Blog – Page 3 – Freckles and Flat Whites

Is Nespresso worth it?

Nespresso was the beginning of my coffee journey. My family bought me one for my 23rd birthday and that was about 7 years ago. I have since moved on to other coffee brewing tools such as the V60, Chemex and Aeropress, you can read this blog post here. But the convenience and quality of Nespresso is what made me love using this machine and worth it for me.

I was away for the weekend and our hotel had a Nespresso machine so I thought I would write up why I still love it. I enjoy the ritual of grinding my own beans and being fully responsible for brewing my coffee right now, but just popping a pod in and turning on a machine is sometimes just what I need.

First, let’s talk about the Nespresso look and design…

Design

It’s a very sleek and stylish machine, so it fits in well with any person’s home no matter their style.

That’s one of the things I loved about it! It fitted in perfectly with my kitchen.

Nespresso pods

There are a variety of different flavors to cater for everyone’s tastes. I love the sleek packaging the pods come in. Beside that, the customer experience is amazing where you can sample pods to decide on which flavour you like which is perfect for novice coffee drinkers.

Quality

The Nespresso pod is made out of Aluminium which seals the coffee flavors, making each pod consistent in taste. I honestly never had a bad nespresso.

The aluminium can then be recycled and reused for new pods. So let’s talk about Nespresso’s recycling program.

Sustainability

Nespresso has introduced their recycling program, and back in Cape Town I actively took part. It was super easy and I just dropped all my used pods in the store whenever I needed new pods.

I would however try and incentivise more Nespresso users to recycle their pods, as I’m sure not everyone is taking up this initiative. It’s just so easy.

Convenience

I’m not going to lie, you can get a pretty decent espresso in seconds.

I was heartbroken that my Nespresso machine couldn’t work in the US as South Africa has a higher voltage but then I experimented with the Chemex which lead to the V60.

I would highly recommend Nespresso if you’re looking for convenience. Right now I’m still happy with my morning coffee rituals but it was nice to enjoy using the Nespresso machine from the weekend.

Is coffee good or bad?

Is coffee good or bad for you? For many, coffee has become a ritual. It surely is a ritual for me, a way to take a break during a hectic work day, and a moment to share with friends and loved ones. So how much coffee can you actually drink in a day? I have been wondering if I drink too much coffee… and maybe I do.

My typical day starts with a V60 in the morning, around about 7/ 7:30am, then at about 10am I make another cup. To get out the house and take a break from work, I’ll find a cafe to get a flat white or a cold brew from. Then my last cup comes in around 3pm just to give me that extra boost to wrap up my day.

The recommended daily consumption is 3 to 5 cups a day. Or 400 milligrams of caffeine according to a New York Times article, you can read the full article here.

As an added bonus, according to an article by John Hopkins, there are some added health benefits to drinking some delicious coffee.

Drinking coffee helps to lower your chances of:

Getting diabetes
Experiencing heart failure
Getting colon cancer
Experiencing Parkinson’s disease
Getting Alzaheimers
Getting a stroke

Other added benefits:

Healthy liver
Dark roasted coffee helps to keep your DNA in tact

Overall, drinking good quality coffee helps you to live a longer and healthier life.

You can read the full article by John Hopkins here. If you missed my last post, I discussed why you should support local brands, you can read the full post here.

Why I support local coffee brands

Why should you support local or think about supporting local coffee brands? This has been on my mind a lot lately. A friend of mine back in Cape Town shared a news article about how the coffee industry is nearing a global crisis. This was the perfect time to discuss this topic and you can read the full article here.

Many of us don’t often think about where our beloved coffee beans come from. If you’re a true coffee lover like me, you know that coffee comes from very humid climates such as Mexico, South America, Africa, India and even Vietnam. Many of these countries rely heavily on coffee farming to survive.

