Tag

cafedirect

Browsing

“Psst… we’re giving away some jars of Machu Picchu coffee and if you’re keen, just scroll right to the bottom of this article!”

For many visitors to Peru and even South America, a visit to the Inca city of Machu Picchu is the long-anticipated highpoint of their trip. In a spectacular location, it’s the best-known archaeological site on the continent. This awe-inspiring ancient city was never revealed to the conquering Spaniards and was virtually forgotten until the early part of the 20th century. In the high season, from late May until early September, 2500 people arrive daily. Despite this great tourist influx, the site manages to retain an air of grandeur and mystery; and is a must for all visitors to Peru.

If there’s one thing that I regret till date, it will be missing out on a trip to Machu Picchu when I visited Peru last year!

The only consolation that I now have is waking up to the toasty aroma of the Cafédirect Machu Picchu Terroir Freeze Dried Instant Coffee and be transported to the misty, lush Machu Picchu high mountains in the ‘Land of the Incas and Orchids’.  Home to over 250 species of these curative exotic blooms, the ‘terroir’ (the environment in which the coffee is grown) produces Cafédirect’s single-origin 100% Arabica Machu Picchu coffee beans; just perfect for those seeking a more intense flavour with rich, rounded tasting notes and dark chocolate overtones.

These coffee beans are grown at extreme altitudes within the Inca heartland of the Peruvian Andes, close to the sacred site of Machu Picchu, where the best flavours flourish and the beans cultivated. The freeze dried instant goodness is then drawn from the coffee beans which are passionately grown on some of the steepest slopes in the Andes, by smallholdings found along the Inca trail itself.  The high altitude, fertile volcanic soil and unique microclimate of the Machu Picchu region result in a coffee with light acidity and full body. Such minute nuances in the refinement of these beans can be easily picked out by a discerning palate. 

The source of the coffee bean itself has always been paramount, especially to a coffee connoisseur. Thus, a huge emphasis is placed on the terroir. In the case of the Machu Picchu coffee beans; the climate, access to water, the type of pruning and the type of flora and fauna around them are factors that have enriched the eventual taste profile of each coffee bean.

Cradled in the same nutrient-rich fertile volcanic soil of the mountain that provides sustenance to the plethora of wild orchids blooming there, each bean is hand cultivated and picked with the utmost care and expertise. Such passion leads to the growers belonging to the Huadquina Co-operative producing a rich, smooth tasting, and mouth-watering coffee that imbues natural, extra-sweet flavours of nuts and fine dark chocolate.

The beans are then harvested at the ideal degree of ripeness, after they have luxuriated in the misty cool climate that is unique to the Peruvian heights.  The precise timing and patience of the passionate growers ensure fullness in the natural richness of this coffee, plucked at its peak. The beans are then sun-dried, allowing all the fine characteristics of the beans to flourish. This traditional time-honoured procedure allows the beans to retain their natural qualities, imbued with its own extra sweetness and flavour.

Such a quality taste profile is inherent in each washed and sun-kissed coffee bean which has ripened slowly under the golden Peruvian rays at high altitudes of 1800m – 2000m and roasted to strength 4. The beans are then freshly packed as whole beans for those who want to ground their own coffee; pre-ground for those who prefer their coffee brewed, or freeze dried to preserve every golden ounce of flavour for those who want coffee instantly. There is a variant to suit every lifestyle, each delivered fresh in innovative and informative packaging, direct from the growers to a fine supermarket near you.

Cafédirect Machu Picchu Terroir Freeze Dried Instant Coffee is the perfect solution for those who cannot function without their morning cup of joe or those who are always on the go with little time for kitchen equipment and indulgences, yet yearn for a quality pick-me-upper. 

Simply by adding hot water and stirring, a perfect mug of terroir, high-altitude coffee is ready to be consumed. In a more leisure setting, a treat of dark chocolate is an apt accompaniment with the coffee to further enhance the pleasurable savouring moment.

Take time to enjoy the first whiff of the natural, chocolatey aroma of this coffee.  It will carry you off to the heights of Machu Picchu. Then give in to the first sip of this coffee. The liquid goodness will caress your taste buds like the gentle mist moistening the mountains, amidst the fields of dewy orchids that are also native. Soon, you will be lost until the very last drop of the golden brew.

