Monday morning...

After a very busy weekend at Couva Studios, and with a very busy week ahead, this picture sums up my morning. Wherever you are, I hope you're enjoying your Monday morning! 

(Photo: Sanka, 1952)

Coffee Creativity

While taking a mid-afternoon break, I stumbled across some of the most amazing coffee-based creations I've ever seen! They seem to be VERY "Blumenthal-esque" if you ask me... I'm not sure I'll ever be able to look at coffee the same way again. 

Cookie Cup 

The Cookie Cup is biscuit in the shape of cute little espresso cup that can be eaten once the coffee has been drunk. The pastry is thicker than a normal biscuit and coated with a special sugar glaze to withstand the heat of the coffee.  What a great idea for a dinner party!  

It actually reminds me a little of that scene in the original "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" movie when Willy Wonka picks up a daffodil cup, drinks the contents, and then munches the petals. (Created by  Enrique Sardi, Lello Parisi and the Lavazza Team).

Coffee Caviar 

Coffee caviar is definitely a magical hybrid of science with food. Using a syringe, small droplets of a coffee and alginate mixture are added to a diluted solution of calcium chloride. 

What you end up with are little pearls of coffee, each one offering a tiny explosion of intense coffee flavour.  (Created by the Lavazza Team & Ferran Adrià)

Cappuccino Nitro

At first glance, I wasn't quite sure what these strange  coffee-coloured orbs were. These are Cappuccino Nitro is a form of cappuccino that has been “cooked” in liquid nitrogen at -196° C. The result is an incredibly crunchy frozen meringue with a creamy centre as it warms to room temperature. I'm not sure this one should be attempted at home! (Created by the Lavazza Team & Ferran Adrià)

Coffee Floss 

How fun is this creation?! For the young-at-heart, Coffee Candy Floss is made like traditional cotton candy, but with the addition of micro-ground freeze-dried coffee. This would certainly put some pep in your step at the fair! Certainly not for the little ones...  (Created by the Lavazza Team)
 

Coffee Lollies 

 

Another one for the kid in us all, Coffee Lollipops are made from sugar, water, glucose, and powdered coffee is added when warm. These don't sound too difficult to make, and would make a fantastic gift for the coffee lover in your life (Created by the Lavazza Team).

For more beautifully tempting coffee creations, visit the Coffee Design page from Lavazza. 

(All photos from http://www.lavazza.com/corporate/opencms/en/coffee-passion/training-center/coffee-design/products/)

UK Coffee Week

 For all the coffee lovers around the UK, this is our week! It's UK coffee week (April 22-28), and there are loads of great events going on to satisfy our caffeine cravings and indulge our passion for good beans.

This great event was started by the Allegra Foundation to help provide provide sustainable clean water projects in deprived African communities related to the tea, coffee and food industries.

The week's flagship event, The London Coffee Festival  is the UK's largest coffee and artesan food festival and takes place this weekend at the Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane. There will be loads to keep all of your senses entertained in all things coffee:  demos, tastings, masterclasses, plus there’s a pop-up roastery, live music and artwork on display. 

To showcase the wonderful talent the UK has to offer, the festival will also be hosting the UK Barista Championships including categories for taste, latte art, and alcohol-based bevvies.  

The best bit is that 50% of ticket prices will be donated to the Allegra Foundation.

See you there! 

Photo: http://www.ukcoffeeweek.com

Caffeine

Monday Morning Musings!

Monday morning inspirations...

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/captainmcdan/

Coffee with Kindness

While a "Suspended Coffee" might sound like something that culinary wizard Heston Blumenthal has whipped up for one of his magical mystery dinner parties, it is in fact a new social movement that is sweeping the world. 

The idea of a suspended coffee originated in southern Italy (a caffe sospeso), where someone buys an extra coffee or two in addition to their own order. These are reserved for someone less fortunate when they are in need of a free hot drink.

The idea has caught on like wildfire! The web is literally buzzing with articles and stories about supporting those in need through the purchase of suspended beverages and food . 
The idea has sparked pages on Facebook, with one entitled "Suspended Coffees" has nearly 40,000 supporters. 

But not everyone is in favour of the idea.... Karen Mercer of Enfield Chase station’s My Coffee Stop is one such person...and raises some very good points that many people seem to have overlooked. (The post "Is suspended coffee a good thing?" is a great read!)

First of all, the price you pay for a cup of coffee is not the price it costs to make. Does the coffee shop get to pocket the profit? Do they contribute it back towards other suspended coffees? How can you be sure that the suspended coffee you buy will go to a person in need? And how can you be sure that any extra unclaimed coffee money gets to a good cause? 

Starbucks obviously thought along these lines when developing their approach to helping support the suspended coffee movement: When you pay for a suspended coffee, we’ll give coffee to that value to our longstanding charity partner, Oasis, which will then distribute the coffee to its community hubs across the UK, and we’ll match the value of each suspended coffee in a cash donation to Oasis. This will help provide warmth and comfort for those in need.

Personally, I think the idea is a great one in theory, but probably not in everyday practice. On a small-scale, I think it would work really well, but on a larger scale of international cafe chains, there are bound to be issues. But certainly nothing that couldn't be worked out! 

No matter what your views on the suspended coffee debate, the wonderful thing about the hype and debate is that it has made many more people aware of the problem with homelessness, and made them realise just how quick and easy it is to help in even the smallest way. 

Hopefully members of the coffee industry, big and small, will take advantage of people's interest in helping those less fortunate.

www.couva.co.uk

What does your daily cup of coffee say about you?

Who knew that so much could be revealed from where we choose to buy our coffee?! 

I suppose that there have always been underlying assumptions about who goes to which cafe to get their daily dose of caffeine... the people who grab a quick cup of anything hot, wet, and resembling coffee from fast food chains, those who are consistent in the chain of "one on every corner" high street coffee shop they frequent, or those who make a more conscious choice about only visiting independent, premium, dare I say trendy cafes with the price tags to match. 

Now the subject has been taken to a whole new level in a new book by Harry Wallop called "Consumed: How Shopping Fed the Class System". He argues that coffee consumption, and where we choose to buy our coffee is directly linked with our identity within the class system. 

From an interview featured on the BBC's Today programme, Mr. Wallop says "I think the social anxieties now are on brands and companies; what you have in your kitchen cupboard, or where you buy your morning cup of coffee".
  


Personally, I'm not sure that the issue is so black and white (or espresso and flat white?!)... I'm sure that there are many among us that don't fit nicely into one category or another. Rather, I think that in most instances, needs must - particularly when it comes to coffee. Sometimes when you need a coffee, you need a coffee - regardless of where it comes from. 
Undoubtedly, there will be those who know what they like, and they stick with it. However, I think that it is more likely that people fluidly move from one category to another, sometimes buying from one of the BIG name high street shops, other times making a concerted effort to support independent businesses and the quality products that they have available. 

All in all, rather a deep intellectual subject to be tackling first thing on a Monday morning, before I've even had my first cup of the day! 


For more information: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21227449