Over the years these farmers have been underpriced significantly leading to increase in poverty. And now climate change is impacting these coffee farms. Scientists are predicting that by 2025, coffee farming will be cut by half. Drinking coffee has grown in popularity with giant coffee chains paving the wave but with that, coffee farmers have been negatively impacted.

Fair trade

There are many smaller local coffee brands who are trying to support farmers financially which has turned into the fair trade branding. I know that larger brands are also doing this. Fair trade aims to support the coffee community by improving equity, respect and community. If you want to show support for these coffee farms, try and find coffee brands that support Fair trade.

More than ever, smaller coffee brands need our support. So if you can, buy beans from your favorite local coffee store. I’ll be here trying to support all Denver’s local coffee stores.

San Francisco Coffee Guide

So I decided to list a few of my favorite coffee spots around San Francisco and provide a short coffee guide on my favorite coffee spots.

1. Saint Frank

Saint Frank San Francisco — Saint Frank on Polk Street

First up is Saint Frank. This little cafe is definitely one of my favorite coffee spots in San Francisco, mainly because they can make a delicious flat white. You can get a takeaway or sit in their cute little cafe, and their patries are also delicious. So if you have time, grab a pastry and flat white, and enjoy their outdoor seating.

2. Wrecking Ball

Who wouldn’t love a cafe name like Wrecking Ball. I miss this little cafe in the Marina. It’s the perfect stop to grab a coffee and continue walking and shopping on Union Street.

3. Dynamo Donut + Coffee

Dynamo Donut San Francisco — Dynamo Donut + Coffee in the Marina

Third on my list is Dynamo Donut + Coffee. This was a regular spot I stopped at when I went on my weekend walks in the Marina. It’s a beautiful scenic route where you can see the Golden Gate Bridge and walk up to the Palace of Fine Arts. Highly recommend getting one of their donuts.

4. Home SF

And last on my list is Home SF. You have to try their Birthday Cake Latte. It will make you extremely happy with all the colors and beautiful latte art. Also if you’re a fan of avocado and toast, you should definitely treat yourself.

Hope you enjoyed my short San Francisco coffee guide. Leave a comment if you have any questions.

When can we start saving the planet again?

Many are thinking, what is going to be the lasting impact of single use coffee cups during COVID. If that isn’t on your mind, it sure is on mine. It’s been months now since bringing your own reusable cup has been banned from coffee shops. Everytime I get a takeaway coffee, I’m reminded that this could have been in my own reusable cup. So when can we start saving the planet again?

I’m by no way the perfect advocate of sustainability and reducing my carbon footprint. Honestly, I have often forgotten to bring my reusable cup with me many times. I have tried my best to use it as much as I can – when I remember. I even started traveling with one during long flights and many work trips.

In late June, the Guardian released an article stating that over 100 scientists from 18 countries are trying to reassure the public that the transmission of the virus, when using reusable cups, is not likely and won’t increase your chances of getting it. This conclusion comes from evidence that highlights that the virus is mainly spread from inhaling droplets instead from surface contacts. You can read the full article here.

I know that we are all hesitant to get back to “normal” as there is still so much we don’t know about this virus. But I’ll be the first one to bring in my extremly clean reusable cup as soon as coffee shops start allowing it! Who is with me?

If you prefer making coffee at home, I’ve written a post about making the perfect cup of coffee using the Hario V60. You can read it here.

How I pick the best coffee shops when traveling

Do you find yourself struggling to decide on a coffee shop to pop into when traveling? I would love to try as many new coffee spots when I’m traveling but sometimes there’s just not enough time. As a result, I wanted to share how I pick the best coffee shops when traveling in two very simple steps.

Step 1 – Google

Google is my best friend, I search for the best coffee spots in that area. After I have a few options, I check them out on Instagram.

Step 2 – Instagram

I find Instagram a great resource to visually see how that cafe makes their coffee and to get a feel for the place. Photos and posts are a great visual cue.

