I am quite a health conscious person and try to stay away from fried food, that said, bring out crispy tempura prawns, and all resistance crumbles! I was recently sent the Philips Airfryer to try out; admittedly I was a bit sceptical at first. One of the health benefits it promises is fried food with up to 80% less fat! I am not sure about you, but I did not think that this could be possible. [Read more…]
Stay Warm this Winter with Mobelli
I love entertaining alfresco, but in winter it becomes less comfortable, especially as temperatures drop lower and lower! With winter hitting us hard last week, the opportunity to try out a Falo Evo patio heater, from Mobelli, was rather timeous. [Read more…]
Aeropress – Coffee on the Go
As you know I love coffee! It has become such an obsession of mine. To such an extent, that I cannot go away without some sort of espresso maker in-tow! Lugging a coffee maker around, especially if space and electrical supply is limited, is not always practical. Enter the Aeropress!
Aeropress
I have heard so much about the Aeropress, that when I was offered to review it, I jumped at the chance! The AeroPress has fast become the cult brew method, of coffee lovers in South Africa and abroad. Due to the fact that its is easy to use, portable and 2-3times faster that pour over dripper, French press or syphon. There is also less sediment than with Italian mocha pots & French press.
This versatile coffee brewing option is unlike alternative manual brew methods, which demand very specific coarseness of grind to work. The AeroPress is less sensitive to grind size making it workable with any size coffee grind.
One of the main features, which I think is great is that it is Non-electric. It is also easy to clean!
What makes the AeroPress coffee maker so uniquely special?
Its patented dual brewing method is so advanced, its shared only with the most expensive commercial espresso machines. It’s this staged dual brewing method (immersion then pressure) that allows you to consistently extract more flavour quicker than any other manual brewing method such as pour over drippers, plunger coffee or french press, syphon, Italian mocha pot.
Stirring freshly ground coffee into hot water allows the coffee time to swell, and agitate and absorp into the water. Then plunging pressurizes the brew, evenly extracting more flavour in under a minute.
The micro-fiber filter papers removes all sediment and fines to ensure a perfectly clean cup, unlike Italian mocha pots and plungers/french press. It is light weight, compact and made from BPA free food safe plastic. All these features make it the perfect travel partner!
How to Use
The method is fairly simple, once you get the hang of it. After watching a few how-to videos, the above method seems the most practical and user friendly.
Place the paper filter, in the filter holder and prime with hot water. Then add your desired amount of coffee – the recommended amount is 15-20grams but I think I may require a bit more as I like strong coffee.
Add hot water to cover the coffee grind, then stir. Top up with hot water and then secure the filter.
Once the filter is in place, turn the Areopress around and place over a cup or jug, then press the plunger.
Hey presto you have a cup of freshly brewed coffee!
Verdict
I think the Aeropress is easy to use and being portable it ticks all the boxes for me. The only thing I need to work on is the ratio of coffee I am using, as the coffee was too weak for me. I did grind my own beans and I think perhaps I need to use a darker roast.
If you have used the Aeropress I would love to hear your thoughts – please leave a comment below. For more details or to purchase an Aeropress please visit the More Flavour Website. RRP 695.
Disclosure Ranking:2
KÄRCHER MV6 P VACUUM CLEANER {Review}
Kärcher MV6 P Vacuum Cleaner
I recently received this incredible vacuum cleaner to review and my initial thoughts were – “how special could it be?”. One word AMAZING – the Kärcher MV6 P Vacuum Cleaner, is everything it is promised to be and more!
We moved home at the end of last year and we now have cement screeded floors and tiles, as apposed to carpet, which shows up dirt very easily! Both my girls do horse riding so you can well imagine the muck, they tread both into my car and through the house after riding! Well the Kcher MV6 P Vacuum Cleaner makes light of cleaning up any dirt!
The Kärcher MV6 P Vacuum Cleaner, is extremely powerful, as well as being energy-efficient! The high-end MV 6 P Premium multi-purpose vacuum cleaner, has an extremely high suction performance of 2000 watts, with an actual power consumption of only 1300 watts. It sucks up dirt in a matter of seconds and a selection of nozzles, makes getting into those hard to reach places super easy!
I also love the fact that the vacuum is upright and the wheels make it very easy to move around. You are also able to remove the handle which makes it possible to vacuum even in the tightest of spaces.
The vacuum cleaner is equipped with innovative filter removal technology, with the flat fold filter contained in a removable cartridge in the device head. By folding out this cartridge, the filter can be removed in seconds without any contact with dirt. Dry and wet dirt can be vacuumed without having to change the filter. Thanks to the integrated filter cleaning function, the dirty filter can be efficiently cleaned by pressing the clean-out button, quickly restoring the suction performance.