Now available in three variants: Freeze Dried instant, Whole Beans and Roast & Ground from Cold Storage, FairPrice Finest, FairPrice Xtra, Jasons, Market Place and Redmart at SDG$12.90 a jar for Cafédirect Machu Picchu Terroir Freeze Dried Instant Coffee (100g); SGD$13.60 for Machu Picchu Whole Beans Coffee (227g); and SGD$12.45 for Machu Picchu Roast and Ground Coffee (227g).

Come lift your taste buds to the lofty heights of Machu Picchu with every sip now!

If you’re dreaming of Machu Picchu now, we are happy to announce that we will be giving away 2 Jars of Cafédirect Machu Picchu Terroir Freeze Dried Instant Coffee worth SGD$12.90!

To participate in this mini giveaway, just comment on this post with, “I wanna wake up to Machu Picchu everyday!” & share this post! 

*Giveaway is open to participants residing in Singapore and closes 22 October!

I must have a cup of hot coffee early in the morning because if I don’t get my morning fix, I will feel quite lethargic. In fact, the wonderful aroma of a cup of piping hot coffee is enough to awaken all my senses and keep me freshened up for at least a couple of hours before I go to my meetings.
Recently, I have decided to brew and make my own coffee using the Aeropress Coffee Maker and it has been a great experience because it is so easy to use and is very portable. For a start, I experimented with Cafédirect’s new 100% Arabica Espresso Roast and Ground Coffee and the result is simply therapeutic although it only lasted for a while.

Cafedirect 100% Arabica Espresso Ground Coffee 2017

Created for coffee connoisseurs, this espresso blend by Cafédirect is a dark and intense coffee and it uses coffee beans from Peru and Costa Rica. In case you’re wondering; the Arabica beans from Peru make up a strong base for the coffee, bringing a natural dark chocolatey taste to each sip and the strong roasting process intensifies the taste. Costa Rica Arabica beans, on the other hand, counterbalance the Peruvian beans, softening the mouthfeel and giving the coffee a creamy finish.

Cafedirect 100% Arabica Espresso Ground Coffee 2017

Cafédirect uses a unique numbering system to indicate coffee strength and the strength of a coffee depends on a number of factors; namely the composition of coffee beans in the blend and as well as the intensity of the roasting process. Roast and ground coffees from Cafédirect span the range from 3 to 6 and the Arabica Espresso Roast and Ground Coffee is a 6, reflecting its full-bodied taste that promises a flavour explosion that leads up to a naturally sweet finish.

Cafedirect 100% Arabica Espresso Ground Coffee 2017

Cafédirect’s 100% Arabica Espresso is finely ground for easy brewing in an espresso machine, stove-top espresso pot/percolator, or сafetière (plunger) i.e. Aeropress Coffee Maker.

Cafedirect 100% Arabica Espresso Ground Coffee 2017

If you like your coffee dark and intense, Cafédirect’s 100% Arabica Espresso is the way to go and you can find it at all leading supermarkets like Cold Storage and NTUC FairPrice. When my pack of Cafédirect’s 100% Arabica Espresso finishes, my next experiment with the Aeropress Coffee Maker would be Cafédirect’s Machu Picchu Ground Coffee and also Cafedirect’s Kilimanjaro Fresh Ground Coffee.

Cafedirect 100% Arabica Espresso Ground Coffee 2017

About Cafédirect

As a business, Cafédirect is different. Growers have shares in the company and have two seats on the Cafédirect Board of Directors. Cafédirect’s unique approach has seen the company paying fair prices and working directly with smallholder growers so that they can develop their businesses and increase their influence in highly competitive commodity markets.

Through direct, personal and long-term relationships, Cafédirect partners with over 282,000 smallholder growers in 40 grower organisations across 14 developing countries. Under Cafédirect’s Fairtrade business model, 50% of the profits go back to the coffee growers who nurture and harvest the beans. This not only improves the lives of the growers but the quality of each coffee bean as well.

//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({
google_ad_client: “ca-pub-8988049446545207”,
enable_page_level_ads: true
});

Last Saturday, we attended the Singapore Blog Awards Ceremony 2013 that was organised at Shanghai Dolly by OMY and it was a good time of catching up with our friends from the blogosphere. This annual event is a rather big event for bloggers and it always gets bigger and better every year.
The theme for this year’s Singapore Blog Awards is the 1960’s and we found it really meaningful. It was through the theme that we learnt how the people in the 1960’s live and what their culture were like. To be honest, Jacqueline and I didn’t thought of participating in this year’s Singapore Blog Awards 2013 as we didn’t felt like we had the chance of even winning anything. However, a really good Blogger friend of ours, Mag, felt that we had the potential and nominated us for the Best Lifestyle Blog Category.

