Look at that fire! Don’t you feel warm and cosy just looking at it!  Something else that will give you that warm feeling is knowing that the log burning in the photos above is a Bio-Bean Coffee Log which has been made from 100% used coffee grounds which ordinarily would have gone to landfill. I will explain more about this unusual log in a little while but before that I would like to say a big thank you to the wonderful team over at Logs Direct for kindly answering my request to send a few review products to feature on my blog.

Firstly I will come straight out and say it…. I have no idea about open fires, wood burners, kiln-dried wood, seasoned logs, eco-logs, coal, fire-lighters and anything to do with that as my home is heated by gas (so please forgive me if I don’t use the right fire-related terminology in my blog post today). However….my brother has had a wood burner in his lounge for a couple of years now and my mum has been extremely jealous ever since he got it fitted. She’d go round to admire it and he’d then makes her envious by phoning to say he’s lit the wood burner and the heat is pumping out! But recently my Mum finally got her own way and now has an open fire in the lounge – it’s not the wood burner that she really wants – but she is very happy that she once again has a ‘real fire‘ in the house. (Think it’s been over 20 years since they last had one and she has really missed it).  My Dad and brother sorted it all out and fitted it in the existing fireplace in the lounge and now whenever I go round there I can snuggle up in the armchair to watch TV in the lounge with a roaring fire in the background. It’s lovely! Now I’m jealous too!

Anyway, to cut a long story short – I saw an advert in my local EDP newspaper that said about a new product on the market called ‘Wine Logs‘ and I was immediately intrigued as my brother and sister-in-law love wine but I’d never heard them mention these Wine Logs before. So I thought to myself that if I could get some for them to review it would be amazing! The company that sells the Wine Logs is called LogsDirect.co.uk and when I got in touch with them to ask about the possibility of them sending me some logs for my brother and my parents to try out they were really lovely and said they would. They also had some other products I knew my family would like to try out and they said they’d sort out sending me a selection of items.

Logs Direct emailed me to say they would be sending a 15kg box of 9 Wine Logs (£9.99), a 6kg bag of 16 Bio-Bean Coffee Logs (£8.99), a tub of Burner Firestarters (£9.99 for 100 sachets) and 2 x Instant Light Cosi-Logs (I am unsure of the price as I can’t seem to find them on their website at the moment). I had wanted to keep it a surprise from my brother and my parents as I knew they would be thrilled to get an opportunity to try all these items out …but I’m useless at keeping surprises so I told them straight away! They had never heard of any of the items so they couldn’t wait for them all to arrive so they could try them out.

That now brings me on to the description of the products and what my family thought of them.

Wine logs are an ecological alternative to carbon and were discovered by Logs Direct when it attended an exhibition in Verona as the guest of the Italian Embassy. The Wine Logs are really unique and they have been introduced to the UK by Logs Direct this year. They are dark maroon-red logs which have been formed from grape seeds extracted during the processing of grapes for wine and grappa production. The seeds have been cold-pressed, without the addition of any chemicals, to extract oils from them. This ensures a better combustion when the log is lit and a longer burn when used in an open or closed fire, or a woodburner or multi-fuel appliance.

There is a lovely aroma of wine emanating from the logs the minute the 15kg box  (£9.99) is opened and there is a hole within the 100 per cent natural log which allows air to circulate around it, again assisting combustion. Logs Direct say that “The logs create a nice dancing flame and a sustained burn. Keeping the fire going is not a struggle and they generate a great amount of heat, having a calorific value of 5.11 kwh/kg and a moisture content of just over 10 per cent. They produce little ash and are clean to use.” 

My Mum and Brother split the box so they could both try the Wine Logs out. I have heard from both of them that were very impressed with the logs and they love the fact that they are such an innovative use of grape seeds. Each wine log weighs just over 1.6 kg and because they come in a cardboard box they can easily be stored stacked up in a dry corner of your shed, garage, etc.  I was around my Mum’s house when she lit one of these wine logs and I can vouch for the fact that they generate a lot of heat when burning. Perfect for this chilly weather we have at the moment! My Mum loves that these logs don’t produce a lot of ash as it makes the process of having a fire so much simpler if you don’t have lots of ash to clear up afterwards. My mum isn’t really a wine drinker so the idea that there would be a slight smell of wine wasn’t really a particular selling point for her – however ,on the other hand, my brother and sister-in-law do enjoy a glass of wine so they loved the fact that these Wine Logs produced a slight wine fragrance when burning….as did I! Plus it is a real talking point to make up a fire when you have visitors and to be able to tell them that the logs are made of grape seeds and that they smell of wine. 🙂 You can order the Wine Logs here >> logsdirect.co.uk/wine-logs.html

