I don’t mean to brag or anything but I now have my very own, personal barista. He lives here at Joburg’s Darling headquarters and his only job is to spend all day creating super tasty beverages for me. I can’t tell you how amazing it is - all I have to do when the mood strikes for a piping hot cup of deliciousness is select my drink of choice and within seconds it’s ready to go! And the best part? He never takes lunch breaks and he’s with me 24/7! Talk about employee of the month. Ok fine, that all sounds a bit too good to be true. So, I must confess that my barista isn’t an actual person, he’s a beverage machine. But I think he’s a million times better than having a living, breathing barista because he never gets tired of making me drinks, and if I shout at him there’s no danger of having a coffee cup thrown at my head. So who is this mystery barista? You can just call him Gusto – Dolce Gusto.
If you’re super confused let me explain. Approximately a month ago I was given the opportunity to try out the brand spanking new NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Genio beverage machine, and ever since the machine arrived at the office it’s been nothing but barista-style drinks all round. The best part is the machine didn’t arrive alone; no, it also brought along some very delicious friends in the form of different flavoured beverage pods. Over the past few weeks the machine, pods and I have become quite firm friends and here’s why:
Firstly, the clever little device is unlike any coffee machine I’ve ever used. Not only does it offer you the choice of ten different hot and cold beverages (with more to come!) but it also serves them up in one complete cup – just like a barista at your favourite coffee spot would. This isn’t the type of machine that gives you flavoured coffee and then expects you to fuss about with frothing your own milk and adding your own sugar; rather it’s a complete solution. What I loved most about the machine is that it offers something for everyone (even people who don’t drink coffee – like me!). The range includes everything from ultra-strong espressos and cappuccinos to creamy and delicious hot chocolates and tea lattes. And if hot drinks aren’t your thing, it even offers the option of an iced cappuccino.
So how does it do this? Well, it’s simple really; each hot cup of awesome (except the espresso) is made using two pods – one milk and sugar pod, and one beverage pod (containing your coffee, hot chocolate or tea). You simply insert the pods into the machine one at a time and in seconds your barista-style drink is ready to be gulped down. I got to try all the flavours in the range and I must say they’re truly yummy! While coffee might not float my boat I tried the Tea Latte, Mochaccino and Chococcino (that’s fancy speak for hot chocolate) and they were all quite addictive. And, because I know how important coffee is to some of you I even forced my minions at HQ to try out the coffee pods for you, and they all gave the machine and its delicious buddies the thumbs up (I didn’t pay them to say that I promise).
If you’re keen to get your hands on your very own NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Genio you’ll be happy to know the price tag isn’t too hefty. You can pick one up for R1999 (which isn’t bad when you compare it to other machines in the same category), and the pods themselves can be snapped up for about R67 for a box of 16 pods (that’s 8 cups of yummy beverage for about R8 a cup). You can purchase NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto products at the following Pick n Pay stores: Bedfordview, Fourways, PnP on Nicol, and Woodmead Hyper. For a list of their .
And, if you you can watch the arrival of my NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto and how I learn all about how to use the clever little machine.
By Crystal Espin
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