Hot Drink Paper Cups Explained

This is a very common question; the answer primarily depends on the heat of beverage you intend to serve. We stock a wide range of cups from single-wall plain cups, to our newest triple wall "Ultimate" Paper Cups. The key difference is the insulating properties of the specific cup type.

Single wall cups are perfect for warm drinks; however piping hot coffee would be rather uncomfortable to hold without the use of a cup sleeve (available seperately). Due to their single-wall construction there is no additional layer to insulate the heat of the drink.

Double wall and Ripple cups are specifically designed for far greater heat retention, the dual layers work in a similar way to a thermos flask; trapping air and isolating the customers hand from hot beverages. In addition to this, the extra rigidity is ideally suited to "coffee on the go".

With different coffee shop and drinks providers favouring different disposable cup materials, it is interesting to find out which is the most effective insulator. Perhaps the best way to discuss the insulation properties of a paper cup is to compare it with another commonly used non-china cup material such as polystyrene. This can be done by performing a simple test to show whether the polystyrene or paper cup kept the tea it contained hotter for longer.

Differences between Paper cups and Polystyrene containers
The heat retention test involves pouring 200 ml of boiling water into a polystyrene cup and the same amount into a hot drink paper cup to find out which is the better insulator. For a wider comparison you could also use a plastic container as part of the test to see how its insulation properties compare. We all know each of these vessels will provide a certain level of insulation, but this test can help show which is the best method of keeping liquids heated.

How to measure the temperature
You can use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the liquid. Taking a heat reading every minute for ten minutes, then again at 20 minutes and 30 minutes, will help to show whether the paper cup is the best insulator. You can record these findings as a graph if you wish to make the results clearer.

Heat analysis
In a similar test, cup and food container specialist Contexpan found that the liquid in both cups dropped in temperature quite quickly during the first five minutes, from around 100 degrees centigrade to around 90 degrees. However, at this point, the liquid in the polystyrene cup cooled at a significantly slower rate than the paper cup, remaining at around 80 degrees after 25 minutes compared with the liquid in the paper cup, which had dropped to around 70 degrees.

The findings
The results state that the polystyrene cup is the better insulator, with the paper cup in second place. A third cup, a plastic cup, was used in the Contexpan test and this presenting inferior insulation properties, with the water temperature falling to below 70 degrees centigrade after 25 minutes. However, companies such as Event Supplies are now manufacturing ripple disposable hot drink paper cups with an air pocket in between to trap the heat and provide an extra barrier of insulation. Although conclusive findings have not been compiled, early indications suggest that these new double walled cups will be even better insulators than their Polystyrene counterparts.

Event supplies stock a huge range of quality catering disposable items used throughout professional catering businesses, whether you are organising a large event or small party, event supplies service, prices and product range ensure your catering disposable needs are exceeded.

Event Supplies
http://www.eventsupplies.co.uk
0844 4995456

Party Supplies

Party Supplies

folk need no excuse to throw a party if there is an event or occasion to be celebrated, like a victory party at high school or at work, new job or promotion from work, wedding party, birthday party and so on. Hence, buying your Party Supplies online is advantageous from both a choice and financial point of view. Internet traders often have a much more expansive product range, meaning you should easily be able to source all your goods from the same vendor.

Some handy tips when scouring the Internet for a supplier which will give you with what you require, since the first and foremost thing you need to do whether you are getting ready to throw a sports, birthday or wedding celebration is to look for a reputable distributor. There are a huge number of Christmas party supplies retailers appearing online, not all are as trusted as they may first appear. Some may claim to hold a greater quantity of stock than they actually hold, meaning they could possibly fail to meet your needs, others may be one-man-bands pretending to be much larger suppliers.

You would be advised to ensure that the company you decide to use has a good reputation in the industry. If you look for catering supplies companies by browsing the Internet you will be surprised to find out that there are hundreds or maybe thousands of such vendors. Hence, there is always a possibility that you will encounter a disappointing service. In order to avoid disappointing products and service, it is advisable to contact the potential suppliers by telephone prior to ordering. If it is possible, visit the showroom in person and request to see samples of their products before making a decision, although this is not always possible with the modern Internet website / warehouse business style of business.

It is important to be skeptical of vendors that only specialise in supplying poor quality imported goods. Although this can seem like a great way of cutting overheads, there is a difference between a well priced item and a poor quality one. This is particularly evident with plastic tumblers. It is possible to buy extremely cheap disposable tumblers, however it can be a case of false economy if people need to "double up" the cups in order to get the required strength.

