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It's a Passion

We often think of our past career(s) and think now how lucky we are. We envied people who produced something an object that could be used and the workmanship appreciated like a carpenter who hand crafts a piece of furniture, an artist or sculpture, a cake or dress maker. That is what went through our minds when we decided to become coffee roasters the satisfaction that the end product is something that we have made we have produced and for someone else to enjoy – it’s a passion that we hope we share with our customers who enjoy our hand roasted artisan coffee.

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Caer Urfa Coffee wishes Willie a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY all the best to you and hope you have a fun filled fantastic day and a brilliant DINNER party.

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Remember Saturday the 29th September 2018 is the Winchester Coffee Festival 2018 tickets are on sale now! at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/winchester-coffee-festival-2018-tick…www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/winchester-coffee-festival-201

Have fun!

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I only popped in for a coffee

The roasts

There are many types of roast and as many given names depending which side of the pond you are, here are the main three.

Light roast – mellow with crisp light flavours sometimes described as doughy.

Medium roast – well rounded flavour that shows off the unique notes from the particular coffee origins – caer urfas preferred roast.

Dark roast – rich and intense with nutty and chocolate notes

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I only popped in for a coffee

Arabica

Is usually cultivated between 600m and 2000m altitude, in temperate and tropical climates, known as the coffee belt between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, it is a rich and aromatic coffee with subtle fruity notes.

Robusta

A hardier more resistant plant that grows at lower altitudes again between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, it has a more earthy flavour. As well as a standalone coffee its sometimes used with Arabica in blends to add that extra crème.

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I only popped in for a coffee.

When the fruit of the coffee plant – the coffee cherry – is ripe and ready for picking, it goes a vivid red. Each cherry contains two coffee beans, each are harvested, dried and roasted. Roasting is an essential stage that allows the aroma, colour and taste of the coffee to develop. As the beans are heated changes occur in the colour and aroma of the bean as aromatic oils are released that brings out the coffee’s flavour, the longer the roast the darker the beans and stronger the coffee. 

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Tanzania -  Mlimani Ngarashi AA    

Varietal(s): Bourbon & Kent

Processing: Fully washed and sun dried on raised beds

Description:

A fruity full bodied sweet tasting cup

This fully washed coffee was produced by various smallholder members of the Mlimani Ngarashi Cooperative, near the town of Mondul in the north of Tanzania.

After being harvested and delivered on the same day, the cherries are pulped by a single disc pulper and are then fermented anywhere from 3 to 5 days, depending on the climate. After being washed, the parchment is then dried on raised beds for 12-13 days, until optimal humidity levels are achieved.

The Mlimani Ngarashi Cooperative is a member of the Association of Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffee Growers (Kilicafe), a producer association that works throughout Tanzania to promote sustainable growing practices and improved cup quality. In part, because of their services, the Mlimani Ngarashi group has been able to invest in more stringent processing practices, which has significantly improved the quality of the coffee and has, in turn, enabled the group to begin selling their coffee on higher-priced export markets. 

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Caer Urfa Coffee likes to wish all those taking part in the Great North Run the best of luck especially Anthony Arnott (who is running) and Janice Wilkinson (who will be in attendance at the Macmillan stall in South Shields).

Good luck to everyone running or walking the GNR today x look out for me at mile 9, give me a wave and a yoohoo i will be shouting back with the Macmillan Team.

😀🏃‍♀️🏃🏻‍♂️

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Following on from our posts promoting Bio-bean and Optiat, there's more.

Coffee can do so much more than just lifting you out of your Monday morning slump.

Here are 13 ways coffee can tackle your beauty bugbears and bring a shine to your home.
1. Exfoliate
Coffee can make a brilliant natural exfoliate. For soft, smooth skin, rub a little ground coffee in circular motions to your skin and then rinse.
2. Brighten your skin
Coffee can perk up your face as well as your morning by stimulating circulation and giving you that extra glow. Wash your face as usual and mix one tablespoon of ground coffee with two tablespoons of organic, plain yoghurt. Apply to your face, leave for around 15 minutes and then rinse.
3. Reduce under eye bags
Chill used coffee grounds in the fridge. Once they’re cool, rub under the eye area. Leave to settle on your face for about 15 minutes before rinsing.
4. Battle cellulite
Most cellulite treatment creams have one key common ingredient – caffeine.Make your own at home by mixing some warm, used coffee grounds with coconut oil and rubbing it onto your skin in circular motions before rinsing.
5. Get shiny hair
Apply a little extra-strong coffee to dry, clean hair to make it shinier.Rub the cold coffee into your hair and leave it on for around 20 minutes before rinsing.
6. Enhance coloured brown hair
Mix one or two teaspoons of ground coffee with a handful of conditioner.Rub the mixture into coloured brown hair and leave for about five minutes to enhance the colour.
7. Natural air freshener
If you love the smell of fresh coffee, coffee beans make a great natural odour-neutraliser and air freshener for your home or car. Fill a small open container with freshly ground coffee beans and it will absorb any strong aromas such as fast food or pet odours.
8. Clean your surfaces
Coffee grounds are great for scrubbing tough surfaces as they are mildly abrasive and slightly acidic. You can use them on their own or mix them in with a little washing-up liquid.
9. Unblock your drain
Pour used coffee grounds down the sink followed by a few drops of washing up liquid and a pot of boiling water to clear a blocked drain.
10. Fix tired furniture
If you have any dark wood furniture that has a small nick or scratch in it, try using coffee.Mix 2-3 tablespoons with a little water to make a thick paste. Using a plastic knife spread the paste over the scratch using a plastic knife. Remove any excess with a slightly damp cloth.Leave it to dry before buffing.
11. Bake brownies
Using cold, fresh coffee to replace milk in your brownie recipe will give your batch a flavourful kick.

