Day: December 10, 2017

The perfect Italian espresso is sweet and syrupy naturally. It’s not bitter or burnt and it’s definitely not an entire cupful. It’s actually no more than a tablespoon. That’s how the Italians enjoy it in bars and restaurants across il bel paese (the beautiful country) and that’s how it should be made.

True coffee aficionados are spoilt for choice when it comes to coffee types, brands and blends. But one of the most popular brands is without a doubt Nespresso coffee pods. Nespresso coffee capsules are a favourite all over the world. One problem, Nespresso isn’t Italian and its coffee isn’t made in Italy. So if you’re looking for an authentic Italian espresso. The stuff they drink in bars, then you need to expand your horizons.

But that doesn’t mean you have to bin your Nespresso coffee machine. There are plenty of compatible Nespresso pods on the market. These are coffee capsules that are compatible with your Nespresso machine at home. They won’t break them or void your warranty. They’re made especially to fit.

When it comes to Italian Nespresso pods – that is Nespresso capsules that are made in Italy, you can’t go past Gimoka. Its name has been synonymous with authentic Italian bar coffee for more than three decades.

Gimoka got its start as a small roaster on Lake Como. Restaurants and bars would come to them to have their own special house blends ground, roasted and packaged. Soon enough, Gimoka became the fourth largest roaster in Italy.

When Gimoka decided to make their coffee for the average Italiano, they gravitated to capsules. Unlike ground coffee or loose beans, capsule coffee doesn’t lose its flavour and continues to make the perfect espresso months after being roasted.

But Gimoka didn’t just want to make Nespresso compatible capsules. They designed their own dedicated system to ensure the capsules stayed fresh. Each capsule creates its own seal, keeping oxygen and moisture out – the natural enemies of coffee.

It’s just one of the ways that Gimoka makes Italian Nespresso capsules in-house. They also send a coffee tasting team to plantations all over the world to pick the best beans. The green beans are then send to the roasting house on Lake Como, where they’re roasted, mixed expertly into blends and immediately packed to ensure you enjoy great coffee any time of day.

Gran Caffè Garibaldi is named after the Italian legend and war hero. Today the brand makes high end single origin and blended coffees using the best Arabica and Robusta beans, sourced directly and fairly from the farmers and produced in small batches only.

With Nespresso capsules price is an issue. Gimoka and Gran Caffè Garibaldi’s compatible capsules are cheaper, so you get an authentic Italian espresso for less.

Buy your nespresso compatible capsules from L’Emporio, the official distributor of Gimoka in Australia.

If you’re a chef and in the know, you are probably acquainted with using coffee as a dynamic new cooking spice. If so, realize that you are standing on the edge of a growing new trend and your food creations are reaching ‘next level’ status.

As a creative culinary artist, you typically separate yourself as a chef by experimenting and stretching the bounds of your imagination by developing new realms for your art form. The results show up on the faces of those who eat your creations.

Using coffee as a cooking spice is a wondrous discovery. Considering the characteristics, taste subtleties, strength variances and different ways in which it can be used (the whole bean, as a liquid or grounded), it has created new breakthroughs for many dishes.

WHY COFFEE?

Coffee is arguably the world’s most popular drink. It is plentiful and yields enough different flavor profiles to be the perfect crossover agent and find its way to the list of ingredients associated with food recipes.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEW SPICE

The natural questions about coffee as a recipe ingredient are:

1. Will it make my food taste like the drink?

2. Will it dominate the other herbs and spices that I use?

3. Will it mask or ultimately change the flavor essence of my food?

To answer question number one, the growing list of chefs who cook with coffee as an ingredient have realized the natural rich, nutty and/or smoky flavors that have contributed to taking their dishes over the top. The note to remember is that your recipes should reflect coffee’s presence as a spice in the cooking process.

As it relates to dominating other herbs and spices, you’ll have to experiment if you are independently converting your favorite recipes. For recipes that you’ll pick up via cookbooks or data bases, the ratio of coffee in your recipes have been worked out for you. As such, coffee as an ingredient will enhance the flavor profile of your dishes if used properly. Some recipes call for the coffee to be added as you would drink it (brewed), but some require the use of the whole bean or added in granulated form.

Regarding whether or not coffee will mask or change the flavor essence of your food, you should remember that spices serve to enhance flavor profiles in your food. Note that the lighter roasts are more delicate and are generally more acidic. The darker roasts are stronger and more robust and therefore work best in dishes where they must hold their own against other powerful flavors.

Coffee, the world’s favorite drink, is now taking a bow in culinary circles as a delicious ingredient and marvelous contributor to deliciousness in dishes of all sorts.

Gary Simms is the author of the recently released “Coffee Delight: Drink and Food Recipes That Include Coffee”. For more information, visit http://gmsimms.wix.com/CoffeeDelight.