Local Coffee House

Over the 4th of July weekend, I was in Snowmass and wanted to find a great coffee shop in the area. A few spots came up on my Google search and after looking at each Instagram account, I decided on Local Coffee House in Aspen.

How do I pick the best coffee shops when traveling — Local Coffee House

With gorgeous floral wallpaper, to delicious avocado on toast and the perfect flat white… I was instantly in love. It was the first time in over 5 months that I’ve been out for breakfast. It felt amazing to be back in a gorgeous little cafe drinking delicious coffee.

I also haven’t had such a great flat white in a while. The micro foam was delicious and stayed a creamy texture. The double espresso was correctly expressed and completed with a leaf latte art design.

If you love making coffee at home, you can read my previous blog on how to make the perfect cup of coffee using the V60.

How to make the perfect cup of coffee at home using a Hairo V60

In last week’s post, I shared the three coffee products that I’ve used in the past. Right now, I’m using the Hario V60 every day and loving how easy it is to use. I wanted to share how you can make the perfect cup of coffee at home using a Hario V60 or another brewing product.

If you are a coffee enthusiast like me and want to make the perfect cup of coffee, this is what you’ll need to do.

How to make the perfect cup of coffee at home

You will need:

A kitchen scale

Freshly ground coffee/ already grounded coffee

Goose neck Kettle/ normal kettle

Hario V60/ another pour-over brewer

And the coffee mug you love the most

Steps to make the perfect cup of coffee at home using a Hario V60

I have a Baratza Encore Grinder and it’s currently set on 16, so I always grind coffee fresh. If you don’t have a grinder, you can still use already grounded coffee. Just make sure that the ground is finely ground.

Remember to turn to the kettle on to start boiling the water.

Now it’s time to measure your coffee, place your favorite coffee cup on your kitchen scale, put your Hario V60 or another pour-over on top of your coffee cup, insert your filter, then turn the scale on.

I personally prefer a stronger coffee taste, so I measure 17-18 grams of coffee. Once the kettle is boiled, slowly pour the hot water in a circular motion. The secret here is to remember to pour slowly and that is why having a Gooseneck Kettle is perfect as it allows you to have more control with how you pour the water. If you don’t have a Gooseneck Kettle, don’t worry, just remember to pour slowly.

I usually pour the water in until it’s about halfway filled in the Hario V60, I then allow it to seep through and then pour water over again slowly and in a circular motion. This whole process shouldn’t take longer than 5 minutes.

Top off with your favorite milk option – whole, almond, oat milk, or enjoy it as black coffee.

I would love to hear how you make your coffee at home, leave a comment below or send me a DM on Instagram @frecklesandflatwhites.

The Best Coffee Products – Aeropress, Chemex, and Hario V60

Turning your home into your office has some peaks, but I do miss grabbing a flat white on my way to the office. Even with coffee shops opening and offering outdoor seating, I’m really enjoying making coffee at home.

My coffee brewing tools and products have expanded from the Aeropress to the Chemex to the Hario V60. I honestly didn’t know so many different brewing techniques and products were out there. Here is my take on using these three coffee products.

Aeropress

Back in Cape Town, we got the Aeropress as a wedding gift. If you are a fan of the French Press, then you will love the Aeropress. It’s also prefect to travel with and an extra bonus is that it’s way easier to clean than a French Press.

You don’t need to let the coffee brew as long as a French press, allowing you to make your coffee faster. You can see from the photo, that the Aeropress branding has rubbed off, this is to show how we have used this product excessively over the years. Personally, I love the Aeropress.

Chemex

When moving to San Francisco in 2018, I bought the Chemex as a gift for my husband. Secretly, I bought it for me. I didn’t know too much about the Chemex but it was great to make multiple cups of coffee with, compared to the Aeropress. Making Chemex coffee has a number of steps, which began a morning routine in our home.

