employee coffee consumption

It’s Time to Consider Switching to Pods

If you are a K-Cup user and haven’t tried Pods, you should strongly consider trying them. Pods have several advantages over K-Cups:
 
– Pods are more Eco-Friendly
  Pods are 100% biodegradable and compostible where K-Cups end up in our land fills, further polluting our environment.
 
– Pods are less expensive per cup
  Pods typically cost around 55 cents per cup, which is typically over 10 cents less expensive per cup than K-Cups
 
– Pods taste better
  Pods pack more grams of coffee per cup than K-Cups resulting in a more robust and flavorful cup of coffee or tea.
 
– Pods can reduce theft in your office
  Pods are not available in home units, like K-Cups are. Therefore there is no reason for an employee or customer to take them home to use in their home brewer.
 
Aroma Coffee Service stocks a large array of Pod brands and varieties in both coffee and tea, including such brand names as Hurricane, Reunion Island and Kahwa. If you are interested in a FREE trial of Pods in our state of the art Pod brewers, please call our Director of Sales, Phil Lessor at 1-800-448-9139 or email him at Phil@aromacoffee.net
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Cold Brew Season

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This summer season has become Cold Brew season around the Aroma Coffee offices.  We have cold brew literally flowing from a tap what seems like 24-7. In the Sarasota and Naples area where we deliver most of our office coffee & tea products and janitorial supplies, summer is typically a bit quieter and we can get a lot of projects done that had been put off during “season.”  

It’s important to us to not sleep on the opportunity to make work happen this summer… enter Wandering Bear Cold Brew.  In their own words, it’s cold brew “so smooth you can drink it black. So strong you’ll #neverhibernate.” Goals.

We’re thrilled to have access to Wandering Bear Cold Brew cartons and boxes for coffee on tap to bring our office coffee customers even more options for your workday coffee fix. [NOTE: Can we promote this link? Does filling out this form route users to Aroma Coffee?  I don’t see Sarasota or anywhere in FL listed as an Available City] > https://wanderingbearcoffee.com/pages/office-delivery

Here’s some info, straight from the source, about the Wandering Bear Cold Brew brand and their team’s commitment to great-tasting coffee that gets the job done.

THE COMPANY

This whole thing started in 2013 when we showed up to a grad school classroom each carrying a mason jar of homemade cold brew coffee. Within months we had rented a small kitchen in Queens, NY, working tirelessly (and over-caffeinated) to figure out how to scale our homebrew. We were obsessed. More than four years later that passion remains, and Wandering Bear is on a mission to become a favorite part of your day, every day.

THE COFFEE

For us, it’s always been about two things: taste and strength. What else do you really care about when it comes to coffee? Our brew is undeniably bold (so it stands up to ice), but surprisingly smooth with a bright, chocolaty finish. And it’s always ready to drink (no morning mixology required). For beans, we’re always on the search for the best. Right now, we’re brewing a Fair Trade organic Arabica from central Peru.

OUR PACKAGING

We are proud to say that we are the original cold brew in a box. We realized early on that completely eliminating air and light from our packaging was the only way to keep your delicious cold brew fresh after you’ve opened it. Now, we’ve expanded our line up from the OG “coffee on tap” box to include a full line of single-serving ready-to-enjoy coffee “on the go” cartons. Like the box, they are phenomenal at preserving flavor and are perfectly packaged for the occasion. Whether on tap or on-the-go, we have a brew for you.

Cold Brew FAQ

Maybe we need to back up a moment.  What even is cold brew?  How is it different from regular coffee?  Why do all the hipsters love it so much? We’ll lean on our friends at Wandering Bear to help answer some general coffee questions.

What is cold brew iced coffee?

Cold brew is a type of iced coffee made by steeping coffee grounds in cold water for an extended period of time (between 12-24 hours). Traditional iced coffee is made by brewing hot coffee and then pouring it over ice. Unlike traditional iced coffee, the cold brew process eliminates heat and yields a bold, smooth coffee that’s low in acidity (and in our case, it has a rich chocolaty flavor).

What makes Wandering Bear cold brew so great?

