La Cimbali’s Elstree Office Have a Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day

Because it's almost Christmas, La Cimbali has jumped into the Christmas Spirit of the season. What better way to celebrate the season than to share the blessings with the community and then some.

Just last Friday, 12th December 2014, we celebrated the third Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day. We are happy to report that it was a record-breaking year thanks to the overwhelming support of the people who popped on their pullovers up and down the country.

The concept is simple: individuals and businesses to take part, all that is needed is to wear a Christmassy woolly jumper and donate some money to the very worthy cause. 

This year the UK government also revealed that they would double the money by matching every pound donated.  All money raised will go towards helping save children’s lives worldwide, including those affected by Typhoon Haiyan in The Philippines, and just £2 could pay for potentially life-saving antibiotics to treat three babies with infections.

A couple of months ago, La Cimbali’s London Regional Service Coordinator Kate Burford decided to get the Elstree office in the Christmas spirt and help with this very good cause. 

Kate says “I asked everyone who was working on Friday 12^th to put on their favourite Christmas jumper and bring in £1 or more if they wished.  To make it more fun and raise even more money, we also decided to run a competition in the form of a sweepstake to ‘guess the picture on the jumper’"

So the day finally arrived and after constant badgering, Kate managed to get an amazing 30 people from the office to take part! Kate’s enthusiasm paid off as the office raised £40 for the Save the Children charity which was impressive as the office is fairly small. 

Kate summed up the day; “It was very festive with everyone getting involved creating a relaxed atmosphere but also a productive day at work.  There was Christmas music playing all day long and even Christmas croissants for breakfast too!  We had all sorts of jumpers being worn, from a Christmas Minion through to a reindeer that lit up!  The big reveal took place at 3pm – and Contract and Invoicing Administrator, Chelsea Ryder was the lucky winner of the ‘guess the picture on the jumper’ competition, receiving £30.  The day was really successful and we are looking forward to doing it all again next year!”

Truly, what better way to celebrate Christmas then having fun with friends while helping others as well!

For more information regarding the Save the Children charity please visit:

www.savethechildren.org.uk

Why it is easier to spill your coffee than your beer this Christmas?

Celebrations for this Christmas and New Year will be sure to fill restaurants, bars and cafes as these places serve as areas for reunions or just to take a break and catch up with friends and family. 

The staff at these establishments will be busier than usual as they carry yours and your friend's full drinks to your table.  You think this is easy?  It's actually considered treacherous!

If you ask anyone who has had the experience of carrying coffee through a very busy café, they will tell you that spilling drinks on the sides of the cups is really easy.  But carrying beer – even if you have had one too many….. is so much easier! 

Scientists think they know why, and it’s all to do with the beer’s foamy head!

Researchers have recently studied the waves created by people carrying different drinks to demonstrate that foam reduces sloshing, and dampens the waves themselves.  This knowledge could one day be used to work out better ways of transporting huge quantities of liquid more safely and efficiently. 

Using a high speed camera, the study set out to prove that coffee is tricky to carry, whereas beer is so much easier. 

It filmed a moving stage and fluid with, and without a head of foam, and the creation of sudden movement.  The research showed that just a few layers of bubbles are all that is needed for the effect to work, and it doesn’t matter if it is foam on a pint of Guinness or Heineken – it reduces the sloshing and is very efficient at damping the waves. 

The foam is efficient because of viscous dissipation where the ‘thickness’ or viscosity of a fluid takes energy from its motion and transforms it into heat energy.  As the waves form and the beer travels, the foam on the beer rubs against the walls of the glasses, and this rubbing causes a lot of energy, which results in damping. 

The effect is not seen in cups of coffee, which do not have any foam on top of them.  That's why coffee spills more easily than beer.

To conclude, the more foam a drink contains, the less likely it is to slosh around. 

Although the liquid used for this study was beer, this study could one day be the way to help create better ways of transporting large quantities of liquid with more safety. This should be applied more to industrial loads in the form of cargo.