From grinding the beans, placing the filter, soaking the filter, adding the ground coffee, and slowing pouring the boiled water in a circular motion to brew the coffee, what a better way to start your morning. Traveling with a Chemex isn’t really feasible as it’s made from glass, but when having friends or family over, this is the perfect coffee product to use.

Hario V60

We then decided to take our coffee experience more seriously and unskilled to a Hario V60. I loved using the Chemex but when I wanted a quick cup of coffee, the Chemex wasn’t an option.

The V60, similar in brewing to the Chemex, has some key differences. Mainly, it allows for a quicker coffee brew as the filters are slightly thinner than the Chemex filters. The V60 design is smaller and easier to transport than a glass Chemex product, perfect for that weekend getaway.

I’m mainly using the Hario V60 everyday now and really enjoying it. We even bought another V60, so we can make two cups of coffee at the same time.

Personally, I love the Aeropress, Chemex and V60. Each coffee product highlights my journey with coffee and how I’ve evolved my coffee preferences.

Coffee in Italy

After my trip to Paris, I was eager to plan my next coffee destination. I was also planning a wedding so 2016 was out for a coffee excursion. In 2017 my husband and I decided to travel to Italy. We were meant to go to Vietnam but some amazing flight deals to Italy popped up, and we couldn’t resist. I was excited to experience the Italian Coffee Culture and drink my way through coffee in Italy. On the agenda were Venice, Florence, and Bologna.

Similar to Paris, it’s recommended that you drink coffee with milk in the morning and in the afternoons, move onto espressos or black coffee. You can read about my Paris Coffee Experience here. In Italy, coffee is meant to be drunk in the morning and after dinner. Italy is known for their coffee, creating the espresso and cappuccino, that many of us love today. There is so much coffee history here and the social aspect of drinking espresso and having a pastry is a ritual in many Italians’ lives.

Italian Coffee – Espresso or Cappuccino

My personal coffee preference is a flat white, which is not a known coffee item in Italy. I’ve written a post on what a flat white is and you can read it here. During my time in Italy, I would alternate between an espresso and a cappuccino.

If you don’t already know, espresso is a method of pushing, commonly known as expressing, hot water through grounded coffee. It’s more concentrated and has a creamy consistency at the top. I generally drink espresso with half a teaspoon of sugar, as it can be rather bitter for me. A cappuccino, traditionally, is a single or double shot of espresso, then steam milk is added and to finish it off, topped with frothy milk.

Venice

First on our Italian coffee experience was Venice. I’ve been to Venice before when I was 16 but traveling as an adult is a completely different experience. We ate our way through all the pasta and I grew to love Aperol Spritz during this time. We were only there for 3 days and I decided to find one top-rated coffee shop, which at the time was Caffé del Doge.

Caffé del Doge Venice — Caffé del Doge
Venice 2017

It took us a while to find this little cafe, nestled down one of the small cobble ally ways, but what a find. I ordered a cappuccino, I think it was after 11 am, first Italian coffee sin. But it was a delicious cappuccino, single espresso shot with frothy milk. I actually ended up buying their beans to take home and it was the only bag of Italian beans I bought while there.

Florence

Next on our Italian adventure was Florence. Italy was experiencing a massive heatwave when we were there, so drinking hot coffee wasn’t a top priority. We did manage to eat as much Gelato as humanly possible. As we were staying in Florence for 4 days, I found two coffee spots, Ditta Artigianale and Pasticceria Nencioni.

Ditta Artigianale Florence — Ditta Artigianale
Florence 2017

Ditta Artigianale was in this beautiful Italian building, in the centre of Florence. It is also a micro roastery, that was born in 2013. The setting and cafe was charming and I had high expectations. I was a little bit disappointed with the cappuccino, it wasn’t the best I have had in Italy so far.

I started following Emiko Davies, a cookbook author living in Florence and she had this beautiful post on Pasticceria Nencioni so I had to try it. Their pastries were delicious but their cappuccino was sadly average.