In order to get the best pricing, it really does pay to shop around. The first thing to need to decide on is the quantities required. If bulk quantities of products are needed then there is no point in buying your party supplies from a small, low-volume trader. Their pricing structure will be geared towards smaller purchases, and stock levels could also pose a problem.

Event Supplies are a leading UK supplier of catering and party supplies, situated in the north of England. Our full range of products is delivered on a next-day basis with a free delivery available. Visit our website for all your Christmas Party Supply needs, all goods are in stock. Exclusive new range of 2010 Christmas Party Supplies in stock. Give our friendly sales team a call on 0844 4995456 and we will be happy to discuss your requirements.

Event Supplies
http://www.eventsupplies.co.uk
sales@eventsupplies.co.uk
0844 4995456

Office Coffee Machines

There are loads of Automatic Coffee Machines available at present.

A fairly new machine type are Pod Coffee Machines which make double or single shots of coffee by using pods of coffee instead of loose coffee. These capsules of coffee house the coffee grounds so that the quantities of coffee are correct for the user, thus reducing production time and limits any mess.

These espresso makers are particularly popular for use as Office Coffee Machines and in hotel rooms because of these clean features. Using the machines is very easy; users simply put the pod of espresso in the coffee maker, add the H2O, and push a button to create a perfect drink without fail. Many of these Home Coffee Machines and coffee makers can also produce hot water and therefore one can create Tea beverages as well as the many coffee varieties.

If the pod machines is not preferred, there are other coffee makers that use coffee grounds and also have a timer switch so coffee drinks can be automatically made at set times.

Many Automatic Coffee Machines also come with features such as the ability to change the strength of brewing espresso coffee. These auto coffee machines are wonderful for homes have differing tastes in the strength of the coffee they like.

Many espresso makers can also take the brew temperature to steam temperature within a few seconds, some coffee makers also feature a tray beneath the coffee pot where a mug maybe filled straight from the coffee maker. In addition automatic coffee machines will sometimes have two coffee pots so normal and decaffeinated coffee can be created together. This is a great feature for users who make coffee for friends on a regular basis.

There are some automatic coffee machines which also have a place to make coffee into a coffee pot on one side and also feature an espresso maker with a steaming wand for making specialty coffees on the other side. This is a fantastic option for users who prefer to have a specialty coffee drink such as a Latte. Some of these automatic coffee machines can be purchased for commercial and are acceptable for operation in a coffee shop has a method of creating coffee for their guests.

The semi-automatic Coffee makers are the most accepted types of machine found in domestic situations and they allow one to control the production of the coffee. The brewing process is usually finished within just 30 seconds and for making of Cappuccinos or other sort of coffees the machines will come with a stem or frothing adapter. The commercial portafilters that the semi-automatic coffee machines have are constructed of a plastic handle and a metal container.

Super Automatic Coffee Machines will make a great cup of coffee within a matter of seconds at the push of just a single button. The only work one must carry out with the coffee maker are the programmed settings that one must adjust to set the coffee machine. If you require a cup of Joe quickly and want to skip the part of brewing, then a super-automatic coffee maker might be the right choice.

There are many models of coffee makers on the market today, many types that practically do everything and all the owner need do is to plug the coffee machine into a plug socket and a perfect drink of Joe will be ready in minutes.

When considering which Espresso maker try to consider the cost, the features that you require and your finances, try to consider all the three factors.

Paper Coffee Cups

There are a lot new Ripple cups emerging into the market at present, and some very competitively priced ones to boot.

The cost of making these products does not vary much from producer to producer, the cost of the right type of materials doesn't change either, factoring in economies of scale (purchasing power) will not change things a lot either, so how can there be massive differences in the cost price of Ripple Cups from one seller to another? Well, there is only really one way to reduce cost - use less expensive materials.

Unfortunately, the material some suppliers are compromising in order to reduce the cost of this product is the quality of the paper used.

Despite the the recycling efforts of late and green initiatives generally our beleaguered government sometimes get things right, in particular rules regarding goods which come into contact with foodstuffs. It is against the law for any product which comes into direct contact with foodstuffs to be made using recycled material for the simple reason that untreated paper (that may have once been lavatory roll for example) has the potential to make people ill if filled with hot liquid (such as coffee as toxins can migrate into the food. There is no way of checking what the recycled paper board was once used for - it could have contained anything and make people very ill.