So, this festive period when you are crossing a busy room with a few beers in your hand, trying not to drop them – be thankful that it’s not hot coffees you are carrying!

Tea vs Coffee….. La Cimbali look into the different health benefits they can provide

That first cup of coffee or tea of the day is always something to look forward to as it helps wake us up in the morning. We always hear of people who cannot start their day without either of the two. Are you one of them?

So of these two popular drinks, which do you think has the most number of health benefits?

There is currently constant debate on the risks, benefits and dangers of consuming these drinks regularly, that it's hard for us to know which one is really better. However, it was shown in recent studies that coffee and tea can be good for you in various ways.

The study draws together key facts from a range of studies on the health benefits of tea and coffee, giving connoisseurs of both a reason to stick to their favourite drink. 

Tea time

It states that tea may prevent the development of type 1 diabetes, cut the risk of a heart attack and protect against obesity, heart disease and cancer. 

The results of one study also found that people who drank black tea four times a day for six weeks were found to have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.  However, one word of warning from one study said that by simply adding milk (which many people do) may stop the benefit that it has against cancer.

• The main health benefits of tea drinking that the studies revealed included:
• 3 to 4 cups of tea a day can cut the chance of a heart attack 
• It helps to prevent type 1 diabetes and slow its progression once developed
• Contains fluoride which protects teeth 
• Green tea may protect against lung cancer
• Green tea can reduce the risk of oesophageal cancer in women by up 60 per cent 
• Green and white tea contains anti-oxidants which may have anti-ageing potential
• Tea is hydrating

The Coffee Cup

In the past, coffee was normally thought to be the less healthy drink of the two. However, the recent studies show that coffee also has a number of health benefits.

The studies revealed that coffee too may help prevent diabetes but not type 1 (the same as tea) but type 2.  It can also protect the liver against damage – especially cirrhosis and liver cancer, plus reduce heart disease and the risk of Alzheimers.

• The main health benefits of drinking coffee that the studies revealed included:
• Decreasing the risk of gout in men over 40 
• Reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease
• Reducing the risk of dying of heart disease
• Improving short term memory and reaction times especially in the elderly
• Chemicals found in coffee can be used to make new drugs to treat heart disease and insomnia 
• Caffeine in coffee increases the effectiveness of painkillers 

So what are you waiting for? Why not grab a cup of hot, great-tasting coffee brewed from your favorite La Cimbali espresso maker?

Start your day right today. A coffee a day, according to these studies, helps to keep the doctor away. But remember, moderation is always the key.

La Cimbali UK reveals the impact of Ebola on coffee supplies and prices

Ebola has certainly made headlines this year. The world watched in sadness and fear as news of the virus spreading in affected areas killed people.

The Ebola virus outbreak, which has now killed more than 4,000 people, has left the residents of countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea struggling to cope with food shortages and spiking prices. 

In these countries where poverty rates are already high, economists have said that these problems could have an impact on the trading of such commodities as coffee and cocoa long after the outbreak is over.

This is due to the restrictions on the movement of people and goods as well as the death toll, as supply of agricultural products fall and prices rise which is commonly in demand and supply.

The outbreak has had a major effect on all commodities from these areas.  Coffee production has fallen by half, cocoa is down by a third, while palm oil production is down 75%.  In addition to this, many foreign companies have withdrawn their workers, and airlines have reduced their flights which has caused further related problems in the service sector.

However, it is not only these three countries that have trading problems stemming from Ebola. The neighbouring countries of Ghana and the Ivory Coast – the world’s largest cocoa-producing nations could also be affected soon too as the virus could hinder transportation etc.

La Cimbali’s Coffee Specialist Rob Ward says “Most of the countries around the affected places of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea are predominantly Robusta producers so the crisis may have the potential to affect lower grade coffee, instant coffee, and even some more traditional Italian coffee blends. 

