Tag / nespresso
I have a story..
You know, when you’re in a group and someone farts and no one owns up, there is usually no solution.. until one of my friends came up with a solution – “It’s you! I recognize the smell of your fart!”, while pointing to any one person. I mean, how do you even have a come back?
Anyway, the relevance of this story is that .. personally, I will have more air expulsion from my body via the rear end whenever too much milk is consumed, like some over 70% Asians, I suffer from lactose intolerance, thankfully a mild-ish version.
To avoid surprised nostril invasion to the unsuspecting parties, I do try to limit my consumption of milk, and one such solution is by having milk substitutes for latte.
Many cafes do offer such alternative in the form of soy or almond milk, but I often find them too sweet, or diluted, or just straight out tasting terrible. The solution – homemade almond milk, and this is how you do it:
homemade almond milk latte, with a single shot of espresso
Ingredients:
- raw almond – 1 cup (around 110 grams)
- 500 ml water
- a pinch of salt
Instructions:
- soak almond in warm water for 1-2 hours, or cold water overnight in fridge
- remove the water, blend the almond with 500 ml clean water for at least 2-3 mintues
- sieve the almond milk using sieve (or even better, cheese cloth)
blend or a good 2-3 minutes, sieve out the pulp
You’ll end up with a little more than 500 ml of almond milk at around 10-15% almond in weight instead of the 2-3% you get from store bought variety. A shot of espresso and there you have it – homemade almond milk latte.
P/S: you can use the same method for many other nuts, my favorite is actually with raw cashew nuts, doesn’t even need to be sieved and it’ll be so creamy and flavorful. Try it!
If we connect via instagram (@kyspeaks) or FB, you may have been aware that wordworking is one of my many hobbies. For whatever reason I’ve not been updating this part of myself on this site, an oversight that I should fix, and I suppose there’s no better time than now.
I may post other previous projects if there’s interests.
measure twice, cut once
This particular project stemmed out of my need to have a better way to keep my coffee pods. While there are numerous styles in the market, most of holds only the pods, not the box, which means the labeling info (intensity etc) is lost.
I did a bit of research, found a design that’s made from metal and decided to improvise and make one for myself with leftover wood scraps.
There’s never enough clamps!
The holder takes 5 tubes of Nespresso pods and hold them vertically, I cut notches on the wood to make sure the tubes stay in place vertically as well as holding the dispensing “mouth” open.
finished result, nespresso pods holder
Glue was used instead of screws or nails to give it a cleaner overall look and feel. Made four of these and given two out, keeping two for myself, quite a decent built I thought, what do you think?
You may have remembered that earlier in the year I wrote about Nespresso and their CNY promotion. Well, ever since then I was utilising the little but rather capable Nespresso machine quite often for my coffee fix.
The machine makes proper espresso and long black, with beautiful crema and taste that’s not unlike a legit cafe, and I can’t get enough of it. Coffee has some magical ability to transport us to different moments in life, but this round I’ll be sharing about how it can take us back in time as well!
Nespresso Limited Edition Coffee Houses
Inspired by the first coffee houses in Venice and Istanbul, Nespresso recently introduced two limited edition flavours, each celebrating 2 distinct moments in history where coffee culture has since thrived.
The first one is Venice, which was apparently the entry port of coffee into Western Europe. The second on is Istanbul, the meeting point between Asia and Europe. Back then, people would visit coffee houses to match wits, challenge theories, listen to music, even discuss politics—we do that with our phones these days, even at cafes which is rather ironic, but I digress.
Nespresso Caffè Venezia
Caffè Venezia, reminiscent of 18th-century Venice, has wild and floral notes combined with a roasted character. I decided to pair it with the sweet and similarly fruity apple crumble and thought it complements the coffee rather well from the way it brings out the roasted character even more. The aroma is simply captivating.
food that I can associate with a hot cup of Nespresso Caffè Venezia
Since Italian cuisine just goes naturally with a cup of coffee, I also paired Caffè Venezia with some good Italian bread, a simple salad with beef bacon, and some rich buffalo mozzarella cheese. Caffè Venezia fits perfectly with these dishes, bringing one back in time to the flavour and spirit of those Venetian coffee houses in that golden era.
Nespresso Café Istanbul
Café Istanbul has an exotic character, carrying intense roasted and black pepper spicy notes. This was a great contrast to Turkish delight which I chose to balance out the strong body with a nutty sweetness. The complex tasting profile makes for such a delightful treat to the palate that their shared origin is just a happy coincident at this point.
Nespresso Caffè Venezia & Cafe Istanbul
If you want a taste of coffee history, it’s time to head to the Nespresso boutique in The Gardens Mall or their website to try these Limited Edition capsules. If you haven’t got a machine, maybe it’s time to get yourself one!
#NespressoMY
#CafeIstanbul
#CaffeVenezia
My first Nespresso experience was actually at my car mechanic’s office, with the owner raving nonstop about this little machine and how capable and simple it is to brew up a cup of proper coffee in seconds.
He then proceeded to show me an assortment of coffee capsules and asked me to choose one. At the time, I’ve only heard about Ethiopian and Indonesian coffee, and had zero clue on tasting notes and the nuances of each origin, so I basically just picked one at random.
I can’t remember which coffee I ended up with, but I remember it had a thick foam and was very aromatic.
Well, as it turns out, the foam is “crema“, and forms naturally during the coffee-brewing process, if the temperature and pressure is just right. And that is exactly what this little machine is capable of doing so, since it’s equipped with a 19-bar pressure pump; the ideal power for making espresso.
For coffee drinkers, which is most of us, this little gadget makes for an essential item in any kitchen or pantry.
Nespresso machines, capsules, and merchandise
This Chinese New Year, having a Nespresso machine to serve proper coffee for family members both near and far is something that I look forward to. This also perfect for my family’s switch to mainly sugar-free drinks over the years.
Good thing is, Nespresso has some promotions in time for the festive season!
Nespresso Coffee Machine Promo for CNY 2019
You can now get an Essenza Mini with RM88 off, plus another RM88 coffee credit that can go towards more capsules.
The most compact machine doesn’t take up much real estate on your kitchen counter, and yet packs a punch in every perfect cup of coffee with perfect crema.
Indulge in milk coffee with the Nespresso Aeroccino
Of course, we also got to sample Nespresso coffee of different origins in the form of espresso, lungo, and even milk coffee.
The Nespresso boutique at The Gardens Mall also has various merchandise on display. There’s even the nifty little Nespresso Aeroccino that allows you to make a great cup of cappuccino or latte right at home or the office!
If coffee is a daily indulgence for you, grab the CNY promotion before 17 February! Head over to the Nespresso website and check out these offers.
