My sweet valentine: NESPRESSO ALTER EGO Experience

Last week I had the great pleasure to be invited to Zermatt by NESPRESSO for Alter Ego press event. And what better location than the world famous alpine resort of Zermatt to held such a wonderful event?

We stayed at the beautiful CERVO Hotel and after a warm welcome with a lovely cup of Nespresso..what else? We were ready to start our unique coffee experience and tasting.

Guided by one of the Nespresso Coffee Ambassador we were taken through three workshops: Discover, Experience and Create our ALTER EGO.

We really travelled the universe of Nespresso and learned so much about coffee!

In the evening surrounded by the beautiful views over the Matterhorn we carried on with the Night Alter Ego event "Chez Vrony", where knowledge, passion and know-how were fuelled to create a perfect match between fine cuisine and exceptional coffee aromas.

A warm welcome at Hotel Cervo

Nespresso also in the comfort of my room

Sweet!

Coffee Ambassador Dominique

talking us through the experience

Workshop 1

DISCOVER YOUR ALTER EGO

It was time to start our coffee experience with tasting three different Nespresso Grand Crus.

Tasting a Nespresso coffee it is really an art and ritual.

So we needed to savor its appearance, inhale its aroma and delight in its flavour.

After careful consideration my choice was the Vivalto Lungo Decaffeinato.

In fact we then went to discover that all three coffee were decaffeinated. A year ago Nespresso introduced these three new Grand Crus especially dedicated for coffee lovers who would like to enjoy the aroma of their favorite coffee but would like to give up caffeine.

The three coffees are indeed: Arpeggio Decaffeinato, Volluto Decaffeinato and Vivalto Lungo Decaffeinato.

All three coffees stand out for their unique sensory profile, a profile based on quality and intensity, bitterness, roasted notes, acidity and aroma.

My choice the Vivalto Lungo Decaffeinato is an harmonious blend of Arabica just like the original version the Vivalto Lungo. The Vivalto Lungo Decaffeinato with an Intensity of 4 reveals a complex but harmonius mixture. Toasted and slightly woody notes as well as sweet nuances of flowers and cereals are born from a mixture of pure Arabica beans from different areas such as South America and Africa.

The separate roasting process of the beans revives the character of each coffee variety, which makes you discover the complexity behind the taste.

Short and gentle roasting keeps the delicate floral bouquet of Ethiopian beans and fruity notes of the Colombian beans unchanged. A long and darker roasting instead reinfornces the charachter of the mixture revealing its pleasantly bitter aftertaste.

My Alter Ego is Vivalto Lungo Decaffeinato!

Coffee tasting to discover my Alter Ego

Workshop 2

EXPERIENCE YOUR ALTER EGO

Did you know that the sensory universe of coffee does also decline under different facets?

It is the fruit of historical encounters through time and also an association of expertises.

A Gran Cru Nespresso becomes artistic when combined with the science of a great chef.

3 basic elements are neeeded in order to achieve a perfect marriage between a coffee and its dish.

The contraposition of aromas, the smoothness of a dish with the acidity of the coffee, the sweetness of a dish with the bitterness of coffee. The aromatic agreement .. the associations of complementary flavors.

The harmonisiation became real when both foods become one in the mouth.

I tasted the entry in aromatic concordance with my Alter Ego with a wine to accompany it. and then experience the power of concordance between my main course and my preferred coffee. Savored the sweetness enhancing my coffee of choice.

Chefs of the CERVO Hotel

The menu to experience my Alter Ego

Bruschetta with pickled vegetables served with a shot of Vivalto Lungo Decaffeinato

Veal in a lemon, olives and Vivalto Lungo Decaffeinato sauce and caponata

Nespresso Gourmand

White chocolate mousse, Jasmine Crème Brûlée, Lemon cake

Grand Cru Vivalto Decaffeinato

Workshop 3

CREATE YOUR PERSONAL ALTER EGO

For the third workshop we were able to create our Alter Ego following four fundamental stages: the selection of the origin, terroir selection, working with the producers of the cafè for grain quality, and the expertise Nespresso.

For my Vivalto Lungo Decaffeinato

a mild to medium roasting is required, it is pure Arabica from South America and East Africa roasted with a subtle floral note. Better enjoyed in a lungo cup 110 ml.

All blacks!

Alter Ego Night Experience

For the night part of our Alter Ego experience we all changed and wore a total white look for our dinner at Chez Vrony. Surrounded by a beautiful alpine panorama we started our evening with some Nespresso cocktails to die for! Nespresso even created the "Vrony's champagne" an hommage to our host Vrony. I opted for the Envivo Estival, a wonderfully refreshing cocktail made with Envivo coffee, lime, brown sugar, San Pellegrino mineral water, San Bitter syrup, mixed peppercorns and a cherry to top it off!

Then it was time for the delicious three course meal, a wonderful match between fine cousine and exceptional coffee aromas.

The dinner started with a very tasty Blody Mary Soup with chorizo accompanied by a basil and Arpeggio mousse.

Then we continued our meal with sliced veal in a creamy herb and Grand Cru Vivalto sauce with dried apricots, mushrooms and served with rosti.

We ended our meal with wild berries, nut crust with saffron served with milk cream and Gran Cru Volluto ice cream.
A menu to die for a perfect marriage between haute cousine and Nespresso Grand Cru !