I love Montreal. I spent many days there wandering the city as an angsty teenager in search of great food, new clothes and unique live music venues. One of the perks of moving back to Ottawa is having the proximity to this wonderful european-like city again. So, when I got the call that Nespresso wanted to send me there on behalf of Do The Daniel for Le Coupe Rogers, I immediately said yes… or oui!
Arriving in Montreal, we hopped into a Diamond Taxi cab and headed towards our hotel. Pulling up to Hotel Le Germain was such a treat. When I walked into the beautiful lobby, I knew my adventure was just beginning. My room was beautifully laid out with state of the art technology combined with luxury and comfort. There were apples used as decorations everywhere throughout the hotel. Seriously, everywhere. And yes they were real. I tried to eat one and then felt bad for ruining their display. Hunger loses to guilt every time.
Dinner that night was set for a five hundred course menu at Europea Restaurant. You think I’m exaggerating, but the food just never stopped coming. I love food, don’t get me wrong, but even I have some limits. But here was the problem, it was all so delicious. Let me give you an example… lobster cappuccino. Yeah, I’ll take 5 please? Each course was prepared with creative genius. My absolute favourite part was the addition of Nespresso coffee to some of the dishes. Coffee + meat = get in my face.
After dinner, I walked my food baby back to the hotel to have an incredible sleep in preparation for more coffee and some tennis. In the morning, I woke up early and headed straight down to the gym. I truly believe that you have to make the time to be active, not just find it. Feeling energized and ready to take on the day, I pumped myself full of more Nespresso coffee and we headed off to the Coupe Rogers. See a trend here? More… coffeeeeeee.
Upon arrival to the amazing Nespresso suite, we learned all about the latest and greatest products coming out this holiday season from this great coffee-loving company. As a huge fan of a good espresso, I can truly appreciate everything that they have done in order to create the perfect cup. Honouring the qualities of each bean while bringing out the subtle flavours and undertones, they have taken the coffee revolution to higher levels of accessibility and sustainability.
“Nespresso takes a long-term, holistic approach to sustainability. We are committed to ensure sustainability across all operations, from coffee sourcing to capsule recycling, setting clear targets and seeking to create shared value for the business and for society. Our sustainability program provides a framework for partnerships and innovation to drive on-going, sustainable development. For us, sustainability is our way of doing business.”
We were fortunate enough to try their newest limited edition flavours, Tribute to Milano and Tribute to Palermo. Paying homage to the Italian coffee culture, I was transported back to my travelling days in Italy. If I closed my eyes, I could swear I was sitting in a cafe looking out at the groups of old men who would gather in the piazza every morning to talk about the latest gossip in the town.
“Tribute to Milano is our interpretation of the hustle and bustle of the elegant and vibrant city of Milan, where coffee is enjoyed at a fast pace whilst standing at the bar. In contrast, Tribute to Palermo is a powerful, intense and full-bodied ristretto. For this coffee, we found inspiration in the scents of the Sicilian outdoor markets, alive with colourful spices, cacao aromas and spicy peppery notes, which evoke a unique sensory experience amongst the locals.”
The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying the tennis with coffee in hand and warmth in my heart. My mother is a huge tennis fan. She watches every match and even plays the sport, any chance she gets. I can’t wait to go back one day with her. Watching her excitement would be even better than watching the match itself.
Keep your eyes peeled this September for the launch of Nespresso’s newest line of products and their two new Italian-inspired coffee flavours, out for a limited time only.
Make sure to follow along with the #CatherinesCabinet Instagram account! For more information and helpful tips, make sure to stay up to date with all things Health & Nutrition on my website, Catherine’s Cabinet.
In health,
Catherine Sugrue, CNP
Holistic Nutritionist
Photos: Nespresso, Catherine Sugrue, Hotel Le Germain, Pay Chen