sieve to remove the coffee beans, then allow to cool before putting in the fridge to chill.

Serve slices of the terrine with a drizzle of custard and a chocolate covered coffee bean.

For great quality coffee beans at wholesale prices, visit our coffee beans page.

Coffee flavoured vodka

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Sara Walker

If you’re feeling a little tired after the excitement of Christmas and New Year, treat yourself to a small tot of our coffee-infused vodka as the perfect pick-me-up.

Vodka is a particularly good partner for the strong flavouring of coffee, as it’s not strongly flavoured itself. You’ll need:

A bottle of vodka
About 30 good quality ready-roasted coffee beans
A teaspoon of sugar

Start by cracking the coffee beans. This is most easily done in a pestle and mortar, or you can put the beans in a plastic bag and gently crush them with a rolling pin or the back of a spoon. You’re not trying to make coffee grounds, only to open the beans enough to let the flavour infuse.

Place the beans and the sugar in a clean, sterilised bottle or jar (you can re-use the empty vodka bottle if you decant the liquid into a secondary container first. Make sure it’s thoroughly clean, though.) Pour the vodka over the beans until they float on top of the liquid. Seal the bottle tightly, and shake it vigorously for 30 seconds.

Put the bottle in a cool dark place, and every day for five days shake it vigorously.

When the five days are up, the liquid should look a uniform clear brown colour. The final stage is to filter out the coffee beans.

Please a clean muslin cloth or tea towel over a large bowl to make a filter, and tape it round so that it’s taut. Very slowly, pour the vodka over the filter. The coffee beans may come out in a rush, so be ready! Once all the vodka has gone through the filter, remove the cloth, wash out and sterilise the original bottle and pour the vodka back in.

Taste the vodka. If the coffee flavour isn’t as strong as you’d like, you can start the process again by adding more crushed beans. If it’s a little too strong, dilute the liquid with some plain vodka.

For great quality coffee beans at wholesale prices, visit our coffee beans page.

The Wholesale Coffee Company guide to coffee grounds

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Sara Walker

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we specialise in supplying great quality coffee beans, and we’ve a choice of blends as well as roasted and green beans. Buying your beans whole and then grinding them yourself as required is the best way to get a really fresh, flavourful drink, and it’s generally more economical than buying ready-ground beans. It also means that you can control the size of the grounds, which is important, as when it comes to grinding, the coarseness of the grind can have a big effect on the taste and quality of the drink. Here’s our quick guide to what works when.

In general, the smaller you grind your coffee beans the more surface area they’ll have, so the quicker and stronger they’ll brew. When you’re grinding, there are several factors to consider when choosing how finely or coarsely you’d like your coffee.

Type of coffee machine

What you’re going to do with the coffee once it’s ground is a significant factor when choosing grind size. Espresso machines need a very fine, almost powdery grind. Filter coffee machines need a coarser result, and cafetières also need a coarse grind as otherwise a lot of residue will bypass the filter and end up in the cup.

Coffee strength and type

Broadly speaking, fine grounds mean strong coffee, and some beans, such as espresso beans, are designed to be finely ground for maximum flavour.

Many types of modern commercial coffee machine incorporate their own grinder, so you only need to add the beans themselves to the container. This takes the guesswork and inconsistency out of brewing. If you have a domestic coffee machine, though, you’ll also need a domestic grinder, which will give slight variations in results.

However you like your coffee ground, we’re sure that you’ll find something in our range of coffee beans to suit your taste. For more information, please visit www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Coffee Cups in Coffee Shops

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Sara Walker

Maybe you are setting up a coffee shop, or looking to entertain your guests in style. Whatever the occasion one thing is for sure: how you present things alters how people perceive them. People feel better and think things taste better if they are beautifully presented.

If you are setting up a coffee shop paying extra for nice china probably doesn’t sound wonderful to your ears, but it may pay off in the future, if it’s matching an equally well thought through interior decor that makes clients feel at home. If you have the white standard cups that every other coffee shop uses no one will pay attention. If, on the other hand, you have something beautiful and unique, people will remember it. Of course it can’t be so expensive it ruins your budget, nor so frail that it breaks by the slightest touch.

