Top five vacuum flasks for your coffee

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Sara Walker

Need to keep your coffee hot on the way to work or for after the gym? We’ve picked out five of the best vacuum flasks to keep your favourite drink piping hot and tasty, ready for when you need it.

1. Cartography vacuum flask, Berry Red

The traditional vacuum flask has been given a make-over with a printed leather-effect map of rain distribution over the globe. With any luck, though, your day out will be a sunny one! Holds 500ml. Priced at £21, available from www.berryred.co.uk.

2. Vintage world map flask, The Contemporary Home

Decorated with vintage maps to give you something to read while you sip your coffee, this flask is great for picnics, days out or long train journeys as well as taking to the office. Holds 350ml. Priced at £15, available from /www.tch.net.

3. Bike flask, Ted Baker

This vintage-style flask from Ted Baker’s new Wild & Wolf range is perfect for long countryside jaunts on your bike. Made from stainless steel, it has a vintage bike race printed sleeve and holds 500ml. £22.50, available from www.cotswoldtrading.com.

4. Petal flask, Orla Keily

Designed for gardeners but ideal for everyone, this petal flask from Orla Keily brings a touch of sophistication to any activity. £16.95, available from www.hintonshome.com.

5. Hola bird vacuum flask, Disaster Designs

This vacuum flask is beautifully illustrated with quirky bird designs. It features a handy carrying strap for extra stability, and holds 500ml. £14.99, available from www.cloth-ears.co.uk.

Now the cooler weather’s on its way, it’s the ideal time to invest in one of these lovely flasks. And if you need a little help with some coffee to fill it with, look no further than the Wholesale Coffee Company. We stock a range of coffee beans of all kinds, all at great wholesale prices. To find out more, visit our website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Top five coffee-inspired cushions

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Sara Walker

Everyone has a special relaxing corner where they like to retreat with their mug of coffee. To make your coffee time even more enjoyable, we’ve picked out five coffee-inspired cushions to decorate your favourite comfortable chair or sofa.

1. Handmade Thai silk cushion in mocha, Le Cocon

This luxurious silk cushion from Le Cocon will make a stunning accessory for your room. In exactly the same shade as a cup of milky coffee, it’s handmade from finest Thai silk and comes with a duck feather pad included. Priced at £60, available from www.swankymaison.com.

2. Upcycled Nescafe cushion, The Little Mill House

This cushion features a Nescafe advertising design and would look great in the kitchen. The backing is a red polka dot design and is 100% cotton with a fold over opening. The cushion comes complete with a cotton feather cushion pad and costs £45 from www.littlemillhouse.co.uk.

3. Delicious coffee cushion, DigetexHOME

This cushion is reminiscent of adverts in 1950s American diners. It measures 43cm by 43cm, comes complete with a feather pad and has the design printed on both front and reverse. It costs £30 from www.digetexhome.co.uk.

4. Coffee talk cushion, Ohh Deer

Hee hee! Every coffee lover we know feels like this sometimes, and this cushion would make a great gift for anyone you know who just can’t do without their favourite drink. It’s made from soft faux suede and come complete with a fibre cushion pad insert. It measures 43 by 43cm, is handmade in the UK and machine washable (in case you spill your coffee over it). Was £34.95, now £19.95 from www.ohhdeer.com.

5. Kantha embroidery chevron cushion, In-Spaces

The timeless design and mixed browns of this pretty cushion would complement any coffee lover’s home. The contrasting bright colours of the embroidery on a base of neutral mocha silk make for a sophisticated design. Priced at £40, available from www.in-spaces.com.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we love all things coffee. Check out our range of coffee beans, coffee ingredients and coffee accessories on our website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Chocolate coffee fairy cakes recipe

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Sara Walker

These tempting little cakes are an adult version of a children’s favourite. Serve them for a traditional afternoon tea with sandwiches, or for morning coffee.

