Coffee is the most popular drink in the world and although the UK consumes low amounts of coffee compared to the rest of the Europe, coffee consumption in the UK is quickly rising. 70 million cups of coffee are consumed each day in the UK. So, in a market like the UK that is nascent but quickly growing, one of the best gift ideas this Christmas is a coffee blend that is unique, heartfelt, and personalised.
We’ve put together an innovative tool, Build-a-Blend, that enables you to do just that. You can craft a unique coffee blend, selecting from four high quality single origin coffees, for that special person. You can also assign a unique name to the blend. And, because of our Spiller & Tait know how, you can be confident the blend will taste great, no matter what ratio of single origin coffees you choose.
But, “how do I know people’s tastes and preferences?” you may ask. Well, the answer is quite simple. Everyone’s tastes are indeed different, so the best way forward is to do some detective work to find out their taste and then build a blend around it. Here are three questions you can ask to get you started on building the perfect coffee blend for your friends or family this Christmas.
The Sumatra Mandheling has notes of dark chocolate, and the Colombia Huila has notes of lighter chocolate.
The Ethiopia Sidamo has flavours of tropical fruit such as mango; whereas, the Sumatra Mandheling has citrus flavours, and the Colombia Huila has hints of berry fruits.
The Brazil Mogiana has a dark roasted nut flavour, and the Colombia Huila has notes of lighter nuts.
With your detective work done, it’s time to build a personalised blend for your friends and family via our build a blend tool.
Medium Roast: Bring the best characteristics out of each coffee and enhance their taste profiles. They are popular because they work well in most common brewing methods.
Dark Roast: Normally increase Aroma & Body but decrease Acidity & Sweetness, they are favoured by those who prefer a smokey ‘roasted’ flavour. They are popular for espresso and milk-based coffee drinks
Whole Beans: Whole beans keeps the coffee fresh and makes the flavor last longer. If you prefer the full sensory experience of a black coffee, whole beans are the answer. The downside of using whole beans is that a cup of coffee takes longer to make and you’ll need the appropriate equipment to ground the beans into a fresh cup of coffee.
Ground for Cafetiere/Filter: Roasted to a lower final temperature and for a shorter period of time. esents a clearer picture of a coffee’s taste as there is far less “roast” flavour interfering. Creates a sweeter cup of coffee (the coffee is less caramelized and white sugar is sweeter than caramel). Can be brewed in a drip machine, french press, etc., but is not recommended for use in an espresso machine (filter roast pulled on an espresso machine can result in a very sour cup)
Ground for Espresso: Roasted slightly hotter and for a longer period of time. Easier to dissolve the right amount of coffee into the water because it’s roasted to be more soluble. The espresso roasts are great for people looking for more body and less acidity in their regular coffee.
Ground for Moka/Stove Top: For stovetop espresso makers, use a fine coffee grind. A fine grind will be similar in size and feel to that of sugar. It should also be slightly coarser than a grind used for a regular espresso maker. Fine grind is required because of the short time the coffee grind comes in contact with water. Pressure builds up in the espresso maker which forces the water through the fine grinds.
Now comes the fun part of giving your unique blend a unique name. One common naming convention is to name your creative blend after the person you are gifting the blend to. In this way your gift can have a unique blend, with a unique story, topped off with a unique name.
Build your unique blend of coffee here.
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