Lyon's Coffee Bags for a Convenient Proper Cup of Coffee!

Lyons coffee bags offer all the convenience of a tea bag, but with the deliciousness of real coffee.  Just brew for about 4 minutes in freshly boiled water for a perfect individual cup of coffee anytime you fancy it.

It comes in  three varieties:

Good Morning - a bright breakfast blend to wake you up in the morning.

Coffee Break - a smooth, all rounder for anytime of the day.

Gourmet Italian - a rich, authentic Italian evening coffee for after dinner or special occasions.

I received some samples to try out.  They come individually wrapped for freshness.  Ripping the packet open,  the smell of coffee was released.  I love that smell!

It's so easy to brew one in a cup of boiling water and giving it a squeeze and a dunk helps release the flavour.  I used a mug rather than a cup so the coffee was weaker than it would have been if I'd used a cup, but I don't like my coffee too strong, so this was perfect for me. Very drinkable and enjoyable for an everyday cup of coffee.  If you like stronger coffee simply use a smaller cup and let it brew for 5-6 minutes.

I really liked the convenience of the coffee bags.  Proper coffee made quickly, easily and conveniently.  No need to use a cafetiere or a machine to enjoy real coffee.

The bags are available in packs of 18 for £2.59 at  major retailers such as Tesco, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Morisson's and Waitrose.

http://www.facebook.com/LyonsCoffee

Win Coffee for Christmas CLOSED

Here is a Christmas competition to win two packets of Douwe Egbert's New Collection coffees.  This ground coffee is perfect for cafetieres or filter coffee machines and offers discerning coffee connoisseurs a blend to match their mood.

Fired Up is a rich espresso type blend with dark and intense notes.  Morning Americano is dark and energetic American style coffee to kick start your day.

I have one of each of these 200g foil packs to give away to a lucky winner!  All you need to do is leave me a comment below with an email or Twitter id so I can contact you if you win.  Closes on December 15th so be quick!!  UK Only!

Winner: Red Rose Mummy

Douwe Egbert's New Collection

Douwe Egberts have a new  range of ground coffees to give discerning coffee drinkers a wonderful choice of flavoursome blends!  I've made no secret of my love for coffee shops so I was quite excited to receive the following to try and to share with my readers in a fabulous giveaway coming soon!

The varieties available are:

1)     House Blend – a smooth classic European style blend of the finest beans. Perfect for any time of day.

2)     Time Together – a spicy blend with a hint of vanilla and nut. Perfect for when you are relaxing with friends, to accompany good company and good conversation..

3)     Café Milano – a traditional Italian style coffee with a relaxing blend and a hint of spice. Perfect to relax and escape with.  A laid back coffee!

4)     Flavourful Decaff - a smooth blend with a hint of vanilla and chocolate using decaffeinated beans. Perfect for those who prefer a lower caffeine intake without compromising on taste.

5)     Morning Americano – a vibrant American style coffee with a strong blend of nutty flavouring. Perfect to kick-start your day.

6)     Fired up – an espresso style blend with intense spice and chocolate flavouring creating with dark-roasted beans. Perfect for those who appreciate a rich flavour.

The coffees are suitable for any filter coffee maker and I tried some using my trusty cafetiere.  I just love the sight of coffee brewing, I love the rich aroma and the promise of what is to come.  I was not disappointed!

Coffee is more than just a drink, and these contemporary, evocatively named and vibrantly packaged blends embody the coffee culture perfectly.  Pick a blend to suit your mood and enjoy a perfect cup for relaxing or recharging.

I was particularly impressed by the decaff.  I try to limit my caffeine intake, but always feel so cheated when everyone enjoys a pot of real coffee and I'm there with an instant.  It is just not the same.  Coffee drinking is all about the brewing, the aroma, waiting to savour the rich flavour...it's a ritual.   The decaff is smooth and full bodied.  It gave me the total coffee experience.  It is a perfect blend if you are trying to cut back on caffeine, but love coffee.  