We love cold brew because the process brings out the big, bold flavors of coffee while leaving behind some of the acids and oils that make traditional iced coffee taste so bitter. Our coffee has everything you love about coffee — rich chocolate and dark fruit notes, full body, and a surprisingly smooth finish — without the things you don’t, like bitterness or acidity. Because we really like our coffee (can you tell?), we package it in boxes that protect it from oxygen and light, the two factors that make coffee go stale.

Do I need to dilute Wandering Bear cold brew with milk or water?

Great question! Our coffee is ready-to-drink out of the box, so you don’t have to mess around with measuring out coffee and water before you’ve even had your morning coffee. That said, it’s your coffee, and it’s endlessly customizable: drink it straight black, with milk and sugar, in a smoothie, cocktail or add it to your favorite cold brew recipe.

What beans do you use in Wandering Bear cold brew?

We’re currently using a Fair Trade organic certified bean from Peru; we love this coffee and think it gives us the range of flavors that translate best to the cold brew method. The green beans are roasted fresh each week for every batch to capture the richness that makes our coffee so delicious.


Cooking With Cold Brew – Chocolate Chip Cold Brew Overnight Oats

We love overnight oats in the morning for a convenient, delicious breakfast on the go. These Overnight Oats can be made before leaving work in the afternoon and will be ready to enjoy when you arrive again in the morning.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 6 tablespoons Wandering Bear Cold Brew Coffee
  • 1/2 cup milk or non-dairy milk of choice
  • 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

DIRECTIONS

  • Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and mix well to combine.
  • Pour mixture into a mason jar and allow to chill in the fridge overnight.
  • Enjoy your overnight oats the next morning!

Recipe Source: Wandering Bear Cold Brew

 

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Nespresso & Nunshen: Socially Conscious Coffee and Teas

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Did you know? Aroma Coffee offers Nespresso pods for your office coffee service.  Thanks to Nespresso’s high standards of quality and great selection, this amazing coffee will be the newest subject of conversation around the office coffee machine. Nespresso’s vast selection of pods range from the mild blends like the Lungo Forte to robust blends like the Ristretto Intenso. Flavored blends like Espresso Vanilla and Espresso Caramel are also available for those who have a sweet tooth.  We love that Nespresso works with farmers to produce their premium blends using sustainable methods.

 

In addition to carrying Nespresso coffee products, Aroma Coffee now carries Nunshen Tea. Nunshen Tea is prepared in the most traditional way to preserve the aromas and flavors of the leaves. These teas are entirely made from biodegradable natural materials with no artificial additives. Even the sachets are also handmade using 100% cotton to allow the teas to express their aromas. The tea selection ranges from flavorful black teas to delicate green teas infused with jasmine. Nunshen’s selection of Black or Rooibos teas are great for a quick afternoon pick-me-up.

 

These fine teas, like Nespresso, also work towards a sustainable environment. Nunshen has certified packaging by the Forest Stewardship Council and participates in environmental programs worldwide. Both of these socially responsible products are made in sustainable ways and can now be delivered to your company’s door. Try Aroma Coffee’s Nespresso pods to start your day and relax with a cup of Nunshen tea in the afternoon. Order Nespresso pods and Nunshen’s fine teas with your smiling Aroma Coffee representative today.

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Five Reasons Why You Should Up Your Office Coffee Game

After water, coffee is the most widely-consumed beverage on the planet.  Here at Aroma Coffee, we deliver the leading coffee & tea products to offices and other commercial settings throughout the Tampa Bay area.  

Our team believes in the power of the humble coffee bean to fuel productivity and wellness at work, and we work hard every day to deliver great service and products with a smile.  Here’s why your company should upgrade your coffee offerings today by calling Aroma Coffee.

  1. Improves concentration and focus

From a productivity standpoint, coffee is a great source of caffeine, which can provide that much-needed jolt for increased employee output.  In an average cup of coffee, there are about 80mg of caffeine, and in two shots of espresso, that number rises to about 125mg.

Caffeine can enhance mental performance, alertness, and willpower, ensuring that employees can rely on coffee for that much-needed stamina and jolt of energy towards the end of the day.

