Tag: Wholesale Coffee Beans

Removing coffee stains from Corian

Posted on by Sara Walker

coffee-stainHere at the Wholesale Coffee Company we love all things coffee, with the one possible exception of coffee’s ability to stain. When it comes to white tee shits, tablecloths, mugs and coffee pots, coffee can leave a faint brown stain that’s sometimes difficult to remove.

If your sink and worktops are made from Corian, it’s fortunately unlikely that coffee staining will be too much of a problem as, unlike granite, Corian is extremely durable and non-porous, making it a popular choice. Corian is the brand name for a manmade, solid, mouldable material created by DuPont that’s made up of acrylic polymer and alumina trihydrate. It comes in a range of colours and finishes, and if you have very pale or white Corian it may possibly be marked by coffee that’s been allowed to sit for a while.

To clean a sink, try filling it with lukewarm water and adding a couple of denture cleaning tablets. Let it sit overnight to loosen the stains, then rinse thoroughly with warm water. If this isn’t enough, a tougher method is that used to clean granite. Mix a tablespoon of baking powder to a paste with warm water, and add a few drops of peroxide. Spread the mixture evenly over the stain and cover it with clingfilm. Leave overnight, and in the morning the stain should wipe away along with the baking powder. This method also works on worksurfaces.

To keep sinks sparkling, fill with cold water and add a little bleach. Allow to sit for a few hours, then drain and rinse. To remove spots from a worksurface, make up a dilute solution of bleach and water and ‘paint’ onto the spots using a cotton bud. Leave for a couple of hours, then wipe clean.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we stock a wide range of coffee beans, coffee accessories and coffee ingredients for the perfect drink, all at great wholesale prices. To find out more, please visit www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

 

The many uses of coffee

Posted on by Sara Walker

beans and groundsHere at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we know all about roasting and brewing coffee beans to make the perfect drink. These versatile little beans have so many more uses,

Coffee in cooking

Coffee-flavoured chocolate and ice cream are common, but using coffee for flavouring can be far more sophisticated. Chefs often steep coffee beans in hot water to produce a strong coffee liquor used for flavouring desserts and puddings. It’s also great for adding an extra layer of rich complexity to savoury dishes such as casseroles and soups, sauces, gravies and spice blends for rubbing onto meat. You might be surprised to learn that coffee makes a particularly good partner for chili, and a little added to chili meat dishes will enhance the flavour. Of course, coffee’s best known partner is chocolate, and it’s great for adding an extra dimension to mousses, souffles and a host of other recipes.

Coffee in drinks

As well as the obvious ways of drinking coffee, it’s also a popular ingredient in more unusual drinks such as cocktails, summer iced coffee, milkshakes, smoothies, sodas and Irish coffees.

Coffee in cosmetics

The caffeine in coffee is highly prized by the world of cosmetics for anti-aging and rejuvenating properties. As organic products become more and more popular, so have homemade coffee body scrubs made from coffee grounds and olive oil, and a range of other inexpensive but effective recipes.

Coffee as a dye

Coffee is widely used as a natural dye, and gives a soft sepia tone to paint and natural fabrics such as cotton. Many artists use it as a painting media, and it’s also useful to artificially ‘age’ paper for art projects.

Coffee in the garden

Finally, used coffee grounds are a fantastic addition to the compost heap, or can be piled around the base of plants to act as a slug barrier. A handful of used coffee grounds added to the watering can will also make a cheap fertilizer that’s high in nitrates.

For more information about our range of coffee beans, all available at great wholesale prices, please visit our coffee beans page.

 

More iced coffee recipes

Posted on by Sara Walker

iced-coffeeThis summer, we’re feeling optimistic about the weather! To help get your picnics, barbecues and outdoor dinner parties off to a flying start, here are more of our favourite iced coffee recipes.