12. Lengthen the life of cut flowers
Filling a small jar with a coffee-soil mix can help keep cut flowers living longer.
13. Feed your houseplants
Fresh or used coffee grounds are high in nitrogen so a small amount makes a great feed for houseplants.

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Have you ever thought what to do with the dregs from your coffee machine – well entrepreneur Arthur Kay does.

With the increase in coffee shops and household coffee makers available Arthur can but the ground coffee remnants to good use, his company bio bean is able to turn the waste into bio fuel, that has the potential to be able to supple the energy needs for households and industry.

Products produced are

1.       ‘Biomass pellets’ from waste coffee grounds.

These carbon neutral, advanced biofuels are used for heating buildings, thus displacing fossil fuels.

2.     ‘Coffee Logs™’ Carbon neutral biomass briquettes from waste coffee grounds

Can fuel homes and appliances such as wood fired stoves, chimeneas and BBQs.

According to Kay, the London coffee industry alone creates over 200,000 tonnes of waste every year, so why not use that waste to good use. 

Check out - http://www.bio-bean.com

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Just a quick note to let you coffee lovers out there know we at Caer Urfa Coffee will be showing off our produce at this coming Fridays 7th Septembers Farmers Market at Saxon Square, Christchurch come along and have a look.

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Optiat skincare

Interestingly seen on a recent episode of Dragons Den were a brother and sister promoting their skin care company that used coffee grounds in their products? Here is an extract from their web site:

Natural, sustainable and handmade in the UK, Optiat create skincare products from quality ingredients that would otherwise be discarded. We provide ethical alternative o toxic beauty staples, such as micro beads, by using coffee grounds and other natural by products otherwise sent to landfill.

Welcome to Optiat, the nature-friendly skincare company. We take quality ingredients that would otherwise be discarded and transform them into natural, sustainable skincare products. Our products are hand-made in the UK and vegan-friendly, using only plant-based ingredients. We believe in respecting nature around us and will never, ever test on animals.

Check out - https://optiat.com/

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What to do with your coffee dregs – well we at Caer Urfa Coffee put it to good use, we use the chaff the papery layer that comes off the bean at roasting on our garden, acting much like chippings. As for the coffee grounds produced after making a cup of coffee again we mix that with our compost and put that on the garden.  

It will help microorganisms beneficial to plant and vegetable growth thrive as well as attract earthworms. It’s said that coffee grounds lower the pH (or raise the acid level) of soil, which is good for acid loving plants.

Watch out for the next post where we have looked at a couple of companies that use the coffee grounds to good use.

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Caer Urfa Coffee recent visit to West Bay beautiful place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee.

We are now trading in the monthly farmers market in the square at Wimborne Minster, a town that takes its name for the church at its heart called the Minster Church of St. Cuthburga. As we are learning about our new location we thought we would share some of our research with you.

Wimborne Minster is a town well worth a visit. For hundreds of years the Minster has been a centre for pilgrimage, prayer and worship. It contains some wonderful treasures and artifacts within an ancient building. It is located in the middle of the town centre with its two towers visible as you enter the Wimborne. The present building dates from c.1120 with many additions spanning the centuries

The foundation goes back to c.705AD when Cuthburga, sister to Ina, King of the West Saxons, founded a nunnery on the site.500 nuns are reputed to have lived at Wimborne, many of whom followed St. Boniface to the then pagan Germany, as missionaries. The Nunnery was destroyed by the Danes in 1013 but an old Saxon Chest still remains in the Minster today.

Education has always been a priority. Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry V11 founded a school at Wimborne Minster in 1497 and her parents tomb is in the church.

A Chained Library was established in 1695 although the first books were donated in 1686. The Chained Library, one of only four in the country, is open to the public from Easter to the end of October most weekdays.