2. Better coffee = happier employees

Coffee makes people happy… no data necessary to back up that fact!  Anxiety is often diminished by caffeine intake and most who aren’t “morning people” can attest that they feel better and more equipped to deal with stress after just one cup o’ joe.

Improving the office coffee selection is also a great way to encourage positivity around your workplace, and build community around the coffee station.  Let collaborations brew and ideas percolate (pardon the puns).

3. Attract young, hip employees

As far as the human resources team in your office is concerned, offering a diverse line-up of coffee is a fabulous perk for many millennial and Gen X employees, for whom intangible employee benefits are important.  Millennials comprise 44% of America’s coffee lovers, and are interested in the source of the beans and the quality of the coffee.  These young workers are so invested in coffee, they are spending more on java than their own retirement plans.  

They are also curious about trying new things that could amp up their “Instagram street cred” like nitro cold brew or coffee tonics.  Give the next generation of workforce what they’re looking for by upgrading your office coffee bar.

4.Save time & money

Hamilton Beach reports that on average, per worker, 24 minutes per day are spent making and drinking coffee… which means that on an annual basis, this amounts to about $400 per worker, per year lost to the quest for coffee.  Over the course of a working lifetime, 190 days are lost to coffee. Almost an entire year!

Why not make your coffee process more streamlined and efficient, using state-of-the-art coffee machines that make caffeine consumption a breeze?  Aroma Coffee has myriad options for single-cup systems that also ensure little product is wasted, saving you even more money.

5. Health benefits

Coffee consumption has been widely studied for links to health benefits.  Healthline reports that daily coffee intake can lower one’s risk of Alzheimer’s, dementia, Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, and even certain types of cancers.  There is also a possibility that coffee can extend one’s lifespan, burn fat and increase metabolism. For businesses and organizations concerned about wellness and overall quality of life improvements, offering a great coffee selection is a no-brainer.

Contact your Aroma representative about a free trial of our coffee service, a product/price sheet by simply sending an email to: phil@aromacoffee.net.

 

3 Asia-Pacific Tea Traditions

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China

For the Chinese culture, tea is synonymous with life. As the first people to discover the tea leaf, it has evolved into the beverage of choice and a lifestyle.

Long before the celebrated discovery, it was considered a medicinal staple. Tea was a general health tonic, said to promote long life and vitality, as well as a treatment for individual ailments. Even today, in traditional Chinese medicine, green teas are prescribed to relieve a variety of symptoms, especially as research continues to support many of the age-old healing claims.

For some time, only people of high standing in the imperial courts and select priests had the means and ability to drink tea on a regular basis. Over time, tea grew to become more accessible to all people, and the lower classes were finally able to enjoy tea more frequently.

Eventually, tea became a significant part of daily life and is now enjoyed solely for its own pleasures. Tea houses are all over China, and people of all ages visit at all hours of the day to drink tea and enjoy the company of fellow tea tasters. In this way, tea is not confined to a strict time of the day.

In China, green tea is consumed the most, with oolong tea a close second.

Japan

The spread from China to Japan took some time, but it’s widely believed Japanese culture perfected the art of the tea ceremony, or Cha-no-yu. Many tea ceremony schools were established, with influences ranging from samurai warriors to monks.

Humility and respect are expected of the guests and the host in a tea ceremony. The door to the sukiya, or tea house, is a low crawl space requiring all who enter to bow and humble themselves before entering the sacred space. Once inside, the first observation is a simple flower arrangement and a scroll of artwork or poetic calligraphy. The transitory nature of the flower serves to help guests understand the temporary nature of the present time and the forthcoming experience.

Every element of the tea ceremony exudes simplicity and balance. Nothing in the tea room is excessive or lavish, to not distract from the moment. Furthermore, the guest will notice neutral colors and modest design in clothing, art and floral arrangements. The ceremony can take hours to complete and a lifetime to learn.

India

India produces and consumes more tea than any other country in the world. Chai is the national drink in India and it is served on just about every street corner.

Tea in India gained recognition as a national beverage in the 19th century after the British began to create large scale tea plantations to ensure adequate supplies for their own growing thirst.