Coffee ice cubes

If you drink iced coffee, made from pouring cold fresh coffee over crushed ice, regularly, you’ll know that the first few sips are delicious but the drink quickly becomes diluted and weak. An easy way to avoid this is to make the ice cubes themselves from coffee! Simply make up a quantity of fresh coffee at your normal strength, pour into an ice cube tray and freeze overnight. In the morning, crush the ice cubes by putting them in a plastic bag, wrapping the bag in a tea towel, putting the whole thing on a chopping board and using a rolling pin to crush them. You can then either use the crushed ice immediately, or put the plastic bag back in the freezer for the future.

Coffee soda:

This is an adult take on an ice cream soda. To serve four, you’ll need a half a litre of very strong black coffee, made from freshly-roasted coffee beans. Make the coffee a good few hours before you need it, and chill in the fridge. Pour the cold coffee into tall glasses to half fill them, and add sugar to taste. Fill the rest of the glass with club soda until about 3cm from the brim, then add a scoop of vanilla, coffee or chocolate ice cream. Top with a little whipped cream if you like, and add a long spoon for spooning up the remains of the ice cream.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we supply a range of coffee beans and coffee ingredients suitable for all uses, all at great wholesale prices. For more information, please visit our coffee beans page.

Iced coffee recipes

Posted on by Sara Walker

iceNow the weather is finally getting a little warmer and British Summertime has kicked in, we’re starting to think about picnics and eating alfresco. Here’s a selection of our favourite iced coffee recipes, perfect for summer evenings with friends.

Coffee shake

Start by making a quantity of freshly brewed coffee, made from freshly roasted beans. To serve four, make a litre of coffee, then allow it to cool and chill in the fridge, preferably overnight. Add four scoops of vanilla ice cream and four tablespoonfuls of chocolate syrup, then whizz in a food processor until smooth. Pour into tall glasses, then top with a spoonful of whipped cream and a handful of fresh berries.

Ultimate iced coffee

To serve four, start by making half a litre of strong black coffee as before. Allow it to cool then put in the fridge until completely chilled. Add a standard tin (400g) of sweetened condensed milk, four tablespoons of chocolate syrup and, if liked, four tablespoons of rum. Stir everything into the coffee until fully combined, then pour into tall glasses over crushed ice and garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Iced mocha coffee

This recipe is not so much for an iced coffee as for a hot coffee with an icy topping, a great combination of flavours and textures.

To serve four, brew a litre of fresh coffee and add four tablespoons of chocolate or caramel syrup. Mix until fully combined. Pour into cups and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and one of chocolate ice cream. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings, add a couple of chocolate-covered coffee beans on the side and serve.

At the Wholesale Coffee Company, we stock a wide range of coffee beans and coffee ingredients, including flavoured syrups suitable for a variety of uses. For more information, please visit www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

 

 

How to make your own coffee essence

Posted on by Sara Walker

beans and groundsIf you love coffee, then keep a bottle of homemade coffee essence on standby in your kitchen. It’s great for flavouring pretty much any kind of dessert, or add a spoonful to stews or casseroles for a richer flavour. It’s also great for making quick iced coffee in the summer, or adding to other hot drinks for a quick pick me up. To make coffee essence, you’ll need:

  • About 300g good quality roasted whole espresso coffee beans
  • Cold water
  • A measuring jug
  • A coffee grinder
  • A saucepan
  • A large heatproof container, such as a Pyrex bowl, preferably with a lid
  • A spatula or wooden spoon
  • A fine mesh sieve
  • Jars or bottles

Start by grinding the coffee beans on a medium grind. Measure the grinds in a measuring jug, and then turn them out into a heatproof bowl.

Into the saucepan, measure ten times the amount of cold water that you had coffee grounds. Bring the water to the boil, then let it stand for about a minute. Carefully pour the hot water onto the coffee grounds, and give the mixture a good stir for 30 seconds with the spoon or spatula.

Cover the bowl. If it doesn’t have a fitted lid, cover it with aluminium foil and tie it down tightly with string. Leave for 12 hours at room temperature. Try not to leave it any longer, or the coffee may become bitter.

