It’s International Coffee Day

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International Coffee day

Oh yes it is.   Okay it isn’t.  But it was.   And this post should have gone live then but, well, you don’t need the ins and outs, suffice to say it didn’t happen.   But to celebrate I thought I  do a little round up of my favourite coffee related products.  And whilst I am here, if you are on Pinterest have you seen that I have a coffee (and tea) related board?  Don’t worry I will wait for you to go and follow it and then come back:

Follow MummyBarrow’s board C is for Coffee and Tea on Pinterest.

I have talked before about how it was Sage Appliances that made me start drinking coffee after forty years.  They do a whole range of incredible coffee machines that would keep in the fussiest of baristas happy.   We are lucky enough to have the Dual Boiler  which can make your espresso at the same time as frothing your milk.   All at a consistently perfect 93 degrees.   It also comes with a chap who will set it all up for you and show you how to make amazing latte art.     Pricey but if you stopped buying your daily £3 Starbucks Cappuccino it would be paid for in thirteen months which makes it sound almost like a bargain, doesn’t it?

Dual Boiler Sage Appliances

If you are really into your coffee though and miss having a great coffee machine at work I might be able to help you out there.    Whittards sell something called an Aeropress which really is a bargain at just £25.   This is what they say about it:

The AeroPress is an alternative way to make coffee, American style or Espresso style for use in lattes, cappucinos and other espresso-based drinks. AeroPress brews 1-4 cups per pressing. Ideal water temperature and faster brewing yields rich flavour with lower acidity and without bitterness.  Its total-immersion system permits extraction at a moderate temperature and a short brew time. Water and coffee are mixed together for 10 seconds, then gentle air pressure pushes the mix through a micro-filter in just 20 seconds, which avoids  bitterness. The air pressure also gently squeezes the last goodness from the coffee, further enriching the flavour. The total brewing time of only 30 seconds results in an exceptionally smooth brew. Includes 350 filter papers, coffee scoop, funnel and stirrer.

Also incredibly simple to do, and no mess. Proper filter coffee, at your desk, it is nothing short of genius in fact.   So genius that it got whisked out of the house by Mr B and stashed in his drawers in the office before I had the chance to use it, decide that in fact I wanted it or was going to give it away to a friend.   He tells me that it does make a great espresso, that you would really think had come from a much more expensive machine.

Aeropress from Whittard

And for the money, this would make a great (dare I say it so early) Christmas present for anybody in your life who loves their coffee.

Talking of coffee we can’t do a top three without actually featuring the bean itself.

This is one of our current favourites

Whittards Coffee

a gorgeous Columbian coffee that is pre ground and works beautifully in any coffee machine.  It has almost sweet taste to it and is a great way to start the weekend.   Or indeed end it after dinner!

We are also loving Whittards Guatemala elephant coffee that you can order online, either ground for a filter machine, the aeropress or other cafetiere, or as we like it, whole beans.   As beans though they are huge!!  Elephant indeed.   We have our own grinder so like to get our beans whole and then grind them as and when we need them, though we have had to play with the grind to get it just right for these badboys.   They have an almost chocolately taste to them.   Which means they also make a great espresso martini.

Whatever you were  drinking on International Coffee Day I hope it was a  good one!  And if you find anything on Pinterest that you think needs to go on my board, do let me know!

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