NESCAFE Gold Blend Barista Machine

[ADV]

I love coffee! I drink at least one a day, sometimes more when I have multiple meetings with clients which are at cafes. However drinking coffee outside can be expensive so my morning cuppa is usually one that I make at home. I first started with powdered instant coffee, flirted with 3-in-1 coffees before I decided they were too sweet, progressed to 2-in-1 coffees, before settling on freeze-dried coffee. I did try drip dry coffees however I found it too tedious and hated the cleaning up after.

Hence freeze-dried coffee is was for many years as its flavours, smells and nutritional content generally remain unchanged. Mass production of instant coffee began in post-WWII America, where freeze-drying grew in popularity, becoming more common although it is more expensive, as it produces a higher-quality product.

Nescafe Gold Blend is one such freeze-dried coffee that’s very prominent in the Malaysian market. It is a rich premium roast crafted with premium-roasted Arabica and Robusta coffee beans that imparts a smooth and rounded taste. To get the most out of the blend, Nescafe has launched their new NESCAFÉ® Gold Blend Barista which is designed to bring out the best flavours, aromas and textures of the coffee.

So the nice folks at Nescafe sent me a machine knowing that I love coffee and I spent some time trying it out as well.

Setting up the machine was really easy – just wash a couple of the parts, dry it properly, assemble it, fill up the water in the tank and turn it on for the first time. The machine will prompt you to rinse it which will take a minute or two. Then after it’s done, fill up the coffee container with Nescafe Gold Blend, and you’re good to go!

I started off making two different types of coffee – espresso (on the left) and a cappuccino.

Notice the beautiful crema on top of the espresso, lungo and Americano? That can only be achieved using the machine! The amount of water for each of the black coffees can be adjusted depending on how thick/ or diluted you want it to be (up to a min/ max amount of course).

For the cappuccino and latte it was a slightly different process. One extra step which is to put in some milk before setting the cup underneath the machine and selecting cappuccino/ latte. A little cup measure with different measurements marked for both cappuccino and latte comes along with the kit.

Latte with slightly more milk but less foam

For the more hardcore coffee drinkers like me, you might want to add in an extra shot of espresso into your latte or cappuccino for that extra kick!

Once you’ve “mastered the basics, you can experiment with your own recipes.

Instead of fresh milk, why not try using condensed milk? Don’t be afraid to try!

Affogato

So after using the Nescafe Gold Blend Barista for over two (2) weeks, I must say that every morning I really look forward to my morning coffee. Trying out new recipes or just enjoying the five (5) preset ones. I’ve also saved some money by not spending so much on coffee at cafes. Granted that this cannot totally replace a cup of coffee made by a cafe, but heck in today’s busy and fast-paced lifestyle, having the ability to make a really decent cup of coffee at home in the morning in a minute is a real affordable luxury!

The new Nescafe Gold Blend Barista makes a great gift for Christmas or for a coffee lover’s birthday and there’s currently a special offer whereby you need only pay RM239.00 for the machine with one (1) Nescafe Gold Blend 200g jar and one (1) refill pack.

You can purchase the machine or get more info at http://www.nestleapps.com.my/nestleapps_com_my/Nescafe_Gold_Barista/