It’s one of those age-old questions we always ask ourselves, like which came first the chicken or the egg, but the answer to this question comes down to taste more than scientific research; which is better coffee or tea?

Coffee is the world’s most traded beverage, the most traded commodity after oil actually, however tea is the most consumed but not by our American friends. America has stuck by coffee; regularly drinking up to 4 cups a day, since they fought to gain their independence from Britain so shunned all things deemed British. As nations began importing coffee America became the biggest which led to the association of coffee with America.

The science stuff has always put green tea head and shoulders above its competition when it comes down to the health benefits yet now research is telling us coffee is giving green tea a run for its money. As it is drank in large consumptions, most people are getting their health kick, antioxidants, from coffee instead and to enjoy it black for additional health benefits, like lowering your risk of diabetes.

Whoever the winner is, we know this is going to be a contest that we will have a hard time judging, so come give us a hand and see what takes your fancy. Maybe try some of the delicious Arabica coffee or maybe the Taylors of Harrogate tea?  Or if like us you’re finding this too hard then sit on the fence with a nice cup of Hot Chocolate instead.

We are a nation of coffee lovers who will happily feed our caffeine habit well after the sun has gone down. However our drinking habits, as acceptable as they are on our front door, may not be as well received to our foreign counterparts. Don’t worry as here at coffeee.net we’ve compiled some little hints that may help you next time you’re ordering that latte whilst away on your travels:

• In Italy you should only drink a cappuccino before noon as it is thought that a late-day cappuccino upsets your stomach and is seen as a replacement for a meal
• Huge coffee mugs are not accepted in the Middle East, and the smaller demi-cup is refilled frequently. Shake your cup when you hand it back if you do not want a refill otherwise anyone Bedouin will continue to pour more coffee.
• In Vietnam, the preference is to use thick condensed milk blended with sugar to make a very sweet coffee whereas in France, the French prefer to use hot milk and always accompany their coffee with a pastry.

Wherever you are in the world maybe you should try a local coffee, you never know you might just develop a taste for something a little different. If you’re not off on your travels anytime soon but still want to give something a try check out the wide range of coffee beans we have available and maybe you’ll find a new caffeine love.

A coffee retail giant is launching drive-thru outlets in the UK. Costa is launching a bid against its high street rivals by trying to break into the drive-thru market left open by McDonalds. Looking to accommodate a coffee lover’s needs whilst on the move, the coffee company plans to open six stores throughout the UK by the end of 2012.

Here at coffeee.net this got us thinking, are we really too busy to sit down for a cup of coffee? Take-away coffee has always been a great addition to our high streets as a relaxing break to a stressful shopping trip.  So is there a market to drive out of our way for a cup of coffee that McDonalds hasn’t now covered?

This doesn’t sound like our cup of tea as we love nothing more than sitting down in our own homes with a nice relaxing cup of coffee. With the range of fantastic coffee machines and caffeine products now available you can reproduce the take-away coffee in the comfort of your own home at a fraction of the price.

In the past coffee has been known to have a bit of a negative rep, being lumped with the likes of nicotine and even harder drugs, many people were dissuaded from enjoying the beverage.

However thanks to medical research these myths have all been put straight.

These days we have the contrary results to shows that coffee is indeed a great benefit to our health.

Improving not only our alertness, improving short term memory, lowering the risk of a stroke, dementia, Parkinson’s’ and Alzheimer’s disease it’s actually becoming somewhat of a body boosting gem.

Public Health Physician and Lecturer, Dr Kemi Odukoya explained how the once misunderstood beverage has some pretty impressive capabilities when it comes to helping the body fight against oxidation stress. As we’re exposed to stress such as inflammation, pollution cigarette smoke and other free radicals, our DNA, lipids and proteins face potential damage on a daily basis. Dr Odukoya explains, ‘With the antioxidants provided by food sources and mostly coffee, the body is immune against oxidation stress. The antioxidants also help fight free radicals and may prevent them from damaging the cells and tissues.”

Well in this case it seems like it’s time to drink up folks and start building our defence against those pesky free radicals! So you stick the kettle on and we’ll supply the coffee!