Due to its relatively young involvement in the Indian culture, tea has not had time to develop intricate rituals like in Japan or China. Although not ritualized, tea is a huge part of daily life at home, work, on the streets and while traveling.

Cha-ya is the favored style of tea throughout the country. Cha-ya is strong black tea, spiced with fennel, cardamom, cloves or other spices. It is mixed with milk and sweetened with sugar for a creamy and sweet beverage that many Americans recognize as Chai tea.

Typically, Indian Cha-ya is sold in small clay cups that are only used once, then smashed. Whether prepared by a street vendor, train station or personal tea kettle, enjoying Cha-ya is the perfect break from the chaos of daily life.

Return to America

Dreaming of an Asia-Pacific tea tour? So are we. Take a break from your daily work grind to turn your break room into a Chinese tea house. Aroma Coffee offers a full selection of green, black, white and herbal teas in bag, loose leaf and single cup offerings. Give us a call today at 800-448-9139 and let our teas take you around the world.

Featuring: Hurricane Coffee & Tea

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Aroma Coffee is proud to be the exclusive provider of Florida-based Hurricane Coffee and Tea in west, central and southwest Florida. We offer a variety of Hurricane Coffees in both regular, decaf, and flavored fraction packs for traditional coffee brewers and in K-Cups for Keurig single cup brewers.

Hurricane Coffee and Tea celebrates the laid back spirit of the south with rich, smooth coffees which are best when savored slowly. At the same time, it’s not always smooth sailing along the coast… with roast strength measured on a scale of “Generator” to “Category 5,” you should never underestimate the power of these beans.

We are thrilled to carry Hurricane’s newest roast – Cuba 1910.  Inspired by the Cyclone of the Five Days, Cuba 1910 celebrates the spirit of Cuba and its coffee-roasting heritage. Discover the intense and distinct flavor of this dark-roasted Cuban style coffee, crafted to perfection using only 100% Rainforest Alliance beans.

Let’s take a closer look at Hurricane Coffee’s regular roasts…

Category 5: Dark Roast
The biggest and boldest of them all! This dark, heavy-bodied blend features the smoky notes of a traditional French roast crafted with beans from 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

Volcanic Sumatra: Dark Roast
Lush volcanic soils forge the essence of this rich, full bodied coffee. Roasted deep and dark to reveal it’s distinctly earthy character, this single origin Sumatran is 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified.

Aftershock: Dark Roast
Distinctive high-grown Rainforest Alliance Certified beans from Central and South America are dark roasted to help develop a full body and deepened notes of toasted walnut with a trace of smokiness.

Nor’Easter: Dark Roast
This classic dark roast is a blend of Rainforest Alliance Certified coffees from high-altitude farms in Latin America. With its full body and toasted nut notes, it offers a bold, satisfying cup.

Colombia El Niño: Medium Roast
Famous for its aroma, this medium roast 100% Colombian coffee also offers a full, rich flavor. Each bean is handpicked from select Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in the Colombian highlands.

Big Wave Kona Blend: Medium Roast
Hawaii is known for more than just its big waves; it’s home to Kona coffee, one of the world’s most sought-after origins. Grab your mug and pull up a chair on the Lanai while you enjoy this Kona blend’s excellent balance and notes of chocolate and caramel with a honey-sweetness.

Tremor Blend: Medium Roast
Balanced and aromatic beans from Costa Rica complement coffees from Central America in this popular Rainforest Alliance certified blend. Look for notes of toasted nut with a bright finish in this medium roast.

The Generator: Light Roast
This blend of light-roasted Rainforest Alliance coffees from Latin America is mild & mellow with a smooth flavor and clean finish. The perfect start to your day!

We love supporting Florida brands in an effort to help local businesses grow. By incorporating Hurricane Coffee and Tea into the break room of your office, you will also play a valuable role in the mission to support small business.

Hurricane Coffee and Tea is helping people affected by disasters like floods, fires, tornadoes and hurricanes as well as countless other crises at home and around the world, by donating 3% of the purchase price of every pound of coffee produced to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Their commitment to community doesn’t stop there. The coffee blends are 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified and have been harvested from progressive coffee farms around our globe. Now that’s something to feel good about.