Sterilise the jars or bottles and lids by boiling in water for at least a minute. Next, carefully strain the mixture through the sieve and discard the coffee grounds. Pour the essence into the prepared containers and seal while still hot. Alllow the containers to cool, then store the essence in the fridge for up to a fortnight.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company we stock a wide range of good quality coffee beans suitable for all uses, all at great wholesale prices. For more information, please visit our coffee beans page.

How to use up old coffee beans

Posted on by Sara Walker

beansOnce roasted, coffee beans quickly lose their flavour and should be used as quickly as possible for a fresh-tasting cuppa. If you’re running a catering business, though, it’s not always possible to estimate quantities correctly all the time and you could end up with some roasted beans left over. These can be stored in the short term in an airtight container, but after a few days shouldn’t be used for brewing, as they’ll taste stale and inferior. There’s no reason to throw them away, though – even stale coffee beans are still useful.

As long as the beans aren’t too old, you can still grind and brew them and use the resulting coffee for cooking with. Coffee is great for adding flavour to savoury dishes, desserts and baked goods alike.

As coffee beans are so porous, a small dish of ground coffee placed in the fridge will absorb any unwanted odours and replace them with the smell of fresh coffee. Replace the dish daily.

If your beans are too stale to use, grind them and use them as plant fertilizer. Ground coffee mixed with soil will gradually release nitrogen. Alternatively, brew the coffee grounds with plenty of water and use the resulting liquid as a plant food. Once you’ve poured off the liquid, you can use the wet grounds as a pest repellent in the garden. Spread thickly around plant stalks, it keeps off slugs and snails without the use of harsh chemicals.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company we’ve got a full range of coffee beans, suitable for all commercial and domestic purposes, and you can choose from ready-roasted or green coffee beans, and a variety of blends. All our coffee beans are available in catering-sized packages at great wholesale prices, and we’re always happy to help with any suggestions or advice. For more information, please visit the coffee beans page of our website.

 

How to cold brew coffee

Posted on by Sara Walker

iced-coffeeIced coffee is a delicious drink in the warmer weather, maybe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, some crushed ice or a few spices added. Traditionally, cold coffee is brewed as hot coffee, then allowed to cool. However, it’s possible to brew the coffee using cold water in the first place – it takes longer, but has the advantage that the jug can be stored in the fridge immediately without waiting for it to cool so that it stays fresher, and also the finished coffee has a mellower flavour as there are no acidic overtones.

Put your normal ratio of freshly-ground coffee and cold water into a large jug or bowl. Give everything a good stir round, then cover the jug and put it in the fridge for at least four hours, or preferably overnight, stirring a couple of times during the process. The following morning, filter out the coffee grounds and taste the finished brew. If it’s a little strong, add some crushed ice , cold milk or more cold water. For a decadent cold summery cocktail, add crushed ice and a measure of Tia Maria, Kahlua or other coffee liqueur, or Irish cream liqueur, and sweeten to taste with icing sugar which will dissolve readily in the cold liquid. For a non-alcoholic version, add a measure of flavoured syrup such as caramel or chocolate.

This cold-brewed coffee is ideal for keeping in the fridge for a refreshing drink in the summer, or using in recipes.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’ve got a full range of coffee beans for sale, all at great wholesale prices and suitable for a range of uses and brewing methods. We also stock a wide variety of flavoured syrups, such as Amaretto, cinnamon and gingerbread, to add a little zing to your coffee recipes. For more information, please visit our website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Five simple steps to the perfect cup of coffee

Posted on by Sara Walker

beansAs a dedicated coffee drinker, the chances are you’ll already have a domestic coffee machine and be brewing your own fresh coffee at home. We’ve got a few simple tips to improve the taste of your daily cuppa and raise it from delicious to absolutely perfect.

1. Use the best quality coffee beans you can.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we source and supply the best, freshest coffee beans at great wholesale prices. So whether you need espresso beans or roast-your-own green beans, we’re sure to have something you’ll love.

