Delonghi Magnifica S 23.210b Espresso Machine

We're big fans of espresso machines here, with a built in grinder and more varieties of drinks than are available with a typical coffee machine, they're by far a better choice for home and office use. Not only can you imitate cafe-style drinks using espresso and the steaming wand, but most machines come with a built-in grinder ensuring your coffee stays fresh until you're ready to drink it. By far, freshly ground beans is the biggest difference we've had customers tell us. We'll take a look at the Delonghi Magnifica S 23.210b Espresso Machine from espresso-experts.com and what it has to offer.

It's obvious right off the bat that this is a gorgeous machine that looks at home on any kitchen counter. The compact size is great for saving counterspace - it's very narrow and long instead of wide. The bean hopper holds up to 150 grams of beans and uses a rubber gasket to prevent air from oxidizing the beans while they're held in the hopper. Next to the hopper is a cup warmer, designed to pre-warm your cups or mugs before use to avoid pre-maturely cooling the espresso as it's extracted into your cup, and preserving the flavour.

A 60-oz water tank holds plenty of water for running espresso shots back-to-back as well as using the steaming wand. Keeping the counter clean is simple with the drip-tray placed conveniently below the brewing spout, it can be removed and very easily rinsed. The brew unit is removable and can be washed in the washing machine.

The beautiful display and dial allows the selection of espresso or americanos ranging from 1 ounce to 6 ounces of water volume. A custom setting allows the programming of personal settings, allowing you to alter the amount of water for your espresso. Finally, the dosage is adjustable so that you can enjoy a mild espresso or a very strong espresso.

Delonghi's machines will also track your usage versus cleaning and descaling so that you can monitor the machine's statistics and figure out if more regular cleaning is required, and how far along the expected lifespan you are. Other customizable settings include the water hardness and thermometer adjustments for tweaking your drinks.

New Premium Arabica Coffee Beans

New harvest means new coffees! We've brought in some brand new beans for our coffee-loving Canadians to try and obsess over. Our recent additions are focused around Fair Trade and Organic certified coffees by popular request.

Brazil Fair Trade Organic Coffee Beans

Costa Rica Fair Trade Organic Coffee Beans

Cuba Turquino Coffee Beans

 Ethiopian Sidamo Coffee Beans

Wholesale discounts are also available for cafes, restaurants and hotels. Whether you need whole beans, ground coffee or coffee packets, we're happy to supply a quote.

Coconut Flour Recipes

With more and more Canadians discovering gluten  and wheat intolerance, alternatives like coconut flour are becoming increasing popular. It takes some time and finessing to get the substitution just right, but coconut flour is light, flavourful and textured, making it a viable alternative to wheat flour.

Here's a couple recipes to try using Coconut Flour:

Coconut Flour Zucchini Bread

Particularly popular towards the end of summer, zucchini is also gluten-free, palo-friendly and GAPS-friendly. Have excess zucchini? No problem! Freeze this bread and enjoy it later.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 4 eggs
• 2-3 Tbsp. raw honey or maple syrup
• 1 cup (small or medium) zucchini, shredded finely
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1/2 cup walnuts or almonds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease a loaf pan with coconut oil or line with parchment paper, set aside
3. Shred your zucchini finely, and then use a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to squeeze all the moisture out of it.
4. Mix the egg, honey or syrup, and banana together in a large bowl.
5. Add the dry ingredients and zucchini, and stir until the batter is smooth.
6. Stir in the nuts, if using.
7. Pour batter into your greased loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Coconut Flour Pancakes

Probably the simplest recipe. this is also a go-to staple when you're just sick of eggs.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, beaten and set aside
• 1 cup cream or coconut cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• ghee, coconut oil or butter for cooking

Instructions

1. Mix eggs, cream, vanilla together. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, combine coconut flour, coconut sugar, baking soda and sea salt. Slowly mix wet mixture into dry mix.
3. Heat griddle or frying pan to medium heat.  Add ghee, coconut oil or butter. 
4. Make pancakes using 2 tablespoons-1/4 cup of batter at a time (smaller pancakes are easier and will be less likely to fall apart when removing). Cook for a few minutes on each side. The pancakes should be slightly brown and dry on both sides.

Price on Coffee Beans Set to Increase Over Next Year

News out of Brazil that a drought might be impeding coffee crops has analysts predicting that coffee commodities will increase over the next year. Brazil, being the largest grower and exporter of coffee beans, affects the market as a whole. Exactly how much coffee bean prices will rise in Canada isn't yet known, but there is sure to be some change with an upward-trend.

While the price isn't expected to immediately the consumer/retail market, some predictions indicate that prices will rise as much as 25% over the course of the year. While the cost for a shot of espresso at home will only change $0.03-$0.04, peoples' daily habit will get a little more expensive.

One thing to watch for is companies substituting the lower quality robusta beans in lieu of higher quality arabica beans in their blends. While companies can't sell robusta as arabica beans, blends are mixes of different types of beans and seedy companies may attempt to make substitutions in order to save on costs.

