I love my coffee, but it’s one of those things that I try not to have every day.
I like to think of coffee as an indulgence…not quite on par with triple-layer chocolate cake or lasagna, but still something that isn’t for daily consumption.
So when I have coffee, I take my time to make sure that a) its good stuff and b) I have time to actually sit down and savor it. I am a fiend for local artisanal coffee shops and at home my French press sees more action than any other coffee brewing tool in my kitchen.
But even a self-proclaimed coffee fanatic has to admit that convenience is a factor in today’s world.
You’ve heard of Nespresso? Gourmesso makes compatible coffee capsules for Nespresso machines, and they recently reached out to me asking if I was interested in trying their product. My interest was already piqued, as I’ve heard a lot about Nespresso but hadn’t yet tried it; how could I resist?
If you don’t have a Nespresso machine and you don’t think you have room for it in your kitchen, let me say, what I love most about it is how compact it is…it’s pretty teeny-tiny! I’d even go as far to say that I think it would fit nicely into an area as small as a dorm room where space is at a serious premium. Another thing I really appreciate about this brewing system is that you only have to wait for about 30 seconds for it to warm up before it brews. How is that for convenience? (This is the Nespresso machine I use, which I think is a pretty great bargain!)
So about the coffee. Gourmesso (“gourmet espresso”) says they have “Italian passion for coffee combined with German ingenuity”, and if that statement doesn’t sum it up perfectly, then I don’t know what does.
Their coffee is good, rich-flavored and aromatic, and with lovely crema on top. (And they have Fair Trade options!) To sweeten it up just a touch, I typically add a sprinkle of stevia or for a real indulgence, turbinado sugar. When I don’t have time to cold-brew coffee, this also is good for a quick iced coffee; just brew it up, let it cool, and serve it over ice.
Speaking of iced coffee, how about Iced Bubble Coffee to keep things interesting? Don’t mind if I do. ;)
I love bubble tea, so this was a natural for me. Now, since you can’t have a bubble drink (tea or coffee) without the bubbles (which are black tapioca pearls called boba), let’s talk about that first. I live in a pretty ethnically diverse area and I have access to about 10 different Asian markets all within about a 15 to 20-minute drive from where I live. Because of that, I thought I wouldn’t have an issue finding boba. I was wrong.
I had such a hard time finding black tapioca pearls that I had to turn to the Walmart of the internet: Amazon. I ordered this kind and it’s fabulous – just what I was looking for. Just a word of warning, I didn’t follow the cooking directions on the boba package; I did a lot of research online for the best method, and in the recipe below I share one that works perfectly for me every time.
I used my Vegan Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk to sweeten my Bubble Coffee, but you can go for regular sweetened condensed milk, or even just milk and simple syrup or stevia if you prefer. This drink is refreshing and fun, and now that I’ve made a bubble drink at home I probably be doing it much more often.
And if you want to try Gourmesso’s coffee capsules for yourself, check out the giveaway below!
- ⅓ cup (50 g) black tapioca pearls (boba)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- ¾ cup (6 oz/180 ml) espresso, cooled (I used Gourmesso’s Messico Blend Forte)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- 8 large ice cubes
- ¼ cup (60 ml) sweetened condensed milk (I used my homemade Vegan Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk)
- Bring a small-medium pot of water to a boil; add the tapioca pearls and boil 20 minutes. Turn the heat off, drain out all but 1 cup of water, and stir in the 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey. Cover the pot and let the tapioca sit for 20 minutes. Drain the tapioca pearls and divide them between 2 glasses. (For best results, use the tapioca pearls within 4 hours of boiling them.)
- Stir together the cooled espresso and water. Divide this between the 2 glasses and add 4 ice cubes to each.
- Stir in sweetened condensed milk to taste and serve.
: : GIVEAWAY : :
Those of you who have a Nespresso machine are in luck because I’m giving away Gourmesso coffee capsules! (Check out Gourmesso’s website to see if their coffee capsules are compatible with your machine.)
I’m giving away 1 pack (each pack has 10 capsules) of the following Gourmesso capsules:
- Bolivia Pura Mezzo
- Caramel – Soffio Caramello
- Columbia Arabic Mezzo
- Lungo Arabica Forte
- Messicao Blend Forte
To participate in this giveaway, just leave a comment on this post telling me your “usual” coffee of choice (what do you typically order when you go to your favorite coffee house?). And if coffee isn’t your thing, what is your favorite drink in general?
For extra entries, you can do any of the following (please leave a separate comment for each):
- Tell me what your favorite iced beverage is.
- Like An Edible Mosaic on Facebook.
- Like Gourmesso on Facebook.
- Follow An Edible Mosaic on Pinterest.
- Follow Gourmesso on Pinterest.
- Tweet the following: Enter @AnEdibleMosaic’s #giveway for the chance to win @Gourmesso #coffee capsules! https://www.anediblemosaic.com/iced-bubble-coffee/
You do not need to have a blog to enter this giveaway. I am willing to ship the prize anywhere in the world, so this giveaway is open to everyone. This giveaway ends on May 7, 2015 at 11:59 PM EST. Once the giveaway ends, the winner will be randomly chosen and notified via email. The winner will have three business days to respond with his or her mailing information, otherwise a new winner will be randomly chosen. Good luck to all!