Then there is the danger that the price may go up even more on speciality coffee as demand increases.  However, the good news is that other areas of the world (outside of Africa) currently unaffected by the Ebola outbreak produce large amounts of coffee that could fill the gap including; Vietnam who produce 24 million bags (60 kg a bag) of Robusta a year, Brazil who produce 36 million bags and Columbia who produce 11 million bags.”

Rob continues “Thankfully, the Ebola crisis seems to be slowly getting under control so I am confident that coffee supplies and prices will remain to be relatively unaffected by the crisis.”

This is certainly good news for coffee lovers around the world.

So while the medical professionals continue their search for further control of Ebola, coffee makers around the world make sure that researchers' coffee don't ever go out of stock!

Coffee – it’s all a matter of taste!

Every coffee is unique, and there’s a world of complex flavours to explore.  There are so many different varieties and subtle nuances that coffee tasting is a lot like wine tasting.

With numerous diverse aromas and flavours of coffee available these days, we thought we would help by uncovering what the tastes are made up of and where they come from. You might want to find out as well before you take your next sip and breathe in your coffee’s unique smells.

If possible – start by smelling the fresh grounds, and then compare the fragrance to the bouquet of the brew.  Beyond the unmistakable smell of coffee, you’ll probably notice other recognisable scents e.g. wood, berries, earth and spices.  Although every coffee has its own unique flavours and qualities, there are a few fundamental concepts and known regional profiles that would be helpful for you to be familiar with when visiting your local coffee shop, or even if you're just trying them out at home.

Basic Coffee Characteristics

Flavour

The tastes and aromas of coffee are as varied as those of wine. You will pick up these subtleties in its fragrance and on your tongue, such as chocolate, fruit, flowers, nuts, soil, and spice.

Body

A coffee's body is the way it feels in your mouth. The best way to evaluate body is to take a small sip and let it rest on your tongue to get an impression of its weight and texture.

Acidity

It sounds unappealing, but acidity is actually a desirable quality in coffee. Unrelated to pH levels, palate acidity indicates the liveliness or brightness of flavour. This is like having a Crab Linguine without putting a squeeze of fresh lemon on it, without it, it would taste flat and dull, just like coffee can be.

Regional Differences

The Americas grow coffee known for their clean mouth feel and slightly sweet, lively acidity. In some, the acidity sparkles clearly above all else; in others, it provides a subtle but crisp accent.

Africa & Arabia produce coffees that exhibit a wide range of flavours, from mellow and wine-like to zesty with citrus notes. They often have a sweetness reminiscent of fresh fruit, which is sometimes balanced by a tart acidity.

Indo-Pacific coffees tend to taste more rustic and earthy. They're generally rich and full-bodied, with nutty, smoky, or herbal flavours. Most varieties from this region are smooth in acidity with a slightly dry finish.

You will discover that no two beans are alike.  At first, you cannot tell the difference between coffee beans, but as you get more experienced with coffee, you will find that they are like wine; with distinct bodies and taste.  Try to explore the different coffee flavours available as the more you taste, the more sophisticated your palate will become.   

Rhode Island Coffee Upgrades with La Cimbali M100 HD Coffee Machine

Rhode Island Coffee is a small chain of 6 coffee shops in the North West of England, with the newest one recently opened in Altrincham, Cheshire.  The inspiration for the coffee chain came from Rhode Island, a state in the New England region of the United States.

Rhode Island’s coastline is dotted with lighthouses, fisherman’s piers, endless forests and beautiful scenery; a setting opposite of the big city.  It is a friendly place with welcoming people and hearty natural food, creating an ambiance for enjoyment and relaxation.  This is what Rhode Island Coffee is all about.

As a new customer of La Cimbali UK, Sales Executive Sarah Dyson and her team recently delivered and installed their M100 HD traditional coffee machine at their new Altrincham shop. Rhode Island Coffee already had one on trial at their Burnley store and were so pleased with it that they decided to purchase a second one. 

