Life Locked down as a coffee Lover Part 4
Well where has the last few weeks gone ! In some respects it appears to have flown however thinking of life pre lock down this feels a distant memory as so much has changed and so dramatically.
On a positive progress note, my mushrooms has been a fungal revelation ! mushrooms a plenty which have been added to stir fry’s, omelettes, homemade pizza’s alongside the mandatory weekend bacon sandwich. It has to be said that I have enjoyed my morning routine of peering inside the box to count the progress a small but very therapeutic process.
Time has evaporated by constant development of our online retail shop working on new coffee lines alongside making sure that we display the wide range of both ingredients and ancillaries that we hold at our coffee roastery near Meadowhall. We have been delighted and quite overwhelmed with the feedback we have received as always we go above and beyond to bring the freshly roasted coffee to our customer homes sometimes within just a couple of hours from orders and as far afield as Miami, Australia and regular deliveries to Ireland.
Our time has also been spent on obtaining important customer feedback on our store and ensuring that we deliver the most perfect cup of fresh coffee to you importantly in the way that you want and creating new products. Some exciting news will follow but for now just watch this space !
I have continued to occupy my mind by cooking, gardening and grooming our beautiful standard poodle Poppy.
At this time of year I always turn my mind to buying plants for my hanging and hay baskets as I love to see the plants bloom and cascade as the summer months move on. Sadly this year I was unable to visit the garden centre with my Mum to ask her opinion and spend quality time always accompanied with a coffee stop for our usual chat.
This time however is all about finding a way and compromise so I was delighted to receive a delivery from New Leaf Garden Centre as they brilliantly fulfilled my brief of a mixed array of bedding plants which I was able to display and share with my Mum over a conference call.
My annual ritual includes the use of coffee sacks as the hanging and hay basket liners as they make the perfect base, retain moisture and also look fantastic each providing a unique look !
The other coffee related accompaniment is the addition of coffee chaff to the compost. Coffee chaff is a nitrogen rich parchment from roasted coffee which is collected and bagged from our coffee roasters we store this and make it available for gardeners as part of our environmental policy.
Digging this coffee chaff matter in the compost helps not only with adding nutrients but also moisture retention as it acts a little like a sponge helping keeping the plants hydrated. In a short time I have managed to make an utter mess in the back garden with pots, compost and plants everywhere however once complete I feel rather satisfied with myself and ensure that I am rewarded with todays coffee a delicious Costa Rican Micro lot from our friend Roberto. I chose to make this with the Chemex as having time at home does not mean that you are unable to replicate a coffee shop experience and this is possible without going to great expense with a coffee machine. The process of warming the Chemex jug first by wetting the filter paper following by adding 30g of Cafeology Costa Rican coffee and then slow pouring at first 50g of water followed by a slow pour of a further 450g of water over 5 minutes results in a delicious smooth creamy and utterly satisfying cup !
Sit back relax and put your feet up take a sip and admire your handy work. Importantly don’t forget to listen to the birds as I am hoping that they are telling us that we are on the right side and that things will return to a new and maybe better normal soon !
