We’ve started to really look forward to our Kopi delivery and when it arrives we are like children on Christmas morning, tearing the packet open to see what we got.

After a day of carefully sampling this month’s Kopi delivery, a Sumatra Aged Mandheling Grade 1 coffee, we thought we’d better write up a review before it’s all gone.

This was an intriguing choice. The coffee has been aged for three years, and there’s something very wine-like about the whole process. It really does take coffee drinking to a whole new level.

Aging a coffee for three years can be risky. If the acidity in the beans is too high or low, it can ruin it, or the beans can just grow old and not age properly, making them tasteless and dead. Luckily this was certainly not the case with Kopi’s coffee.

The dark roast is different and exciting, with a very strong flavour. We’ve heard that aged coffees can be an acquired taste. If that’s so, we certainly have that taste. This coffee will soon disappear as everyone who’s tried it has nothing but praise so far.

Kopi says the first sip might come as a shock, and boy are they right. We found it hits you in the back of the throat and you don’t really know if you should swallow or spit it out. But by the second sip you are very much in love. The peppery hit is thrilling, spicy and unpredictable. It gives a real kick to the coffee. The after taste of raisin is a bit more difficult to find, but if you let the coffee roll on your tongue for a moment or two, you find it, and when you do, you’re in coffee heaven.

We found the Mandheling Grade 1 works best in the afternoon. It’s a bit too strong for us to appreciate early in the morning and we suspect there is quite a lot of caffeine in it. It’s perfect for an after-lunch pick me up though, and we’re debating whether or not it’s out new favourite.

It’s sad to remember that coffee once was very cheap. Also, we wish we had a bottomless cup…

If this was printed today, it would probably get in a lot of trouble for racism. But how cool is that man?! Can anyone say Genie?

It might just be our dirty minds, but does anyone else get the sexual innuendo? So WRONG!

Donald Duck automatically make things ten times better, and the sombrero makes up the rest.

Need we say more?

We’re not sure we agree with the statement on this poster, but if Napoleon says so, we’re sure it’s true.

Who knew there were female baristas in 1800s Italy…

There’s something a little bit 70s about this one.

Simple and elegant, just how we like our coffee.

Giving children coffee might be a bad idea, but we do love this sign.

Some things just don’t change…

The espresso express? Please don’t try this at home.

Direct and to the point but perhaps a bit too garish for first thing in the morning.

Could you imagine the glee on the soldiers faces when posters like these were put up, ‘Have the coffee we gave you whilst you were in hell, no more rationing!’

We can’t verify whether or not there once was a functioning NES controller coffee table, but this one is certainly capable of holding your hot drinks safely.

Why have a trampoline in the back yard when you can have one in your coffee table? Watch the kids jump in the middle while you serve your guests an espresso. Warning: Could lead to spillage and/or broken bones.

A must-have for every musician or men going through a midlife crisis. Besides, who doesn’t want a Fender as a coffee table?

Fancy a piece of the elements? With a built in fire place and extra space to, er, grow a patch of grass or chill a bottle of champagne (random, we know), it’s the perfect table for those who like it both hot and cold. Warning: Keep away from children and/or adults under the influence.

Missing the seaside? Well, now you can dock your boat directly into your lounge. The cherry on top – Detachable oars.

Those are actually real plants! They’ll purify your room and fill it with oxygen whilst you sleep. Who doesn’t want a garden on their coffee table? Unfortunately it’s still only a concept but we can’t wait for the day it’s available in shops.

For those who fancy the finer things in life and/or are obsessed with time, this Rolex coffee table will keep you in with the times.

For those of us passionate about sumo wrestling. Complete with a great view from the rear end.

Foot fetish? This table will fulfil all your desires. It also looks rather stylish.

With the actual elements embedded into a solid acrylic block, this may appeal to more than just science teachers. We definitely like it. Priced at nearly £5000, it sure doesn’t come cheap though.

More of an iPod case than an actual iPod. We can’t imagine any room being able to pull off one of these, even Apple HQ would struggle.

St Patrick’s day came early this year. A four leaf clover might bring a bit of luck to your home, but it won’t bring you any style points.

We know it’s sooo last millenium, but there will always be someone who just can’t get enough of Pacman

This coffee table has the polished nose spinner from a jet engine and optional internal lighting to bring it to life. It doesn’t get much cooler than that.

