Yes... Yes it is!

Now in stores across the UK!

After years and years of dreaming of bringing Couva to the masses, 

they are finally in stores!! 

I am so excited to say that Couva is being stocked at the following stores across the UK: 

England

Annabel's Luxury English Gifts, Chislehurst, Kent 

www.annabelsluxuryenglishgifts.com

Worldly, Wicked & Wise, London

www.wowiwi.co.uk/index.jsp

Scotland

Clementine Home & Gifts, Edinburgh

www.clementinehomeandgifts.co.uk

Ireland

Lysaght Gallery, Howth, Co. Dublin

www.lysaghtgallery.com

Plus some other lovely online retailers very shortly!! 

Until our own e-shop is ready to accept orders on www.couva.co.uk, we are happy to fulfil requests and enquiries at info@couva.co.uk

Couva in the media

A few months ago, I attended a fantastic event for budding entrepreneurs. Start-Up Saturday is a one-day business course for those looking to start their own business. Each month, the wonderfully enthusiastic Emma Jones covers the basics of what it takes to turn an idea into a successful business. 

By the end of the day, you'll learn about: 

• researching the market
• how to write a business plane
• the basics of using social media to your business's advantage
• marketing strategies
• and many other really useful things. 

I met a number of really great people, all with terrific business ideas, and I left feeling utterly inspired and energised about the prospect of being my own boss. Not bad for £30!! 

Information about registering is found at www.enterprisenation.com/events/startup-saturday-2012

Shortly after attending, I was contacted by one of Emma's colleagues who was interested in the Couva story. They have included Couva in a story about starting a business in Britain. 

Take a look! 
 http://www.startupbritain.org/new/2012/08/06/startup-britain-tracker-delivers-good-news-for-british-business-every-day/

How to make great cafétière coffee... the Couva way!!

Coffee lovers seem to be eternally searching for that perfect cup of coffee. There are many factors that need to be considered in the brewing process that will optimise the goodness of your brew:  

• brewing method, 
•  the roast and grind of coffee beans,  
• the ratio of coffee to water,    
• water temperature,  
•  the brewing time, and
• heat retention

I’ll be writing more about each of these in the coming weeks, but what I really want to focus on now is the cafétière brewing method (for obvious reasons!).  

(For those of you who just want the steps for great coffee, skip to the bottom of this posting!)

 How do you brew?

Many experts would argue that the cafétière is best way to brew coffee. Unlike other methods, it allows for greater extraction of all the flavours and oils, and you have greater control of the water temperature. When you’re talking coffee, temperature of the water is key.

You want to make sure that your cafétière is clean – make sure that there are no left-over grounds hiding anywhere (like between the layers of the plunger!). This can lead to a build-up of coffee oil residue which can give your coffee a bitter and rancid flavour… and no one wants that!

TIP! Most plungers come apart by unscrewing them so that you can wash each part separately.

The Roast and Grind

How your coffee tastes depends on where the beans are grown, how they are roasted and how coarse they have been ground.  One of the best things about coffee is how many different places coffee is grown and how these growing conditions effect the flavour of the beans.
 I would encourage you to step-outside of your comfort zone and experiment with trying different growing regions, different roasts, and different blends of coffee. For example, there is an incredibly delicious Cost Rican coffee made by Brit (www.cafebritt.com) that is grown on the slopes of the Poas Volcano. Thanks to the growing climate, the coffee has a wonderful earthy quality as result of the minerals in the soil.

When grinding beans for use in a cafétière, you want to ensure that your beans are a slightly coarse grind. The coarse grind allows just the right amount of coffee to be extracted from the beans. If its ground too finely, a lot of the fine ground 'dust' will pass through the mesh plunger and will muddy the coffee. It will also lead to over-extraction make the coffee very bitter and strong. If the coffee is too coarse, then not enough flavour will be extracted, resulting in weak, thin coffee. A bit like Goldilocks, the grind of coffee needs to be 'just right'!

It’s preferable to buy whole beans and grind as you use them. Once the coffee has been ground, the oils are released with exposure to oxygen over time, the oils will begin to oxidize and lose their depth of flavour. If you do have to buy coffee that is ready-ground, or you must grind a large batch at once, make sure you store in an air-tight container to preserve the freshness as much as possible. 

 How much coffee to use?

Generally speaking, you want to use about ½-1 tablespoon of ground coffee per cup (or one of the standard coffee scoops). For example, I have an 8-cup Bodum Kenya coffee pot (www.bodum.com), and I use 4 scoops of ground coffee. Obviously, you can add more or less to taste.

 Temperature

One of the most important parts of brewing coffee in a cafétière is the quality of the water and the temperature.

Filtered or bottled water is best. Tap water contains different chemicals and minerals (like chlorine) that can have a huge effect on the flavour of the coffee. Always make sure you fill your kettle with fresh, cold water. Re-boiled water as it has lost a lot of the oxygen content which will greatly effect the extraction  process.