Latte Syrups in Canada

Buying overpriced flavoured lattes from national coffee chains can get expensive real fast, real quick. Fortunately, you can make the same drinks right at home with flavoured latte syrups. Torani syrups can be added straight to a latte, mixed in, and achieves the same flavour that high-end coffee shops use for their drinks - at a fraction of the price. Simply combine the latte syrup with steamed milk and espresso (or a strong coffee) and mix!

DIY Festive Holiday Lattes and Coffees

When the cold weather comes in, cafes know to break out the big guns - holiday flavoured drinks. It's almost a Canadian custom to grab a nice hot drink on the way in to work, something to keep you warm and get you ready for the day. One of the great things about winter weather is that the winter-only holiday flavours come out, giving us something delicious in addition to waking us up.

It's no secret that those drinks can be expensive though, national coffee shops regularly charge $4.00-$5.00 for beverages like Starbucks Holiday Drinks. Thankfully, many of them can be made from home - not only avoiding insane drive-through (or in-store) lineups, but also saving you beaucoup bucks. Costing an average of $0.50 per serving, these Flavoured Syrups from Torani give you the key to making your own coffee-shop style drinks right at home.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

• Steamed Milk
• Torani Pumpkin Spice Syrup
• Espresso

Gingerbread Latte

• Steamed Milk
• Torani Gingerbread Syrup
• Espresso

Peppermint Mocha

• Steamed Milk
• Torani Peppermint Syrup
• Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce
• Espresso

Chocolate Chai Latte

• Steamed Milk
• Torani Chocolate Milano Syrup
• Chai Tea

Eggnog Steamer

• Steamed Milk
• Torani Italian Eggnog Syrup
• Espresso

Creme Brule Latte

• Steamed Milk
• Torani Vanilla Bean Syrup
• Torani Italian Eggnog Syrup
• Espresso

With over 70 flavours available (plus 30 sugar-free), Torani syrups can make hundreds of different drinks that can help ween you off your reliance on cafes. The syrups cost a fraction (just 10%-20% sometimes) of what you pay at a coffee shop, adding up to hundreds of dollars per years in some cases.

Not only is it a money-saving way to enjoy festive drinks for yourself, but you can also serve the drinks to friends and family - offering the fully catered experience of a high end cafe over the holidays.

The Health Benefits of Cacao Nibs as a Snack and Drink

Cacao Nibs are brokend own bits of cacao beans, which have been fermented and roasted to bring out the full flavour of one of nature's superfoods. They're typically added to protein shakes or smoothies, adding tons of antioxidants, but they can also be consumed as a snack food on their own or in trail mix.

The immediate pay-off from processed chocolate you buy in stores comes from it's high sugar content however - which provides an immediate mood boost until some of the more nutritious minerals and chemicals kick in. Real, unrefined cacao has a flavour of it's own - somewhat reminiscent of chocolate but more bitter than most expect on their first taste. Richer cacao beans such as the "Fine and Flavour" cacao at BuyCoffeeCanada.com will have a smoother taste than commodity-grade cacao typically found in a grocery store.

It's no secret that chocolate - dark chocolate - has health benefits, and these healthy attributes come from the Cacao bean itself.  Cacao is loaded with minerals like Magensium and Iron, is high in fiber and contains a number of different chemicals like Theobromine that have a positive effect on your health. Theobromine, like caffeine, has a mild stimulant effect, but tends to be absorbed by the body over 15-20 minutes as opposed to caffeine, which is closer than 5 minutes. Combined with the fact that it lasts 3-4 hours as opposed to 1-2 for caffeine, you get a steadier stream of energy and avoid that "afternoon crash" most of us are so familiar with.

Raw Cacao vs. Roasted Cacao
All the cacao beans are imported as "raw" beans, meaning they've gone through the picking and fermenting process - which gives the cacao it's chocolate flavour. While most beans are shipped overseas slowly in bulk containers, specialty importers like BuyCoffeeCanada have it air freighted so that the beans are as fresh as possible once they're received.

The roasting process is the optional next step - hardcore nutritionists insist on raw cacao beans, whereas most people are likely to enjoy roasted cacao beans because the roasting process brings out more flavour. Very little of the nutritional value is lost in the roasting process, and some insist on it in order to help kill off any bacteria that may still be present in the raw beans.

Most of the cacao nibs sold at BuyCoffeeCanada are roasted due to a more palatable taste.

Brewed Cacao
More recently, cacao powder has also become popular as a drink that is similar to coffee. It contains all the nutritients that regular cacao nibs or beans do, but in a beverage format. We're not talking about sugar-infused hot chocolate you find from a grocery store mind you - we're talking about the 100% cacao ground down to a fine powder that's brewed typically in a french press or espresso maker. You also get that little kick to jump start your day in the form of Theobromine, instead of caffeine. Anecdotally, we've been told it's a great way to get off the caffeine for a while and give your body a break from it, and could make you more sensitive to caffeine's stimulating effects after just two weeks.

We usually recommend people start by infusing their coffee with the cacao powder to become accustomed to the taste, which is entirely unique in itself. A straight cacao beverage doesn't taste like espresso or hot chocolate, and some people may be thrown off by it. Nevertheless, we've found most people develop a taste for it over time and take advantage of the numerous health benefits. For the true health-nuts, our cacao is organically grown according to organic practices, but does not yet have the certification to be officially labeled "Organic" by an agency - it's something being worked on at the moment.