The new award winning M100 HD coffee machine is the ultimate traditional espresso machine,aimed at the next generation barista who is eager to push boundaries in order to meet the demands of the fourth wave coffee aficionado. The M100 HD features an integral pressure profiling system, which in effect gives the barista direct control of the pressure at any point during the extraction process. Moving away from a fixed 9 bar pressure and allowing the barista scope to experiment opens up infinite possibilities in terms of the in-cup experience.

David Howarth, Operations Manager at Rhode Island Coffee said “We chose a La Cimbali M100 HD coffee machine because we wanted to push the quality and consistency of our coffee offer even further. The Bluetooth Grinder ensures that the espresso extraction is perfect every time, so our guests always receive a premium coffee. The Turbosteamer means that we always deliver on temperature and texture increasing our speed of service without compromising quality, pushing our customer service standards and exceeding expectations. The support from the La Cimbali team has been second to none with a genuine interest and care for our business”

The M100 HD just oozes quality and craftsmanship, and makes a very strong design statement, taking many styling cues from the automotive industry.   Available in a choice of steel and polished aluminium; steel and matt black and steel and glossy white, the M100 HD will create a stunning focal point in any environment.  Rhode Island Coffee even had their new machine custom painted in their corporate orange colours!

The La Cimbali UK team and their customers play for the Golf Challenge Trophy at Goodwood Park Course

Recently, the La Cimbali team took some time away from their Espressos and coffee 
machines for a spot of golf with their customers, and played for the La Cimbali Golf 
Challenge Trophy. Every year, a different golf course is chosen, and this year it was 
at Goodwood.

Goodwood is a picturesque golf course in West Sussex, which has recently been 
ranked as 59th in Golf World Magazine’s Top 100 English Courses, and is ‘home’ to 
the English PGA Championship. 

There are two courses – The Park Course, which surrounds the flint walls of 
Goodwood House and is bordered by three hundred year old Cedar trees, is the less 
challenging, but it’s still tricky to keep any golfer on their toes! 

This course is perfect for all golfers of all ages and abilities, and measuring 6,550 
yards of luscious greens and fairways around Goodwood House. The Downs 
Course, which rises steeply from the clubhouse and is perched high on the South 
Downs, gives golfers incredible views of Chichester Cathedral, down to the Isle of 
Wight, and beyond. The course is the ultimate golf experience for the avid golfer 
and is the course that the La Cimbali team and their customers played on. 

The teams, led by a La Cimbali staff member, were very lucky with the weather – a 
clear bright day with a gentle breeze. 

Carl Bjorkstrand, Managing Director at La Cimbali said, “We were all really looking 
forward to our day out, and from the start the Goodwood staff were great, really 
flexible, and tailored our day to exactly match our needs. On arrival we were taken 
to our personalised locker room, allocated caddies, given a briefing and detailed 
instructions by resident PGA professionals who also answered any questions, 
provided with all the necessary equipment – buggies and course planners etc. before 
we were taken to the green to tee off!” 

Carl continued, “We all really enjoyed the day. It was a completely different way for 
us to spend time with each other and our customers, and productive as well as great 
fun in an exceptional environment. 

David Turney from Peros, who is an excellent golfer, was the overall individual 
winner of the La Cimbali Golf Challenge Trophy. Mike Abrams, our Sales Manager, 
led the winning team and Craig Smith, our IT Systems Administrator, ‘won’ the 
wooden spoon! 

We all had a fantastic day and the Goodwood team provided a first class service 
from start to finish.” 

The Cup North Coffee Event Starts This Weekend In Manchester

Put together by the coffee community of Manchester, the inaugural Cup North, the first major coffee festival to take place outside of London is being held this weekend – 1^st& 2^nd November at Artwork, Greengate Manchester.  This fabulous artisan coffee event will showcase all that is brilliant about the UK coffee industry and the increasing and emerging coffee scene in the North of England.

The two day event will see participation from a wide range of coffee businesses.  Events running throughout the two days will give visitors the chance to learn, sample and buy some of the outstanding coffee roasted in the UK.  The show will be hosting cupping’s, demonstrations, talks, tastings, and more.  Other aspects of the industry will be represented by tea and chocolate merchants, independent street food vendors and brewers.

