How many of you look at your phones right after you wake up? I’m guilty of that. However, It is a bad habit that affects your mood and productivity, and does not fit into your morning routine. You never know what kind of news you find on your phone, such as messages, and it is best to look at them after you’ve prepared your mind and body properly.

One of the best activities to do right after you wake up (besides hydration) is meditation. Meditation is to the mind, what exercise is to the body. Understandably, it is a difficult exercise. But it can be done with other activities, for example, in preparing a cup of coffee. This helps you to set up a morning routine.

Why even have morning routine?

Well, habitually doing repetitive activities that bring you comfort, help you get geared up for the day. It prepares you physically, mentally, and most importantly, emotionally for the challenges that lay ahead in the day. Routines give you to the confidence to handle tasks that are new. Preparing (or even buying, as we’ll explore later) and consuming coffee famously fits into the routine and is a beloved part of many people’s morning routine.

We hope that this article will give you a general idea of how to incorporate coffee into your food, and more importantly, entice you to try it! Let the flavour of coffee melt your tastebuds and the aroma of coffee soothe your nose, as you get your mid-day break, or as you settle down after the day. Without further ado, here is the list!

But why should coffee be included in your morning routine in the first place? Why drink coffee anyway? I will share with you 6 reasons…

1) Waking you up and getting ready for the day. The caffeine in coffee is a stimulant that acts to block out sleepiness. This way, you can focus on your tasks for the day and stay alert, without being distracted by the need to sleep, or dozing. Check out our other article for the best time to drink coffee !

2) If you do not like to eat a lot in the morning but want to keep full, latte and cappuccino are for you (instead of going for Espresso or Long Black Americano)! The milk and syrup of your choice that you add into the coffee will keep you full till the afternoon.

3) Socialisation is a key part of life for people, and Coffee helps to facilitate that. If you are not into having coffee at home, or if the timing prevents you from having coffee at home, you can have it outside or at work with friends and colleagues. It serves as a point of socialisation. You can even bring your homemade coffee outside and share with others! Since coffee helps you to keep alert, you will be able to socialise better.

4) Take a break away from the office setting. You can pair Coffee up with work meetings by having the meeting at a café. Change in locations can help to promote creativity. Our cafes are designed to offer you a particular experience, and each of them serve a different purpose.

5) Coffee consumption also offers a variety of benefits to both your physical and mental health. For instance, it helps to reduce the risk of liver problems, as well as provide antioxidants to your body. It also reduces the chance of depression Not only does coffee provide short term benefits, it also provides long term benefits. Indeed, many of them are benefits of long term coffee consumption.

6) However most importantly, preparing or drinking Coffee can be a form of therapy. As we mentioned earlier, it is meditative to prepare your own cup of coffee. This is especially if you hand-grind your coffee bean! The key is to focus on making the coffee, using each of your five senses. Focus your eyes on what you are doing, feel your hand as you perform each task, take in the aroma of the coffee, listen to the sounds such as grinding, and finally, feel the coffee on your tongue as you drink it. This is easier said than done. As your mind will be easily distracted, you have to gently remind yourself to focus on the current experience. This is also a practice of focusing on the present, which is a better way of living than living in the past or future.

Even if you don’t like coffee in the morning, you can have it in the early afternoon! The post-lunch fatigue can be crushing, but you can mitigate that by drinking Coffee. Just don’t drink it too late, as you might find yourself unable to sleep at night!

So, there are many reasons to drink coffee. But, what is the case for preparing rather than buying that nice hot cup of coffee? After all, making it is not so easy!

The case for this is simple. People value the things they create by their own hands, that is, personally. Also, you will have a chance to experiment with different brews! It is a great thing to be able to finally perfect your brewing technique and be able to taste the difference, all the result of your own careful learning, concentration and hard work! We offer a variety of roasts for you to experiment with.

So what if your coffee-making skill is poor?

Not to worry! Practice makes perfect. Sinouk Coffee offers barista classes for you to try, and even learn latte art (brew coffee with beautiful designs) !

If you are still not keen on making coffee by yourself, you can always grab your hot cup of coffee from our Cafes.

Last but not least. You can make Coffee for others in your household and feel better for making an impact on others’ lives. Essentially, you feel more generous, and sociable.

All of these actions help to shift your mood into positive mode for the day.