Seriously, there are a lot of Lifestyle Bloggers in Singapore and even then, the title of a “Lifestyle Blogger” can be rather generic and vague. As a matter of fact, lifestyle can cover anything and everything from topics like fashion and entertainment to topics like food and events. Hence, we were extremely surprised when the results were out and we ended up as the Top 10 Finalists for the Best Lifestyle Blog! Looking back, I guess we have come a long way now and it definitely wasn’t easy as the Best Lifestyle Blog Category was a hotly-contested one.

Although we didn’t clinch the title of “Best Lifestyle Blogger”, it didn’t matter to us because we know that all this wouldn’t even have happened if not for our Blogger friend, Mag, whom believed in us and nominated us. Hence, a very much of our success for this year’s Singapore Blog Awards 2013 is attributed to her. Also, the other group of people whom we would like to thank would be our family members and friends whom constantly and religiously voted for us every single day. Like we mentioned from the very first day, we don’t enjoy canvassing for votes because it is such a tedious and long process. If only the voting campaign was shorter and straightforward, I believe it would have levelled the playing field as Bloggers whom have more followers would definitely have a major advantage over those who don’t.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed ourselves at the Singapore Blog Award Ceremony 2013 as both Jacqueline and I wore quirky retro outfit that kinda attracted a little too much attention. It was a blast and it was really nice meeting new people and making new friends.

Here are just some of our photos that were taken during the Singapore Blog Awards Ceremony 2013.

A photo of both Jacqueline and I
[Credits to Alvinology.com for the Photograph]

A photo of Jacqueline in her retro 1960’s outfit.

A photo of myself in my retro 1960’s outfit.

Here’s a short interview of the bloggers at the Singapore Blog Awards Ceremony 2013

Since we don’t usually have the time for some me-posts [a.k.a personal posts], here are just some heads-up information about our coming blog posts [arranged in order of sequence] that you might want to look out for:

  • [5 Pairs of Golden Village Movie Tickets Giveaway]-Sponsored by ciNE65
  • A Preview of the Kia Forte K3
  • Announcement of the Winners for the $20 NTUC Vouchers Sponsored by SingTel
  • [2 Packets of Cafedirect Ground Full Roast Coffee Giveaway]- Sponsored by Cafedirect
  • Announcement of the Winners for the Golden Village Movie Tickets Sponsored by ciNE65
  • A Preview of the New Nokia 925 Smartphone
  • Annoucement of the Winners for the Cafedirect Ground Full Roast Coffee Sponsored by Cafedirect
  • [2 Bottles of Jaillance Semillon Sparkling Wine Giveaway]- Sponsored by Jaillance
  • Our 2013 Trip to Taiwan [Xinshe Castle in Taichung & Mushroom Farm]
  • Announcement of the Winners for the Jaillance Semillon Sparkling Wine Sponsored by Jaillance
  • [2 Tins of Cafedirect Sao Tome Hot Chocolate Giveaway]- Sponsored by Cafedirect
  • Our 2013 Trip to Taiwan [Carton King & Banana New Paradise]
  • Announcement of the Winners for Cafedirect Sao Tome Hot Chocolate Sponsored by Cafedirect

Do note that the upcoming blog posts may be subjected to changes as we might be attending some other product launches and events that may fall in between the scheduled blog posts. Nevertheless, we look forward to all of your wonderful participation as we work with our partners and sponsors to bring you great content and products! 🙂

Stay tuned!

Have you ever had the craving for a cup of hot chocolate right in the middle of the night? Or do you simply desire to have a cup of hot chocolate for breakfast but find it a hassle to prepare it? Well, fret not because Cafédirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate is now available at major supermarkets such as Cold Storage, FairPrice Finest, Giant, Jasons and ThreeSixty Market Place!
The Cafédirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate

From Cafedirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate 2012

Here’s just some background information about Cafédirect São Tomé Luxury Hot Chocolate:

Cafédirect

Cafédirect is a UK-based alternative trading organisation that is also UK’s first and largest 100% Fairtrade drinks brand. In case you’re wondering what an alternative trading organisation [ATO] is, an ATO is usually a non-governmental organisation or mission-driven business that is aligned with the Fair trade movement, aiming to contribute to the alleviation of poverty in developing regions of the world by establishing a system of trade that allows marginalised producers in developing regions to gain access to developed markets.