The Bio-Bean Coffee Logs are a fantastic invention as they are manufactured here in the UK using 100% used coffee grounds from London Coffee Shops which would ordinarily go to landfill. The 6kg bag contains 16 small logs which weigh approx 375g each. My Mum loves that these are lightweight because it means they are easy to lift up and place on/in the fire.  Each Coffee Log has an approximate burn time of 1 hour. Arthur Kay is the founder of Bio-Bean and he says “Waste coffee grounds are an amazing material – they contain 20% more energy than wood, so Coffee Logs burn hotter and for longer than other solid fuels. That makes them a better value option for anyone who wants to heat their home – and because they’re carbon neutral and reduce the waste being sent to landfill, Coffee Logs also help the environment too.”.

Both my Mum and my brother love drinking coffee so they were both impressed with the coffee shop smell that emanates from the burning coffee logs. I am not really a huge fan of coffee but I do adore the welcoming smell of a coffee shop so I really liked the smell of these logs when they were on the fire. You really do get a sense of satisfaction when you are burning these coffee logs on your fire because you know that you are making the most of a coffee shop by-product by allowing the coffee grounds to be re-purposed rather than just being sent to landfill. It’s really a win-win if you buy these logs as it’s good for the environment as you are re-using a waste product, you are allowing coffee shops to have their waste re-used in a productive manner, you are supporting Bio-Bean which is a UK based business and most importantly you are heating your home and keeping warm. Plus the coffee logs create no ash so they are mess-free which is a massive bonus!

According to the Logs Direct website , Coffee Logs are ideal for use in log burners, multi-fuel stoves, open fires, chimeneas and  even barbeques – if you want to experiment with coffee smoked cooking!  Plus they can be used in smoke controlled areas with a DEFRA approved appliance. The coffee logs come in a bag with a handle which means they are easy to transport to your fire plus they are affordable at just £8.99 per bag of 16 logs.

You can order the Bio-Bean Coffee Logs here >> logsdirect.co.uk/bio-bean-coffee-logs.html

I love the fact that my brother had never before heard of either the Coffee Logs and Wine Logs as it means they were the perfect gift! The minute I found about about them I knew they were something that he’d like …. if he knew they existed!

When the Burner Starters arrived I explained to my Mum that they are described as  ‘The safest way to light up a fireplace or barbeque’ because the ‘odourless and environmentally friendly sachets are classified as non-hazardous and non-poisonous’ and as soon as I finished saying all that she was converted straight away! She has been trying them out and she loves that they light quickly, that they’re space-saving and that they don’t leave any smell on your fingers.  The barrel shaped container has 100 sachets in it and can easily be stored on a shelf or in a cupboard. The tub of 100 firelighters costs just £9.99 so basically 10p per fire.  The website says they ‘Produce an efficient fire quickly’ and that the ‘Firelighters will light even if they have been exposed to humidity or water’.

You can order a barrel of 100 x Burner Firelighters here >> logsdirect.co.uk/burner-firestarter.html

Last but by no means least, my Mum tried out the Cosi-Log which is a non smokeless fuel log. It is an ‘instant light’ individually wrapped log made from wax impregnated wood waste. All you have to do is place the whole log in the grate and light both ends of it to get an attractive bright flame that can last up to 2.5 hours. My Mum found it to be an excellent source of ignition  for her fire and although it took her a couple of goes to light it the first time once it was going it lasted for ages and kept the fire alight. I am unsure of how much these are to buy because I can’t currently see them listed on the Logs Direct website but if you wish to make an enquiry about them you can contact the office on 01524 812476 or by sending an email to enquiries@logsdirect.co.uk.

As you can see from my review I have managed to introduce both my parents and my brother to the word of eco-logs and they are very glad that I did. If you know someone who has a woodburner or open fire then you should let them know about these products as they too will surely love them.

Nowadays Logs Direct is one of the largest winter fuel suppliers in the country who sell lots of different types of briquettes, eco-logs, kindling and wood on their website but just over 15 years ago they started off their business as a small firewood supplier in the North of England. There business has grown as demand has grown but they pride themselves on the fact that their customer service has remained the same – top notch!

If you would like to browse the Logs Direct website please go to www.logsdirect.co.uk to see the massive range of Winter and Summer Fuel products that they stock. They deliver all over the UK!

Huge thanks to Logs Direct for sending my family these Eco logs and firelighters to try out.