The ideal temperature of the water for brewing coffee is between 195-200^oF (90-93^oC). After the water has boiled, let it sit for a minute or so to let it cool slightly. You never want to pour boiling water directly onto the grounds because you’ll actually burn the oils, making the coffee taste bitter.

TIP! Pour the hot water over the back of a spoon as you’re pouring into the cafétière. This will help prevent the grounds from being scorched!

If the water wasn’t at the right temperature, you’ll know once you’ve had your first sip! If your coffee tastes bitter, or slightly ‘thick’ on your tongue, chances are that the water was too hot – the oils have probably been scorched or the coffee has been over-extracted. It could also be that the coffee was too finely ground and you’re drinking up some sediment.
On the other hand, if your coffee tastes a bit flat or thin and watery, then it’s likely that your water wasn’t hot enough or the grind of coffee was too coarse to draw out all those lovely delicious flavours.    

   

      Holding in the goodness - Heat retention

Another crucial thing to consider is heat retention. Coffee begins to lose its taste as it cools. Because cafétières are generally made of glass, heat is lost quite quickly. By wrapping your cafétière with a Couva (www.couva.co.uk*), the coffee remains at the optimal brewing temperature for longer, allowing for all of the delicious flavours and oils to be extracted during brewing.

TIP! It is very  important to wrap your Couva BEFORE pouring in the water! I don’t want anyone scalding themselves by trying to get the Couva in place once the hot water is in the cafétière!

Once it’s been plunged, the coffee will stay at the optimal drinking temperature for longer, preventing rapid flavour loss.

Tick Tock! Brewing Time!

The average recommended brewing time is around 4 minutes. However, the length of time the coffee brews will have an effect on the taste – the longer the grinds are in contact with the water, the stronger the coffee.
 So, vary your brewing time according to how strong you like your brew.

Then take the PLUNGE and enjoy!!

The Couva Coffee Couture steps for 

great cafétière coffee

Step 1. Wrap your Couva* around your cafétière.

Step 2. Use about ½-1 tablespoon or 1 coffee scoop of ground coffee per cup. For example, if you have a  medium 8-cup cafétière, you’ll need about 4 scoops of ground coffee.

Step 3. Boil some freshly drawn cold water (filtered or bottled if you can). Once the water has boiled, let it sit for about a minute. This allows it to cool slightly, preventing the coffee grinds from getting scalded.  Pour the hot water onto the coffee.

Step 4. Stir and let the coffee brew for about 4 minutes (depending on how strong you like your brew).

Step 5. Gently press on the plunger.

Step 6. Pour and enjoy! Thanks to Couva, your coffee will stay at the optimal drinking temperature for longer! 

*Our online store will be up and running soon! If you want more information about where to get a Couva of your own, please email me at Emily@couva.co.uk

The Happy Hundred Hooray!

As an entrepreneur with a new start-up company, I take great pleasure in the smallest of accomplishments... like ordering business cards (which make the company feel really real!) and having the beginnings of the website started (www.couva.co.uk). 
It really is the little things that give a boost to keep momentum going, to push forwards and keep striving for success. 

Today I'm celebrating the first quantifiable milestone for Couva...

 I've sold the first hundred Couvas! 

It feels so satisfying after the years of making them by hand, and the recent hard work to bring them to a larger market that they are slowly gaining momentum. 

Happy Hundred Couva! 

I love coffee...

It goes without saying that I love coffee... the morning just isn't complete without it.
But there are certain times when the "caffeine" question creeps into my mind...is there such thing as too much of a good thing?!

I found a lovely article about the health benefits of coffee (from JoAnn Bayus over on www.mindbodygreen.com).

• Coffee is jam-packed full of antioxidants, which have been shown to reduce inflammation in the body;
• It has been shown to have protective effects to liver damage for those people at high risk of liver disease (in a study by A. Klasky of Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research);
•  Drinking coffee has been linked to reduced risk of developing type-2 diabetes and reducing mortality rates associated with heart attacks;
  And it's good for brain function!
• Coffee has been proven to improve memory and reflexes, according to Tyler Graham and Dr. Drew Ramsay (authors of The Happiness Diet). 
• Coffee has also been shown to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and depression, as well as increasing mental focus and alertness.
  

Image: blog.seattlecoffeegear.com

    Hints and tips for getting the most from your brew:

• Don't mask the goodness of the coffee with loads of sugar, cream, and other things that detract from the delicious flavour or health benefits. 
• Choose the best quality coffee you can. Choose organic if possible as they will be free from pesticides and nasties.
• Enjoy coffee as part of a healthy lifestyle of good food, exercise and positive thinking. But do remember there CAN be too much of a good thing! 

I feel that I can be smugly confident that my morning ritual is actually good for my body as well as the soul!

Top Drawer London 2012

I'm still catching my breath from the Top Drawer weekend (and recovering from the nasty cold I caught!)... Who knew that all the hard work began AFTER the show was done! 

All joking aside, it was a terrific experience and I met some great people.

Here are the photos to prove it! 

 I've also learned a great deal - next year will be bigger and better.