As part of the kickstarter campaign and supporter of Cup North, La Cimbali will be showcasing their top Commercial and Professional Espresso Coffee Machines. 

We will be demonstrating creativity and consistency showing how we can embrace technology to help control some of the main variables in the barista working day. Two of our best coffee machines will form part of our showcase in the event - the M100 HD Espresso coffee machine and the M34 coffee machine.

The M100 HD Espresso coffee machine assists with the creativity of changing the flavour balance of Espresso using controllable and repeatable pressure profiles that can be easily tweaked by the user.Plus, we will have our M34 machine with Bluetooth grinder with us using the Perfect Grinding System, which will re-calibrate the grinder for busy baristas.  

We have also teamed up with Dark Woods Coffee Roasters (one of the newest coffee roasters in the north!) for the event - so come along to taste some great Espresso!

Our very own Coffee Specialist, Rob Ward and team will be making lots of new coffees for visitors to try, and be on hand to answer any questions that you may have, offer practical advice and listen to views and thoughts on anything and everything coffee!

Other things to expect at Cup North aside from amazing coffees to discover include cocktails, beers, cold brew, and latte art competitions (and yes, that means prizes).

There are still tickets available so please go to www.cupnorth.co.uk where you can purchase online.

We look forward to you joining us at the weekend to drink and talk everything coffee!

Cimbali UK Learn That Espresso Coffee Is Good For Your Hair Follicles!

The latest buzz in the hair world is that caffeine, a naturally growing compound found in several plants can make your locks grow faster! La Cimbali UK learned that according to a new study, caffeine doesn’t just perk up your brain neurons in the morning, it makes your hair grow faster too as the psychotropic substance caffeine is known to stimulate our body, mind and now even our hair roots.  

The caffeine in coffee keeps us awake, alert and active whenever we need a little more energy and a boost any time of the day. And, it does the same to our hair follicles by stimulating, strengthening and generally making the roots more manageable.

The International Journal of Dermatology has found that caffeine stimulates the hair shaft and helps it grow faster by blocking the effects of DHT, a chemical known to damage follicles.  Drinking strong coffee with high caffeine content can help this. However, applying it topically in the form of concentrated hair products will also do the job.  The study, which was carried out on both male and female scalps, showed that female hair follicles were found to be more responsive to caffeine’s growth-boosting properties than men’s.

The findings echoed a study from 2007, which was also conducted by the International Journal of Dermatology. The study found that caffeine boosted the lengths of hairs between 33% and 40%.  Hair follicles that were treated with caffeine showed a highly significant growth rate at 24 hours and amazingly, still showed further significant growth at eight days.  There are now many caffeine containing hair care products available on the market today which all promise fuller and faster growing tresses!

Of course, it is important to remember that healthy hair and regular hair growth relies on a number of other factors, including vitamins, minerals and the presence of other nutrients in a healthy, well balanced diet and lifestyle.  Moreover, medications, genetics, nutritional deficiencies and some underlying diseases and disorders can all negatively affect your hair.

But still, it is good to know that there is a great way to encourage hair growth while at the same time enjoy every sip and every moment of it.

Then again, for those of you reading this at work……. you will probably not encourage hair growth by extending your coffee breaks during the day!  Maybe getting a double Espresso will do double the job in half the time!

Caffe Latte and La Cimbali UK join forces at The National Franchise Exhibition

The National Franchise Exhibition, the UK’s largest franchise event supported by the British Franchise Association, took place at the NEC, Birmingham 3 & 4 October. Thousands of aspiring business owners headed to the NEC for the prospect of finding a superb business opportunity, and the chance to meet with more than 140 leading franchise brands face-to-face, and to hear industry experts provide valuable guidance through free seminars and one-to-one advice clinics.  The stream of would-be entrepreneurs rushing to this event and to other similar exhibitions nationwide, is a measure of the increasing popularity of starting and running a business in this country, particularly as a franchisee.