To make 12, you’ll need:

For the cakes:

300g self raising flour
350g sugar
70g cocoa powder
250g creme fraiche
250ml vegetable oil, such as sunflower
250ml very strong cold espresso coffee
3 free range large eggs

For the buttercream filling:

110g butter, softened
370g icing sugar
60ml very strong cold espresso coffee
chocolate covered coffee beans, to decorate

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases.
Put the oil, coffee and eggs into a bowl, and whisk until combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder and sugar and beat until you have a smooth batter.
Divide the batter equally into the muffin cases, smoothing out each one with a knife. Bake for around 20 minutes until well risen and golden. To check if they’re done, insert a skewer into the thickest part of a muffin. If it comes out clean, with no uncooked cake mixture adhering, they’re ready. Otherwise, return the tray to the oven for a few minutes. Leave them to cool in the tin for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack until cold.
Meanwhile, make the buttercream. Put all the ingredients into a bowl, and beat until smooth. Spoon the mixture into an icing bag with a large nozzle.
Slice the top off each cake, and discard. Carefully pipe a pyramid of coffee icing on top of each cake, and finish with a chocolate-covered coffee bean.
Serve with a large mug of your favourite coffee.

Tip: the cakes can be frozen before you add the buttercream. When ready, just thaw and pick up from step 4.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we stock a range of coffee beans suitable for all uses including cooking, all at great wholesale prices. To find out more, visit www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Top five personalised coffee gifts

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Sara Walker

if you know someone who loves coffee, treat them to an extra-special gift that’s just for them. Here’s our pick of the top five personalised gifts for coffee lovers.

1. Wooden coffee storage crate, Plantabox

These cute little crates are ideal for storing coffee paraphernalia at the office, and there’s plenty of room for mugs, spoons, bags of coffee, biscuits, and everything else the dedicated coffee aficionado needs. It measures 31cm x 20cm x 15cm and can be personalised with 18 characters per line. Make this gift extra special by filling it with a selection of our 1kg coffee sampling bags. Crate costs £23.95 from www.plantabox.co.uk.

2. Personalised wooden coasters, Maria Allen Boutique

This set of four wooden personalised word coasters comes with the addition of any four names of your choice. They’re from cherry wood and MDF veneer and are laminated on the surface for protection. £35 for a set of four from www.mariaallenboutique.com.

3. Personalised square canister, Jonny’s sister

This smart enamel canister is ideal for storing your personal coffee stash. They’re hand painted and the wording is available in a choice of fonts. £27, available from www.jonnyssister.co.uk.

4. Personalised polka dot coffee mug, Getting Personal

This navy polka dot mug is the solution to keeping track of your mug in a busy office. It’s dishwasher safe, and can be personalised with any name. £9.99, available from www.gettingpersonal.co.uk.

5. Personalised travel mug, Snapdragon

This practical mug is ideal for keeping your favourite drink warm, whether you’re travelling to work, in a meeting or working in the garden. It can be personalised with your choice of characters up to 30, is dishwasher safe and features double wall insulation and a silicon lid. £15, available from www.snapdragononline.co.uk.

For all your coffee bean and coffee accessory needs at great wholesale prices, don’t forget to visit our website – www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Top five gifts for coffee lovers

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Sara Walker

if you’ve got a coffee lover in your life, buy them a coffee-themed gift with a difference. Here are five of our favourites.

1. Coffee necklace, Gift Wrapped and Gorgeous

This pretty pendant necklace features a coffee cup hand stamped onto a fine silver disc, which measures approximately 15mm. Each necklace is hand crafted from start to finish using 100% recycled fine silver, and each piece is unique. Priced at £32, for more information see www.giftwrappedandgorgeous.co.uk.

2. Coffee tea towel, Stuart Gardiner

Possibly the perfect gift for a coffee lover, or for someone who wants to pass themselves off as a connoisseur! If you think you know your ristretto from your espresso or can tell a French press from a stove top, then this tea towel is for you. Made and printed in the UK, it costs £9.95 from www.hintonshome.com.

3. Vintage coffee grinder, Raspberry Mash

his beautiful wooden vintage French coffee grinder is as attractive as it is useful. Use to decorate your kitchen, or to grind your own coffee beans for that freshly-ground taste. £38, available from www.raspberrymash.co.uk.

4. Coffee advertising wall clock, Newgate

The coffee advertising clock is a reminder that the day will improve, just as soon as that triple espresso makes an appearance. As well as the retro-look convex metal dial, the clock features wrap-around hands to follow the contours for perfect time keeping so you won’t miss your coffee break. Priced at £65, available from www.redcandy.co.uk.

