Tag: wholesale coffee supplies

Coffee fads: the avolatte

Posted on by Sara Walker
Image: Pixabay

The Australians love their coffee. The flat white, an espresso-based drink made with microfoam (steamed milk with very fine bubbles giving it a velvety consistency), was invented in Down Under and soon became popular over here, even outstripping the cappuccino. Australia also gave us ‘deconstructed coffee’ (basically espresso, water and milk served in separate little containers, so you can mix your own drink exactly how you like it), and ‘rainbow coffee’ (a caffeine-health drink made from turmeric, beetroot and green tea matcha, served with a barista-style leaf pattern on top). There’s also ‘golden coffee’, made from turmeric on its own, which is rumoured to be an anti-inflammatory. Heard enough? Well, it doesn’t stop there, because a few days ago the Truman Cafe in Melbourne launched the ‘avolatte’, apparently the world’s greatest brunch option, incorporating avocados and coffee.

 

 If you’re wondering how those two ingredients could possibly be combined in the same dish, we’re not sure they can! The ‘avolatte’ is basically a latte (complete with leaf design), served in a partially hollowed-out avocado shell. We’re not sure if the avocado part of the combo actually adds anything taste-wise, or if it’s just acting as a trendy cup – but either way, it looks pretty hard to drink in a non-messy manner – maybe the idea is to use a straw! The avolatte is currently trending on social media, with people around the world getting in on the act and posting pictures of their own versions.

 

Hmmm, well, call us old fashioned – but we prefer to drink out of a cup. With a handle. Possibly with a HobNob on the side.

To browse our extensive range of coffee supplies for your coffee business, take a look at our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk, where we have coffee beans, accessories and everything you need for your commercial coffee business, all at great wholesale prices. Sorry though – we don’t sell avocados!

Can you get a decent cup of coffee on a flight?

Posted on by Sara Walker
Image: Pixabay

We know several coffee connoisseurs who are so passionate about access to high-quality caffeine at all times that they used to take their own flask of coffee onto flights. Since restrictions on liquids came into force, though, that’s no longer an option. If you’re counting on getting a decent cup of coffee once you’re airborne, though, chances are you’re going to be disappointed.

There are three reasons why you’re probably never going to get a decent cup of coffee in mid-air – even though scientists claim to have perfected a machine for use on the space station! Factors that contribute to the taste include the water used, the brewing method and changes to your taste buds.

Airline staff don’t exactly have access to five-star facilities when they’re brewing up. Water comes from storage tanks, and it may have been sitting there a while, so isn’t as fresh as it could be. This will have an impact on the taste of the finished brew.

The second reason involves physics – at 30,000 feet, the boiling point of water is much lower than at ground level. This means that the temperature isn’t optimal for brewing good coffee.

To cap it all, your sense of taste alters (sometimes by as much as a third) when you’re flying. Your taste buds and sense of smell, which go to make up flavour perception, are affected and your ability to taste salty and sweet tastes is decreased when you’re in a pressurised cabin. Other factors include the lack of humidity, constant background noise and the lower air pressure, which all combine to mean your coffee really does taste different.

Probably the safest bet is to buy yourself a takeaway coffee at a concession after you’ve gone through security, and take it on board – or just switch to water for the duration of the flight.

For all your commercial coffee supplies, take a look at our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk. We’ve got a full range of coffee beans, coffee accessories and everything else you need for your coffee business, all at competitive wholesale prices.

 

 

 

Coffee can help maintain a healthy gut

Posted on by Sara Walker
A daily glass of wine and a cup of coffee can help maintain a healthy digestive system
A daily glass of wine and a cup of coffee can help maintain a healthy digestive system

If, like most of us, you like the odd glass of wine in the evening and the odd cup of coffee during the day, there’s good news courtesy of a new Dutch study.

As humans, we all have trillions of bacteria in our guts which help us to digest our food, and to be healthy it’s vital to maintain a balance between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria. Good bacteria have anti-inflammatory effects and help to support a healthy immune system, while bad bacteria can cause inflammation and exacerbate conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. That’s why probiotics and health drinks claiming to boost levels of healthy bacteria have become so popular.

The new study suggests that a glass of wine in the evening and a cup of coffee during the day can help to keep a healthy balance of good bacteria. The research was carried out as part of the LifeLines programme, which follows the health of 165,000 inhabitants of the Northern Netherlands. The study collated information about diet, prescription medicine and general health as well as analysing gut DNA.

Dr Cisca Wijmenga, Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Groningen said: “We have mapped all the bacterial DNA to gain much more detailed information about bacteria types and see, for example, the effect of diet in the gut.”