But we all have those mornings when we’re in a rush. Can you still make coffee in a rush?

Don’t worry, Nespresso capsules exist (Sinouk Coffee happens to carry them and the Coffee maker 😊)

If you have a dripper such as a V60, Lao Typica is great, with a very smooth and fruity taste.

So there you go, all the reasons to have coffee in your morning routine (or even throughout your day 😊). Start experimenting now! The earlier you start the more you will enjoy it!

For more such articles & information related to Coffee, follow our Facebook or Instagram, and subscribe to our newsletter below!

Are you bored of traditional recipes and wish to experience new kinds of tastes? Well, look no further! In this article, we will explore how coffee can be used to enhance the flavour of your food, no matter what it is.

To that end, we have prepared a list of famous coffee dishes for you, together with our exclusive menu (marked with *). In February, Cafe Sinouk Sokpaluang released the exclusive limited-edition menu called the Coffee Feast Lunch. Each of the items in the menu incuded a touch of coffee. Coffee Feast Lunch included 9 items of Starter, Main and Desserts for coffee lovers to choose from. Each dish was perfectly crafted after much experimentation by our expert Chefs. Seeing the customer response, we extended the limited edition menu and it was a great success!

Each of the items in the menu incuded a touch of coffee. Coffee Feast Lunch included 9 items of Starter, Main and Desserts for coffee lovers to choose from. Each dish was perfectly crafted after much experimentation by our expert Chefs. Seeing the customer response, we extended the limited edition menu and it was a great success!

We hope that this article will give you a general idea of how to incorporate coffee into your food, and more importantly, entice you to try it! Let the flavour of coffee melt your tastebuds and the aroma of coffee soothe your nose, as you get your mid-day break, or as you settle down after the day. Without further ado, here is the list!

Famous Coffee Dishes

Mains

• Salmon Tartare and asparagus salad*
- with its coffee flavored salad sauce

• Mimosa Eggs with mayonnaise on pumpkin puree*
- Hard boiled eggs marinated in coffee . Mayonnaise mixed with a drop of coffee

• Duck breast served with mashed potatoes and vegetables*
- Duck Braised on medium roast coffee beans. Mashed potatoes flavoured with coffee americano style

• Garlic Shrimp on Tagliatelles pasta* - Tagliatelles boiled in Coffee and shrimp broth. Light roasted Coffee cream-based sauce

• Spice Rub
-Rub coffee beans on raw food such as meat or fish, before dry heat cooking.

Sweet/Savoury

• Coffee Sauce – as the name suggests 😊

Preparation may be sweet or savoury.

Uses of sweet sauce

• Puddings
• Flan
• Tortes
• Pancakes
• Cakes
• Souffles
• Icecream
• Chestnuts
• Waffles
• Flan
• Sweet potatoes

Uses of savoury sauce
• Salmon
• Steak

Dessert

• Coffee Caramel Panacotta*
• Coffee crème brulée*
• Floating Island on vanilla* - café sauce topped with caramel

• Chocolate-covered coffee bean
– Roasted coffee beans coated in chocolate

• Coffee Jelly – as the name suggests 😊

• Café Liegeois
– made of coffee flavoured ice cream, lightly sweetened coffee and whipped cream.

• Tiramisu – Famous dessert, a type of sponge biscuit dipped in coffee

Besides this you can include coffee in tarts, pancakes (breakfast anyone?), bread, and even chocolate. Eat it as a dessert or a snack!

Also, you can mix all of the above up in creative food such as salad, burgers patties, roast meat, and even vegetable dishes! Who said that eating vegetables has to be boring?

There is various other food, be it meat, seafood, or vegetables, perhaps even fruits, that go well with a touch of coffee.

So what are you waiting for, go create your own coffee recipes! We have a wide range of coffee beans for you to experiment with. Each of our dishes in the Coffee Feast Lunch used French Roast!

If you are not intending to cook, why not order some desserts from us? Place your order at in***************@***il.com.

In any case, be on the lookout for exclusive menus as we designed back in February! Be the first to know by following our social media!

Also, for more interesting articles on coffee, promotions and updates on Food, subscribe to our newsletter below!

Credits
Photos by Francois HERVY
Website: fhervy.myportfolio.com/

What is Honey in Coffee?

Our journey of constantly learning about coffee, monitoring quality, and building on-the-ground relationships with coffee farmers pay off every now and then whenever we are able to plan new products for customers.

Our latest unique product in the Lao Coffee market highlights the expertise of Lao Coffee producers. However, it is still not renowned in the market, so we want to share how this coffee comes about.

What is Honey Processed Coffee? Is honey involved? Read on to find out more!

One of the steps in Coffee Production is coffee processing. The 3 main Coffee Processing methods are Natural, Honey, and Washed.

In this article, we will review one of the processing methods known as Honey-Processing method.

But first, you need to know the anatomy of coffee cherries. Have you ever looked at the anatomy of coffee cherry or even held one in your hands before?

The figure above shows the anatomy of a coffee cherry, note the Mucilage, which is the 3rd layer. Observe how many layers consist of the coffee cherry! Each of them is important in processing.

Why the name ‘Honey-Processing’?

‘Honey’ refers to the Mucilage (Sweet Coating), which covers the beans in the Coffee Cherry.

In ‘Honey’ Processing, the skin and pulp of the cherry are removed, leaving the mucilage, or ‘Honey’, to dry along with the beans within.

Hence the name, ‘Honey’ Processing

Alright you know the anatomy and how the name of Honey Processing comes about…but

How does it differ from the other processing methods?

Honey processing involves steps from both Washed and Natural processing, resulting in a unique taste. Refer to the flowchart below for a brief overview for each process!

In both Washed & Honey processing, the first step involves Removing skin & pulp. The second step for Honey processing is drying, which is also done for Natural processing.

But that’s not all, there are actually a few variants for Honey Processing. What do the variants mean? Read on for more details!

Variants of Honey processing

There are 3 variants of Honey processing that produce 3 variants of coffee beans: Yellow, Red, and Black.

The first variant, Yellow Honey is derived by leaving the coffee beans to dry uncovered, for a week. This produces light bodied, floral and fruity coffee. We use Yellow Honey in our coffee!

Red Honey is obtained through the same process but longer, by a week. This results in sweet and syrupy tones in the coffee.

Black Honey is acquired by leaving the beans to dry covered, for a 2 to 3 weeks. The beans produce full-bodied, sweet and fruity coffee.

How do these variety of beans fit into the larger picture of processed coffee beans? See the picture below for easy identification.

Colours of Coffee Beans

Natural processing produces dark coffee beans, and then you have the different variants of honey processing. Finally, washed processing produces green coffee beans.

Alright, we know how the processing works and of the variants, but what does this all mean for the customer? What are the characteristics of the coffee that has gone through Honey Processing?

Why Honey Processing?

Honey processed coffee contains the following characteristics:
• Sweeter profile
• Less acidic – less dry and sparkly
• More Body – feels heavier on the tongue
• Cleaner mouth feel
• Notes of chocolate, brown sugar, spice & cedarwood
• More balanced – favours and aroma are not overwhelming; spread evenly on the tongue

Also, some fun details below…

Details about the Honey Processing:
• More environmentally friendly than other processing methods as it uses less water
• Hardest & demanding method out of the processing methods

Phew! That was a lot of facts but even if you don’t remember anything, hopefully you remember that Honey Processed Coffee does not actually involve Honey in the processing. Now you know one more fact about the world of Coffee, which you can share with others (you can use the social media buttons below!)

After all this information about Honey Processed coffee, do you feel a sudden craving? Are you enthusiastic to try it? Head on to your nearest Café Sinouk to try one!

Anyway, there are more facts coming up just for coffee lovers like you! Subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of this page for updates!

Credits
• Featured image: SOPACHA NIROTHON/SHUTTERSTOCK https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/honey-process-coffee/
• https://youtu.be/MchmDUATTmU
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLE7xhVtUJQ&ab_channel=WolffCollegeofCoffee&t=202s
• http://www.craftcoffeeguru.com/honey-processed-coffee/
• https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/honey-process-coffee/
• https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-honey-guide-coffee-beans-processing-ofra-ronen/
• http://www.fincadeborah.com/the-three-methods-of-processing-geisha-coffee/
• https://kaucoffeemill.com/2018/11/19/the-anatomy-of-a-coffee-bean/
• https://savayacoffee.com/2018/01/18/the-coffee-processes-2/
• https://www.calibri.com.co/what-is-inside-a-coffee-cherry-and-how-does-it-affect-your-cup-of-coffee/