Whole Latte Love

Like heirlooms, treasured recipes get passed down from generation to generation, building memories at every turn. In celebration of Mother’s Day, we’re asking you to share your family’s favorite coffee or espresso-related recipe for a chance to win a Keurig B31 Mini Plus in Platinum, a box of Green Mountain Nantucket Blend K-Cups, two Whole Latte Love Latte Cups.

You can submit a drink or food recipe, so long as one of the ingredients is coffee or espresso. Enter here by noon (EST) on May 6, 2013 and we’ll put your submission up for an open vote. Our fans will determine who wins this contest! Voting ends on May 9 noon (EST) just two days after recipe submissions are due.

Green coffee beans are usually shipped in 132lb bags, (60 Kilograms) and world-wide production statistics are compiled on the number of bags.

World production for 2012 includes 88,818 bags of Arabica and 62,440 of Robusta.

To give you perspective on worldwide coffee production and the rarity of some highly prized regional coffees like Hawaiian Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain that make up a tiny fraction of all coffees, here are statistics for 2012 compiled by the US Department of Agriculture.

Brazil leads the world in total production again in 2012 with 40,200 bags of Arabica and 15,700 of Robusta for a total of 55,900 bags or 7,378,800 lb.

Vietnam is second for total production with 850 bags of Arabica and 24,150 of Robusta for a total of 25,000 bags or 3,300,000 lb.

 

The United States, mostly Hawaii, (100/0) and Mexico (4,500/200) make up North American production of 4,600 bags of Arabica and 200 bags of Robusta.

Central America produces 14,605 bags of Arabica and 10 bags of Robusta from: Costa Rica (1,600/0), El Salvador (1,475/0), Guatemala (3,840/10), Honduras (5,800/0), Nicaragua (1,800/0) and Panama (90/0).

 

South American countries including Bolivia (4/150), Brazil (40,200/15,700), Colombia (7,500/0), Ecuador (415/190), Paraguay (25/0), Peru (4,800/0) and Venezuela (880/0) combined to produce 53,970 bags of Arabica and 15,890 bags of Robusta.

Caribbean countries produce 920 bags of Arabica from: Cuba (125), Dominican Republic (475), Haiti (300) and Jamaica (20).

 

Middle East coffee comes from Yemen at 150 bags of Arabica.

Papua New Guinea, 1,100 bags of Arabica and 50 bags of Robusta, represents Oceania’s total production.

South Asia contributes 1,650 bags of Arabica and 3,685 bags of Robusta from: India (1,640/3,660) and Sri Lanka (10/25).

 

Southeast Asia contributes 2,580 bags of Arabica and 35,025 bags of Robusta from: Indonesia (1,700/8,000), Laos (0/575), Malaysia (0/1,000), Philippines (30/400), Thailand (0/900) and Vietnam (850/24,150).

 

Sub-Saharan Africa contributes 9,243 bags of Arabica and 7,580 bags of Robusta from: Angola (0/30), Burundi (225/0), Cameroon (100/700), Central African Republic (0/15), Kinshasa (200/165), Cote d'Ivoire (0/1,800), Ethiopia (6,500/0), Ghana (0/90), Guinea (0/425), Kenya (850/0), Liberia (0/5), Madagascar (25/500), Malawi (25/0), Nigeria (0/30), Rwanda (250/0), Sierra Leone (0/70), Tanzania (500/300), Togo (0/650), Uganda (650/2,800), Zambia 10/0) and Zimbabwe (8/0).

 

Watch our video on how to practice your tamping pressure using a regular scale. Mark and I will demonstrate how changing your tamping pressure can affect espresso extraction. We’ll show examples of espresso extracted using 15lbs and 40lbs of pressure. Enjoy!

If you're tired of the same old drinks, break out of the rut with a creative latte. This month's recipe is perfect for the adventurous latte lovers out there.

Ingredients
- 3 shots of espresso
- 6 oz of milk
- ½ oz of Monin Dark Chocolate Syrup
- ½ oz of Monin Caramel Syrup
- ¼ oz of Monin Hazelnut Syrup
- Ice

Preparation
In a tall 16oz glass, combine the espresso, syrup and milk. Stir the contents and add ice. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired, and enjoy!

I’m a bargain shopper and I love it when customers find great deals on our Website. But, there are a few money-saving tricks that some people miss when they buy on wholelattelove.com. It’s really a shame because the savings are actually very substantial. If you don’t want to miss out on a great deal, check out my “shopping secrets” below:

Buy in Packs
I consider our packages to be the most-often-overlooked deals on the site. You could save over $100, in some cases, by simply buying your products in a bundle. Our Grinder and Machine Packages are a must-shop, if you’re in the market for a home coffee bar. Every single package on this page has been discounted from the original price. If the espresso machine and grinder you’re looking for is available as a package, you probably shouldn’t be buying them separately. Also, our Gift Center is a treasure trove of bargains. Browse through the products in this section and you’ll find generous discounts as well as many packages that include free gift-with-purchase items. 

Prepare to be Wowed
Started at the height of the shopping frenzy, during last Christmas, our Wow of the Week survived the holidays and continues to host different weekly deals. You’ll find everything from coffee to espresso machines, grinders, accessories and more. But beware; these deals are only active for seven days. When the countdown clock hits zero, at noon on Friday, time has run out for that week’s specials. New Wow of the Week items are posted at 12PM EST every Friday, so make sure you tune in to get first dibs on the deals!

Shop the Sale
You can save up to 50% on the products in the Sale Section. Espresso machines, grinders, coffee makers, coffee, tea, parts, accessories and packages are all represented in this section. Our sale page is updated regularly; be sure to check back often for the latest specials.

Stay in Touch
Have the latest coupon codes, sales and specials sent directly to your inbox by signing up for a Whole Latte Love account. Every edition of our monthly newsletter includes a coupon code for site-wide savings. We make it a point to keep our members up-to-date with the newest deals and exclusive coupon codes. Coffee lovers should also consider joining us on the Whole Latte Love Spot, facebook, and twitter.

What’s your favorite way to save at Whole Latte Love? Do you have a saving secret to share with your fellow coffee lovers? Post your thoughts here!

Tho
Writing Department

You may have already read my blog “Oil No More” which is about using oily beans in espresso grinders. As expressed in this blog, many of our customers prefer the dark roasted taste of some of the more oily roasts produced by Starbucks or Peets. As I mentioned in my previous blog, Urnex Grindz is a great product to help prevent oil build up in espresso and coffee grinders when using these roasts. The main attraction to a Starbucks or Peets is that they offer a very intense, bold flavor that is great for cutting milk in milk-based drinks like Cappuccinos or Lattes. Although there are some folks that like to drink this as straight espresso, most will use Starbucks coffee as an additive to an espresso-based drink.

I get this question all the time…”I purchased my own espresso machine so I can make lattes like I get a Starbucks but for a lot less money". Then they go on to say “Now I’m being told that oily beans can be harmful to my machine if not used properly”. Not to worry, aside from using Grindz there are also many alternative espressos that we offer with similar flavor characteristics that are not as oily. My personal favorites are either Crema E Aroma by Lavazza or our own Buzzopolis . Both are considered a dark roast with an intense, full bodied flavor. My mother-in-law is considered a die-hard Starbucks fan for many years until I served her an iced latte made with Crema E Aroma. Now this the first thing she asks for in the summer when she visits. Believe me, if she can convert from Starbucks then anybody can. All our staff members here will have their own recommendations for similar coffee so don’t hesitate to give us a call and chat. Happy Brewing!