buy wholesale coffee beans online Archives - Buy Coffee Beans & Ingredients Online UK Wholesale

Merry Christmas from the Wholesale Coffee Company

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Sara Walker

We’re nearly at the end of 2014, and we’d like to thank all our customers for your support throughout the year. We wish you a very Merry Christmas, and hope 2015 will be a healthy, happy and prosperous year for you all.

Fun Coffee Facts

Coffee is the second most traded global commodity after oil.

In Africa, raw coffee beans are made into a kind of sweet to chew by being flavoured with spices

As you might expect, it’s the Americans who top the charts for coffee consumption, with an estimated 450 million daily cups. Only an estimated 52% of the population drink it, though.

The US city where you expect to find the most coffee houses is Seattle.

In Italy, cappuccinos are only drunk at breakfast time. The name ‘cappuccino’ comes from the brown and cream habits worn by Capuchin monks.

Although coffee bushes fruit from their second year, it takes five years for them to grow to full maturity. Their normal lifespan is around 15 to 20 years, but some have reached 60 years.

Each coffee bush yields sufficient beans annually to make around 0.5kg of roasted coffee.

Coffee hasn’t always been popular. It was banned in Mecca in Saudi Arabia as it was believed to encourage radical thinking. When it arrived in Europe in the 16th century, the Church lobbied for coffee to be banned due to its stimulating effect. Famously, though, the then pope, Clement VII, tasted to and pronounced it delicious. After this papal blessing, coffee houses began to spring up all over Europe.

A standard cup of coffee contains around 150 milligrams of caffeine. For most people, this is a ‘therapeutic dose’, or the amount needed to have an effect.

For all your 2015 coffee needs, including coffee beans, flavoured syrups, coffee ingredients and accessories, don’t forget to visit us at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Types of coffee

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Sara Walker

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’re coffee experts. Here’s our handy guide to the different types of coffee on the market.

Coffee beans

Fresh coffee beans are the first stop for any serious coffee lover, and come in a huge range of varieties. Their appearance and flavour will depend on a number of factors, including country of origin, growing conditions and roasting process. They must be prepared prior to drinking, which involves dehusking and washing, drying, roasting and grinding. They need to be brewed in a coffee machine such as a cafetiere or drip machine, and are considered the tastiest way of drinking coffee.

Decaffeinated coffee

This is coffee with most of the caffeine removed, and it’s produced from the green (raw) coffee beans, either by the water method or by natural or chemical solvents.

Instant coffee

Soluble or instant coffee is a very practical choice, as it needs only hot water to prepare. It’s made by removing water from the coffee by evaporation or freeze-drying, and it’s sold as powder or granules to which the user only has to add water. It’s available in both caffeinated and decaffeinated versions, and has a long shelf life.

Coffee essence

Coffee essence first became popular during the Second World War when coffee itself was in short supply. It’s still possible to buy bottles of coffee essence which are designed to be made into cups of coffee with the addition of hot water. As soluble coffee has improved in flavour, though, most people tend to stick to granules for a convenient form of instant coffee, and coffee essence is generally used as a baking ingredient. Use it to flavour chocolate cakes, savoury dishes, biscuits and sweets.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we stock a wide range of coffee supplies, all at great wholesale prices. To browse our coffee beans, coffee ingredients, coffee accessories, flavoured syrups and instant coffee, please visit www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Coffee all over the world: Costa Rica and Guatemala

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Sara Walker

The best known Central American coffee producer, Costa Rica produces only wet-processed arabicas and has built a reputation for fine coffee. Coffee production has long played an important role in the country’s history and still continues to be an important part of the economy. In 2006, coffee was the country’s third-largest export and employs a large percentage of the agricultural work force. The coffee produced is high in caffeine, and is often used to blend with other varieties. Connoisseurs often describe Costa Rican coffee as having ‘perfect balance’, due to its blend of mildness and acidity. The coffee tends to be grown on individual, family owned farms called fincas, rather than on large plantations, but are processed at modern, technologically advanced facilities to produce a high quality result.

Guatemala, more correctly known as the Republic of Guatemala, is a Central American country bordered by Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. With a population of around 16,000,000 over an area of 110,000 square kilometres, it’s the most populous state in Central America and is working hard to develop its already well-established coffee industry. Although Guatemalan coffee isn’t as well known as that from South America, it’s prized by many for its rich, distinctive flavour. There are three main growing regions in the country, each benefiting from the rich volcanic soil that some coffee bushes love, as well as a spectacular, rugged landscape that creates microclimates which change the taste of the beans grown at higher altitude. To drink, coffee made from Guatemalan beans is strong and full-flavoured with a chocolaty, spicy complexity of taste.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company we have a range of coffee beans available from different regions around the world, all at great wholesale prices. For more information, please visit our coffee beans page.