Learning about coffee with Nespresso

A few years ago (whilst in my twenties) if you would’ve asked me if I wanted to have a cup of coffee I would’ve probably said no thank you. I was never really a fan of coffee. It is so weird. I didn’t like the flavour and I even used to hate the smell of my Dad’s fresh coffee from the kitchen every morning and actually several times a day!! He is really addicted to coffee or rather, he’s a “Coffee Lover” maybe? I used to only drink coffee when I had my law exams to study for, as there were so many articles to learn for different Codes (Peruvian Law). It was too much to take in, so I really needed coffee but I wasn’t in love with it! After having  my girls and having so many sleepless night I kind of found myself drinking more coffee, even though I was and still am, breastfeeding Sienna a little bit. The coffee began to be my best friend and we really get along very well now. It was there through so many moments that I needed to stay up and think clearly, so that is when my proper love of it started. Now if somebody asks me if I want a cup of coffee I usually say YES PLEASE straight away!! So now I’m a “Coffee Lover” like my dad!

When I was invited to attend an event to learn everything about coffee, I just had to say YES and of course I was in heaven. I felt so lucky to be invited by the lovely people of Nespresso who held their fantastic #coffeewithcurrys event at The Fable Bar & Restaurant in Holborn. This place is beautiful. It really made me go WOW when I arrived!

I was invited amongst a group of bloggers to have the chance to express our inner Barista, focussing on coffee inspired activities, we were given a unique insight into the Nespresso brand and their different blends, to coffee cocktail making and latte art.  We had a Nespresso expert and a trained mixologist who gave us all the coffee based advice we needed. 

As soon as we arrived they greeted us with some juices and drinks together with some nibbles. The idea was to get to know each other before the workstation started.

After a short introduction, we were split into small groups to be part of 4 different interactive workstations. My group was the smallest of all. We were just 4 but actually it was better as we were able to interact even more. The first workstation we did was the Latte Art.

1. Latte Art Station

We were able to have a chat with a professional barista who was really nice and fun. He taught us how to make a perfect latte. This was more difficult than I thought! All four of us had a go after him. He said that mine was good but to be completely honest I think he was being nice with me! LOL

We then had the chance to test our creative side using coffee stencils and chocolate sprinkles. We were supposed to create our coffee masterpieces but unfortunately mine was anything but a masterpiece!! It was actually really bad!! But thank goodness he did a demonstration of how to do this first so you can see how its supposed to look!

2. Nespresso Chat Station

We were given a unique insight into the Nespresso brand and how they are trying to have a positive effect towards our society. They have implemented new ways to protect their coffee farmers around the world. Hundreds of farmers in Costa Rica, Mexico and Colombia joined the program (The AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program) and committed to a method of coffee production that was both sustainable and environmentally friendly. They are assisting farmers to attain certification standards through their long-term partners, Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade, and by significantly expanding the AAA Program in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan. How fantastic is that?

We then were introduced to their different Coffee Machines which you could get through Currys. They have lovely options and I was really sold into the idea of getting one!! Maybe I should wish loudly so someone can hear me? 😉 They also explained to us about their capsules and the different flavours available. Apparently their capsules can be recycled which is obviously a great help for the environment. I’m all for stopping filling our landfills!! Recycling is the best option for a better world.

3. Cocktails Station

We were so lucky to learn from a trained mixologist who explained to us different blends and what was the best way to highlight certain flavours. We were given the chance to mix our caffeine drinks which was so much fun to do! We prepared 2 different Coffee Cocktails.

Vanilla Sky (recipe)

This cocktail tastes like Baileys so I really really like it!!! It is creamy and sweet!! You can see from the photo above that I was really enjoying it! 😉

Ingredients (Serves 1)

• 50ml black label johnnie walker
• 50ml vanilla gomme
• 1 Dulsao do Brasil Espresso pod
• 100ml cream

Preparation:

Add all the ingredients in a mixer with some ice and then move it very quickly and strongly!

Finally, serve it in a cognac glass.

Kraken Coffee (recipe)

This cocktail was so strange. I have never tried something like this before! It had peanut butter which I didn’t like. I like it with bread but not in a drink, although it could be quite appealing for peanut butter lovers!! Here is the recipe:

Ingredients (Serves 1)

• 50ml Kraken Rum
• 1 Dharkan Espresso pod
• 20ml gomme syrup
• 2tspn Peanut Butter
• Chocolate Powder

Preparation:

Add all the ingredients with some ice into a mixer and again move it very, very quickly! Then pour it into a martini glass but using a strainer and a a sieve. You could also put more chocolate powder on top.

4. Coffee Flavours Station

This station was very interesting for me as we learnt all the different flavours that we could get with the coffee from a Nespresso expert. We smelled different odours, some of which were incredibly sweet or incredibly bitter. It was all about our tastebuds too. So we had Acid like fresh lemon or lime; Bitter like dark chocolate; Sweet like summer fruits; and Salt like sea water. They showed us a sensory wheel which was really useful to better illustrate all these different flavours.

We did some coffee tasting too which was complemented with some different types of chocolates (dark chocolate, milk chocolate or strawberry chocolate). These made it a totally different experience for me.

Coffee Treats & Group Shot

At the end we were given coffee flavoured treats that were delicious. I really enjoyed trying these. We also finished with the traditional photo of the whole group. I don’t know if you can find me as I’m at the back and because I’m short you can hardly see me!! LOL

Goody Bag

We got a fantastic goody bag! We had a cupcake with the Currys logo (super yummy), some Nespresso chocolates that were yummy too and both were finished super quick after I arrived home, LOL! I also got a box with 4 multicoloured aluminium cups! They are so pretty! I love them.

I would like to say thank you so much to Nespresso and Currys for this #coffeewithcurrys event. I would also like to say thank you to Haydy from Joe Bloggers who always has the most amazing events to offer to us bloggers! 🙂

Do you like coffee? Are you a fan of Nespresso? Have you tried their Coffee Machines? What do you think of this event? Leave your comments below as I would love to know what your thoughts are.

*Disclaimer: I was invited to attend this event and talk about it, however all the opinions are my own. Some of the photos are not mine, they were provided by the brand.

Thanks for stopping by,

Love you all ❤️

Franca  💋