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Coffee Mills

After posting a recent review of grinders for the home, one of our followers mentioned to us the handheld ‘grinding mills’ are also available. So here we look at the different styles that are available.

Seen as a traditional method of grinding your coffee beans, it does require a little manual effort. Whatever style they come in, they all use the principle of manually turning a handle which turns the inner workings, usually burrs, to grind your coffee beans.

Ebay and Amazon offer cheaper versions with prices ranging from £6 to £70. We have one for the home which we bought from a second hand shop for £3. Basically it depends on your preferred style that matches your requirements and kitchen and budget. The three main styles are:

·         Wooden manufacture

·         Glass style

·         Stainless steel style

Hario small mm-2 ceramic burr hand mill (available from Amazon from £22)

Crafted out of wood, with shaft and handle made of metal, it has a tidy 28g capacity drawer which has magnets that hold the drawer unopened and in place.

Ideal for V60 dripper or coffee press this manual grinder allows you to select the coarseness of the coffee grounds by simply adjusting the ceramic burrs. While the lid on top ensures that all beans are protected from scattering all over the place while grinding.

The Small Hario hand grinder has a sturdy design which ensures that it will last and serve you for many years to come.

Trixes coffee bean hand grinder (available from Amazon from £11)

This one is combines a nice wooden look with stainless steel parts for the actual grinding process. Like other examples it also uses a small pull out drawer to catch the grinds. It can also be used to grind spices and herbs.

Measuring 16.8 x 10.8 x 10.6 cms this quality appliance should take about 2 minutes to grind enough beans to make 2 cups of coffee.

YooNeo Portable hand crank ceramic burr coffee mill (available from Amazon from £10)

Again ceramic burrs, this one is adjustable so you can grind from coarse to fine. With a quality stainless steel finish, its slim and lightweight, measuring 23.4 x 6.4 x 6.4 cms, it can grind enough coffee for up to 3 people at any one time.

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The De'Longhi KG79 £58

One of the cheapest grinders on the market is also one of the most consistent. The machine is easy to operate and even easier to clean with the upper wheel of its grinder core simple to remove. The transparent bean container holds up to 120g enough for 12 cups, with the grinder shutting off automatically once your dosage is reached. You can also choose your desired setting from fine, medium or coarse.

·         110 watts.

·         Stainless steel grinding blade.

·         12 grinding settings.

·         Bean container capacity 120g.

·         Transparent lid.

·         Removable container.

·         Size H26, W16, D13cm.

·         EAN: 8004399324541.

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We have noticed an increase in sales of our coffee ‘beans’ rather than the ready ground coffee, it proves more and more that people are buying beans and grinding them at home. This is good news as the customer has a fresher coffee and when bought from our stall or our internet site it is as fresh as it can be.

With this trend in mind we are reviewing a few of the grinders that are available on the market, depending on your budget, prices range from an affordable £22 to silly money of hundreds of pounds.

There are two types of coffee grinders:

a.     Burr

b.      Blade

Most people but not everyone prefer the burr which is made up of two revolving abrasive surfaces (called burrs), in between which the coffee beans are ground a few at a time. The distance between the surfaces can be changed, which in turn will change the size of the grind.

The main difference between the two types is that burr grinders grind the coffee to a uniform size, and you have more control over your grind than you do with a blade.

In a blade grinder there is a central blade which rotates and chops the beans as it spins.

At this point we have to say the grinders which we use are:  for the business a Mazzer (burr) retailing at £440 and at home a DeLonghi KG49 (blade) £30 both have proved their worth and we still use them daily.

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Camp Coffee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia

Camp Coffee has a smooth flavour of chicory and coffee but with a very sweet, predominantly chicory aftertaste.

Camp Coffee is concentrated coffee-flavoured syrup, consisting of water, sugar, 4% caffeine-free coffee essence, and 26% chicory essence. It is generally used as a substitute for coffee, by mixing with warm milk in much the same way as cocoa, or added to cold milk and ice to make an iced coffee. It is still a popular ingredient for home bakers making coffee-flavoured cake and coffee-flavoured butter cream.

It was first produced in 1876 by Paterson & Sons Ltd., in a plant on Charlotte Street, Glasgow. Almost one hundred years later, in 1974, businessman Dennis Jenks merged his business with Paterson to form Paterson Jenks plc. In 1984, Paterson Jenks plc was bought by McCormick & Company. McCormick UK Ltd. assimilated Paterson Jenks plc into the Schwartz brand.

Legend has it that Camp Coffee was originally developed as a means of brewing coffee quickly for military purposes. The label is classical in tone, drawing on the romance of Empire. It includes a drawing of a Gordon Highlander (allegedly Major General Sir Hector MacDonald) and a Sikh soldier sitting together outside a tent, from which flies a flag bearing the drink's slogan, "Ready Aye Ready".

