OK we admit we are not the biggest coffee drinkers here at VV TV however we wanted to find some ethical brands for us all to enjoy. Now don’t get me wrong for 25 years we have enjoyed a cheeky soya latte and have gone into just about every cafe/ restaurant/ absolutely anywhere that sells drinks and asked for dairy free milks. And now we have an abundance of plant based milks that are available just about everywhere!
Soya milk is a firm fav for coffee – although sometimes you may have to allow the coffee to cool slightly before adding the milk – or keep stirring! Alpro Barista Soya Milk is fantastic, rich and creamy and perfect for your made at home coffee.
Oat milk is a huge favourite now in the dairy free milk world and makes a delicious creamy cappuccino. This is offered often alongside soya milk due to it tasting amazing!
Hazlenut milk makes for a delicious coffee with a nutty twist – not as widely found as soya however well worth picking up for a home latte treat.
Try different brands, different flavours until you find the one that works for you. And the best thing about trying different vegan milks is that for any you don’t like you can simply blend up with a banana and you won’t be able to taste the milk – so nothing is wasted!
We tried out some of the best ethical brands around …. and here are our thoughts……
Black Insomnia has launched a revolutionary Nespresso©-compatible coffee pod which is 100% home compostable.
The new pods, which are certified by TÜV Austria as ‘Ok Compost Home Compost’, present a completely eco-friendly alternative to the standard aluminium and plastic capsule. This means they can be disposed of alongside home food waste and will compost in the garden within six weeks.
According to research, 39,000 coffee capsules are produced every minute globally, of which 29,000 end up in landfill.
This is seriously strong coffee that will certainly give you a kick start to your day. The mix of Arabica and Robusta coffee beans provide a full rich flavour and aroma perfect for that morning boost. Black Insomnia coffee comes in ground, whole-bean, coffee pods, coffee bags and compostable pods so everyone can try this super strong brew.
Black Insomnia is a very strong coffee made using traditional barrel roasting techniques to create a smooth, rich taste from a mix of carefully selected Arabica and Robusta beans.
Now headquartered in the UK, the company sells ground coffee, coffee beans, Nespresso compatible pods and coffee drip bags. and they wanted to find a way of making their smooth tasting coffee available in pods and had to ensure they would be eco-friendly at the same time. They managed to go one step further than standard recyclable pods by providing 100% home compostable versions for ultimate convenience.
Incredibly flavoursome coffee that comes in pod form, whole-bean and ground coffee and they even offer compostable pods which is fabulous for the environment. Another great offer is the subscription service that means you will never be out of coffee again.
Speciality coffee roastery Lost Sheep Coffee is based in the vibrant coastal town of Whitstable, Kent. They supply fully compostable, plastic free Nespresso compatible capsules, which are made from lignin, a wood bark waste product saved from incineration and re-purposed in a carbon neutral factory.
They’ve also just launched, industry leading fully recyclable packaging across their range of coffee beans and ground coffee. So, a coffee company delivering high quality coffee with outstanding environmental credentials.
All Lost Sheep Coffee is made using the world’s top speciality grade 100% Arabica coffee beans which are single origin and direct trade from countries such as Brazil & Colombia, hand roasted in-house in the vibrant seaside town of Whitstable, for a superior freshness and flavour.
The carefully curated coffee bean range includes whole bean and custom ground coffee depending on what equipment you will be using at home, as well as its famous compostable, plastic-free capsules. With a fully air-tight design Lost Sheep Coffee capsules will keep the contents fresh for over 12 months.
From £18.75 per month, customers can select either a box of 50 or a bulk package-less box of 100 compostable capsules – there are three varieties, one of which is a decaf – to be delivered automatically as often as needed with time scales ranging from 14 – 60 days.
The subscription service is also available for Lost Sheep’s best-selling signature blend ‘Get to the Hopper’ coffee beans from £7.16 per month for a 220g bag, with its industry-leading fully recyclable packaging, including the bag. For the small office users, a 1kg bag subscription is also available.
We love Halo coffee as not only is the coffee full of flavour and fresh but the thought that every time you have their coffee you are helping save the planet. The coffee pods are totally compostable so once finished just compost, add to garden and watch the flowers grow as you sip your Three Mountain or Ristretto brew.
Their speciality grade coffee comes in compostable pods which you can throw away in home compost or even in a house plant. They are made of waste sugarcane and degrade in as little as 28 days.
Coffee drinking isn’t the go-to way to combat climate change, however the team at Halo Coffee are changing that by creating a coffee pod that can reduce global coffee pod waste to zero. Halo has created a fully compostable coffee pod using waste sugarcane that is designed to be disposed of in home compost, avoiding the need for landfill, and reducing the polluting impact of the 60 billion pods a year that are churned out by the coffee industry.
The pod is compatible with Nespresso machines and has been independently tested by The University of Northampton. The results show that the pods degrade into a natural fertiliser in less than a month after disposal in domestic compost.
Not only are Halo Coffee pods fully sustainable, but the taste is sublime, hitting the right notes with a range of delicious flavours such as Three Mountain and Ristretto.
Halo’s capsules are made from waste sugar cane, a by-product of the sugar industry. Once the canes are harvested, they are crushed, separating the juice and waste fibre. The waste fibrous cane husks, also known as bagasse, are leftover and are what is used to create the Halo pod.
Just love love love these coffees – every flavour was fantastic.
London Nootropics are brain-boosters: they are known to enhance cognitive performance & improve brain health. They work in many ways to produce a wide range of benefits across memory, focus, motivation, verbal fluency & more.
Many nootropics have adaptogenic properties – helping your mind & body adapt to physical, mental & emotional stressors and find balance.
London Nootropics have sourced the highest quality natural nootropics from around the world. Their Rhodiola is wildcrafted in the pristine Siberian Altai region and Their award-winning Ashwagandha is the highest concentration, most bioavailable full-spectrum root extract on the market today
Their Adaptogenic coffee with CBD & Ashwagandhai is a balancing and calming blend and is designed to promote a sense of peace, combatting the effects of stress, tension and irritability helping you feel alert, calm, focused and to adapt to physical & mental stressors.
Unwind, chill and add some Zen to your life. Free from preservatives & artificial sweeteners. Just pure natural ingredients.
Check out more of their range here
Hundred House coffee not only tastes amazing, it’s ethically sourced and eco friendly but the striking arty design of their branding is eye catching and uber cool and each sale supports the creative community. Whats not to like?
Hundred House are providing complimentary brewing guides with every order at the moment – perfect for those wanting to master the art of creating a barista-style coffee at home during this lockdown.
Another super element is their ‘Art + Industry’ programme – an initiative they’ve developed to give back to the creative industry through their coffee sales, including via design projects in inner city schools.
Hundred House Coffee’s speciality coffee is ethically sourced from sustainable, eco-conscious growers from around the world. With an adventurous range of blends and single origins, their beans are the perfect choice for cultured coffee drinkers who appreciate something different. Sales of their coffee help support the creative community through our Art + Industry Programme.
Based in the rural hills of Shropshire they combine expertise with passion to source, roast and supply both home brewers and wholesale.
With thanks to Nathan Dumlao for the stunning coffee image above.
