I'm sure that sounds strange to those of you used to having a choice of coffee shops on every corner, but without making myself sound too old 'in my day' this was not the case. In fact it was more greasy spoon cafes serving a cup of instant if you were lucky. And once again this is not the instant we're used to today, or in fact the one I am sharing with you today from Lavazza*.
There was one problem to my 'coffee drinking plan'. I didn't actually like coffee, but I persevered and perhaps the offering from Dunkin' Donut's wasn't the best starting point but now many years and coffee's later I have something of handle on what makes a good or bad cup of coffee.
I've dabbled with coffee machines which serve a purpose for lattes and the like but whether it's for calorie counting reasons or not I often prefer a simple white coffee or Americano as it's more commonly known. I had got into a very lazy and inelegant habit of purchasing a cup of Nescafe Instant from the station of a morning (likely started after a particularly late night and accompanying hangover). At a cost of £1.30 per day it was starting to add up especially for a cheap cup of instant. I took myself to Primark, purchased a couple of their travel coffee mugs and started making my coffee at home.
Luckily for me Lavazza decided to send me to ensure I didn't slip into bad coffee habits and sent me their Lavazza Prontissimo! range, a premium instant coffee 'with an authentic Italian taste'. Lavazza Prontissimo! Medio* and Intenso* instant coffees are made using 100% Columbian Arabica beans, containing 'micro-granules' that ensure you drink a rich and full bodied cup of coffee in a matter of minutes.
I've found that in the morning I prefer the dark roast blend of Intenso which is well balance with notes of caramel which is perhaps why I favour it as I do love caramel in my coffee. The sweeter Medio has a low acidity and I find I prefer that particularly after a meal or perhaps with a chocolate treat later in the day.
Who needs fancy coffee shops or machines when you can have a good cup of coffee first thing in the morning in an instant care of the Italians.
*this post contains press samples
