Detours column

Detours from home: Traveling the world through coffee

Raven Lingat

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Detours from home: Traveling the world through coffee

Art by David Castuciano

I drink coffee and suddenly I’m in Italy

[Editor’s note: Detours from home is a Rappler column where readers can share about the new things they have been doing while in quarantine. This essay, in partnership with NESCAFÉ GOLD, shares how the author uses coffee to travel while staying at home. You, too, can share your own Detours from home story.]

I miss traveling. 

I’m sure that if you’re reading this, you can relate. Because we have been stuck at home for a while now, I am confident that this is something that has entered your thoughts at least once over the past few months. 

What do you miss most about traveling? Is it the promise of a vacation or a break from school or work? Is it having fun with your family and friends? 

Personally, I find myself reminiscing about the local coffee joints I was able to visit in various countries. My love for coffee is something that I carry with me wherever I go. Because coffee is a treasured drink for most people, it is not difficult to search for local coffee variants whenever I visit any foreign place. I also enjoy hanging out at various cafés because I can rest after visiting different tourist spots and observe the habits of the locals.

One of the vacations I’ve been revisiting recently is the short vacation my sisters, mother, and I had in Hong Kong last Christmas. What I remember vividly is the cold weather that welcomed us as soon as we got out of the plane. Naturally, I looked for something warm to drink. Lucky for me, Hong Kong has a diverse coffee scene.

[WATCH: Try Hong Kong’s Yuan Yang At Home]

From cafés to sidewalk stalls, Hong Kong is bustling with shops that sell different types of coffee, from artisan to ready-to-drink. One memorable meal we had was breakfast at a small stall in Kowloon City, where I tried the local coffee drink Yuan Yang for the first time. I immediately fell in love with the innovative combination of tea and coffee. A few months ago, I decided to recreate this coffee recipe at home.

Through this, I gained a realization: I could travel the world by recreating the foreign coffee that I wanted to try. 

As most of my friends know, one of my ultimate travel goals is to backpack through Europe. So I resolved to get a head start on this lifelong dream while I was stuck at home.

[WATCH: Whip Up an Italian Cappuccino at Home with NESCAFÉ GOLD]

The first country I want to visit is Italy, the land of art, coffee, and amazing pasta. To recreate the Italian experience, I did a bit of research on the Italian coffee culture. One of my interesting finds is the fact that Italians drink their coffee meticulously. I discovered that one of my favorite drinks, Cappuccino, should only be taken with breakfast. To replicate this, I dedicated one day to imagining that I was at a café in Italy. I prepared some pastries, put on some light music, sat next to a window, and held my cup of Cappuccino. I drink coffee and suddenly I’m in Italy. 

[WATCH: Indulge in Frothy Viennese Coffee]

With the success of this experiment, I decided to try it again. Another country I want to visit is Austria, which has a social culture rooted in conversations held in coffee houses. When I was studying literature, I heard about Café Central, a famous coffee shop where writers, philosophists, and other artists used to convene. I have always been fascinated with this café and really want to visit it someday. So, one Sunday morning, I gathered my sisters around the dining table and prepared some Viennese Coffee. As we talked about various interests and news about our friends and family, I imagined that I was in Vienna, sipping coffee in the presence of other artists and tourists. 

Coffee has always had the ability to transport me to other places. Just by smelling the distinct aroma of various coffee blends, I can immediately recall a specific place or a distinct experience I had there. 

But since I am not a barista, sometimes the coffee I make cannot live up to my expectations. Fortunately, I discovered NESCAFÉ GOLD’s new coffee recipe collection. With these recipes, I have a foolproof guide to several delicious coffee recipes, including Hong Kong’s Yuan Yang, Italian Cappuccino, and Viennese Coffee. The variety of recipes also makes it easier for me to travel to even more countries such as Mexico and Norway.

Do you miss traveling too? Go around the world with NESCAFÉ GOLD’s new coffee creation recipes: Mexican Cafe Olla, Italian Cappuccino, Norwegian Coffee Tonic, Viennese Coffee, and Hong Kong’s Yuan Yang. – Rappler.com

NESCAFÉ GOLD is available on Lazada and Shopee.

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