I'm not a big fan of very sugary things, it is rare that I'll consider drinking hot chocolate or any variation of coffee that isn't just black. My morning cup of coffee is usually through a French press from grounded beans already purchased from wherever. While that process does take a bit of time, it is far from an extensive one that requires multiple ingredients or additions. No milk, no sugar, nothing. Though sometimes my curiosity does take the wheel and I dive into something a bit out of my comfort zone.
A relative purchased this Hotel Chocolat branded velvetiser over Black Friday; these types of machines for coffee or hot chocolate are ones I usually stay clear from given how many try to trap you into their own ecosystem of capsules and such, but this velvetiser, while offering their own products, can be used however you want. The general idea being you just pour in milk and the ingredients you want, and it acts like a kettle that heats things up and blends them together. There's a plethora of things you could make with this, and lately it has been catching my attention in regards to its potential Christmas and winter themed drinks. I have a strong weakness for gingerbread lattes in particular!
Today was one of those days where I felt a bit more adventurous, though I feel it was more a result of laziness and not wanting to spend so much time with the French press and cleaning it. I found myself curious as to how the pre-packaged latte options were. Usually I don't quite trust these and find them a bit too heavy on the sugar, or a bit cheap on the quality of the coffee. But choosing the most simple option: their Caffè Latte, I was quite surprised at how decent it was.
The process was pretty simple: you open the sachet and pour it into the top of the velvetiser with some milk, throw on the lid and press a button. A minute or two later you've got your drink. Of course there are options in how you serve the drinks you make, adding whatever you like or making cold drinks instead. I went with the default hot latte option because I'm boring. This one sachet serves one drink, though it's pretty generous and this cup I used ended up almost overflowing.
The latte itself was interesting, it has been a while since I last had one. I think the last time I had one was before the pandemic! But I remain more curious of the creative possibilities this little machine offers when it comes to making my own drinks. I might steal this thing for myself and see what I can create. I do like that it allows you to use whatever you like and are not bound to their own capsules and such. Sadly the ingredients regarding what coffee is used in the sachet isn't specified, so I can't say what that is.
Given I have been avoiding coffee lately, finally having a good one was really refreshing though. It definitely made me want to try more.