So brew it up and enjoy your favorite roast of Hurricane Coffee. It’s good to know you’re making an impact at the office with your hard work and your cup of coffee… no matter the conditions!

Coffee and Health Benefits

Is Coffee Good For You?

Like so many of the beverages we enjoy today, coffee was once prescribed as a tonic for what ails you…

Provided that what ails you is a lack of alertness or a sour mood,coffee and health it’s good on its promise. Let’s leave patent medicines aside for the moment, though, and ask:

Is coffee good for you? The answer is, quite simply, yes!

Coffee has been a frequent subject of scrutiny by the medical community… perhaps because it’s so widely consumed, yet offers no apparent nutritive value. Or, maybe doctors are just looking for a really good cup of coffee!

Despite some 30 years of study, the field of medicine has yet to draw a direct correlation between moderate consumption of coffee and any medical disease or chronic health condition. Studies that have suggested worrisome links between coffee consumption and reproductive health, for example, have been put to rest by subsequent studies – larger, and more thorough – that have exonerated our favorite beverage.

More recent studies by the medical science community are now finding numerous positive benefits of moderate coffee consumption! These studies suggest that drinking coffee may reduce risks of colon cancer by 25% and cirrhosis of the liver by 80%, and may reduce the onset of Parkinson’s disease by up to 80%. More, brewed coffee has been found to have 3 to 4 times the amount of cancer-fighting anti-oxidants as green tea.

Still, we don’t recommend drinking coffee as a tonic – we think it tastes good and we enjoy how a great cup of coffee makes us feel. If you have specific concerns about coffee, please, talk to your family physician.
(Source: Green Mountain Coffee.com)

Preparing Coffee

Preparing Coffee

The question of how to process just-harvested coffee is answered only in part by geography, and by the resulting natural resources… it’s also a question of tradition.

A farmer of high-grown coffees on a finca or co-op in Central America wouldn’t dream of dry-processing his hard, dense and fruity beans… he’d probably sooner leave them on the tree (which, in countries like removing coffee stemsYemen is a not an altogether unusual practice).

And while it might occur to the farmer in Sumatra to wet-process his beans, to gently ferment them to loosen the sweet pulp, and then to carefully sun-dry the result (precisely as that finca in Costa Rica or Guatemala has done for generations) it’s likely our farmer in Sumatra wouldn’t find much of a market for his beans. While there’d be nothing wrong with the resulting coffee, neither would it have the cup characteristics long associated with the origin.

But even tradition can’t begin to explain why coffee growing regions that may not have an abundance of water resources – Kenya, say, or Ethiopia – have come to rely on wet processing for their specialty ethiopian coffeecoffee crop. It can be argued that these regions have an ample natural resource… the sun! As it happens, there are regions within Ethiopia that that dry-process and sun-dry their coffees, to wonderful effect… it’s just this process that gives us the celebrated Ethiopian Harrar coffee.

Ultimately it’s all about the coffee itself, and the potential found within. Dry-processing yields lovely mocha-like flavors in an Ethiopian coffee – winey and wild and fruity – but wet-processing yields something altogether different: explosively perfumed aromatics, sparkling citrus, vibrant, flowered fruit… flavors and aromatics that make Ethiopian Yirgacheffe arguably the most distinctive coffee in the world.

While geography and tradition still play a role, theirs is a bit part compared to the starring role commanded by the coffee crop, itself.
(Source: Green Mountain Coffee.com)

Fact About Growing Coffee

Growing Coffee

What a poignant irony that Coffea aribaca —our prized coffee tree— thrives only in sheltered, mountainous, subtropical microclimates… far flung places with steeply sloping terrain that defies every step of those who labor to tend it.
coffee slopes
And labor it is… prized coffee trees must be carefully tended if they are to produce an abundance of coffee cherries. Soil must drain well, be slightly acidic and rich with minerals. Weeds and creepers must be kept in check, but not eliminated; they cling to precious soil that might otherwise wash down the mountain slopes. Finally, coffee trees must be shaded from harsh sun, so a canopy of banana, nut and other fruit and hardwoods is planted and tended, too.

