The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Over the last decade, cultures of shopping in Cairo have grown to consume the average fashion conscious Cairene and it seems that tis covers everything from designer labels, all the way to coffee. Renowned coffee giant, Nescafé, has combined the two at Nespresso, where coffee connoisseurs can channel their daily caffeine intake into a must-have, trendy, early morning pick-me-up.

With several Nespresso boutiques opening up around the world, we hoped their Downtown Katameya branch might help revitalise our fatigue. The shop sits at the beginning of the mall, oozing maturity and sophistication with its iconic signage and immaculate displays. The shop assistant was polite and unassuming, although well versed in the technical side of things.

Each of the machines work with small Nespresso capsules, containing ready mixed coffee powder, which is available in 16 different aromas and can be purchased in packs of ten (47LE-52LE). Nespresso boasts coffee beans from some of the most remote regions of the world, promising unique, rich coffees. There was a small coffee tasting station in the middle of the shop; however, on the day of our visit, they were waiting on a coffee delivery. Whether you’re a coffee amateur or an aficianado, one of each flavour will be included with your first purchase in order to help you find your preferred type.  

This branch was well-stocked with home coffee machines as well as ones suitable for businesses, as well as a plethora of accessories. The prices for work-top machines ranged from 1760LE, for their no-frills Essenza model and 2475LE for the cute and compact Pixie espresso maker, up to 5000LE for a fully automatic Lattissima machine, making both milk based espressos and lattes. Separate milk frothers, Aeroccinos, were priced at 1500LE.

Their business options are priced from 3575LE to 21,395LE for an industrial sized coffee maker, complete with a built in mug heater. A large stand for the latter machine would cost an additional 11,000LE.

Of the accessories, a range of chic, branded coffee cups were available for purchase; a set of two stainless steel espresso sized cups were priced at 330LE, whilst two glass cups and matte black saucers were 260LE. Glass capsule dispensers retail between 330LE and 880LE, depending on the capacity. 

As with any ‘designer label’, the prices at Nespresso are fairly steep, but who can resist having a sexy coffee machine at their disposal?