What are coffee logs?

 Coffee logs are an alternative to firewood - but created from coffee. Like most things to do with coffee, they are pretty much better in every way, being eco-friendly and burning up to 20% hotter. 

What are coffee logs made of?

Coffee logs are made from used coffee grounds that are recycled, dried and compacted into a log shape (think of the coffee puck left in your espresso portafilter, stacked on top of eachother).   

Are coffee logs any good?

Yes. Functional, eco-friendly, innovative and coffee-related - we can’t believe we didn’t discover them sooner. Here’s what we like about them: 

• Delicious in their first life, extraordinarily useful in their second; tonnes of coffee grounds are thrown away every year and this is a great way of recycling them

• Eco-friendly: compared to the grounds going to landfill, turning coffee grounds into logs saves on greenhouse gas emissions (over 130% according to bio-bean).

• They work exceptionally well: burning 20% hotter than traditional wood logs

How long do coffee logs burn for?

Approximately one hour per log. 

Are coffee logs smokeless?

Coffee logs are not smokeless. But they are safe to burn. 

What do coffee logs smell like?

The burning question…do they smell like coffee? 

It’s what we first wondered when we came across them. Sadly coffee logs do not give off a freshly-brewed-coffee-meets-woodsmoke smell. We have (sort of) found a way around this:

Step 1: Make a coffee log fire.

Step 2: Sit in front of said fire.

Step 3: Waft a bag of 200 Degrees freshly roasted coffee beans under nose.

Step 4: Close eyes and pretend the delicious aroma is from fire. 

Can I make my own coffee logs? 

If you are a DIY’er and fancy trying to make your own coffee logs, here’s what you’ll need: 

• Baking tin (the kind of thing you’d use for banana bread) 
• Used coffee grounds (collect and save these after every brew) 
• Black treacle and melted paraffin wax (mixed together this will act as a binding agent)

For step-by-step instructions, read this and bear in mind your DIY log is going to be more of a coffee slab than anything else (only industrial machinery is able to compress coffee into a solid log shape). 

If you do end up managing to make coffee that burns - we want to see it. Tag @200Degs in a photo so we can admire your logs.  

Where can I buy coffee logs in the UK?

bio-bean is one of the best known UK manufacturers of Coffee Logs. They are stocked in loads of places like Tesco, Wickes, B&Q, Morrisons, Waitrose and Amazon, and you can also get them online. 

Here are some great coffee log facts from bio-bean:

• one bag of their Coffee Logs includes 16 coffee logs
• 1 individual coffee log = the grounds from 20 cups of coffee 
• they are made from waste recycled from businesses across the UK
• you can only use them in wood burners and multi-fuel stoves (stoves that burn fuels like coal, peat briquettes, wood pellets etc, as well as wood). 
• their logs are not suitable for things like BBQs, campfires etc. 

How much do coffee logs cost?

It varies, but typically they retail for just under £10. This means they are a bit more pricey than buying normal firewood but if you are going to watch your money go up in flames, we’d rather do it with coffee. 

Do 200 Degrees sell coffee logs?

Unfortunately not. Not yet. This sounds like an incredible idea though and with 18 (and counting) busy coffee shops we could certainly make a LOT of logs! Watch this space. 

If you're really into coffee and want to explore this subject further, here's how you can learn more about coffee.