Founded in 2008, Caffe Latte is a traditional coffee shop franchise with skilfully trained baristas making proper coffees, and for the first time this October,they exhibited at the event hoping to sell their successful franchise concept to prospective franchisees.

Caffe Latte has an established franchise model which has proven to be very successful, and so not surprisingly was the busiest stand at the show making the event a huge success for them.As a customer of La Cimbali UK we offered to put one of our new M34 super automatic coffee machines with integral PGS (Perfect Grinding System) on their stand to help attract customers and to show off the Caffe Latte coffee.  Hence, plenty of 8oz Lattes were made for every visitor to the stand, which were very well received. 

Francesca, the Managing Director ofCaffe Latte team said “Having one of La Cimbali’s best superautomatic coffee machines on our standnot only attracted plenty of people but it also created a stir showing how great the coffee machine is, as well as the delicious tasting coffee it produced.  We became a talking point as the lovely aromas spread around the hall which further enhanced the successful long-standing relationship that we have with La Cimbali, and in particular with our dedicated Sales Manager Mike Abrams.His help and advice on the stand was invaluable.”

The great combination of Caffe Latte's coffee and barista expertise and La Cimbali UK's new M34 super automatic coffee machines showcased a perfect partnership at The British Franchise Show that undoubtedly attracted a lot of passersby to their booth. 

It's truly hard to ignore the wonderful scent of coffee in the air! That's why, it is no wonder that the great combination of Caffe Latte's coffee and barista expertise and La Cimbali UK's new M34 super automatic coffee machines not only attracted a lot of passersby to their booth but they also showcased what a perfect partnership at The British Franchise Show was and should be. 

For more information regarding La Cimbali UK's M34 super automatic coffee machines with integral Perfect Grinding System or Caffe Latte's franchising opportunity, please go to: www.caffelatte.org.uk

When It Rains, The Coffee Pours!

For those of us who are British or who live in the UK, the constant bad weather and abundance of rain are annoying to say the least, but part of our everyday lives!  Of course, rain has it benefits – producing water to drink for all living things, filling streams and putting moisture in the air, to name a few.  But did you know that severe increases in rain can help produce bumper crops of coffee beans too?

This year in Uganda, the unusual rainy weather will significantly increase their coffee output.  For the past two months, the state owned Uganda Coffee Development Authority has reported that eastern Uganda has been experiencing heavy rainfall in their coffee-growing districts.  As a result of this, exports of coffee from Uganda could rise as much as 3% this year as crop outputs increase, thanks to more rain in regions where the bean is grown.  

Coffee farmers in eastern and central Uganda who account for about 55% of the country’s annual production of beans are expected to harvest the commodity later this year.  Uganda, the biggest exporter of coffee in Africa, predominately cultivates the Robusta variety of coffee which could see exports rise to 3.6 million 60kg bags for the season.

The National Union of Coffee Agribusinesses and Farm Enterprises, NUCAFE, predicts farmers will benefit from good prices for the commodity.  There are some concerns about how crops may have been affected by a prolonged dry spell between January and March, but it should not affect overall output and there should be a strong harvest.

In recent years, the Ugandan government has been encouraging the industry to grow more coffee to help boost export earnings.  In 1994, the Agriculture Ministry launched a 20-year campaign to plant 200 million trees by 2015 and to date, they have apparently planted 150 million trees, which should increase production from 3.5 million to 4.5 million bags annually.

This top export industry is now worth about $450m (£277m) for Uganda, with 1.5 million households involved in coffee growing.  Hopefully, it will continue as scientists are engineering a new drought-resistant coffee plant that will help farmers in Uganda boost their annual crop output, as the lengthy dry spells attributed to climate change are having disastrous effects on farmers’ livelihoods, and so researchers are developing drought-tolerant crops to help them cope.