When the coffee cherries ripen, it’s all-hands to the harvest. It’s back-breaking work to hand pick the fruit on these steep, tangled slopes… ripening berriesand picking is done exclusively by hand, as only the ripest cherries will do. Fruit that’s too ripe will be sorted out in later processing, but under-ripe fruit is left on the tree for later pickings. Each tree will be visited as many as four times over the precious few days that ripeness is at is peak.

At day’s end, weary coffee-pickers haul their sacks of cherries down the steep slopes, and empty them onto burlap mats, where everyone joins in to pick out any green cherries, twigs and leaves. The cleaned cherries are carefully weighed. There’s good-natured rivalry here… ribbing for those who picked less than their usual; a sense of accomplishment for those who’ve picked most. It’s not just pride involved, however; workers are paid by how much they’ve picked, not by how long picking coffee berriesthey’ve labored.

While the coffee pickers collect their day’s pay and head for home, the fresh-picked coffee cherries have only begun their journey… within hours the sweet, picked fruit will begin to ferment in its own skin. Uncontrolled, that ferment will flavor the coffee beans inside. If the beans taste of ferment, despite the care they’ve seen in growing and harvesting, they’re practically worthless.
(Source: Green Mountain Coffee.com)

Penny University

Penny University

Coffee made its introduction to Europe in the early 17th century as medicine for what ails you… whether your ailment include headaches, consumption, dropsy, gout or scurvy.

First offered by apothecaries in Venice and street vendors in Milan, coffee found footing in Vienna by way of a failed Ottoman invasion, and found the fancy of Germany’s upper crust: it inspired Johann Sebastian Bach’s Coffee Cantata, and obsessed Ludvig van Beethoven, who was rumored to grind precisely 60 beans for his morning cup.

It was in London, however, where coffee –and coffee houses– became the rage. The first London coffee house opened at Oxford University in 1650, and by 1700 more than 2000 coffeehouses dotted the London landscape. Early coffeehouses served more than coffee; they also served as hotbeds of conversation,coffee house politics and commerce. One coffeehouse might serve as a gathering place for physicians, another for actors, or musicians, or lawyers or clergy. These gathering places became known as Penny Universities… for the price of a cup of coffee, one could sit for hours and participate in the discourse of the day.

Or, one could conduct his business of the day… and a great many did. Mr. Edward Lloyd’s coffee house catered largely to merchants and sailors of the day, as well as the underwriters who met over coffee to offer insurance. In time, Lloyd’s Coffee House became Lloyd’s of London, the storied insurance company. Likewise, other coffeehouses –centers for news, currency and futures markets– became newspapers, banks, and stock exchanges, many of which thrive still today. Behold, the power of coffee!
– See more at: https://aromacoffee.net/content/penny-university#sthash.7aNkzoHj.dpufPenny Universities

Coffee made its introduction to Europe in the early 17th century as medicine for what ails you… whether your ailment include headaches, consumption, dropsy, gout or scurvy.

First offered by apothecaries in Venice and street vendors in Milan, coffee found footing in Vienna by way of a failed Ottoman invasion, and found the fancy of Germany’s upper crust: it inspired Johann Sebastian Bach’s Coffee Cantata, and obsessed Ludvig van Beethoven, who was rumored to grind precisely 60 beans for his morning cup.

It was in London, however, where coffee –and coffee houses– became the rage. The first London coffee house opened at Oxford University in 1650, and by 1700 more than 2000 coffeehouses dotted the London landscape. Early coffeehouses served more than coffee; they also served as hotbeds of conversation,coffee house politics and commerce. One coffeehouse might serve as a gathering place for physicians, another for actors, or musicians, or lawyers or clergy. These gathering places became known as Penny Universities… for the price of a cup of coffee, one could sit for hours and participate in the discourse of the day.

Or, one could conduct his business of the day… and a great many did. Mr. Edward Lloyd’s coffee house catered largely to merchants and sailors of the day, as well as the underwriters who met over coffee to offer insurance. In time, Lloyd’s Coffee House became Lloyd’s of London, the storied insurance company. Likewise, other coffeehouses –centers for news, currency and futures markets– became newspapers, banks, and stock exchanges, many of which thrive still today. Behold, the power of coffee!