DEAR BRENDAN: Haven’t met my match

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February 25, 2015
From our Newsletter..., The Perc
1 Comment

Dear Brendan Pact Coffee

Dear Brendan,

When it comes to matters of coffee and love, I’ve never been fussy. It’s rare that I meet a bean I don’t like, which is why I decided to let Pact set me up on blind dates with my coffees.

I’m usually happy to let the experts choose – and I’ve been set up with some absolute beauties – but this time the spark just wasn’t there. Basically, my most recent bag of Pact and I just didn’t hit it off. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I’d rather spend my time with a coffee that suits my tastes. How can I make a change, without it getting awkward?

Sincerely,

Not my flavour match.

Leeds

Pact Coffee dots splitter

Hi there,

I’m sorry to hear you and your coffee didn’t find a love match, but not to worry. Seeking help is the first step towards finding the right coffee for you. Now that you’ve made that leap, there are a couple of things you can do from here.

Rate your coffee: If you don’t like that coffee, give it the thumbs down on your Pact Account Page. It sounds harsh, but it’ll ensure you don’t get that coffee again.

Talk it out: It’s good to get some perspective from a third party, so try calling or emailing Callum and the rest of the Customer Service team at Pact. Like Will Smith in the film Hitch, they just love playing matchmaker.

You can’t help who (or which coffee) you fall in love with, but these small actions will lead you to your next perfect match.

Happy brewing,

Brendan

Visit your Pact Account Page to select your next love match. 

As seen in our free coffee magazine The Perc. 

Hot desk with Pact.

By
February 19, 2015
From our Newsletter..., Pact HQ, The Pact Community, Uncategorized
3 Comments

There are a lot of great things about working from home. For a start, your daily commute is equal to zero. No-one bats an eye if you rock up at your desk in your PJs, and you can indulge in water cooler conversations with any pets you have. On the other hand, sitting at home by yourself can send you a little stir-crazy.

If you’ve found yourself building pillow forts instead of focusing on your rapidly-filling inbox, then maybe you’d like to set up a desk at Pact HQ? We’re opening our doors to a few super Pact customers who would like to share our office with us.

We’re offering a workspace, free WiFi, lively conversations about whatever television series we’re currently hooked on and, of course, all the coffee you can drink. In return we’re hoping to meet some exciting people who are doing exciting things. A bit like this guy.

Processed with VSCOcam with k3 preset

A sneak peek at Pact HQ.

The nitty gritty.
There are a couple of finer details to keep in mind when applying to share our space with us.
– You’ll be able to work here from 9.30am – 6.30pm Monday to Thursday and 9.30am – 4pm Fridays.
– This is a bit of a trial, so we’ll be operating on a month-to-month schedule.
– We’ll need a couple of references.
– We’d like to a learn a little bit about you to kick things off.

Update: Unfortunately, due to a huge response, we’ve had to close applications for now. If you’re disappointed you missed out, watch this space. We’ll let you know when you can apply for the next chance to hot desk with Pact.   

Mug Love.

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February 4, 2015
Coffee Break, The Pact Community
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Do you believe in soul mates? That everyone has a perfect match, that makes life worth living, mornings worth waking up for and coffee more marvellous?

We do.

So when we asked you to tell us about your favourite mugs, we weren’t surprised at the outpouring of affection that followed. It seems that the Pact Coffee we send out is helping to cement some very special relationships between human beings and their ceramic counterparts.

Pact Coffee fact

Some interesting stats:

80% of people said that coffee from their favourite mug tastes better than from any other mug.

44% of people said they drink from their favourite mug multiple times each day (as opposed to 35% who drink from theirs daily)

31% of people said they only drink Pact Coffee from their favourite mug.

Find out some science-y stuff about exactly ‘Why Mugs Matter.’

Love stories: From Pact Coffee Customers.

Pact Coffee - Mug Love

Meet Dave Allen’s Japanese mug, Keith.

How long have you been together?
More than six blissful months.

Where does your mug hail from?
Kyoto, Japan.

Does coffee taste better from this mug than any other?
Yes.

Why is that?
It’s tactile and ergonomically sound.

What’s your favourite thing about it?
It reminds me of an amazing time in an incredible country (and the coffee shop it came from was the best in Kyoto)!

Pact Coffee dots splitter

Pact Coffee - Mug Love

Meet Sam Gomersall’s (@GomersallSam) mug, known as ‘la petite tasse’.

How long have you been together?
We’re soul mates, it’s been more than a decade.

When did you first meet?
It was a 5th birthday present (I’m now 28).

What’s your favourite thing about it?
It’s bone china and the perfect size for the amount of coffee I drink.

Does coffee taste better from this mug than any other?
Yes.

Why is that?
It’s a mystery.

Pact Coffee dots splitter

Pact Coffee - Mug Love

Meet Thomas’ (@cyanmetropolis) Scottish mug, Matt.

How long have you been together?
We moved in together over a year ago.

Where does your mug hail from?
A shop beside a lighthouse in Scotland.

What’s your favourite thing about it?
It’s big, holds more coffee!