5. Vintage metal coffee sign, Mollie & Fred

Remind everyone in the house how your day has to start with this vintage-style shabby chic metal sign. Designed to have a worn, distressed appearance with a vintage post card style background print, the sign measures 26.5cm by 35cm, and costs £9.99 from www.mollieandfred.co.uk.

Of course, the only thing you really need to keep a coffee lover happy is large amounts of good quality coffee – and that’s where we come in. At the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’re proud to supply a range of coffee beans at great wholesale prices. For more information, please visit our website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Chocolate brownies with coffee icing

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Sara Walker

This could possibly be the ultimate indulgence – rich, gooey chocolate brownies topped with squidgy coffee icing. These are great for a dinner party, served with vanilla ice cream, or make in small batches for a treat.

You’ll need (makes 8 – 12):

For the brownies

180g butter or margerine, softened
180g good quality dark chocolate
85g plain flour
3 large freerange eggs
40g cocoa powder
270 sugar
60g walnut pieces (optional)

For the icing:

60g butter, softened
120g icing sugar
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, and grease and base line a 20cm square tin..
Break the chocolate into pieces and put it in a large heatproof bowl. Add the butter. Melt the mixture in the microwave in short bursts until fully melted. Allow to cool.
Beat in the eggs, then gradually add the sugar, mixing until fully combined. Gradually add in the flour and cocoa powder, then stir in the walnut pieces.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, and smooth off the top. Bake for 20 minutes, then take the tin out and shake it. If it wobbles in the middle, put it back in for another 5 minutes. You’re aiming for sticky and gooey in the middle rather than baked solid.
Leave to cool in the tin completely, then turn out onto a chopping board and peel off the paper.
Make the icing. Beat all the ingredients together until you’ve got a smooth, glossy paste then spread it evenly over the cake. Cut into small squares, and store in an airtight tin until required, up to two weeks.

The perfect partner for these rich little cakes is a large cup of your favourite coffee. Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we stock a wide range of coffee beans and coffee related products, including instant coffee powder, ideal for all your drinking and cooking needs. To find out more, please visit our website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Coffee all over the world: Brazil

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Sara Walker

Since the coffee bean was first introduced from French Guiana in the 18th century, Brazil has quickly become the world’s largest coffee producer. Unlike Colombia, where the size of the farms are limited by rugged terrain, plantations in Brazil can be immense. With no natural boundaries to stop the expansion, some plantations are run on an industrial scale with hundreds or even thousands of workers operating each one. This doesn’t mean, though, that Brazil produces sub-standard coffee; on the contrary, modern equipment, a suitable climate and advanced processing methods tend to mean a consistently high quality product.

Brazil produces both robusta and arabica coffee beans in its different regions, many of which are large enough to have differing climates. ‘Brazilian’ has become an industry term for a mild blend, although Brazil has now started to produced specialist coffees as well. Depending on the area, beans are wet or dry processed and this is one of the factors that has an effect on taste, helping to distinguish the beans of different regions.

In the mid 20th century, the Brazilian Institute do Café set quotas for exporting coffee. Unfortunately, this had the unforeseen effect of reducing quality, as suddenly growers were expected to produce a certain quantity. Some sources also believe that the institute was founded primarily for political reasons, and promoted cartels rather than the coffee industry itself. The organisation is long defunct, and in the 1990s the new government encouraged significant reforms in how the beans were grown, processed and exported, leading to a sharp increase in quality which has continued to this day.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we stock a range of coffee beans from all over the world, all at great value wholesale prices. For more information and to browse our range, please visit our website www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Espresso and walnut tray bake

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Sara Walker

If you’re hosting a coffee morning or just expecting a houseful over the weekend, this super simple tray bake will solve your catering problems. Serve with a big mug of your favourite coffee for an extra caffeine hit.

You’ll need:

250g granulated sugar
250g margarine or butter, softened
250g self-raising flour
4 freerange eggs
90ml freshly brewed strong espresso coffee
100g walnuts, finely chopped
300g icing sugar
12 walnut halves

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Grease a 20 by 30cm cake tin, and line the bottom with a sheet of baking parchment.