No need to look for a coaster anymore, this coffee table has a row of built in saucers. We love Brandon Gore for designing this.

The famous rubik’s cube now comes in table version. With built in storage hidden behind coloured squares you can move around, this is perfect for mind games. We’re in love.

This table has hundreds of LED lights in the surface that responds to motion above it. Cool or creepy? –We can’t decide.

One of the more classy tables of the bunch. If you’ve got a magician in the family, we’re sure they’ll appreciate it.

Fan of water dwelling mammals? Why not get one in your coffee table? We see the appeal, it’s a hippo, it’s a coffee table. Excellent angle guys, way to find that niche!

So you’ve bought a shiny new espresso machine and now you need the cups to go along with it. We’ve compiled our favourite selection of designer espresso cups to add a bit of swank to your dinner parties, as well as a couple of eccentric ones to put a bit of quirk to your cups.

 

1 We’re not sure about the relationship between Marmite and espresso but we do love these cups.

 

2 There are always people who love polka dots and these would make a perfect gift for them.

 

3 For the more rustic kitchen, these ceramic cups will definitely add a homely feel.

 

4 These are handmade and certainly some of the more unique cups we’ve seen. They do rather look like a pestle and mortar though..

 

5 Add a bit of glam: If you’re a proud espresso drinker then this is surely the best way to let everyone know you’re having one.

 

6 Refined espresso drinkers will take to these, porcelain espresso cups in a sophisticated design, very tasteful.

 

7 A vintage espresso cup designed in the 40s, muted battleship blue with a classic espresso shape works, we think it works very well.

 

8 Cups with character, these Gussini Art espresso cups also come in red.

 

9 Handmade terracotta artisan espresso cups, a very handsome set and only £12 from Hoopers.

 

10 Perhaps even more breakable then the last set, glass espresso cups have a stylish look and help you judge the quality of your espresso.

 

11 You won’t get a decent crema with this crinkle-style of cup but the effect it has on the flow of espresso is really cool.

 

12 Speaking of crinkled. The interior of this cup is smooth so pulling a proper espresso is possible. It has a rather fetching interior too.

 

13 Luxurious looking art-deco cups, you’d be surprised how infrequent squar espresso saucers are.

 

14 If you’re undecided on a particular colour for your kitchen these pantone swatch-like espresso cups may help you decide.

 

15 If colour isn’t your thing, you should consider these metal espresso cups. Careful though, they get hot.

 

16 Espresso cups from Aurelian Barbry. The handles look a bit like noses, but who said that was a bad thing?

 

17 Espresso isn’t really a drink you’d share, so multiple handles is a curious look. Sort of octopus-like, don’t you think?

 

18 This tiny paper cups you get from chain coffee shops are ever-so-slightly ridiculous. You could probably save some money with these.

 

19 There’s a long tradition of penguin/espresso based interactivity, too much for us to go by. Suffice to say, these cups definitely makes sense.

 

20 Some of us will be supporting Team GB with an espresso.

 

21 Sod Red Bull, we look to espresso to give us wings.

 

22 Espresso is known to triple the average scrabble score; please note there is no ‘X’ option.

 

23 Your average espresso cup doesn’t take up too much room, but these stackable ones will give you just a little bit more space.

 

24 If you’re getting Nespresso machine why not get the cups to match?

For a solid build you can really rely on German manufacturer Dualit. The higher price is an investment you will have to make for well working machinery that will last a long time. The 84400 even comes with a non-slip mat on the drip tray which prevents your cup from shaking out of place from the machines vibrations.

The coffee maker also uses thermoblock technology for rapid heat up times, there’s nothing worse than having to stand on cold tiles o’er the morning waiting for your coffee to be poured.

The rest of this machine’s specifications are pretty standard. An average 1.5L water tank is, power consumption and features like cup warmers and steam arms. We do appreciate the extra space given in the coffee holder so that you can make two cups without having to replace the grounds. However we’re not taken with the idea as surely your second cup won’t taste as nice as the first.

The gap between the drip tray and spout is a little low and not adjustable either, so you might want to purchase some espresso cups if you expect to enjoy quality coffee right away.

