Not being in any way a coffee connoisseur, I've always made do with so-so coffee at home, most recently using a cheap cafetiere. Then over Christmas I saw an ad in the Bangkok Post for the Lavazza A Modo Mio coffee machine, which belongs to the new generation of machines using only vacuum-packed espresso capsules. It looked all shiny and retro-stylish; its merits were listed in loving detail. Before I knew it I had fallen into a swoon of consumer longing. A bit of internet research revealed that most users seem to be very impressed with it. I could resist no longer. I decided that it was time to raise my profile in the coffee-drinking world by treating myself to one. Glad I did.

It is simplicity itself to operate; even a technodunce like myself was able to master its uncluttered controls in about half an hour. Cleaning it is just a matter of pulling out a tray every few days and removing used capsules and overflow liquid. The coffee is the main thing, of course, and it is excellent, as good as you would get in a high-class restaurant. It's full-bodied, balanced, aromatic and has a lingering velvety crema - Lavazza don't dominate the Italian market without good reason. There are currently seven blends available, colour-coded and with names like divinamente, intensamente and appasionatamente (how like the Italians, as a friend noted, to make coffee drinking sound like a night with one's favourite boy). One of the blends is decaffeinated and also tastes very good. The machine has a steam arm, so cappuccinos, lattes and many other kinds of coffee can be produced almost as simply as the espresso.

As far as I know, the machine is currently only available in Thailand from Great Earth International on the second floor of the Alma Link building, next to the Chidlom Central Department store in Bangkok. Very friendly and helpful staff. I paid 12,900B for the machine (traditional ones with all the bells and whistles can cost 60,000B or more), which came with a 24-capsule sample pack. Once you've found the blend you like best, you can buy them in 16-capsule packs from the same company, but at a whopping 525B per pack or about 33B per cup of coffee. Paeng maak maak. If, however, you know a kindly soul who can bring you out a supply from your own country, the cost is likely to go down considerably. Bought in England, for instance, the capsules work out at about 12B each which, considering the excellence of the coffee and the ease of use of the machine, seems very reasonable to me.

My A Modo Mio machine ('extra' model) looks compact, feisty and bountiful sitting on my kitchen counter. I regularly pat it and mutter little endearments to it as I walk past, though I haven't yet considered snuggling up to it in bed. I couldn't be more delighted with it.

For more information: www.lavazzamodomio.com

Similar Threads: