[reblogged from heathershusbandhunt]

  In most factories and other work environments there will be a certain place where everyone stands around having a natter.  And this will normally be in front of the works coffee machine!  This is a place that ninety-nine percent of the workforce will frequent and it is a hotspot for all of the latest gossip.

   In the area surrounding the company’s commercial coffee machine you can pick up all kinds of different info!  Who is dating who, which team are the most likely to win the championship and how good the latest films are.  Of course, you can also discuss work-related matters…. but it is great to have a good choice of topics!

   A cup of coffee at work may not be quite as good as having a pint down your local, but it is still an enjoyable experience.  You never know what conversations are going to begin and you can end up having a really good laugh!

[reblogged from wordpress]

  Why do people say they don’t like a certain food or drink when they have never even tried it?  That’s more how kids are, isn’t it?  They will only eat one part of their egg (the yolk or the white) and flat out refusing to eat the rest; even though they might actually enjoy it!  Weird…  Maybe we all have this tendency?

  There’s a guy I work with who will just not try cappuccino.  He says he doesn’t like it, but he has never even had one!  I’ve tried to explain how nice it is, but he just won’t listen.  The strangest thing is that he drinks gallons of ‘normal’ coffee!  ‘But cappuccino is made from coffee beans as well’, I say.  ‘Nah, it looks horrible’ he always replies.  I despair!

  Dr Seuss wrote a children’s book called ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ which is all about giving food a try before deciding whether you actually like it or not.  Maybe I should buy my colleague a copy of it for Christmas!  We may not like a certain food or drink; after all, we are all different, but we should always give things a chance.

[reblogged from wordpress]

  When we travel abroad we will often come up against the language barrier, and this can be really frustrating when we need to communicate.  It would be so much easier if we all spoke the same language wouldn’t it?  We could still have our own cultures with their unique customs, but we would be able to understand one another! 

  However, some things are universal…  You can travel to virtually any place in the world and one of the drinks of choice will be coffee.  Even though we have our differences in our beliefs and opinions, it would seem that most of us can agree on certain things! 

  We have been using coffee beans to make our drinks for thousands of years and most countries will have their own special recipes.  There may be a few differences in how each country roasts their beans, but the end result is always the same; a carefully prepared and tasty brew! 

  So, if you are ever abroad and feeling a little lonely because of the language barrier, remember this; we may all have our differences, but we are all united by coffee!

[reblogged from flickr]

  Many of our modern hair dyes contain some rather unsavoury ingredients.  They may do a good job of dying your hair, but they can also be the cause of rashes or other skin irritations in many people. 

   Hundreds of people are looking online everyday for natural hair dye recipes.  Some of these are more effective than others and it is often a case of trial and error.  However, none of them are made up from nasty chemicals. 

   Here is a really simple recipe for staining and conditioning your hair.  It will give extra vibrancy and can be used on any hair colour.  However, it will also help to deepen the colour if your hair is brown or brunette.

Mix these ingredients together –

2 tbsp of ground coffee

1 cup of cold brewed coffee

  Apply this to your hair and repeat with the same mixture between ten and fifteen times.

  After the last application, leave this mixture on your hair for 45 minutes and then rinse it off.

  Repeat this weekly for full effect. 

   Your hair should be lovely and soft and it will have a darker tint to it as well. 

  A really cheap and simple recipe that will not bring you out in lumps or bumps!

[reblogged from wordpress] 

  When you roast coffee beans, you are transforming them.  It is an almost magical process that has gone on for many hundreds of years.  It can become extremely technical and science will often play an important role.  Different roasting methods can produce a variety of flavours and aromas shrouding the whole business of coffee roasting in a cloak of mystery.

  Coffee roasting has sadly become far more industrialised over the years, but things may be starting to change.  Far more people are interested in natural processes these days and it is because of this that ‘home bean roasters’ are becoming a common household accessory. 

  Once upon a time, all bean-roasting was done by hand, either in ovens or over fires.  Because coffee is such a popular drink in so many countries, there are a huge variety of different roasting methods.  Each of these will create a beverage with a slightly different flavour and aroma. 

  It is a fascinating process and it can be a truly rewarding experience when you carry it out by yourself.

[reblogged from wordpress]

  Different people have different ideas when it comes to storing coffee beans.  Should you keep them in a cool, dark and dry place or is it better to put them in your refrigerator?