In late 1975, Camp Coffee became a popular alternative to instant coffee in the UK, after the price of coffee doubled due to shortages caused by heavy frosts in Brazil.

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Café du Monde (French for "Café of the World" or "the People's Café"), is a renowned open-air coffee shop located on Decatur Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a New Orleans landmark and tourist destination, known for its cafe au lait and beignets.

The cafe au lait is a blend of coffee and chicory and is a traditional favourite of many a New Orleans native. Coffee and chicory blends are best enjoyed with warmed milk in the “au lait” style.

The root of the chicory plant is roasted and ground, then added to the coffee to soften the bitter edge of the dark roasted coffee. It adds an almost chocolate flavour to the cafe au lait served at Cafe du Monde.

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Chicory History

Chicory was cultivated as early as 5000 years ago by Egyptians as a medicinal plant. Ancient Greeks and Romans used chicory as a vegetable and in salads believing it had benefits for the liver. There are references to it in the writings of Horace, Virgil, Ovid, and Pliny. The wild root may have been used for food, but it is likely that it was a last resort, since it is woody and incredibly bitter. Cultivated roots, (when young and tender) on the other hand, are consumed to this day, particularly in Belgium.

Exactly when the root was first roasted to be used as a coffee substitute is unclear. There are references to the use of wild chicory root as a coffee additive in colonial America like Louisiana. It is known that its use in this form was widespread in France after Napoleon initiated the ‘Continental Blockade’ in 1808, which deprived the French of most of their coffee.

When the blockade was lifted the French continued to use chicory as an additive because they believed it was good for one’s health and improved the flavour of coffee. Chicory use grew with the advent of the Civil war when trade disruptions and blockades disrupted deliveries of coffee. But this was a substitution of necessity, not choice, so when the war ended, chicory use decreased as prosperity improved and coffee became more readily available. Except in New Orleans and parts of Louisiana where its use was a matter of preference not necessity. Of course, chicory use, as an economical additive in coffee is widespread throughout the world. But, in New Orleans, this economic rationale ignores the influence of 19th century French culture on the cuisine, and does nothing to explain the continued preference for coffee and chicory, even when chicory becomes more expensive than many coffees.

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What is Chicory?

Chicory is grown in many parts of the world, with the largest producers in France and South Africa, even in the U.S. in the state of Nebraska.

Chicory is the roasted and ground root of the cultivated plant species, Chicorium Intybus, subspecies Sativum. Chicory is a forced crop, grown in complete darkness, which accounts for its blanched white, yellow-tipped leaves. It has a distinctive, cigar-like shape, about 12cm long, and the crisp leaves have a mildly bitter flavour. It is used to make a hot drink which is a coffee substitute by first roasting and then grinding the chicory root or by creating a blend of chicory root and coffee. The ratio of coffee to chicory can be as high as 3 to 1, or as low as 1 to 3.

Never mind the world cup we went to see South Shields FC known as the Mariners  play Consett on Friday and what a game – South Shields recently promoted from the Evo stick north league to the NPL Premier Division their second promotion in consecutive years, were the domineering side although a friendly the players had to perform. Good to see a local team with vitality and spirit go forward eventually winning 2 – 1 with new signings Josh Gilles and midfielder Dan Lowther the Mariner goal scorers.

EBAC Northern League Division 2 - 15-16

EBAC Northern League Division 1 - 16-17

Evo stick north - 17-18

NPL Premier Division - 18-19

Have you ever wondered how the use of coffee filters came about – here is an interesting story – A German entrepreneur Amalie Auguste Melitta Bentz (31 January 1873 – 29 June 1950) invented the coffee filter on 1908.
At the time to make a coffee they used percolators but as we know if left are prone to over brewing, espresso-type machines tended to leave grounds in the drink, and linen bag filters were tiresome to clean.
After experimenting with many different materials it’s said she ended up using blotting paper from her son Willi's school exercise book and a brass pot perforated using a nail. The result was grounds-free, less bitter coffee; success so she decided to set up a business.
The Imperial Patent Office granted her a patent on 20 June 1908, and the company was entered into the commercial register, and during the 1909 Leipzig fair they sold 1,200 coffee filters.
In 1910, the company won a gold medal at the International Health Exhibition and a silver medal at the Saxon Innkeepers' Association.
By 1932 she transferred the majority stake of the company to her two sons Horst and Willi, but she still kept a hand in the business.
Although during the Second World War production stopped by 1948 business resumed and at the time of Amalie death in 1950, the company was worth some 4.7 million Deutsch marks.
Today her grandchildren Thomas and Stephen Bentz still control the Melitta Group headquartered in Minden in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia.