Al loves a good “cup o’ joe”. Whether it’s first thing in the morning or when he is hand developing beautiful engagement and wedding film photography, you’re bound to find him not far from his stove top moka pot.
What’s more, Al knows good food. He’s forever rabbiting on about which Michelin star restaurants he has visited or which incredible local food producers he has recently discovered. The kid knows his stuff, so you’d better believe him when he says that Two Chimps Coffee is awesome. Some people spend their money on cars, sharp suits and watches, but Al invests in his taste buds.
We recently caught up with Laura from Oakham based Two Chimps Coffee to find out more about what makes a really good cup of coffee and which flavour profiles would work best when choosing a brew to go with your selected wedding cake option.
Making sure your chosen coffee is awesome!
So what differentiates a really great cup of coffee from a pretty average one? Laura told us that Two Chimps is all about small batch roasting which helps to make their product really special – all of their beans are sourced from single farms or small estates and come from a limited supply, so once a particular batch is gone, it’s gone forever.
The beans that they use are of the Arabica variety and come in at the very top of the quality triangle, meaning that they are hand sorted and processed to ensure that there are no impurities. They arrive in their green form and are roasted by hand. This means that the processing of the beans is tailored to both the variety that is being used and other external elements, such as air temperature and humidity leading to a perfect product every time.
The lack of impurities in the beans also means that they don’t need to be roasted to such a dark colour to try and hide any nasties. All you can taste in the final product is properly awesome, no-nonsense coffee.
What flavour profiles should I look for in a coffee to match my wedding cake?
So, you have chosen your wedding cake (very exciting - we bloomin’ love cake). But how do you choose a coffee to accompany it? Well, we ran Laura through a few cake options and this is what she said.
Traditional Fruit Cake – Look for something with a fruity or raisin sweetness – "Lobster Matador“ is Costa Rican and would make an ideal choice... It has a jammy acidity, creamy body and dark chocolatey sweetness.
Victoria Sponge Cake – These can be very light, but also quite sweet, so why not try something that is heavier in tone? “88 minutes past 3” would be perfect as it's creamy and full bodied.
Lemon Cake – A coffee with good fruitiness would be something to look for here... "Knowledgeable Wellies" has a creamy nuttiness and lime-like acidity which would make a fabulous option.
Chocolate Cake - "I'm a natural" would be great! It is an all day, easy drinking coffee with silky smooth praline sweetness and a cherry-like acidity.
What about an after dinner coffee at a wedding breakfast?
Laura suggests that Two Chimps offer two really good options as an after dinner drink for a big party such as a wedding.
1. "I’m a natural" really covers all the bases. It's easy drinking so that those who don't like strong coffee will enjoy it (here's lookin' at you Granny..!), but it's also an all-round great tasting coffee, so those who are coffee fanatics will love it too.
2. "Along Came a Toothbrush" would also make a great decaffeinated choice. It's sweet and full-bodied with hints of chocolatey biscuits and a cherry-like acidity.
Want something really special for your wedding day?
You’ve got it! Two Chimps offer a range of coffee courses including one to blend your very own coffee.
These courses happen once or twice a month and the team will talk you through the blending process, the different coffee beans available and their flavour profiles. This will give you the opportunity to create a one off coffee for your big day. You could even make use of this for your wedding favours too!
Don’t like coffee eh? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered…
So, you’re like Phil and you don’t enjoy a cup of coffee?
That’s no problem! Why not check out Two Chimps hot chocolate? It’s created by a friend of theirs who is a chocolatier. It’s 71% cocoa and is proper chocolate flakes meaning that it’s super creamy and beautifully smooth.
Now, we know what you’re thinking… what cake goes best with hot chocolate? Well, unsurprising Laura chose coffee cake. She said:
“It’s like a mocha in your mouth!”
You’ve got to love this woman’s dedication to coffee!
If you're a tea person, Two Chimps have you covered on that front too, having recently released their own range of speciality teas under the name "Tiger and Bee" (we've heard that they make VERY nice tea, so look out for a blog on that in the not too distant future!)
Is coffee an ethical product?
We’re environmentally responsible wedding photographers, so you may be reading this and wondering about how ethical coffee is sourced or how it impacts our beautiful planet. Well, we spoke to Laura about that too and Two Chimps have definitely thought all of this through...
Two Chimps coffee is sourced using the shortest supply chain possible - they only use one exporter for a batch of coffee beans, which tends to also be the same people importing the stock into good old Blighty. This cuts out the middle men, ensuring that the farmer gets a greater share of the profits.
All of the coffee beans are delivered to the Oakham roasting house in hessian sacks which is environmentally friendly, sustainably grown and a biodegradable fabric. On top of this, these are always reused or given to others rather than simply being discarded. Remember the waste hierarchy - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
During the roasting process the natural protective parchment peels off the beans creating a by-product called chaff. Rather than wasting this, Two Chimps give it to a friend to use as bedding material for her chickens. We imagine that their coupe is comfy and probably smells awesome too.
Finally, going forward all packaging is going to be recyclable. This is something that has been a long term project and is now becoming a reality. Bags made of LP4 materials are en-route which is incredibly exciting – this means that all packaging will get the chance to be made into something new instead of having to go to landfill. Wonderful stuff!
Want to see more from our photo shoot?
While we are Leicestershire and Rutland wedding photographers, we also love photographing all sorts of other things too. So, if you want to see more beautiful photographs of incredible coffee, check out the gallery below!
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