  Try using these tips to improve your coffee experience and to keep your beans fresh for as long as possible.

• Roasted beans will normally have a shelf life of two to four weeks if you store them in the right way.
• Try buying smaller amounts of coffee more frequently. If you buy your beans in bulk then they may well lose a lot of their flavour before you can use them all.
• To get the best flavour from your beans you should grind them just before you want a drink.
• If you have any unused coffee then always keep it in its original packaging.  Put this inside an airtight container and store it away from light and moisture at room temperature.
• Storing your beans away from other foodstuffs is vital as they are porous and will soak up moisture and any other odours.

[reblogged from propsunlimited]

   More and more of us are becoming increasingly fussy when it comes to coffee these days; and this is mainly due to us being so spoilt!  Wherever we are and whatever it is we are doing, there is always somewhere nearby that can provide us with a good quality brew. 

  It’s because of this that a lot of people are now buying commercial coffee machines for their homes.  They deliver a far superior coffee and will often have lots of extra features.  Many units will even allow you to brew two pots of coffee (perhaps a regular and a decaff) and keep them piping hot at the same time.  These machines are also easy to move from room to room, so they can soon be set up if you are expecting guests. 

  If you are a ‘serious’ coffee drinker or you often have a group of coffee-drinking friends round then these machines make a brilliant addition to your home.  You will have a regular supply of your favourite drink with all the flavour you would expect from an expensive coffee house!

Today we’re going to share with you one of our favorite and oldest coffee recipe (from one of our moms). It’s called coffee punch and its a delicious, thick, creamy milky indulgence. Lactose intolerant folks stay away!

• 2 dollops of vanilla ice cream, make sure it’s melted a bit
• 2 espresso glasses of fresh and strong brewed coffee. I wouldn’t go for espresso as its too strong but if you can get quite a mild press from your coffee beans out of your espresso machine, that that’ll do.
• 2 cups of milk, more or less.
• 2 dollops of whipping cream, whipped.
• 2 tablespoons of sugar, more or less
• A splash of vanilla extract and ground nutmeg. I prefer cinnamon, but its up to you.

Instructions:

Throw the coffee, milk, sugar, and vanilla into a container and stif well. Leave it in the fridge for about an hour or two. (the colder the better)
Get an icecream bowl, (or cup) place your vanilla icecream in it and then, as you stir, pour the coffee mixture over the ice cream
Top it up with whip cream, sprinkle with the cinammon / nutmeg, then voila, it’s done.

As coffee drinkers ourselves, we know how to appreciate a good brew. We know the difference between a good coffee and a mediocre one. We know where the best coffees are when it comes to high street chains in the UK.

Still our expectations are admittedly, kind of lenient, compared to Americans.

This is just in: Coffee drinkers in the states have just rated their own blend of coffee as, rubbish, to put it midly.

After tasting more than 37 caffeinated and decaffeinated varieties of coffee, none of them measured up to the Consumer Reports ‘Excellent’ or ‘Very Good’ rating by the independent nonprofit coffee experts, the publication said Tuesday. The lackluster report follows a year of tight supplies of high-quality Arabica coffee beans in Columbia.

That makes perfect sense to us: low supply leads to dilution of quality. We hope this wont last and affect coffee supplies to the UK.

[read the full article here]

So everyone from Starbucks to Costa Coffee to McDonalds have gone 100% Fair Trade. They don’t just offer fair trade coffee as a choice, but have programs  to help benefit coffee farmers and their communities. There’s been plenty of debate about the worthiness and real-value of being fairtrade certified or rain forest alliance certified, especially in barista blogs. And it can now also be seen as almost an industry standard.

This all sounds well and good but what does this mean to the customers?

According to the Times Online,

“the consumer has been largely left out of the loop. Fewer than 50 per cent of consumers are aware that any of the outlets offer Fairtrade beans. As this month’s survey shows, a clear majority are completely unaware of many of the higher-profile commitments to Fairtrade. In the case of Starbucks’ 2010 pledge, 58 per cent are unaware, the same percentage of consumers is also completely unaware of Costa’s foundation. For Pret’s commitment, 69 per cent of consumers are completely unaware”

We find this kind of surprising. Do they not see the fair trade signs in their favorite coffee cafes or does the impetus lie on the companies to do more about this lack awareness?

[read more]