Coffee Appreciation Workshop at Private Lounge by Miele

Us urban dwellers in Hong Kong sure do love our coffee, and this love goes way beyond your basic cup of Joe from Starbucks. But beyond knowing what qualifies as a party in my mouth, I actually know very little about coffee. That's why when I was invited to a coffee appreciation workshop at Private Lounge by Miele, I was so excited to learn more.Their beautiful private lounge is smack behind Lee Gardens Causeway Bay and nested inside an office building, but when the elevator doors open, it's a whole new world that calls out to the domestic goddess inside you.You'll find separate spaces that displays all the latest home gadgets and utilities, as well an interior that'll be pinned as a #decorgoal. We were introduced to the washers, cooking appliances, and a 2-in-1 super smart iron-and-board before we all sat down at the long table and the workshop began.My gorgeous new friend of the day - Andrea Kan (follow her on Instagram for all the foodporn!)We were introduced to four kinds of coffee and how they paired with desserts:Blue Mountain with Earl Grey hazelnut macaronsColombia Cauca Supremo with 72% Venezuela chocolate and plumEthiopia Sidamo Wonberta with a spiced chocolate drink (which we made ourselves!)Indonesia Aceh Megaya with a trio Opera CakeThe coffee we tried were all made by Miele's countertop coffee machine, which can churn out everything you'd ever want - from espressos, lattes, to more complicated drinks like a macchiato. All you need to do is fill the baby up with coffee beans and press a button (milk optional) and the rest of your morning will be set. You can also tweek the finer details like grinder settings, temperature and the amount of coffee you get (which honestly escapes me but will have the coffee lovers' approval). It even warms your cups!The highlight of my afternoon was definitely putting together the spiced mocha drink though. We were given all the ingredients and here's a shiny video of how I did it: