Coffee Machine SOS

servicico

We stock a massive range of bean to cup and traditional coffee machines and some of these, can need more maintenance than others through working habits, but we assure you that time taken in caring for a machine now will prove sound economy later down the line.

Alongside being the coffee machine experts and stocking a wide selection of beverage makers, we also offer a variety of repair and service options.

A typical service, carried out by our team, would take place at your premise at a time to suit you.

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Last updated by Damien Wilde on Thursday the 6th February 2014

A day on the Caffe Society barista course

baristatraining

One great service that we offer is our barista training.

The service is available to those who want to learn more about the beverage and become skilled in the art of coffee making and is something that we offer free of charge to all our commercial customers who purchase machines from ourselves. We sent our latest starter on one of these training courses and here are the results…..

“Truth be told, my experiences of making cups of coffee had been limited to putting a teaspoon of instant coffee in a mug, pouring in the boiling water from the kettle, adding some milk and sugar, stirring, and then drinking. So the idea that, in a few short hours, I would be making coffee with a traditional espresso machine and trying my hand at some latte art was, shall we say, a slightly daunting and seemingly impossible one. After all, my previous attempt on the office coffee machine brought about disastrous, bitter results.

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Last updated by Damien Wilde on Friday the 24th January 2014

A gooey delight of a dessert

Aside from a regularly consumed beverage, coffee has also long been associated with showpiece events (the recent Golden Globe’s come to mind) as well as deserts. But we guarantee that you will have not heard, or seen, a use for coffee like this!

Given that posh things have come into fashion recently, especially variations of the noble burgers which has made an impact upon culinary menus, many people tip the pizza to have a renaissance this year.

Well, while that may be true. This recipe certainly is not part of that trend. But nevertheless, it is very fun.

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Last updated by Damien Wilde on Thursday the 16th January 2014

Tamp away in style

Blue tamper

There are many steps in making the perfect espresso and one of the vital stages of this process is the tamping procedure.

Now you can tamp accurately, evenly and in style thanks to our coloured, anodized tampers.

The tamper is an essential tool in the trade. It allows the baristas to evenly apply pressure to the coffee grind, ensuring that the grinds are compacted in a uniform manner which in turn produces a better extraction.

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Last updated by Damien Wilde on Wednesday the 15th January 2014

Can’t Remember? Have A Coffee!

coffee-parchment

A good, strong shot of coffee a day could be the secret to longer lasting memories a new US study finds – allowing all those associated with the beverage to once again proclaim its seemingly continuous magical properties!

Swarms of sleepy-eyed commuters clutch a cup of coffee every morning, but a study, run by Michael Yassa a neuroscientist from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, shows that your daily cup might just help jolt your memory.

The aim of the study was to better understand how images are in the brain by way of pattern separation, something which is vital to everyday situations.

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Last updated by Damien Wilde on Monday the 13th January 2014

Coffee does not dehydrate a study shows

Coffee mug and beans

The big news doing the rounds at the moment is the results of a study undertaken by academics from Birmingham University.

Coffee, long supposed as a diuretic, is in fact ‘as hydrating as water’.

The notion that coffee dehydrates stems from work on caffeine around eighty-years ago, but did not take into account certain chemical reactions.

Finally, we can lay that issue to rest.

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Last updated by Damien Wilde on Friday the 10th January 2014

Tantalising ideas for cooking with tea

tealeaves-cooking

From the teapot to the cooking pot

It’s not just coffee that goes a long way in the kitchen! Oh no – tea, of which some of us are partial to a cup of, is also an unsung hero in culinary adventures. According to NPR’s Bonny Wolf], tea is set to be one of the food trends of 2014

Around the word tea has been added into traditional savoury recipes stretching back hundreds of years. Generally speaking when adding tea as an ingredient you will want to take into consideration the taste of the final product – so chose your variety wisely!

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Last updated by Damien Wilde on Monday the 6th January 2014

Coffee or Chai?

chai

The question isn’t often asked, unless you live in India of course.

For decades, Masala Chai (spiced tea) has been the staple drink for most Indian nations, but that seems to be changing.

Coffee consumption across the length and breadth of India has doubled in the last 10 years, adding to the growing general consensus that coffee is soon to be the world’s favourite non-alcoholic beverage.

This is quite a shift in behaviour for a nation famed for tea production, chai seems to be backing down to this new, imported imposter.

This shift in cultural trends is causing everyone from local entrepreneurs to coffee chain CEOs to sit up and take notice.

Chai, whilst usually brewed in bulk in a large pot, is generally consumed on the run.

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Last updated by Damien Wilde on Friday the 13th December 2013

Portuguese Princess Who Loved Her Tea

Once upon a time, in this fair land, tea was a luxury product that only the rich indulged in.

Hard to imagine as it is that something that many of us take for granted, or even couldn’t function without on a daily basis, was once a beverage only consumed at the highest levels of society.

It was debatable at one point if it could even be bad for your health! (There are still parts of Africa that advise pregnant women to abstain from tea drinking.)

It has taken several decades for tea to earn its place as the national beverage of choice and only now are the health benefits of tea becoming public knowledge.

This is all down to one tea-loving lady, Portuguese princess Catherine Of Braganza.

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Last updated by Damien Wilde on Thursday the 12th December 2013

Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake

This dessert is the perfect union for coffee lovers and cheesecake enthusiasts.

However, it is not too strong to put off the curious newcomer to either but also delicious enough to hook connoisseurs of both.

Cheesecakes can look pretty daunting to the novice baker but are actually pretty simple to make.

For the base:

2 cups of biscuit crumbs (Digestive or Hobnobs work fine- or even a combination of both!)
½ cup of melted butter
2 tablespoons of white sugar

For the filling:

3 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee

To serve:

Squirty cream
Sweetbird Salted Caramel syrup

Pre heat the oven to 165 degrees C and grease up a cake tin (with a removable base preferably.)

In one bowl, for the base empty in your biscuit crumbs, butter and 2 tablespoons of sugar and mix thoroughly.

With a large serving spoon or spatula, press the mixture into the base of the cake tin, evenly coating the bottom.

In a separate bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract and the coffee together until fluffy. This could take a while with a whisk, we recommend a stick blender that will save you the arm ache!

Pour the caramel coloured mixture out onto the top of your biscuit base and put it into the oven, middle shelf to bake slowly for one hour and 15 minutes.

Turn the oven off but allow the cheesecake to rest in the oven for another 15 minutes.

Run a knife around the edges before popping the base of the cake tin and the macchiato cheesecake will rise victorious!

It is advised to allow the cheesecake to cool in the fridge first to truly set, but if you can’t wait…carve it into wedges, drizzle with a shot of Sweetbird Salted Caramel and a squirt of cream and dig right in.

Last updated by Damien Wilde on Wednesday the 11th December 2013