 In the latest cash economy crackdown, the taxman is now turning to coffee shops to make sure there are no dodgy coffee dealings occurring.

Checks will be carried out to make sure that all of those coffee shops which purchase more than 15 kilograms of coffee beans per week aren’t skimming cash

The checks are an effort to make it harder for undeclared coffee purchases to slip under the radar and create more of a level playing field for coffee businesses. 

By matching the business records, tax companies can identify businesses which are participating in the cash economy but sneakily not revealing all of their income.  

So it’s time to cough up, the tax man is coming and isn’t taking any prisoners! Just play the coffee trading game fairly and every one’s happy right? However, they’re not checking homes are they? If they are we seriously need to think about moving that 3 tonne bag we’ve had stashed in the utility room…

According to new global coffee stats coffee love is on the increase! That’s right since last year consumption has increased from 135 million bags of coffee to 136.5 million bags, now that’s a heck of a lot more coffee! So why is it that we’re all going crazy for coffee and increasing our global intake by 1,500,000 more bags?! Well according to the International Coffee Organisation the increase is attributed to growing demand in certain markets and an increase in domestic consumption. So not only are we enjoying more coffee in general but we’re also enjoying more coffee in the comfort of our own homes.

The research also revealed some interesting facts about specific coffee drinking countries such as Brazil stating that their coffee consumption is due to the fact that they’re now enjoying better income distribution and lower rates of unemployment. So all those office cups of coffee it seems are adding up for Brazil. Not to mention the increase was also highly prominent in countries such as India thanks to the emergence of many new coffee bars opening up all over the country.

So whether you’re enjoying a cup at home or in a café bar, one thing is for sure, our love for coffee is growing. So make sure you’ve got your love catered for with coffeee.net and choose from a huge selection of top brand coffee supplies not to mention a range of quality and stylish coffee machines.

After our fabulous day trip to our coffee suppliers there was definitely one machine that left us wanting so much more and that was indeed the Ascaso Dream machine. Put simply this machine is as the name states, a complete dream to operate and not to mention look at.

As one of the most emblematic coffee machines ever produced from the Ascaso factory we’re very proud indeed to offer this superb machine to all of you coffee lovers. Designed by Marc Aranyo we absolutely love the statement this coffee machine brings to any kitchen with its retro appearance combined with the latest state of the art technology, it’s the ultimate when it comes to your at home coffee machine.

Besides providing an eye catching focal point to your work tops, this little ray of coffee sunshine is also just as impressive when it comes to its coffee making abilities which aesthetics aside, is after all what you’re looking for. Providing a quality extraction and the versatility to create espressos, medium or large coffees, cappuccinos and lattes it’s got all of your coffee needs covered plus you can look totally cool making them. So if you’re looking for a coffee machine which is simple to use, produces great tasting coffee and comes in a variety of quirky, fun and mouth wateringly stylish designs and colours, it has to be the Ascaso Dream!

Dubai’s Coffee Planet has launched a new and rather posh, upmarket range of coffee.

Costing more than four times that of normal coffee at around £24 per 250g packet, this new coffee called Single Origin has a pretty hefty price tag.

However, the justification behind the price tag…Well each individual pack is roasted to order and delivered to the customer’s home.

Managing Director Richard Jones at Gulford insists that it doesn’t get any better than this hand roasted coffee, “It’s expensive because it’s very high quality. Coffee is graded from one to five, and this will only ever be grade one.”

“I don’t expect to sell a lot of this but I think there will always be a demand for high-quality coffee. There will be people who are real coffee lovers here who will recognise the importance of this and they’ll want to have it at home.”

The blends which will be available to order online will all be harvested at a single farm from countries such as El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Rwanda and Malawi to begin with.

Mr Jones added, “We’re going to continue to launch new, interesting coffees, so there’ll only be limited supplies of each range. From El Salvador we might have 250 bags, and when that’s done we’ll go and find something from Peru, or Costa Rica etc.”

Well there you have it, if you’re serious about coffee then perhaps you can check out these new upmarket coffees. On the other hand you could just order your coffee supply form us here at coffeee.net where you’re guaranteed that upmarket taste for a lot less, But each to their own.