Pasticceria Nencioni Florence — Pasticceria Nencioni
Florence 2017

Bologna

Our last stop was Bologna, we only stayed here for 2 nights. I’ve never heard of Bologna before our trip, and I didn’t know what to expect. Bologna has one of the oldest universities in Europe and is mainly a student town. We had some of the best pasta dishes in Bologne and many Aperol Spritz.

Le Petit Cafe was the last coffee cafe on our Italian coffee culture experience. It was one of the hottest days in Bologna, so I ended up opting for an iced cold brew coffee paired with a delicious pastry. The cafe was bustling and we sat at the counter drinking our coffees and cooling off. This was the perfect end to us making our way through coffee in Italy, one coffee at a time.

Le Petit Cafe Bologna — Le Petit Cafe
Bologna 2017

I loved exploring Italy and eating and drinking way too much. I can’t wait to go back and see how far the coffee culture has changed. There is definitely a shift in the coffee world, people are starting to value where beans come from and how they have been farmed. We are moving away from commercially driven companies that dominate on a global scale to more localized and specialized roasteries.

Coffee in Paris

With more time on my hands, I’ve been reflecting on why I love coffee so much. And why I associate traveling with coffee. It really all began in 2015 when I was drinking coffee in Paris and taking the whole cultural experience in.

I am by no means a coffee expert, I have definitely become more of a coffee critic. Which I never use to be. Back in university, between classes, I would grab instant coffee with 2 sugars. Don’t judge me, those terrible cups of caffeine got me through 4 years of university.

The coffee culture in Cape Town, South Africa started to boom around about the time I graduated. My first job was about an hour’s drive away but there was this amazing coffee shop called Deluxe Coffeeworks. I would always stop there on my way in, not going to lie this habit was expensive and still is. They made a fabulous flat white every time. This started a new ritual of my day, where I had to have a flat white in one hand and laptop in another.

I’ve always enjoyed having coffee, as I associate it with shopping trips with my mom and sister. We would always refuel with a Seattle coffee and catch up sessions with my girlfriends over the weekend, and spontaneous dates with my now-husband. Now that I was working and earning my own money, the desire to travel kicked in. My appreciation and love for coffee grew over this time and my first trip overseas was Paris.

Coffee in Paris

The Parisians definitely excel in fashion, food, wine, art, and architecture, sadly coffee was not on that list in 2015. Among all the Parisian cafés, I managed to find one that made exceptional coffee and even sold their own beans. I see now that things have slowly changed, according to a blog post by Emily Manoco, you can read her blog here. I’m delighted to see the adaption of the coffee culture in France. This makes me want to go back even more and I was meant to be traveling to France later this year, but sadly that has been shifted to 2021.

Notre Dame Paris — Notre Dame
September 2015

What I learned about Parisians and their coffee, is that they only have milk with their coffee in the morning. It’s strongly recommended that you drink your coffee without milk and opt for espressos instead, in the afternoon. Many cafés have 5 different coffee options:

Café – which is basically an espresso, you can have a single or double shot.
Noisette – Is a café (espresso) with a drop or two of milk. Noisette is French for hazelnut, and the name came about as the milk turns the coffee into a hazelnut brown color.
Allongé – Is a café (espresso), topped with extra boiled/ hot water. This then makes the espresso diluted and not strong in taste.
Filtré or Café Américain – This is just filtered coffee.
Café Crème – Is café (espresso) with warm milk.

La Caféothèque de Paris

After researching online for the best coffee spots in Paris, I found La Caféothèque de Paris. This little café, close to Notre Dame, had a very unassuming appearance but what a hidden gem. I honestly had the best Parisian flat white since arriving in Paris and I can’t wait to go back. Sadly while writing this post I realized that I have lost all my photos of Paris. Luckily I posted on Instagram and Facebook. I know it’s the memory that really counts but in a world where we live through photos, it was still a little sad.

This experience really fueled my love for travel and learning about different cultures take on coffee.