All our Ripple Cups are made with food grade board and are sent for testing with PIRA (Printing Industry Research Association) who test the cups to make sure all the paper board used in their creation is food grade and the product is fit for purpose. Any trace of recycled material and the coffee cups would fail the test and will not be fit for purpose.

You might ask how firms can 'get away' with using or selling these cups without lawsuits etc? I suspect few of you reading this were aware that this could happen? Most people simply assume that organisations will check the quality of the Double Wall Cups used or sold by them. If you became ill after a cup of coffee would you look suspiciously at the paper cup, or wonder if the milk was off? I bet you would suspect the Paper Coffee Cup least of all.

Generally the only firms requesting food contact certificates to be delivered before delivery of Triple Wall Cups are the likes of KFC and the other large restaurants and coffee shops but any firm selling or using disposable cups should be asking for these certificates too. The first organisation to get sued will be the one without the correct documents.

To help you check if you may have unsuitable cups there is a check you can carry out yourself. Triple wall are also often described as 'triple layer cups' and there is one simple way to check if your ripple cups are produced using the correct board quality, and that is to tear the outer layer of the paper cup to reveal the hidden third layer of board.

Coffee Cups using unsuitable recycled board will be brown or grey, the proper legal board will normally be white.

Choosing the right coffee machine?

Anybody looking for a coffee machine for home use will probably have been overwhelmed by the vast number of machines available to purchase.

There are numerous types of machines available from pump coffee machines, automatic coffee makers, bean to cup coffee machines and now even outdoor coffee machines

The best method for choosing the correct coffee machine for you is to examine your lifestyle, the type of coffee you want and be truthful about how complicated you wish your home use coffee maker to be, some home use coffee makers can be hard to fathom!

It is also a good idea to know what you want to spend, the cost of the various machines varies significantly from the small hand held coffee machines - which make great gifts - to the impressive £2000 plus fully automatic coffee machines offered by the likes of Siemens coffee machines which are suitable for use in busy coffee chains, an unlikely gift even from the most generous.

It is a good idea to look at the reviews and try to understand the capacity of the coffee machine prior to buying one. Here follows a few pointers towards certain coffee makers.

Steam-driven coffee machines operate by pushing water through the coffee grinds using steam or steam pressure. The first coffee makers were steam models, produced when a boiler was piped to four group heads so that multiple types of coffee could be made at the same time. The same design is still used today in low-cost consumer coffee makers, as it does not need to contain moving parts. Many low-cost steam-driven units are sold in combination with a drip-coffee machine.

Piston-driven coffee machines or lever driven machines were developed in Italy in 1945 by Achille Gaggia, founder of Gaggia coffee machines. The design normally uses a lever, pumped by the user, to pressurize hot water and send it through the coffee grinds. The act of producing a shot of espresso is colloquially termed pulling a shot, because these lever-style espresso makers required pulling a long handle to produce a shot

There are two types of lever machines; spring piston design and manual piston. With the manual piston, the operator directly pushes the water through the coffee grinds. In the spring piston design, the user works to tension a spring, which then delivers the pressure for the espresso (usually 8 to 10 bar).

Pump-driven coffee machines are a refinement of the piston coffee maker, which has become the most popular design in professional coffee shops. Instead of using manual force, a motor-driven pump provides the force necessary for espresso brewing. DeLonghi coffee machines are themost popular manufacturers for this type of coffee machine.

Professional coffee shop machines or some high-end home coffee machines are often attached directly to the water supply on the site; lower-end home coffee machines have built-in water reservoirs.

Some home pump espresso machines typically use a single chamber both for boiling water up to brewing temperature, and to boil water for steamed milk. As the temperature for brewing coffee is sometimes less than the temperature for making steam, the espresso maker requires time to make the transition from one mode to the other. Water for brewing can pass through a heat exchanger (taking some heat from the steam, without rising to the same temperature). In some coffee machines, for coffee shops or domestic use, water for brewing is heated in a separate chamber.

Espresso machines which contain the addition of sensors, valves, pumps, and grinders to automate the brewing process generally are referred to as automatic.

Semi-automatic espresso makers are automatic in the sense water is delivered by a pump, rather than manual force and the remaining brew pressure in the basket is dissipated with a three way valve.

Automatic coffee makers add a flowmeter inline with the grouphead. When the pre determined amount of water has passed through the flowmeter, the pump is automatically turned off and brew pressure let out through a three way solenoid valve.

Super-automatic machines operate by also automatically grinding the coffee beans, tamping it, and extracting; all any user needs to do is fill the beans, and if the machine is not plumbed in a water line, add water to a reservoir. Additionally, models contain an auto milk frothing and dispensing feature.