In total, the research team found 60 dietary factors that had an effect on the diversity of gut bacteria with coffee and wine having a positive effect. Other factors, such as antibiotics and the diabetes drug metformin had a negative impact.

Increasing the diversity of digestive bacteria can help keep you healthy for longer, and eating a more varied diet helps to maintain a balance.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we specialise in all things coffee at great wholesale prices. For coffee beans, coffee accessories and coffee ingredients for your coffee business, take a look at our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Coffee shortbread biscuits for Father’s Day

Posted on by Sara Walker
Coffee chocolate shortbread biscuits are an ideal gift for Father's Day. Image: Jason Walsh
Coffee chocolate shortbread biscuits are an ideal gift for Father’s Day. Image: Jason Walsh

Got a dad who loves coffee? Give him something he’ll love on June 19th this year with these coffee biscuits. Not only are they ideal to accompany a cup of coffee, they’ve even got coffee in them! Why not make up a gift pack with a mug and some taster packs of coffee, as well?

Coffee shortbread biscuits (makes 12)

What you’ll need:

  • 225g plain flour
  • 125g wholemeal or stoneground flour (you can use all of one type of flour if you wish, but mixing them gives a little extra texture)
  • 125g sugar
  • 2 rounded teaspoons instant coffee
  • 75g dark chocolate chips
  • 225g butter, softened

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius, and grease a 20cm square tin or a 18cm round tin. Line the bottom with a sheet of greaseproof paper.

Put the flours and the butter in a large bowl. Cut the butter into pieces in the bowl, and work it into the flour with your fingertips. (You can cheat, and use a food processor.)

Add in the coffee and sugar, and continue to blend (via whichever method you’re using) until the mixture starts to form a soft dough. Next, work in the chocolate chips.

Turn the mixture out onto a worksurface dusted with a little cornflour, and knead it lightly until smooth. Press it into the tin, pushing it well into the corners and edges. Prick the surface all over with a fork.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the shortbread is a very pale gold. Leave to cool in the tin for two to three minutes, then turn out, cut into bars and transfer to a wire baking rack. When completely cool, pack into gift bags or an airtight tin. These biscuits can be made a few days in advance.

For more coffee ideas as well as everything you need for your coffee business, from coffee beans to coffee accessories, all at great wholesale prices, visit our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

 

Low fat coffee muffins

Posted on by Sara Walker

IMGP4142Spring is here, the time when we all traditionally start thinking about getting into shape for the summer! Being healthier doesn’t mean denying yourself, though. These low fat muffins are packed with flavour and contain a good helping of our favourite ingredient – coffee! These are perfect for breakfast, morning coffee or a teatime treat to get you through until dinner. Here’s what to do.

To make about a dozen, you’ll need:

430g self raising flour

2 tablespoons good quality instant coffee, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water

150g granulated sugar

2 large freerange eggs

350ml fat free plain yoghurt

75ml vegetable oil

50g good quality 70 per cent dark chocolate

You’ll also need a 12-hole muffin tin, and muffin cases.

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Put the eggs, oil, yoghurt, sugar and coffee in a large bowl, and beat with a hand mixer or wooden spoon until smooth and fully combined.

Fold in the flour, and beat until fully combined.

Break the chocolate into squares, then cut each square into pieces with a sharp knife. If you like, you can substitute chocolate chips for this stage, but chips tend to be sweeter and of lower quality. Using block chocolate means a more intense, chocolaty hit. Stir the chocolate into the batter.

Divide the batter between the muffin cases, smoothing out the tops with the back of a spoon.

Put the tray in the middle of the oven, and bake for around 25 minutes until the muffins are well-risen and golden. Turn out onto a cooling rack, and eat!

The muffins will keep in an air-tight container for up to a week.

To find the perfect ground coffee or coffee beans to accompany your muffins, visit our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk, where you’ll find everything you need for your coffee business at great wholesale prices.

Italian coffee tycoon loved coffee until the end

Posted on by Sara Walker
The stove-top Moka pot was the first true home coffee machine, making restaurant-standard espresso
The stove-top Moka pot was the first true home coffee machine, making restaurant-standard espresso

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we thought we’d heard of just about every coffee-related idea out there, but Italian coffee tycoon Renato Bialetti came up with something new for his funeral – being interred in a coffee pot!

You might not have heard of the man himself, who died in Switzerland aged 93, but you’ve probably heard of the foundation of the family fortunes – the Moka coffee pot, the stove-top metal coffee pot invented in the 1930s by Renato’s father Alfonso.