The socket with automatic on/off switch allows you to work with connected power tools – perfect if you are a DIY fundi. Dirt resulting from planing, sawing or grinding work, is vacuumed directly from the machine used, into the Kärcher MV6 P Vacuum Cleaner.
Applications: Works with power tools, Renovation, Outdoors & garden, Garage, Workshop, Hobby room, Cellar, House interior, Car interior cleaning and Large amounts of water.
I am extremely impressed with the Kärcher MV6 P Vacuum Cleaner, it is rare for me to actually get excited about cleaning appliance but this machine is the real deal! I have not tried all the features out yet, as there are many but thus far I can honestly say it is amazing.
If you would like to experience the power of this amazing vacuum cleaner, then why not enter our competition and you can stand a chance of winning a Kärcher MV6 P Vacuum Cleaner worth R3500! Enter here.
Disclosure Ranking:2
Romantic Staycation at 15 On Orange
As a married couple, with children, I like to try to plan a night away, with my man, at least once a month! I think it is so important to reconnect, as a couple and spend some quality time together! We love staying in the Winelands but often that can be a bit too far for one night, so recently we have been opting for an overnight “Staycation” in the heart of Cape Town. There are so many fabulous Hotels, B&B’s and Apartments to choose from! A recent Romantic “Staycation” found us at 15 on Orange, in the heart of the CBD, which is part of the African Pride group of hotels.
15 On Orange
I have attended events at 15 on Orange but this was the first overnight experience for us. I had heard nothing but great things about the hotel and the Spa has recently changed hands and had a revamp, so I was delighted to receive and invitation to stay over and experience it for myself.
When we first arrived at the hotel our room was not ready yet, so we decided to hit Long Street for a bite of lunch. After lunch we were escorted up to our suite, by a very friendly porter! What awaited us was a rather stunning Suite, with lovely views over the city.
The interior decor is one of my favourite things about the hotels common areas and the suite was as stunning, with muted grey’s, pops of bright blue and metallic accents. Under-stated modern, elegance at its best!
As with the suite the bathroom was gorgeous – simple yet elegant, with the most stunning black marble tiles on the walls. I simply could not wait to take a long relaxing bath but first we had a trip to the Suntra Spa planned.
I could not resist a pic of my Black & White Mani against the bathroom tiles 🙂
As I mentioned the Suntra Spa, at 15 On Orange, recently changed hands and under went a revamp to make it bigger and more in line, with the rest of the hotels facilities. The Spa offers a range of specialty facial treatments by Guinot and Dermalogica, as well as an extensive array of body massages, exfoliation treatments, wraps and grooming essentials.
We were booked in for a back and neck massage. Once we had completed our customer cards we were shown to a couples treatment room, where we enjoyed a wonder half hour massage. We both sit at our computers, for most of the day during the week and I tend to carry all my stress in my neck, so this was complete bliss!
The staff at the Spa were knowledgeable, professional but above all really friendly. The treatment room was lovely and spacious but unfortunately a bit too dark to take any decent photographs!
Before heading back to our room we decided to take a look at the hotel rooftop pool, which is situated on the 7th Floor next to the spa. It was a bit cold and gloomy outside and definitely not swimming weather but what a view!
Once back in our suite we ordered a lovely, chilled glass of wine and I wasted no time at all, submerging myself into a hot bath!
Before dinner we popped into the Murano Bar, for a quick pre-dinner drink – I absolutely love the decor in the bar.
Dinner was lovely – a rather quiet romantic affair, just what we needed! A few of The highlights of the meal, for me, were the Salt and Pepper Fried Calamari, with Avocado salsa and squid-ink aioli and the Roasted Gemsbok Loin, with potato rösti, spiced red cabbage and black berry jus. Naturally, although really full by this stage, we could not resist at least sharing a desert, we opted for the Molten Valhrona Chocolate Fondant, with Blue berry frozen yoghurt. What arrived was a beautiful, edible work of art – which looked almost too pretty to eat!
It was definitely time to make our way back to our room and settle in for the night! One of my main worries with staying in the CBD is the noise, we have had a few bad nights away and been unable to sleep because of the street noise. Whether it was the extremely comfortable bed or excellent soundproofing – we both slept like babies.
Thank you 15 on Orange for a wonderful, pampered Romantic “Staycation” in the heart of Town – it was a real treat, definitely to be repeated!
Contact Details
Location: Corner Grey’s Pass and Orange Street, Mill Street, Cape Town. Telephone: 27 (21) 469 8000
CENTRAL RESERVATIONS: 0861 50 50 50, +27 21 430 5302 email: [email protected]
Disclosure Ranking: 2
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