São Tomé

São Tomé Island

From Cafedirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate 2012

São Tomé is situated in the continent of Africa and it is the largest island of São Tomé and Príncipe [a country]. In fact, São Tomé is also known as the Chocolate Island and it is renowned for the high quality of its cocoa. Guess what, about 157,000 people live in São Tomé [as of 2009]. It was also the first place to which cocoa trees were brought from Brazil as decorative plants in 1822. The location of the island on the Equator, the fertility of the volcanic ground, and the perfect balance of temperatures, humidity, and forests of shade, explain the rapid spread of these tropical plants native to Mexico.

This is how cocoa beans are obtained.

From Cafedirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate 2012

Luxury Hot Chocolate
Luxury Hot Chocolate is a chocolate beverage that is hot and highly elegant [pun intended].

The reason why I am sharing the background information of Cafédirect São Tomé Luxury Hot Chocolate with all you readers is because most of the time, we as consumers never really bother finding out where our food and beverage products come from and why certain food and beverage products are priced more expensive than the others. It is only through understanding the background information that we learn to appreciate what we are eating or drinking.

So what is so special about the Cafédirect São Tomé Luxury Hot Chocolate?

From Cafedirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate 2012

First and foremost, to prepare a hot cup of chocolate with the Cafédirect São Tomé Luxury Hot Chocolate, all you have to do is just add hot water and stir it really well. There’s no need for sugar or creamer/milk. Now, I know some of you must be thinking, “Chey, I can even do it with Cadbury Drinking Chocolate, Swiss Miss Classics Marshmallow, or even Milo, so what’s the big deal?!”

For that, I will have to agree with you but if you’re the kind of person whom is extremely health conscious, then it is quite a big deal.

Now, let us compare the nutritional information of 4 different chocolate beverages.

Swiss Miss Classics Marshmallow

The serving size that is shown on the nutrition box for Swiss Miss Classics Marshmallow is 19g; hence, in order to standardise all measurements, the standard serving size that I will be using on my blog for comparison is 100g.

From Cafedirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate 2012

After conversion, the amount of calories and protein found in a 100g serving of Swiss Miss Classics Marshmallow is:
Calories- 368kcal, Protein- 10.5g

Milo

To be honest, having Milo as a comparison is pretty unfair because Milo is an energy cum nutritional chocolate malt drink. But since Milo is apparently everybody’s favourite hot beverage in the morning, I have included it for comparison.

From Cafedirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate 2012

The amount of calories and protein found in a 100g serving of Milo is:
Calories- 400kcal, Protein- 11.3g

Cadbury Drinking Chocolate

From Cafedirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate 2012

The amount of calories and protein found in a 100g serving of Cadbury Drinking Chocolate is:
Calories- 370kcal, Protein- 6.3g

Cafédirect São Tomé Luxury Hot Chocolate

From Cafedirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate 2012

The amount of calories and protein found in a 100g serving of Cafédirect São Tomé Luxury Hot Chocolate is:
Calories- 342kcal, Protein- 14.8g

Of course, this comparison is only on the amount of Calories and Protein found in 100g of the 4 different chocolate beverages; hence, it is not meant to be exhaustive. Nevertheless, among the 4 different chocolate beverages that we have compared, Cafédirect São Tomé Luxury Hot Chocolate has the lowest calories but with the highest amount of protein. So, for all you chocolate lovers out there, you can truly indulge in your favourite hot chocolate beverage drink anytime anywhere with the Cafédirect São Tomé Luxury Hot Chocolate.

Here’s how to make your perfect cup of chocolate with the Cafédirect São Tomé Luxury Hot Chocolate.

First, add 3-4 heaped teaspoons of Cafédirect São Tomé Luxury Hot Chocolate powder to your cup.

From Cafedirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate 2012

Secondly, add hot water up to slightly below 3/4 of the cup!

From Cafedirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate 2012
From Cafedirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate 2012

Use the teaspoon and stir the mixture really well.

From Cafedirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate 2012

Finally, relax and enjoy your freshly made Hot Chocolate!

From Cafedirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate 2012

In case you’re wondering how much the Cafédirect São Tomé Luxury Hot Chocolate cost, you can get it at the price of $8.85 for a 300g tin. The serving size of the Cafédirect São Tomé Luxury Hot Chocolate is 18g so that would approximately give you 16 cups of hot chocolate, which would cost about $0.55 a cup. Pretty worth it!

Its time now for me to indulge in a cup of Cafédirect São Tomé Luxury Hot Chocolate after this blog entry!

From Cafedirect Sao Tome Luxury Hot Chocolate 2012

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God bless!