April 12th, 2011
Over the centuries coffee has come under attack from various quarters making unfounded and sometimes completely crazy claims against it. Most attacks have had some underlying motive to damage coffee’s reputation, often (as is so common in life) for monetary gain. In 1777, Frederick the Great tried to restrict the use of coffee in Germany by claiming it was unpatriotic:
“It is disgusting to notice the increase in the quantity of coffee use by my subjects, and the like amount of money that goes out of the country in consequence. My people must drink beer. His Majesty was brought up on beer and so were his ancestors.”
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March 31st, 2011
We finally have some good news on the Grindenstein knock out boxes. They’re now back in stock. Due to changes to their distribution channel we’ve been waiting a very long time for these to arrive. I think 2 out of the 3 colours have been out of stock since before Christmas (which now seems a very very long time ago).
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Tags: accessories, espresso machines
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March 21st, 2011
I was lazily watching TV last Sunday, when in an ad break something caught my eye. I’m sure most of you are familiar with Lloyds TSB’s latest advert for something they call ‘Money Manager’. Basically it’s a tool which breaks down your spending into categories so you can see where all your money goes.
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March 9th, 2011
Some of you may have noticed that recently we’ve been having some stock problems with Bialetti. Deliveries from them so far this year have been a bit patchy and consequently our stock levels have suffered, causing us to run out of several products. Deliveries are slowly improving and we do now have most models back in stock and those still out of stock we hope to be receiving by the end of March.
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Tags: stove-top espresso makers
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February 21st, 2011
So who is Francisco de Mello Palheta?
De Mello Palheta is credited by some to have started Brazil on the way to becoming the world’s largest coffee producer. It is believed that de Mello Palheta started the cultivation of coffee in Brazil, when in 1727, he obtain either a number of coffee seeds or seedlings from neighbouring French Guiana.
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February 3rd, 2011
Following on from the popularity of the Sagaform Takeaway travel mug, we’ve now decided to stock this mug in two additional designs: Pix and Flower. Some of you may remember me writing about these travel mugs back in March last year. I still stand by what a said back then. These mugs are great because as they’re made from porcelain there’s no metallic taste. One drawback though – if you don’t count only keeping drinks hot for around 45 minutes – when I make my partner a tea in mine, she says she can still taste coffee (she’s not a coffee fan – well not yet anyway). I’m not sure why, I think maybe the silicone lid absorbs some of the aromas.
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Tags: travel mugs
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December 8th, 2010
So who is Baba Budan?
Baba Budan is the person responsible for the first cultivation of coffee outside of Ethiopia and Yemen. During a pilgrimage to Mecca, sometime in 17th Century (thought to be around 1635), Budan successfully smuggled out of Yemen, seven fertile coffee beans. Budan had cleverly concealed the beans by strapping them to his belly. On returning to India he planted the beans at his home in the hills of Chickmaglur, near Mysore. The descendants of these plants not only populated India, but were also taken overseas to Indonesia; firstly to the island of Java and subsequently Celebres, Sumatra and Timor.
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November 10th, 2010
I read an article on the BBC’s website last week about a group of apple growers in Herefordshire. They’d been concerned as there was no longer enough demand for their apples and consequently their livelihoods were now at stake.
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October 31st, 2010
I thought I would start a new series today on the legendary and often colourful people who have been involved in the history of coffee. Please feel free to suggest anyone who you think should be included in it. But to achieve true legendary status, just like sainthood, they should no longer be with us before they can be considered.
So who is Captain Gabriel de Clieu?
De Clieu is widely credited for helping to starting the coffee industries of Central and South America. Much of the original stock from the coffee plantations in these areas is thought to have descended from a coffee plant which De Clieu had successfully transported across the Atlantic from his native France to Martinique in 1723.
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September 23rd, 2010
If I asked you the question: Where do you think the most popular place to drink coffee is? I would expect you to reply with the name of one of the UK’s many coffee chains: Starbucks, Costa Coffee, Caffè Nero etc.
Well an interesting survey has been published this week into where is the most popular place to drink coffee in, when you’re out and about. Research conducted by NPD found that McDonald’s (yes that’s McDonald’s of Golden Arches and Big Macs fame) is the largest seller of coffee in the UK, selling 84m cups in the last 12 months.
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