Come up and taste all the coffees
● Craving a caffeine fix? You’d have been well served by attending the Nespresso Master Origin launch on Thursday evening.
Held at Katy’s Palace Bar in Kramerville, Sandton, the event allowed guests to sample five new coffee blends, ranging from a spicy Indian concoction to a sweeter Nicaraguan mix.
Walking into the quirky venue with its chandeliers and bric-a-brac sourced from exotic climes, I say hello to Danine Naidoo, who describes herself as an entertainment entrepreneur.
Then it’s a catchup with SA’s most stylish chef, Nthabiseng Ramaboa, who many know as Chef Nti and who tells me that she has recently opened her first restaurant, Taste Kitchen, which is keeping her busy.
Another chef being kept on her toes is Cape Town foodie Jenny Morris who is over the moon after winning the regional finals at the Coke Food Festival. She will compete against top cooks for the national grand prize later this month.
During the night foodie J’Something of Mi Casa gave us the inside track on how the coffee-capsule company extracts flavour from all those international beans. He told us he calls the coffee machine at home his “lady in red” and jokingly comparing himself to Nespresso’s global ambassador, George Clooney.
“You know, George cannot cook, and he cannot sing, so why bother,” he quipped.
I wish I could tell you what I thought about all those different coffees, but, having gone cold turkey on the addictive brew a couple of years ago, let me fill you in on the food served instead.
We were spoilt for choice, with the edibles including pea and mint risotto balls and crispy potato skins served with guacamole as welcome canapes while those coffee stations complemented the new concoctions by proffering cuisine including noodle dish mie goreng at the Indonesian spot, a fragrant chicken curry at the Indian station and a coconut milk and seafood broth called rodon as a nod to Nicaraguan fare.
And a nice piece of news on the night was that next year we can expect a Zimbabwean blend to join the roster, with Nespresso working with farmers from our northern neighbour to help them revive their local industry.