Reviewed by Emma Rogers
Caffè Nero’s 800 British stores are supplying the nation this summer with a new range of cold drinks, mixed for you by their expert baristas all summer long. The range includes new iced lattes, fruit boosters, Frappes and zero calories iced teas. We tried them out, and more, in one of the local Caffè Nero‘s to see what the fuss was about.
I tried the Black Tea & Peach Shaken Over-Ice (£2.95) which like all the other iced drinks, is made up behind the bar. This drink comes with the added bonus of being zero calories, but still has the taste of both tea and peach, and neither flavour is lacking. The first flavour to hit is the peach, followed by the tangy tea. As the ice melts and dilutes the drink, the concentration changes again so that you taste more of the tea and the drink changes to be more like iced tea rather than peach tea. We also tried the Triple Belgian Chocolate Frappe Creme, made with chocolate Milano (to make it chocolatey) blended ice (nice and cold) and then topped with cream. Chocolate lovers take note – the sprinkles of chocolate on top aren’t your run-of-the-mill chocolate powder, but we were spoiled with proper chocolate drops which didn’t melt or blend into the cream, so you have a proper chocolate hit and a crunch as you scoop off the cream on top before you devour the rest of the drink!
The lovely staff also showed us the Summer menu of new paninis on offer – Mozzarella cheese & tomato, and chicken & bacon. The mozzarella cheese really comes through in taste and there is ample in the hot panini to make this a lunchtime meal rather than a snack. The chicken & bacon is more filling (as there’s more protein) and also a generous size suitable for lunchtime. The bacon and chicken are in a creamy sauce which adds to the flavour, and makes it my favourite out of the two.
There are 11 new iced drinks in all this summer at Caffè Nero, and don’t forget you get a stamp on your loyalty card every time you make a drinks purchase so that your 10th drink is free!
For more information or to find your nearest Caffè Nero visit caffenero.com.