I’ve harped on about not being a coffee person HEAPS of times before. Only having a coffee perhaps… 3 times a year? 

Hmmmmm…. yeah… I think I’ve been reborn… since High Coffee, I enjoy coffee now. And not some watered down latte with 3 sugars… oh no… the stronger the better, and don’t even attempt to offer me sugar. I refuse to get addicted to it though, which is probably what put me off coffee to begin with. I didn’t want to be one of those people who can’t function without their morning coffee. 

I was invited to attend the Lavazza A Modo Mio class at the recent MICE (Melbourne International Coffee Expo). Since I was a coffee n00b, I was a bit snobbish when it came to capsule/pod machines. I used to make the coffees at my first job at a bakery (that was about 10 years ago now!). I also make the coffees at my Grandma’s house, with coffee beans, and the traditional manual milk frother. The concept of capsules didn’t seem like the purist approach to making coffee which I didn’t like. Well, did this class change my mind.

The pods are foil sealed ground coffee; this means they stay fresh. If you were to open a foil sealed bag, or freshly grind your beans, you need to use the whole amount ASAP for optimum freshness, where as you can keep capsules around for a while as they are individually sealed.
The machines we played with replicate the pressue of the big, professional machines
‘Modo Mio’ translates to ‘My Way’ – this means you can program the machine to suit the way YOU like YOUR coffee. Instead of using the pre-programed buttons, you can program the machine to produce the amount of coffee you like.
Lavazza capsules contain 7.5g of coffee per capsule, where as other brands *cough* Nespresso *cough* *cough* only 5-6 grams per pod.
You can also get hot chocolate sachets to use with the milk frother 
There are 8 different varieties available, so there will be no doubt you’ll be able to find one to suit your tastebuds; including a decaf one for those interested. I’m still working my way through them all, so I can’t really tell you which one my favourite is, but I’m liking Divinamente and Magicamente.

I was also lucky enough to be given a machine (thanks Lavazza <3 ) I’ve been trying my hand at latte art. I’ve been failing big time, but I am determined to get there! …. just not in one day, as I don’t want to drink 30425434 coffees!

The model I have is the Lavazza A Modo Mio Premium Milk which has a handy automatic milk frother on the side. With the touch of a button I have perfectly warmed and frothed milk. It can also cold froth milk if I fancied and ice coffee or ice chocolate instead. This model retails for $299.99. They also have a less expensive model on the market Lavazza A Modo Mio Premium for $249.99.

Of course I couldn’t help but make a coffee dessert with my new gadget. This one is one easy mousse to make, with tasty results!
Chocolate & Coffee Truffle Pots
BBC Good Food

200g dark chocolate
100ml strong coffee
4 tbsp favourite spirit (eg. rum, brandy, or frangelico)
400ml double cream
2 tbsp caster sugar
cocoa powder or shaved chocolate to dust

1. Break the chocolate into small chunks and tip into a bowl with the coffee and alcohol. Bring 250ml of the cream to the boil, then pour over the chocolate mixture and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

2. Divide the mix among six coffee cups and leave to set overnight in the fridge. They can be prepared 2 days in advance or frozen for 1 month – defrost completely in the fridge before serving.

3. To serve, whip the remaining cream with the sugar until just set. Spoon the cream on to the chocolate pots and served dusted with cocoa powder so each cup looks like a cappuccino.
Iron Chef Shellie attended the Lavazza A Modo Mio Class, MICE and received a Lavazza A Modo Mio Machine with compliments of Lavazza and Undertow Media.