Source: BBC Business News 15 September 2014

Visit: http://cimbaliuk.com/

La Cimbali’s Sarah Dyson trains Nottingham Trent University café staff on their new M34 coffee machine

             La Cimbali at Nottingham Trent University

La Cimbali’s Sales Executive Sarah Dyson recently visited Nottingham’s Trent University to train their baristas on how to use their brand new M34 super automatic coffee machine.

Nottingham Trent University is one of the largest and most popular universities in the UK, which last year attracted over 35,000 student applications!  It is particularly well known for its outstanding School of Art & Design, and recently £350 million was invested for the refurbishment of the building and facilities and in new and existing staff.  The students benefit from exceptional studios, workshop facilities and industry standard equipment, and now they have the award winning, mid-priced M34 super automatic coffee machine with integral PGS (Perfect Grinding System) Magnum on demand Blue Tooth Grinder. 

The University is a customer of Cafeology who specialise in the finest ethical beverages, and decided to upgrade their old traditional coffee machine. Andy McClatchey from Cafeology said “They had looked at bean to cup machines as they wanted to be able to offer a consistent product for their customers.  However, the perception from their customers was that the product was of lower quality when they could see that it wasn’t being hand crafted by a skilled barista.” 

After talking through their exact requirements, customer numbers and expectations, the La Cimbali team advised that the M34 with PGS would be the perfect solution for them. The M34 coffee machine offers consistent espresso extraction and also features TurboStream 4 which allows hand free milk texturing and heating.  Sarah demonstrated how the staff could get the best from this machine as well as offering practical advice on serving perfect coffee from all menus.  She trained several members of staff following the installation on July 30^th and they went ‘live’ with the equipment the following day. 

Over the last few weeks Sarah has received lots of really positive feedback from the university site saying that they think the M34 coffee machine is very easy to use, and they are really impressed with the quality and consistency of the drinks that it produces for students, visitors and staff.   

Sarah Dyson and La Cimbali team would like to wish everyone at the university many happy years with their M34 and lots of great coffee drinking!

La Cimbali UK duo complete Action for Children Suffolk Coast bike ride for charity

La Cimbali UK duo complete Action for Children Suffolk Coast bike ride for charity

La Cimbali UK’s Managing Director, Carl Bjorkstrand and Sales & Marketing Manager Matt Tuffee recently completed the Suffolk Coast bike ride. 

Starting and finishing at the elegant Elizabethan mansion of Glemham Hall, there’s a choice of two routes of 35 & 60 miles, plus brand new for this year – a 100 mile challenge.  All routes head north through pretty countryside and villages with breath-taking views out to sea before splitting at Sibton. The short route then heads towards Dunwich on the coast and the longer ones continue to Covehithe – joining up again on open heathland and finishing back at the start at Glenham Hall.

Both Carl and Matt and Carl’s son and his cousin decided on the 65 mile route but Matt managed to get lost and ended up completing nearer 100 miles!  Although there were very few hills, the last 10 miles were pretty hard work because they were cycling into the wind, and were feeling the effects of a stop on the beach for delicious fish and chips!  But the thought of a massage, refreshments, live music and a bar at the finish kept them going.  Matt found the ride particularly challenging as due to the recent birth of his twins he had not had much time to train or sleep much either!  However they all completed the course and the sense of achievement was immense.

Matt said ”Action for Children is a national charity working in local communities throughout the UK to protect and support the young and vulnerable as they grow up, and has been operating for over 145 years.  I am proud to say that the La Cimbali team raised over £200 to help support this worthy cause and we are hoping that this amount will rise.”

If you would like to donate please visit: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/cimbalicyclists

Action for Children work directly with over 300,000 children, young people, parents and carers running 650 services across the UK, tackling issues such as child neglect and abuse.

If you would like to get involved with the Action for Children charity and help children in your local area, please visit: http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/

La Cimbali reflect on the great coffee revolution of recent years

La Cimbali reflect on the great coffee revolution of recent years

2014 is a very different ‘coffee’ world than it was a few years ago.   Coffee shops have now taken over our high streets, supported by a never-ending supply of connoisseur addicts making the British coffee business boom!