Put the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl, and beat together either by hand or with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add 30ml of the coffee, then beat in the flour. Add in the chopped nuts, and beat until you have a smooth batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, level it off with the back of a spoon and bake in the centre of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until well risen and golden. To check it’s cooked, insert a clean skewer into the middle part of the cake and check no uncooked batter is sticking to it when removed.

Leave to cool in the tin for ten minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Meanwhile, beat the remaining coffee and icing sugar together to form a thick glace icing. Spoon the icing over the cake, and decorate it with the walnut halves, positioning them at regular intervals so that when the cake’s cut into twelve squares each has a walnut.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we stock a range of top quality coffee beans suitable for all uses, all at great wholesale prices. To find out more, please visit our website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.

Homemade coffee creams

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Sara Walker

This simple sweets are a great end to a dinner party, served with a cup of espresso. Although we know there’s no-one out there who doesn’t like coffee, dividing the mixture and making a few sweets flavoured with rose water, orange essence or peppermint will allow you to make a pretty pattern on the serving plate. Colour each flavour of sweet with a drop of appropriate food colouring so that guests can tell the difference.

To make around 24, you’ll need:

450g icing sugar
white of one freerange egg
4 tablespoons very strong black coffee, made from 2 teaspoons of instant coffee in 4 tablespoons water
60g plain chocolate

Beat the egg white until frothy. Put the icing sugar in a large, separate bowl and add the coffee. Add enough of the egg white to form a stiff dough, working it in with your fingers. Dust your fingers with icing sugar, and form the mixture into 24 small balls. Put them on a baking tray or plate covered with clingfilm, flatten then with the tines of a fork and leave in a cool place (not the refrigerator) until set, which should take a few hours.

Break the chocolate into small pieces, and put it in a small, heatproof bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for short bursts. Take a coffee cream, and holding it at the side dip half of it in the melted chocolate. Put it back on the clingfilm and repeat for eleven more sweets. Fold a square of greaseproof paper in half lengthways then again widthways, and scrape the remaining chocolate into the middle of the square to form an icing bag. Cut the corner of the square off to form a piping hole, then drizzle the chocolate over the remaining sweets. Leave them to set for another hour or so, then either pack into airtight boxes or serve.

For a full range of instant coffee and coffee beans, all available at great wholesale prices, please visit our website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.com.

Top five coffee spoons

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Sara Walker

For the coffee lover who really does have everything, how about a special coffee spoon just for making their favourite drink? We’ve picked out five of our favourites.

1. Ceramic animal spoon, Berry Red

This pretty little spoon is made from white ceramic, and features either a bird or bunny in a shabby chic design. Handwash only, 16cm tall. Priced at £3, available from www.berryred.co.uk.

2. Acrylic demi tasse spoon, House Envy

This little spoon has an old fashioned design but is made from modern materials. ‘Demi tasse’ spoons were originally designed to go with coffee cups, so this spoon has an appropriate heritage. Available in a wide range of colours, it’s dishwasher safe and costs £3 from www.house-envy.co.uk.

3. Spanner coffee spoons set, Culinary Concepts

A perfect gift for those with a mechanical bent, this set of four coffee spoons is made from hand-crafted stainless steel, with a spanner handle design and ‘drop forged’ detailing. Costing £28.99, the set’s available from www.cotswoldtrading.com.

4. Long handled spoons, Rice DK

If you prefer a long coffee drink like latte or even regular coffee in a large cup, these long handled melamine spoons are the answer. Long enough at 18cm to stop you burning your fingers, they’re sold as a set of six individual colourful spoons and measure and cost £8.50 for the set. Available from Berry Red as before.

5. Bud coffee spoons, Robert Welch

We love these slender, elegant coffee spoons by Robert Welch. Each one has a sculpted handle which tapers and gently curves into the palm of the hand for a comfortable feel, and is made from high quality stainless steel. £26 for a set of eight, other items are available in the same range. Available from www.johnlewis.com.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we take our coffee very seriously. To browse our range of coffee beans all available at great wholesale prices, please visit our website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.