Disclosure: Gourmesso provided me with their coffee capsules to try and a Nespresso machine with which to brew them; as always, opinions stated are my own. They are also provided the coffee capsules for this giveaway. This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items, which helps me keep this site alive – thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
May 1, 2015 at 6:28 amI love coffee, but I’m usually pretty boring and I just drink it black! I like to get the vanilla creme coffee pod things, and that’s flavor enough for me!
Rosa says
May 1, 2015 at 6:41 amA wonderful drink! So summery and exquisite.
Every evening, after supper, I usually have a good cup of Turkish coffee.
Cheers,
Rosa
pam (Sidewalk Shoes) says
May 1, 2015 at 6:50 amOh, I wish I had a Nespresso machine!
Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom says
May 1, 2015 at 7:44 amI have not tried any bubble drinks yet–so out of the loop :) Can’t wait to try your recipe though.
Lauren @ Wicked Spatula says
May 1, 2015 at 8:23 amThis is so fun! I’ve never had tapioca pearls before, totally need to get on that!
heather @french press says
May 1, 2015 at 10:15 amI love my nespresso and cannot wait to try this bubble coffee, it has been on my to-do list for a while, and yours looks SO good, perfect for the warm weather headed our way this weekend
Joanie @ ZagLeft says
May 1, 2015 at 10:26 amI’m kind of a boring coffee drinker, I prefer mine black but your bubble coffee recipe sounds so good. I need to find tapioca pearls and make this coffee – what a treat!
Annie @Maebells says
May 1, 2015 at 12:11 pmWhat a beautiful drink!! I have never had bubble coffee, but I love how creative this is!
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says
May 1, 2015 at 1:41 pmThis is so cool! I’ve never seen black tapioca pearls, only the white ones in bubble tea. I would love this.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
May 1, 2015 at 4:17 pmI LOVE bubble coffee and definitely need to get my hands on some boba so i can make it myself! Thanks for the idea!
Bianca @ Sweet Dreaming says
May 1, 2015 at 6:07 pmalmond milk latte :)
Bianca @ Sweet Dreaming says
May 1, 2015 at 6:08 pmI love iced black coffee with a shot of vanilla!
Emily says
May 1, 2015 at 10:07 pmI love good, locally roasted, coffee with cream and slightly sweetened with sugar.
Emily says
May 1, 2015 at 10:09 pmI would choose brewed iced tea, sweetened, but not southerly sweetened, loaded with crushed ice and some fresh lemon wedges any day of the week. Yum.
Lynn says
May 1, 2015 at 10:13 pmWell, It’s true…your never too old to learn something new. Would love to try it, love coffee.
JoAn says
May 1, 2015 at 10:29 pmIced coffee with cream and vanilla
Dana S says
May 2, 2015 at 1:06 amI like black coffee
Carolsue says
May 3, 2015 at 8:25 pmI usually order the White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks
Carolsue says
May 3, 2015 at 8:28 pmI like An Edible Mosaic on Facebook as Carolsue Anderson
Carolsue says
May 3, 2015 at 8:29 pmI like Gourmesso on Facebook as Carolsue Anderson
Carolsue says
May 3, 2015 at 8:30 pmI like An Edible Mosaic on Pinterest as @Cezovski9
Carolsue says
May 3, 2015 at 8:31 pmI like Gourmesso on Pinterest as @Cezovski9
Carolsue says
May 3, 2015 at 8:31 pmI tweeted
https://twitter.com/Sillysiamese/status/595037149679878145
Dana Ferguson says
May 3, 2015 at 11:45 pmI like a foamy cappuccino
Dana Ferguson says
May 3, 2015 at 11:47 pmI like a foamy cappuccino.
Linda R says
May 5, 2015 at 5:58 pmI have to admit I am a big time coffee lover and am a fan of Starbucks. However, if a good Cosmo is available I can be led away from the coffee!!!!!
Joanne says
May 5, 2015 at 8:27 pmI am SO obsessed with this. With the gourmesso pods. With the boba IN YOUR COFFEE. With all of it. LOVE.
HS says
May 5, 2015 at 11:09 pmI usually order mocha.
HS says
May 5, 2015 at 11:09 pmMy favorite iced beverage is iced coffee.
HS says
May 5, 2015 at 11:10 pmLike An Edible Mosaic on Facebook.
HS says
May 5, 2015 at 11:10 pmLike Gourmesso on Facebook.
HS says
May 5, 2015 at 11:11 pmFollow An Edible Mosaic on Pinterest.
HS says
May 5, 2015 at 11:11 pmFollow Gourmesso on Pinterest.
HS says
May 5, 2015 at 11:12 pmtweet https://twitter.com/kraftmaking/status/595802902440103937
Marcia says
May 12, 2015 at 5:45 amIn the fall I order iced pumpkin spice lattes, otherwise, it’s an iced sugarfree vanilla latte