The Daily Grind
International Coffee Day (October 1st) will once again shine a light on one of the world’s largest export. It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee...
CALIFIA CONCENTRATED COLD BREW, £5.99, WHOLE FOODS
Cold brewing makes for a smoother coffee, one that’s less acidic, with more antioxidants to boot. We keep a carton of Califia’s 100% Arabica brew in the fridge for instant iced lattes (try it with your favourite nut milk to keep it vegan), or add a shot to morning banana nut butter smoothies for a caffeine kick-start to the day.
PERCOL ITALIAN-STYLE BLACK & BEYOND COFFEE BAGS, £3.49, CO-OP, PERCOL.CO.UK
For those moments when you haven’t the time to grind, brew and wait for the perfect rich and dark cup of Joe, Percol has launched coffee bags. Simply top with water, leave for 3-4 minutes, remove and enjoy.
UNION HAND-ROASTED COFFEE NATURAL SPIRIT WHOLEBEAN, £5.50, WAITROSE, UNIONROASTED.COM
The folks at Union have been sourcing, roasting, living and loving good coffee since 2001, and to this day hand-roast all their coffee in small batches. The proof is in the taste and right now we’re loving this blend with notes of chocolate truffle, sugared lemon and toffee fudge.
KEEPCUP TASTING NOTES COLOUR SERIES, £20, UK.KEEPCUP.COM
A reusable coffee cup is the easiest way to help fight the world’s growing single-use plastic dependency problem. Taking inspiration from the iconic coffee flavour wheel used by baristas worldwide, we love this series from KeepCup with sustainably sourced, biodegradable cork band.
CONKER COLD BREW COFFEE LIQUEUR, £30, CONKERSPIRIT.CO.UK
A complex, dark and fruity brew for espresso lovers, made with beans from Dorset’s Beanpress Coffee Co. With no additives, flavourings or thickeners added, we can’t wait to use it in our handmade dark chocolate truffles come the festive season.
STELLAR HOB TOP 6 CUP ESPRESSO MAKER, £74.95, HARTSOFSTUR.COM
Why spend money on hand-crafted coffee beans to ruin them with the wrong tools? We love this stylish, sleek appliance which works on all hobs and is dishwasher safe.
DID YOU KNOW?
Fresh air is coffee’s arch nemesis. Why? Because fresh coffee is hygroscopic; it absorbs everything in its environment – oxygen, moisture and odours. Once opened, a bag of whole bean coffee starts losing its flavour after one week, and ground coffee after just 15 minutes. The fridge, surprisingly, is one of the worst places to store fresh coffee; instead store it in a dry, stable environment, and brew within 14 days. Or, pop it in the freezer, where its fine flavours are locked in for much longer.
More from Vegetarian blog
It's World Vegetarian Day on the 1st, a day to celebrate our community and our care for the lives of animals. Don’t turnip your nose, lettuce tell you about all of our Veggie loves – and be sure to share yours with us on social media too...
This month is Sustainable Fashion Month, focusing on all things ethical in the fashion world. As a nation our thirst for fashion is hugely impacting the environment, so let's raise awareness of this important issue and champion those working to make the fashion industry a more moral place.
There's nothing better than finding a delicious, nutritious recipe that you can rustle up on a budget, so we've made a list of healthy recipes that are cheap and cheerful
Gnocchi makes a welcome change from pasta, especially for us veggies! If you only cook them halfway they will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and can also be frozen. At serving time, simply cook them quickly in salted boiling water. Bellissimo!
If you're bored of avo-toast, the craze taking Instagram by storm, you've hopped off the bandwagon at the right stop as we've put together a list of new and exciting ways of using avocado...