Does coffee taste better from this mug than any other?
Yes.

Why is that?
I think that me and my mug are psychologically bound. It just doesn’t feel right drinking from another mug.

Pact Coffee dots splitter

Pact Coffee - Mug Love

Meet Anup’s mug, Bertie.


How long have you been together?
Not long, it was a wonderful Christmas gift.

Where did you get it?
It was a present from my brother-in-law.

What’s your favourite thing about it?
I love polar bears! It reminds me of seeing them wild in Canada.

Does coffee taste better from this mug than any other?
Yes.

Why is that?
Polar bear saliva is delicious.

Pact Coffee dots splitter

Pact Coffee - Mug Love

Meet ShoutyMouse’s mug, known as Indomitable.

 

How long have you been together?
We moved in together over a year ago.

Where did you get it?
I had it made to my own design.

What’s your favourite thing about it?
It’s Radio WDON and AFC Wimbledon. Perfect.

Does coffee taste better from this mug than any other?
Yes.

Why is that?
It is like drinking from my own soul.

Pact Coffee dots splitter

Pact Coffee - Mug Love

Meet Mark’s mug, known as Odin.

How long have you been together?
More than six blissful months.

Where did you get it?
It was a travel companion that came with a van I purchased to tour NZ.

What’s your favourite thing about it?
The shape and size.

Does coffee taste better from this mug than any other?
Yes.

Why is that?
Because it’s my coffee mug.

Pact Coffee dots splitter

Pact Coffee - Mug Love

Meet Emma’s mug, known as Prescription Mug.

How long have you been together?
More than six blissful months.

Where did you get it?
Amazon… I’ve been searching for it for years.

What’s your favourite thing about it?
It heightens my coffee experience, and makes me smile. As a former barista, coffee is essential to my general existence.

Does coffee taste better from this mug than any other?
Yes.

Why is that?
Because it makes me smile, even before I have the actual coffee.

Pact Coffee dots splitter

Pact Coffee - Mug Love

Meet Daniel’s mug, known as Arthur.

How long have you been together?
More than six blissful months.

Where did you get it?
It was bought for me as a present by my lovely girlfriend when I started my new job.

What’s your favourite thing about it?
It has a dinosaur on it. Also, it says “Dinosaurs are cool!” on the other side. That’s two things, but they go together, otherwise I would look weird with just one of them on the mug.

Does coffee taste better from this mug than any other?
Yes.

Why is that?
The cup is made of bone china (what else would you make a cup with a dinosaur on it out of?!?) and I think this definitely helps make my coffee taste better.

Pact Coffee dots splitter

Pact Coffee - Mug Love

Meet Elaine’s mug, known as Stevie Ray Vaughan.

How long have you been together?
We’re long term, it’s been more than 5 years.

Where did you get it?
From my son who regularly visits Texas and the South by South West music festival.

What’s your favourite thing about it?
It makes me smile and holds a lot of coffee.

Does coffee taste better from this mug than any other?
Yes.

Why is that?
Big handle means I can control it and spill less precious coffee.

Pact Coffee dots splitter

 

Want to show your mug some love? Tweet us a picture along with the tag #pactmuglove

Why mugs matter.

By
February 4, 2015
Coffee Break, The Pact Community, The Perc
1 Comment

What does your favourite mug look like? Is it sleek and modern, well-worn and sentimentally potent or perhaps practical and portable? Psychologists and academic-types agree that the design and colour of your mug can make really great coffee even more enjoyable. So your choice of coffee receptacle really is important. Read on to find out why…

Pact Coffee Why Mugs Matter

First of all – why the cup matters.

If you’re drinking a top class cup of coffee – like the type we deliver, say – then doesn’t the coffee itself do all the talking? A specific cup, with sentimental or ‘quality’ attachments isn’t going to make any difference to the experience of drinking. Is it?

According to the marketing academic Aradhna Krishna, the answer is ‘yes, it is’.

She argues in her book ‘Customer Sense’ that we enjoy something more when it is presented in a more pleasing manner. Apparently our brains – the orbitofrontal cortex to be precise – combine all sensory inputs into one overall evaluation. So it really is worth making sure you drink from a mug that you’re either emotionally attached to or aesthetically pleased by.

Still in doubt? Think about how you’d feel about drinking Pact Coffee from a flimsy paper cup, versus something porcelain and perfectly formed from the Scandinavian Design Centre.

Pact Coffee Mugs

Secondly – why the colour matters.

At the end of last year it was reported in the journal Flavour that the colour of your coffee cup can have a psychological impact on the taste of your coffee. The hypothesis was that a white mug enhances our perception of bitterness.

To test the theory, volunteers compared coffee served in a white mug against a transparent one. Despite being the same coffee, the white mug was found to increase the perceived intensity. The researchers drew the conclusion that this increased bitterness was probably enhanced by the contrast between the colour of the mug and that of its contents.

So when choosing and building a relationship with a coffee cup, it’s important to consider form and colour. But what other factors come into play? These Pact Customers were happy to share their own personal mug-love experiences with us…

As seen in the February issue of our magazine The Perc., which comes free with each bag of Pact Coffee we send out.

