LATTE LOVE // creating café quality cups at home

I love my coffee. LOVE my coffee. In fact, you could say I’m a bit of a caffeine snob; if it’s going anywhere near my cup it’s got to be freshly-made Italian-style coffee with with a lovely thick layer of crema *stares wistfully into the distance with faint smile on face*. 

Which is why I was dubious about these new pod-style machines. To me, coffee making follows a certain ritual – tamping the ground coffee into the portafilter, steaming and frothing the milk – but these just looked too easy, like it was cheating somehow.

But… then an invite dropped into my inbox from the team behind the Nescafe Dolce Gusto machines and I’ll admit I was intrigued. First, because it was coffee. Second, because it was being held in the amazing Jamaica Wine House, which was London’s first coffee house, and opened in 1652. That’s more than 350 years ago – that’s nearly 200 years BEFORE New Zealand even joined the Commonwealth.

Whoa. 

Third, because it was coffee. And fourth, well, because it was coffee.

I walked the tiny winding alleys off Cornhill, and arrived at the Jamaica Wine House find the creme de la creme of London’s style bloggers there. Out of place much?! Thank God I spotted a familiar face, and latched on to Amanda from THE ANA MUM DIARY.

The night was to celebrate Dolce Gusto’s latest campaign, The Modern Art of Conversation. As well as sampling the range of Dolce Gusto flavours, East London artist Faizal Lulat was on hand to immortalise snippets of guests’ conversations in his unique urban artwork.

At the end of the night he asked us to describe ourselves in five words so he could get a sense of what we were about; one week later my very own bespoke piece of art arrived…

Love love LOVE it! When we finally get our renovations done and I have my own office space (which, for some reason, OH thinks is going to be his gym, ha!) this will take pride of place on the wall because, although being a Mum isn’t the only thing I am, it’s the most important thing I am.

But on to more vital things… how did the Dolce Gusto coffee pods taste?! I used the espresso flavour as a latté base, heating and preparing the milk with my Bodum frother (as I only drink soya). Honestly? It tasted just as good as the coffee I make with my ‘real’ machine. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say I preferred it – not just because of the cafe-quality taste, but also because it was so easy.

I filled the water receptacle, inserted the pod, pressed the power button, and moments later it was ready to go. The coffee came gurgling out, steaming hot and topped with delicious authentic crema. I also loved the way the machine turned itself off when it sat unused for a few minutes (unlike my old machine that kept hissing away, getting hotter and hotter, until it was about to explode).

But it’s one thing listening to someone talk about the taste of something, and another to actually try it yourself… so why don’t you?

• our dolce gusto coffee maker was sent to us for the purpose of review.