When you choose your china, and for that matter the interior decor, set your creative juices free and dare to have some fun with it! Just bear in mind to double check how many others agree with your design as by the end of the day clients need to like it as well, not just you.

We also have to mention that if you are setting up a coffee shop we offer fresh roasted coffee beans, green coffee beans (if you are roasting yourself) and various other supplies through our shop at wholesale prices. Nothing better than self marketing and all that. Ahem.

A Winter Kick

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Sara Walker

It’s winter and what’s more perfect than adding spice to your food? This Mexican chocolate cake is perfect as it does just that. What’s more it’s not using sugar, but rather honey and molasses (hooray!). It makes us think it’s almost healthy. In moderation anyway.

We all know that when you couple cacao with coffee you can get a real kick. Add a bit of something sweet and you will be running for hours straight. In other words: great on a cold, wintery day when the sun is as absent as the heat that normally goes with it. If you light a candle when serving it you might truly get the lift you need to the day (just make sure to have your green juice and do your yoga practice first and all that jazz. Ahem).

So we found you all a spicy, chocolate cake that will match our fresh ground coffee beans perfectly. We are always looking for that – things to match with our coffee, so if you have any ideas, you can always shoot us an email! Furthermore, of course, as always remember you can buy coffee online through our shop. Perfect if you need a lot of coffee and don’t want to carry.

Mexican Chocolate Coffee Cake by the Paleo Mom

Ingredients:

6 Eggs
½ cup Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, melted
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
1/3 cup Cacao Powder
3 oz Unsweetened Chocolate, melted (100%)
½ cup Blackstrap Molasses
½ cup Honey
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper, to taste

1.    Preheat oven to 325F. Line 5”X9” loaf pan with wax paper. Grease wax paper with coconut oil.
2.    Sift cocoa, coconut flour, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and baking soda into a small bowl.
3.    In a food processor or blender, combine eggs, honey, molasses, and vanilla. Pulse a few times to beat together. Add melted coconut oil and chocolate and process/blend for 1 minute.
4.    Add dry ingredients to food processor, and pulse to combine.
5.    Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour (not a very forgiving cake if you burn it, so you might want to test for doneness with a toothpick at the 55 minute mark).
6.    Let cool completely in the pan. Remove from pan and carefully remove wax paper. Enjoy!

Winter Blues and Nights as Dark as Coffee

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Sara Walker

If you live in the northern hemisphere the days are a lot shorter now, the nights longer, the air colder and Christmas cheer the thing to keep you awake and happy, apart from, of course, coffee. In the blistering cold and pitch black darkness you really do need a thing or two to keep you going. We have come up with various ideas for how to keep ourselves awake and happy during the day.

One of our fabulous ideas (if we may say so ourselves) is to combine the smell of gingerbread with coffee. Scent is a feel good factor and most people tend to wake up at the smell of fresh roasted coffee beans. Of course you need some light as well, so our recommendation is to get yourself a mighty nice gingerbread house, which you can put tea candles in. Next to it you keep a candle holder with coffee beans in it and a candle (be sure to watch this if you use a regular candle rather than a tea light, as the beans can catch fire when the candle get to the level of the beans!).

The other feel-good factor you need is of course fresh roasted coffee beans in your cup – in other words: a fresh cup of java. If you want to make it to taste like Christmas you can add some cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg (potentially a dash of cardamom too), as well as a little bit of honey or maple syrup.

To really perk you up in the darkness serve your coffee with some chocolate. You can either turn it into a Mocha, have a square of really good quality dark chocolate with it, or a slice of some dark chocolate cake. The darker the better for added antioxidants (fight the cold system!) and if you can find some cake that’s sweetened by honey, or maple syrup, rather than sugar. In the two coming posts we will teach share a raw chocolate recipe, and a chocolate cake that is sweetened in this way.

Apart from fresh roasted coffee beans and divine chocolate, what will keep you going through winter is plenty of rest, exercise, fruits, vegetables, walks in the outdoors, and some vitamins, like added vitamin D in lieu of sunshine.

If you want to buy coffee for your winter blues, you can buy coffee online through our shop. We offer great prices and great coffee (that in and of itself should cheer you up instantly!).