Christmas Packs 2012

Here is what your Christmas Packs will look like. There are three options:

Standard Tea Pack - 200gm of my Organic English Breakfast tea, a tea infuser and a handmade mini Christmas cake. $20
The tea infuser (see photo below) is a really handy way to use loose leaf tea to make a single cup. Great for work or home!

Coffee Pack - 2 x 250gm of Coffee (i.e. two different types of coffee), and a generous pack of handmade almond shortbread biscuits. $25

Deluxe Tea Pack -  200gm of my Organic English Breakfast tea, one teapot, and a handmade mini Christmas cake. $30

The mini Christmas cakes are especially handmade to order by my friend Mel. She regularly makes wedding and birthday cakes, like the photo below from my daughter Sophie's first birthday! These mini Christmas cakes are absolutely delicious and packed with the high quality ingredients you'd expect in a gourmet Christmas cake - including plenty of 'Christmas cheer!

For the first 6 people who order any of the above packs, they will receive a free 200gm pack of my Organic English Breakfast tea - an extra gift, or a little something for you.

I can also customize the coffee packs with other items, so let me know if there is something else you'd like to add for that coffee enthusiast in your family or amongst your friends. I can source for you a range of items, including milk jugs, knock tubes and other coffee accessories.

Christmas Packs - Return

This year I will be doing my Christmas packs again. I am still working through the details, but here is an outline of what I’ll be offering:

• Coffee packs standard & deluxe – coffee & handmade artisan biscuits.
• Tea packs standard & deluxe – tea, tea infuser or teapot, either handmade artisan biscuits or mini Christmas cakes.
  

The packs will be packaged and put in boxes, like last time. More details to come, once the contents of each pack are confirmed.

I’m also happy to customise the packs further, especially the coffee packs that I could add other things too. Such as a knock tube, coffee cloths, milk jugs, café style coffee cups etc.

Here’s a reminder of what the packs looked like the first time. But they won’t include cups unless you want them. Original Christmas Packs

Cheers
Chris Fordyce

Guatemala SHB Huehuetenango Finca San Antonio

Guatemala SHB Huehuetenango Finca San Antonio

Don Leonardo made a great investment in improving the quality of this plantation and its wet processing mill. This farm has grown so much in the last ten years, that they now produce over 2 containers of coffee.

Currently, William Perez is running this farm. William has continued the quality standards including: a new plan of fertilizing, research and wet processing mill improvements – including water recirculation and other related equipment. This farm also uses organic fertilizer for the coffee nursery.

This farm is about 120km from the town of Huehuetenanago and approximately 370km from the city of Guatemalan.

This coffee subspecies of 80% Catuai and 20% Borbon, and is a wet processed coffee. Flavours in the cup caramel/butterscotch, plum, apricot/peach, great sweetness, medium to full body and some spice on the finish.

This coffee will be available soon.

Mothers Day Gift Packs

Looking for a unique gift for Mother's Day on Sunday 13th May? Or a lovely present for a tea-drinking friend?

I have just created some gift packs which include a packet of my loose leaf Organic English Breakfast tea, plus a mini teapot. The teapot features a mesh infuser which is easy to lift out and rinse after use - a very convenient way to enjoy top quality loose leaf tea. The volume is 500ml so perfect for serving two people - or one person who likes a refill! Yet still small enough for your mum or friend to stash at work or in the pantry along with the tea.

The pictures show the gift pack as well as the three colour choices for the teapot - teal, cobalt blue or purple/maroon.

The price of the gift pack is $20.

For those who prefer coffee I can also do custom gift packs for you, so please feel free to inquire. See here for some inspiration.

Convex Econic 100% Compostable Packaging - Part II

Here is a picture of what happens to the Econic packaging. I am now using this for my 250gm bags, and shortly for my 500gm bags.

Convex Econic 100% Compostable Packaging

Convex Packaging is made from renewable materials

- The first two layers are made from wood-pulp
- The third layer is manufactured from cornstarch


Convex Econic Packaging breaks down within 15 weeks

Check out the diagram on Convex’s Facebook page (see post 22nd February & 19th December 2011). Or see the next blog entry.


Certified Compostable EN13432

Econic bags have been certified to the global standard of EN13432. This certification is for products claiming to be biodegradable or compostable. For further details on what this certification means, visit http://www.bpiworld.org/Default.aspx?pageId=190437

Econic sustainable packaging is comprised of three separate compostable films. These are then laminated together. All films are approved by the EN13432 certification for biodegradability and composting.

Econic coffee bags are a great alternative to existing packaging in the coffee market. They offer sustainable packaging that can be produced in volume without depleting the resources used to manufacture it. The process used to make Econic sustainable packaging uses clean production technologies as well as renewable materials.

One Way Carbon Dioxide Valve

This valve is a great innovation, removing the need for the iconic plastic button you will see on most coffee bags. The vent is at the bottom of the bag, and is almost invisible at a cursory glance. This vent enables carbon dioxide gases to be released from the roasted coffee inside the bag. The vent opens when positive pressure within the bag is activated.


More Reading

http://convex.com.au/products/environmentally-friendly-packaging/econic-biodegradable-coffee-bags/
http://convex.com.au/news/compostable-coffee-bags-now-being-used-in-australia/
http://www.convex.co.nz/news/news-articles/fast-breakdown-of-bio-degradable-coffee-bags-confirmed_158.htm
http://www.facebook.com/Convexeconic

How does coffee become decaffeinated?

How does coffee become decaffeinated? There are a few different methods. The primary way is by using solvents. However, a much better decaf coffee can be produced with a process that uses only water.

Traditional methods of making decaffeinated coffee

Traditionally coffee is decaffeinated using solvents that selectively target the caffeine (a solvent is a substance that dissolves another substance to form a solution). When the direct solvent process is used, steam is applied to enable the solvent to penetrate the green coffee beans. Further steam is then applied which removes both the solvent and the caffeine.

The indirect method involves soaking the beans in hot water. The soluble components of the coffee dissolve into the water, including the caffeine, as well as the compounds responsible for all the flavour in the coffee. The solvent is used to strip the caffeine from the water, and the water is then reunited with the beans.

The commonly used solvents are dichloromethane or ethyl acetate. Dichloromethane is use to dissolve a wide range of organic compounds. It is also used to strip paint and as a degreaser. Ethyl acetate is also used as a solvent and diluent. It is used to clean circuit boards and is found in some nail polish removers. By the end of the decaffeination process, very little of these solvents actually remains in the beans. However, there is an alternative method that does not use chemicals at all.

Mexican Mountain Water Decaf

The decaf that I use is from Mexico. It is decaffeinated with pure water from the mountains of Mexico.

As with the indirect process described above, the green coffee beans are submerged in water and the caffeine leaches out. However, instead of a solvent, a special filter is used which removes the caffeine from the water but leaves behind the coffee’s other soluble components. This water is used to soak the green beans again. The result is a coffee that retains all its fantastic flavour characteristics but without the caffeine.

If you are a visual person, go to www.descamex.com/descamexi.html - select the menu “Decaf Processes”, then choose “Natural Process”, and to the right of the page click on Next, for the pictorial representation of this process.

So the choice is yours, what type of decaf would you prefer? Tenth Day Roasters is pleased to offer you Mexican Mountain Water Decaf! Chemical free and absolutely delicious. This decaf is also organically certified & Rainforest Alliance certified.


References

http://www.coffeereview.com/article.cfm?ID=61
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichloromethane
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethyl_acetate
www.descamex.com/descamexi.html