2. Grind your own coffee beans

Coffee beans taste better the more freshly ground they are. After grinding, they start to deteriorate and lose their flavour quickly, so for the best results grind them immediately before using. Grind for the type of brewing method you have in mind, for example espresso requires a very fine grind, cafetieres normally require a coarse grind, filter coffee machines need a medium grind and for your vacuum machine you should use a fine grind. Try to grind the beans fresh each time, but if you do have any left over they can be stored in an airtight container for a short while.

3. Keep your coffee machine clean

Whatever type of brewing method you use, keep your machine clean. Wash it thoroughly with warm soapy water at least once a week, and if necessary disassemble it and clean the constituent parts.

4. Use purified water

To remove any minerals from tap water that could affect the taste of the finished drink, pass the water through a water purifier before boiling it. This can be a simple jug system, or a more sophisticated system fitted to the tap itself.

5. Use a natural filter

If your coffee machine requires a filter, try to source natural filters rather than those made from bleached paper, for the ultimate pure taste.

 

Making jewellery from coffee beans

Posted on by Sara Walker

cafetiere 2If you’ve got a batch of coffee beans that have been overlooked in the cupboard and are past their best, you can still make the most of them. Although they won’t be top quality for drinking, you can make them into jewellery.

You’ll need a quantity of coffee beans, some jewellers elasticated cord, a darning needle, some Plasticine and some clear nail varnish or lacquer spray.

Place the first bean on small ball of Plasticine to hold it in place, on a chopping board. Carefully push the needle through the bean. This takes a bit of practice as the bean is quite brittle, so make sure you have plenty of spare beans handy. Pierce the next bean in the same way, and continue until you have enough for your necklace or bracelet.

Cover the chopping board with a layer of aluminium foil, and paint each bean with clear nail varnish or spray them with lacquer spray. Leave them to dry completely before turning them over and coating the back in the same way. Painting the beans in this way will give them am attractive, glossy finish as well as sealing in the coffee smell and making the beans waterproof rather than porous. Dip the end of the elastic cord in the nail varnish as well, and leave it to dry. This will help when stringing the beans.

String the beans together as you wish, either on their own or interspersed with other beads such as glass, metal or ceramic. Tie the ends of the string together as tightly as you can, trim off the loose ends and pull a bead over them to hide the knot.

At the Wholesale Coffee Company, we supply a wide range of coffee beans suitable for every purpose, from green beans to espresso beans. To find out more, please visit our coffee beans page.

Removing coffee stains from silverware

Posted on by Sara Walker

Tsilver-coffee-potshe growing popularity of coffee in the late 19th and earlier 20th centuries meant the appearance on the market of many beautifully crafted coffee sets, consisting of fine porcelain cups and saucers, silver pots, milk jugs, sugar basins and spoons. Many antique collectors and coffee connoisseurs appreciate these sets for their attractive appearance and history, and continue to use them for serving coffee on special occasions. As every coffee lover knows, though, coffee does tend to stain pots and spoons in regular use, and with antique sets it’s even more important to keep them in good condition.

The outside of silver coffee pots can be cleaned with silver polish. If possible, use a brand recommended for antique silver and clean according to manufacturer’s instructions. For spoons and the inside of pots and for spoons, though, silver polish would leave a taint that could affect the taste of the drink, so a different cleaning method is called for.

Put on protective gloves, and mix a solution of one teaspoon of borax with 600 ml of hot water. Domestic borax, otherwise known as sodium tetraborate decahydrate, is a mild alkali and looks a bit like bicarbonate of soda. If you have trouble tracking down borax, it can be found online or you could use Borax Substitute, a natural alternative available from larger supermarkets or chemists.

Fill the pot with the solution, and let it stand for about an hour. Occasionally swish the mixture round the pot, taking care not to get any on your skin. When the hour is up, pour out the borax solution and wash the pot with warm water and a dash of washing up liquid. Dry the pot carefully with soft towelling, and when thoroughly dry, buff to a shine with a clean cloth. For spoons, immerse them in the borax solution for an hour then wash and dry.

 

At the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’re experts on all things coffee. To find out more about us or to browse our range of coffee beans at great wholesale prices, please visit www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.