Whether you love your perfect coffee moments or if you want something a bit special for the festive season, the Douwe Egberts Ground Coffees are now available for £3.14 for a 200g foil bag.

Take a look at Douwe Egberts on Facebook for news, chat and competitions.

My Willy Wonka Fantasy

Last night I played a Hotel Chocolat Murder Mystery game.  To solve the Whodunnit you had to taste the five chocolates found at the scene of the crime, identify the ingredients, then use the first letter of each to name the culprit.  Easy, thought I, preparing to cruise to victory.  Oh how wrong I was!

My five letters spelled out SPWCR....not even close to a name!  The actual word should have been VICAR pointing to the suspicious reverend from the motley crew of suspects.

I really thought I'd be good at this, priding myself on my love of good food and all.   But to misidentify Balsamic Vinegar as Salt, Irish Coffee as Port, Cashew Nut as Walnut and Amaretto as Cherry Brandy is actually a total fail!  My respect goes to those selfless souls who test chocolates on a daily basis...what a tough gig!

So I pondered all things chocolatey as my teething toddler kept me awake at 4am this morning.  And I came up with an idea for my fantasy chocolate selection.  I saw a fusion of Starbucks meets Hotel Chocolat with a Coffee Shop Collection.  Little chocolate cups filled with delights such as Caramel Macchiata, Mocha Flake, Hazlenut Hot Chocolate, Espresso, Americano, Cappuccino and Vanilla Latte.  Decorated with coffee beans, sprinkles of grated chocolate, a swirl of white chocolate or a piece of flake, these chocolates would just be purely divine.  I drooled some in my half sleep state before drifting off into a Willy Wonka Fantasy....which for once did not include a naked Johnny Depp and a river of molten choccie!

Just in case any chocolate companies happen upon this post and decide to take my idea and create my imaginings in 50% milk form...please remember me...and send me a box for review!!!

Photo courtesy of 123RF Royalty Free Stock Photos

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee with Aromettes!

I always blog about my love of Coffee Shops...it's the smell that really does it for me...so when I was offered the chance of sampling Douwe Egbert's exciting new Aromettes, I jumped at the opportunity!

Aromettes are individually pressed ground coffee servings in the shape of a coffee bean. I was sent both the Smooth and Intense Aroma varieties.  Each tub contained 30 servings of fresh, ground coffee.

During the day I'm a decaffeinated coffee drinker, so when I have "real coffee" it's a real treat.  So I was very excited at the prospect of a 'proper cup of coffee from a proper cup of coffee pot' a.k.a. a cafetiere!

Opening the foil seal from the tub I was hit by the gorgeous smell of ground coffee....I was transported to my favourite coffee shops, inhaling that wonderful evocative scent.  The beans are enough for one cup of coffee so for me and my husband to indulge together we popped two in our cafetiere.  It was that simple.  No messy scoops or spilling grinds everywhere...just two beans, add water just off the boil, stir and leave for 3-4 minutes.  Being pressed ensures that the coffee remains at its very freshest.  The smell just got better as it brewed.

After 4 minutes we pressed our plunger and poured two cups of freshly brewed coffee in our cups.   Douwe Egbert's have really got it spot on.  The coffee was smooth, full of flavour and fresh.  The strength was perfect, eliminating any guess work over how much to put in.  It made a delightful cup of coffee.  It is good to know that we can recreate that perfection everytime we make some using one bean per cup.  So simple...it's genius!

Aromettes really appeal to me as I find making ground coffee a bit laborious and inconsistent.  However I do love the taste and of course that unbeatable aroma!  Priced at £3.69 a pack you get 30 Coffee House quality cups of coffee.  Perfect for when you want the unbeatable taste of real coffee.  They will definitely revolutionise coffee drinking Inside the Wendy House!

*The coffee making kit was supplied for the purpose of this review but the opinions are my own!*