One thing that we were anxious about was the bright shiny stainless steel body. An everyday functioning kitchen will quickly mar this machine, you might want to get a toned down one unless you’d like to add coffee machine polishing to your chores. The innards of this machine won’t be too much of a problem though, the Dualit 8440 has a purge feature to keep it clean and give you great tasting coffee.

Its thermo block technology means it maintains the temperature of the water without wasting energy, perfect to turn your coffee from hot to steaming in a matter of seconds. It’s really easy too, just pop in the pod and you have an excellent cup of coffee in front of you.

It also comes with a milk frother, so you can get your creamy cappuccino just right. The only problem is that the frother will need to be cleaned regularly so it won’t smell of burnt milk. But all in all we think that’s a small price to pay for brilliant coffee.

As with every other capsule machine, the capsules aren’t commonly recyclable. You can take them into your nearest Nespresso store and they’ll do it for you, but that could become a problem if you don’t live in a big city and are into your recycling. Some people would shy away from it because of this, but others love the convenience and excellent standard the DeLonghi Nespresso Pixie brings to the table.

Coffee is our favourite beverage and a necessity to get through everyday life. We drink it, you probably drink it, but how much do you really know about the divine nectar? Here are 18 fun facts you may or may not know about coffee:

1. There are over a billion coffee drinkers on the planet. The rest are clearly missing out.

2. The lethal dose of caffeine is roughly 100 cups of coffee.

3. Back in the day, bridegrooms in Turkey had to promise to provide their wives with coffee for the rest of their lives. If not, it was grounds for divorce.

4. A 9th century young Ethiopian goat herder discovered coffee by accident when he noticed the goats eating these red berries and acting crazy. He thought he might as well try it himself.

6. Coffee was originally eaten. African tribes mixed coffee berries with fat and made edible energy balls.

6 Beethoven was so particular about his coffee that he always counted 60 coffee beans for each cup before making his brew.

7. Norwegians drink the most coffee in the world, tightly followed by Finland and Denmark. The average citizen of these countries consumes 10 kg of coffee a year.

8. Coffee is a zero calorie drink

9 Coffee is the second most popular drink in the world, only beaten by the very necessary H2O.

10. Caffeine is on the International Olympic Committee list of prohibited substances. Athletes who test positive for more than 12 micrograms of caffeine per ml of urine may be banned from the Olympics. This level may be reached after drinking about 5 cups of coffee.

11. Both the American and the French revolution were plotted in coffee houses.

12. In 1675, King Charles II banned coffee houses. He claimed people met there to conspire against him. After the ban, people wanted their coffee and his plan backfired. Soon they were allowed back into their coffee houses.

13. Vincent Van Gogh was a big fan of coffee and cafes and famously said: “I have tried to show the café as a place where one can go mad”.

14.The world record for coffee drinking is 82 cups in 7 hours.

15. A cup of espresso contains less caffeine than a regular cup of filter coffee.

16. Johan Sebastian Bach wrote an opera called Coffee Cantata. It’s about a girl who won’t obey her father because she’s addicted to coffee. Sound familiar?

17. Forget oysters, coffee is a much better aphrodisiac. It can increase performance and stamina.

18. In Japan it’s common to bathe in coffee. It softens your skin and fights off cellulite.

We’re about halfway through this month’s Kopi delivery, the review has been a long time in the making because we’ve just been enjoying it so much.

This month Kopi brought us a Peruvian jungle highland coffee, Grade 1 Yanesha. The Yanesha Indians have a heritage dating back 5000 years, and a grade 1 crop is a thing to savour. According to Kopi, only four containers are sold a year so we knew we were in for something special.

Yanesha coffee is a mild roast grown at an altitude of 1400m+. It’s a tough terrain to grow anything at all. Years of cultivation and land moulding, (rerouting rivers for irrigation and carving terraces on to the slopes), have enabled farmers to grow crops on the Andes. Peru’s haphazard weather doesn’t really help things along either, and since this is an organic coffee, they use a traditional guano fertiliser which must be a pain to get to the coffee grounds.

There are multiple Peruvian coffees that use the Yanesha name, but the specialist batch is produced by the real deal. The Yanesha Coffee Project is only three years old and they’re striving to create jobs, combat environmental degradation and preserve the Yanesha heritage. Noble ideals indeed – almost good as their coffee.