According to Allegra Strategies market research company who specialise in the food and beverage sector, Britain's 16,500 coffee shops had a turnover of £6.2 billion in 2013, a rise of 6.4% on the previous year. There were also 5.7% more coffee shops at the end of the year than at the start.  Costa Coffee, Starbucks and Caffè Nero together saw sales rise 9.3%.  One in five of us now visit a coffee shop every day compared to one in nine in 2009.

At the top of the market are the independents, the "third wave" artisanal coffee shops, apparently soon to be superseded by an emerging "fourth wave", making what the Allegra report describes as "greater use of scientific principles to perfect the entire coffee-making process from bean to cup”.

So just how did Britain become a nation of coffee drinkers?  The first independent roaster opened way back in 1978, and was trading on its own for a very long time.  It wasn’t until the mid 1990s that better coffee became widely available. The first Starbucks opened on the Kings Road, London in 1998, and this coffee shop chain has had a huge impact on coffee drinking in the UK ever since.

In 2005, the flat white coffee arrived in Soho, to rival the Cappuccino, courtesy of the Australians and New Zealanders and the vibrant southern European immigrant.  Nowadays, coffee has become so fashionable, and helped along by great ‘all singing all dancing’ coffee machines, well trained skilled baristas, perfect roasting and coffee drinkers that expect just that little bit more from their drink, as well as being served with a big smile!

Around 60% of the world’s coffee is Arabica with Brazil still maintaining its status as the largest producer, and Vietnam the largest producer of Robusta. There are a many different varietals within the Genus Coffea, which can change the flavour of the drink, but that’s not the only thing that defines coffee.  Origin, specific plots on farms subject to different climatic soils and conditions, also make the difference.  The complex flavour of coffee can make it taste a whole heap of different ways to each person who tastes it – sweet, bright, fruity, caramel, needing milk, leaving it black.  But the most important thing is that, over the last few years the basic expectation of the minimum quality of coffee is changing, and coffee shops, cafes and restaurants want people to drink better coffee, and coffee lovers want to feel coffee is worth spending a little bit more on.

For more information, look at www.cimbaliuk.com

Cimbali UK say Good Bye to Jim Anderson

La Cimbali say good-bye to Jim Anderson who retires after 25 years service

Long-term La Cimbali employee Jim Anderson has recently retired after 25 years working at La Cimbali. 

Jim started working at Breakmain Limited back in 1988, during a time when the company’s main product range was refrigeration.

Following demand from their customers, the La Cimbali brand was added to the Breakmain product portfolio and Jim was instrumental in the introduction of the La Cimbali machine range into the UK.  After only a few days training in the La Cimbali factory, Jim developed the service, support and training infrastructure for the range.  

The super automatic ‘Dolce Vita’ range was the most advanced coffee machine of its time and with Jim’s help it became the benchmark for all super automatic coffee machines in the UK.  Consequently, Breakmain soon became La Cimbali’s most important distributor outside Italy, and in 2004 La Cimbali purchased Breakmain Ltd then 3 years after in 2007, opened a third office in Coventry.

Jim continued to give a significant contribution within the new organisation by running the Scottish office, providing training and technical support for all the UK engineers as well as being responsible for all Health and Safety matters of the business.

To celebrate Jim’s contribution to the success of La Cimbali in the UK, Mr Maurizio Cimbali (the grandson of the founder) invited Jim and his wife, Lynda, to visit the Head Quarters and enjoy a couple of days in Milan. The celebrations included a guided tour of the MUMAC coffee machine museum, which was opened in 2012 to mark 100 years since the beginning of Gruppo Cimbali.  Plus, they visited the factory to meet colleagues and Jim was presented with a medal by Maurizio Cimbali with many people present who have worked with Jim during his 25 years.

Everyone at La Cimbali would like to wish Jim a long, happy and healthy retirement.