The coffee pot became a success as it was relatively cheap and durable, and was the first true home espresso machine. Previously, the only home method available had been the drip method, which didn’t replicate the strong flavours of espresso produced under steam pressure. Inventor Alfonso had been working in the aluminium industry when he got the idea for the pot from a washing machine! Italian women used a boiler system that drew hot, soapy water out from a pipe and distributed it over the clothes. After some experimentation, his famous design reached the market in 1933. It was based on a classic silver coffee pot used as part of a dinner service in wealthy homes, a design that was cleverly designed to appeal. The

The distinctive design hasn't changed for over 80 years.
The distinctive design hasn’t changed for over 80 years.

pots are still manufactured today to the same design, and to date over 300 million have been sold worldwide, although the Bialetti family are no longer involved.

Renato’s three children designed to honour their father’s work by commissioning a special giant Moka pot to hold his ashes. His remains were then interred, still in the pot, in the family tomb in Omegna, Italy.

If you love coffee as much as we do, visit our main website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk to find a great selection of coffee beans and coffee accessories at competitive wholesale prices.

 

 

 

Can coffee help fight bowel cancer?

Posted on by Sara Walker

beans and groundsHere at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we love to hear good things about our favourite drink. It seems that the scientific world agree with us too, as a new study has revealed how coffee could help in the fight against bowel cancer.

The study, carried out by the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston,  is the first to examine the relationship between bowel cancer recurrence and caffeinated coffee. It followed the progress of 1000 men and women who had already suffered from the disease. They found that drinking four or five mugs of caffeinated coffee a day meant that the disease was around half as likely to reoccur, and reducing the amount of coffee consumed lowered the health benefits. Scientists aren’t yet clear about exactly how the caffeine works in these cases, but think that it may help to reduce inflammation by reducing the body’s need to produce insulin, which is a risk factor for cancer.

One of the researchers, Dr Charles Fuchs, said, “If you are a coffee drinker and are being treated for colon cancer, don’t stop,” before going on to add that if you didn’t already drink coffee you should discuss it with your doctor before taking it up.

As well as bowel cancel, the research appear to show that drinking around 460mg (the amount found in four to five standard mugs, depending on strength) of caffeinated coffee a day could cut the risks of several other types of cancer including postmenopausal breast cancer, cancer of the liver, melanoma and advanced prostate cancer. There’s also believed to be a link between caffeinated coffee and a reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes.

In addition to caffeinated coffee, health professionals also recommend maintaning a healthy bod weight and diet and regular exercise to lower cancer risks.

Stock up on wholesale coffee supplies for your office or catering business at our main website, www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Instant coffee recipes: Greek frappe

Posted on by Sara Walker

iced-coffeeThis cool, refreshing Greek-inspired drink is ideal first thing in the morning, or as a dessert/coffee combination after lunch.

You’ll need (per person):

  • 2 tsp good quality instant coffee
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp hot chocolate powder
  • 3 ice cubes
  • 50ml very hot water (i.e. just off the boil)
  • 200ml chilled milk

You’ll also need a blender or smoothie maker capable of crushing ice.

What to do:

  1. Dissolve the instant coffee, sugar and hot chocolate in the hot water, and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the blender.
  2. Add the ice cubes, and pulse to crush. Add the chilled milk, and pulse to mix. The mixture should look thick and frothy.
  3. Tip: if you don’t have a blender or smoothie maker, wrap the ice cubes in an old, clean tea towel and lay them on a chopping board. Tap them sharply with a rolling pin until the cubes are roughly crushed, then decant into a glass. Let the coffee mixture cool before beating it together with the milk using a hand blender or balloon whisk, then pour over the crushed ice. You won’t get such a thick, frothy effect, but it’ll still taste great.
  4. Serve immediately with a sprig of mint on the side of the glass.
  5. The ideal serving temperature for your Greek coffee frappe is 10 degrees Celsius.

For variation, try adding a shot of flavoured syrup to the coffee instead of sugar. Caramel, mocha, chocolate, Baileys, Amaretto and mint all work well.

For all your coffee needs, log onto the Wholesale Coffee Company website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk. There, you’ll find wholesale quantities of fresh coffee beans, green coffee beans, instant coffee, flavoured syrups, coffee accessories and coffee ingredients, ideal for all business and commercial needs, and all available to buy online at competitive wholesale prices. To talk to us about your business needs, give us a call on 0800 012 1226 – we’re always happy to chat about our favourite subject, coffee.