The coffee is an excellent morning pick-me-up, it has a soft velvety texture but an acerbic bite which is great for firing up the old pre-frontal.

The dry grounds have an oaky smell with a hint of ginger. When brewed this changes to a Brazil nut type taste that has a citrusy aftertaste. The literature Kopi provided states that Yanesha Coffee has ‘a gorgeous range of aromas that reflects its jungle heritage’, although this is rather difficult for us to picture in a well air-conditioned office that has Talking Heads playing in the background.

To say that it has been making our mornings is not nearly praise enough for this delicious coffee, our thanks to Kopi and the Yanesha Coffee Project.

Coffee is usually the third thing on my mind when I get up in the morning. (The two previous thoughts being:  1- “I hate you alarm and I wish you would die a painful death”, and 2- “I don’t want to get out of bed, maybe I should just pull a sickie”).

The second that glorious warm liquid pours down my throat, my day suddenly seems a lot brighter. I usually have about five cups of coffee throughout the day, and I can’t imagine life without it.

I want to find out how much coffee actually affects us. Does it make a difference to how hard you work or how much you get done? Does it really wake you up and give you all that extra energy? Is it all psychological?

I gave up coffee for a week, and wrote down my feelings of dispair in a diary for you all to read: 

After my morning shower, I walked straight into the kitchen to brew my mandatory morning cuppa before remembering I had given up. Sulking and cursing, I staggered back to my bedroom.

I wasn’t sure it would be possible, but somehow I managed to drag myself to work without stopping for a coffee on the way. Once at work, the day ahead seemed almost unmanageable. I was to sit here for the next 8 hours without my best friend, caffeine.

Up until lunch I was doing OK. A little more tired than usual, but I managed to get a surprising amount of work done despite my lack of caffeine induced energy. It made me wonder if it’s mostly a psychological and habitual practice. I seemed to be able to get most of my work done anyway, as long as I put my mind to it.

Then it hit me. At about 3 pm it suddenly became unbearable. I needed that coffee and I needed it bad. A trip to the office kitchen nearly pushed me over the edge. There it was: The brown and beautiful mixture poured into a mug. The smell hit my nostrils and I almost reached euphoria. But it wasn’t my coffee and I had to retreat back to my desk whilst the smell still lingered in my mind. For the next half hour, all I could think about was coffee. It doesn’t help that my job description includes a lot of coffee research, coffee machine reviews and generally everything else news related to my number one vice.

By the time I finished work I was aggravated, tired and genuinely missed the companionship coffee used to give me. Hopefully tomorrow will be easier.

xxx The Coffee Addict

Turned off my alarm and went back to sleep. The thought of facing a morning without coffee was unbearable.

Stumbled into the office, half asleep and 15 minutes late. Coffee was brewing in the kitchen at work and my inner goddess was screaming for a cup.

It’s now 3 pm. I’ve got a headache. This is definitely a result of coffee withdrawal. My batteries are slowly draining and I can’t wait to get home.

My. Eyes. Are. Drooping. I. Can’t. Type. Any. More.

 xxx The Coffee Addict

Even if I woke up after a hundred years in bed, like Sleeping Beauty, I’d still be grumpy if the clock had yet to strike noon. So I’ll spare you the details of my morning cussing and missing my train.

The thought of coffee now upsets me, and I am like an onion of emotions. One minute I’ll be very angry and the next, I’m almost crying my eyes out because I lost internet connection. You probably think I’m just mental, but I’m telling you, it’s the lack of coffee.

xxx The Coffee Addict

I have become accustomed to decaf tea. It’s not the tastiest beverage in the world, but if I pretend it’s a cappuccino, it’s not too bad.

Someone told me to try honey and lemon juice instead. It made me want to vomit, and definitely did NOT taste like coffee. Reviewing a coffee machine today. I can’t drink coffee. This is not fun.

xxx The Coffee Addict

Fridays are usually my worst days. I’m tired, grumpy and I just want the weekend to come. This Friday was no different.

This was the day I feared:

Would I turn into a complete maniac and shout at everyone, or would I simply fall asleep at my desk? Surprisingly none of the above happened. Friday was a fairly uneventful day and I survived it without coffee. Who would’ve thought?

I am addicted no more.

xxx The Coffee Addict