Cubania from Nespresso - A night in Cuba!

Walking down a side street in East London with a corrugated door ahead I wondered if I was in the right place when a little side door opened and I was beckoned inside. Once inside the smells, sounds and sights told me I was in Cuba!!

I had been invited to celebrate the launch of nespresso's new coffee pod Cubania!

Nespresso are pioneers in the coffee pod systems, giving the coffee lover a unique opportunity to have a different blend of coffee during the day and each time getting the same results. This latest coffee is based around the intense coffee drinking culture of Cuba, every shop you enter or home you will immediately be offered a cup of coffee.

A master class talking about how the coffee culture in Cuba works so well with the Cuban music, slow, sultry, evocative and dark! How they can be used to paint the mood.

Even the Ladies room had a Cuban feel!

Another master class - this time how to make the perfect cup of coffee and how varying the timings, temperature and grind of the coffee beans can alter the finished result.

My friend and fellow blogger Helen enjoying the masterclass too.

The whole place was like a vignette of Cuban life:-

One of the masterclasses we went to to learn how to make alternative drinks with the nespresso Cubania pods.

The finished cocktail, Mojito Cubania! (I love a Mojito and this was a great invention!)

Every corner we turned, it felt like we were really in Cuba.

And of course it was time to sit down to a fantastic Cuban meal, in a 'pop-up' Cuban restaurant with a vibrant atmosphere and salsa music.  It was so much fun and the food was fantastic.

We started with 'Musalina Pollo Con Ragu Conejo' - Warm muousseline of chicken filled with aragout of rabbit served with a Cubanelle red pepper and butter sauce.

Followed by the fish course - 'Hoja de Plantano al Horno de Langosta' - Baked native lobster on a red banana leaf enhanced with fresh mango, papaya, chilli, spring onion, fresh ginger and cilantro (coriander).

The main course was 'Vientre de Cerdo con Mojo Rum Salsa' - Rum glazed Dingley Dell, roasted belly pork with a Cuban mojo sauce, crispy black bean and pulled pork croquettes, pork jus and Cuban stuffed tomato. With of course the appropriately delicious wine to accompany each course.

And not to be forgotten was the dessert - 'Postres de Cafe' - Assiette of coffee macaroon, hazelnut mousse, espresso profiteroles and Cuban coffee ice-cream with raspberry and orange coulis and white ginger syrup. Mmmm mmmmm!

I had to agree with Helen Best-Shaw this was one of the best blogger events we had been to!

Many thanks to nespresso for inviting me. I was not paid to attend and as usual all opinions and photos are my own.