Italian Coffee: il caffe Italiano+ 6 free coffee cup. Also coffee machines

Italy, the home of Espresso, has more than one brand of coffee, always something new to discover. Earlier this year at the Bellavita exhibition on Italian food and drink in London at the Business Design Centre I had the chance to try new coffees and cakes. The company is old, founded in 1870, but they have lots of flavours which will be new for you to try.

I am learning Italian through Duolingo, but the website was a challenge so I turned to the English.

Here's one with a name which is easy to remember: ilcaffeitaliano - the Italian coffee.
Photos will be added shortly.

The capsules come in different colours and several flavours. Go onto their website and click on English or any other language you choose. The capsules vary in price according to the flavour and the number you are ordering. You get a choice of three different quantities. Some flavours the minimum number is 50 capsules, others sixty capsules, others 100 capsules.

I'll list the flavours alphabetically:
Barley
Dek Intensity
Firenze Intenza 8
Ginseng
Irish Creme
Mocaccino
Vanilla
Venezia Intensity 7

You can buy Nespresso machine compatible capsules. (Most of the capsules I've seen come in two categories, the little cups compatible with Nespresso machines which seem to be an industry standard for the machines used in homes, and the large flat ones used for huge machines in supermarket size retail outlets. (I did once buy capsules which weren't comparable from a UK supermarket.)


You can also order capsules with six free cups. The Italian for cups is tazzine. So one of the cheaper flavours is £29.99 plus £4.99 postage to the UK or Europe, including 6 cups. A cute novelty present to buy yourself, take home, if you are travelling leave coffee and cups for your hosts as a thank you. Or order them to be delivered to your new home or holiday home when you arrive at your (holiday) destination to enjoy novelty coffee throughout your first week.

I called in a member of my family and they pointed out that the prices were not pounds sterling but euro signs, which meant even better value than I had thought.

We carried a small coffee maker (designed for camping) plus coffee capsules, when staying for a week with a friend in Hong Kong. Finding our hosts had no small coffee cups, we bought a set for them as a thank you.

I wrote a couple of posts earlier this year.

www.bellavita.com
www.ilcaffeitaliano.it

The it at the end of the website name stands for Italy.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Italy promoting wines, breads, oil, cheese and coffee

This event was a trade only show on Sunday and Monday. It is open to the public on Tuesday. At about 10.30 a bottle of wine will be arriving outside. I suggest you arrive and collect your badge earlier. I have several posts on what I enjoyed.

First the food and drink: Events: I went to a coffee tasting organised by Lavazza, a wine tasting on Prosecco. Stalls: I saw many more coffees and wines, salamis, and tried sausages, cheeses including blue cheese, pizza, tomatoes, several varieties of panettone (bread with sultanas in a dome shape, popular at Christmas time and all year, the most delicious Sicilian pastries with fruits and almonds, and pistachio ice cream. 

As for novelties: my favourites were silver covered almonds and presentation packs of a six bottles and a scarf or tie. I'll do separate posts and pictures of my favourites.

After the show, whether you are an importer, restaurant, caterer, or just an individual, you can order several of the foods and drinks which were displayed, and you can use a discount code. 

If you can't make the show in London, you have more chances in Amsterdam in November 2016; or in Warsaw, Poland; and Chicago, USA in 2017.

Open in London at Business Design Centre, Islington,Tuesday 19 July 9.30 am-4.30 pm.

More details from: 

www.bellavita.com

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. 

Wine club's wine from Mount Etna with ash on the gritty label!

At the Bellavita Italian food and beverage show at the Business Design Centre, Angel, Islington, I stopped at a stand promoting wine grown on Mount Etna. The first surprise was that you could grow vines in volcanic soil. 

(My second double take was at the idea that anybody would want to risk working on the hillside, or risking their business, crop and workers. OK - just a passing thought. I didn't mention that, and nor did the man on the stand. The next surprise was that you could get decent tasting grapes. Or that you could operate machinery without throwing up ash or walk around in your boots without getting ash on your hands or sliding down the mountains.)

However, as one who delights in unusual stories, I was intrigued to taste the wine. (Since I like sweet sparkling wines, of which my favourite is Prosecco, I am not one to judge a red wine, unless it is sweet and fruity sickly aromatic, which most are not.) Yup - it was a dry red.

However, the final amusement was the label. They take the grey ash and add it to the label. It isn't just a grey colour. When you feel it, your fingertips or nails find bought surface like an emery board. If you want a talking point at a party, or something for the person who has everything, here's a novelty.

More about unusual and limited availability wines from the Bat and Bottle wine club.

Bat and Bottle

18D Oakham Enterprise Park

Oak well Road

Oakham

Rutland

LE15 7TU

email emma@batwinel.co.uk

Call 01572 759 735

Membership is free. Members receive a quarterly newsletter. They have two clubs Conspirators and Vini Curiosity. Members are offered

Conspirators - Cases costing £150 consisting of 4 different wines, (3 bottles of each). Members can choose from mixed, red or white.

Vini Curiosity Cases cost £159 and are made up of 6 different wines.

If a case consists of 12 bottles, you can see that each bottle is in the £10plus range, plus post and packing? If you are interested, call them or email them.

That seems to work out at £12.50 a bottle for the first case of 12. I don't know if that includes VAT and customs and post and packing.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Follow my blogs, link to me on LinkedIn, befriend me on Facebook, check out my books and buy them from Amazon and lulu.com

Villa Sandi Prosecco tasting workshop at Bellavista Italian food and beverage show in London

I love Prosecco wine so I was very happy at the Villa Sandi workshop and tasting. Sitting next to me is a new friend. Of course she is Italian. Drinking Prosecco.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.