Pact Coffee Pancakes

By
February 4, 2015
Pact Recipes, The Perc
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michaelJordan

Pancakes to make you dribble…ahem… drool.

This year Tuesday the 17th of February is an exciting day, and not just because it’s Michael Jordan’s 51st birthday. That’s right, it’s that most delicious of all the breakfast-based holidays: Pancake Day (otherwise known as Shrove Tuesday). For some people it’s the last chance to indulge before the start of Lent and for others it’s a good excuse to eat pancakes mid-week.

Whichever camp you fall into, this recipe for Pact Coffee Pancakes is a hole-in-one. It’s also a slam dunk for Michael Jordan fans who feel like celebrating the sporting legend’s birthday with a tasty breakfast treat.

In case you need more reasons to whip up a batch, these pancakes can be topped/embellished with any ingredients you think will taste great with coffee. They’re designed to be delightful and indulgent, so why not add some chocolate chips or flaked nuts to the mixture?

Ingredients
120g flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
240 ml buttermilk (give it a shake)
1 large egg
2 shots strong Pact Coffee
1 tbsp unsalted butter.

Method

  1. Melt butter in the microwave and allow to cool.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt).
  3. In a separate (smaller) bowl beat the egg, then add to this the buttermilk, coffee and butter.
  4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix. You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture is well-combined, but still slightly lumpy.
  5. Heat a non-stick fry pan, and spray with oil. Once it’s hot, use a tablespoon to measure out batter on the pan.
  6. Leave each pancake to cook for about 2-3 minutes before flipping.
  7. Serve warm with a topping of your choice. Some pretty tasty additions include butter, maple syrup or chocolate sauce.

As seen in the February issue of our magazine The Perc., which comes free with each bag of Pact Coffee we send out.

Pact will print your compliment on a stranger’s bag. Go on, make someone’s day!

By
February 2, 2015
From our Newsletter..., Pact News, The Pact Community
1 Comment
20150202 Val Comp Exch

Noticed the compliment box at the bottom of your bags?

Strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet.

We realise that sounds cheesy, but if we can’t pump our cheese-factor up to gorgonzola around Valentine’s Day, when can we? This year we thought we’d try and spread the love by getting fellow coffee lovers to generously compliment each other. And since what’s on the inside of each bag of Pact is so lovely we wanted to make the outside of the bag lovely too. So for the first half of February you’ll notice a compliment-sized blank space at the bottom of your coffee bags where you can write something nice to a stranger. Share it with us and for a few weeks after Valentine’s we’ll take all those nice things you’ve got to say, pop them randomly on other people’s bags and spread your good vibes throughout the country!

How does it work?

  1. Use some kindly words to complete the sentence: “You’re so…”. Keep it to under 15 words please.
  2. Take a pic and share your compliment @PactCoffee on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Or email us your compliment at youaresolovely@pactcoffee.com.
  3. We’ll publish the best ones online and for a few weeks after Valentine’s Day your compliment will randomly appear on someone somewhere’s bag of coffee. And they’ll get a chance to compliment you back!
Your compliments will be printed at random on other people's bags later in the month like this!

Your compliments will be printed at random on other people’s bags later in the month like this!

Need some inspiration?

Here are some compliments we prepared earlier:

  • “You’re so… good at co-ordinating colours!“
  • “You’re so… handy in a sticky situation.”
  • “You’re so… luminous. Like a jellyfish at midnight.”
  • “You’re so… graceful. I’ll bet you learned to walk REALLY young.”
  • “You’re so… clever. I’m sure you could have invented the iPad. If you wanted to.“

And to get you even more into the mood (thanks @pissantpartisan for the link!) this is what Flight of the Concords has to say about the matter:


Just a little bit of flattery will go a long way. So say something nice and make someone’s day!

Is today a tretår day?

By
February 2, 2015
Coffee Break
4 Comments

Nordic cultures are notorious for their obsession with coffee. Perhaps it’s due to the long nights and chilly winters but the average Finnish resident consumes an average of 12kg of coffee each year — that’s compared to a humble 2.8kg annually here in the UK. What is fascinating, however is how their love for coffee has infused into Nordic language.

Picture this: it’s not quite lunchtime and you have already had your refill of Finca El Tuno but still bleary eyed and those neurons aren’t yet firing on all cylinders…

We’ve all been there. That moment when a third cup is inevitable. The Swedes would call this third cup a ‘tretår’.

Coffee Illustration.

Illustration by Wendy MacNaughton

In Swedish, the word ‘tar’ means coffee. A ‘patar’ is a second cup, or refill. So a ‘tretar’ is the third cup of coffee, or a ‘threefill’.

Coffee, Tretar

Illustration credit: Ella Frances Sanders.

So there you have it. Tretår = Three-fill.

Can’t resist a Tretår but wary of caffeine overload? Might be time to try our new creamy decaf blend

And if you find yourself making a three-fill of coffee today — share the moment with @pactcoffee on Twitter using #tretårday