Recently air-pressure driven portable espresso makers have come onto the market. A Handpresso is a portable coffee machine. It works by pumping air at very high pressure (16 bar) into an intermediate chamber. Hot water is then poured into a small reservoir, which can contain boiling water for individual cups of espresso coffee. Ground coffee is inserted on top of the water reservoir and a portafilter is screwed on the top of the water container. The machine is now turned around and the pressure from the storage chamber is released into the water container. The high pressure pushes the water through the coffee pod and into the cup, which should be put underneath the coffee maker. When the required amount of espresso is brewed, the pressure is released from the water container and the infusion process stops.

Plastic Shot Glasses

The days of the dusty saloon are done. The clinking of heavy glass shot glasses has gone the way of the tumbleweed. Plastic shot glasses have come into their own. Once believed to only be suitable for disposable glass, Polycarbonate and Polystyrene shot glasses have had a massive impact on the bar supplies industry as of late.

Previously, Plastic Shot Glasses have been flimsy and easily cracked vessels, too fragile to replace more traditional glassware in pubs, bars and other venues. This situation has changed with the introduction of thicker grade Polycarbonate glasses, which can actually be stronger than their glass counterparts.

There are numerous advantages to the Plastic Shot Glass, one of the most important is the safety benefits of using plastic rather than glass. The most obvious problem with glassware is the risk of cracking, shatter, or chip. The result of this sort of damage can range from a throwing away a broken piece of glass, to being liable for personal injury claims as a result of a breakage. Obviously neither of these is particularly appealing to bar owners, whose responsibility it is to maintain the quality of their vessels. This problem has become further compounded with more recent Societal nightlife trends in the UK where binge drinking is on the increase, often resulting in physical altercations. In this sort of situation the worst drinking container for a customer to be equipped with is an item of glassware, which can be quickly turned into a razor sharp shard.

In the interest of safety and public liability, bar and club owners have quickly adopted plastic alternatives to many bar supplies, including the humble shot glass. To this end, the improvements in the plastic manufacturing process could not have come at a better time, giving bar owners a genuinely viable alternative to the glass based item.

As with so many things, money also plays its part in the equation. Both Polycarbonate Shot Glasses and Polystyrene shot glasses are much cheaper than buying glassware due to the simplified manufacturing processes used to make them. Moulds can be created which allow the manufacturer to produce enourmous volumes of glasses with a very low fault rate.

Another major benefit plastic shot glasses have offered clients is the innovation in designs and colours. Because of the reduced manufacturing costs, manufacturers have been able to produce a whole range of stylised glasses, examples being the twisted shot glass, neon shot glass and the twin-chamber plastic shot glass. Of course this has been a huge hit when it comes to specialty themed drinks in clubs, the Baileys Irish cream shot for example.

These innovations, safety improvements and cost benefits have led to a massive surge in the usage of disposable and reusable shot glasses on the UK pub and club scene, a Market totally dominated by glassware only a couple of years ago. Whatever your requirements, there is a type of shot glass available to meet your needs. These range from the high quality glasses designed to mimic the glass version, to thinner plastic shot glasses more suited to high volume use.

For bar owners or bar catering supplies companies, there really is no need to supply the glass made shot glass anymore. The implications of its misuse make its deployment in today's "compensation culture" society an unattractive proposition. All this may mean that the shot glass (glass) may become consigned to the history books.

Commercial Coffee Machines

Drinking coffee is a habit of millions of people all over the globe. Coffee machines make it possible to meet the requirement of all these people. Without commercial coffee machines, it would not be achievable for millions of people around the world to enjoy a good cup of coffee.

With the growing number of websites offering coffee machines at increasingly reasonable prices, buying a coffee machine online can be a great way to save time and money. These websites help the customers in the purchasing decision by giving them an option to compare the features of different types of coffee machines. But there are some guidelines to be followed when purchasing your machine.

Make sure you buy from a good reputable company. It may seem obvious, but do make sure that the company you choose is consistent and shopping with them is safe and sound.

It is a daunting task to select a single one from a collection of numerous types of coffee machines. But you should take the time to look through your options: read the specifications for different coffee makers and make sure that you think not only about the basic features, but also the advanced features of various machines. And also check installation and warranty information.

There are a number of commercial coffee machines in the market- the main types being espresso machines, cappuccino machines and bean-to-cup coffee machines. Different machines come with different features, so while buying your coffee machine it is important that you know exactly what you are looking for.