Coffee & Chill

Pair artisan ice cream with coffee for a refreshing, summery taste sensation.

- James Hansen

Drowned. That’s the literal meaning of affogato, the Italian dessert that pairs vanilla’s illustrious sweetness with the bitter jolt of espresso, removing the nuances of each (or indeed drowning them) in favour of the appealing contrast of hot and cold, brown and white, sweet and bitter.

That contrast is a cornerstone of coffee culture; creating harmonious drinks out of near-opposites – mainly, if not exclusively, espresso and milk. And on the spectrum of flavour that speciality coffee provides, the concept of pairing coffee and ice cream brings nearly infinite possibilities, allowing you to riff on flavours, temperatures and brew methods to create experiences more akin to that of a cocktail. Buoyant, not drowned.

Kitty Travers of La Grotta Ices is a master of teasing out those subtleties. She has an ambition to produce sorbets and ice creams that capture not just the flavour of fruits, nuts and herbs, but the wider experience of eating them in a moment of hot, summer bliss: the place, the time, the aromas carried on the air. Her ice cream, in a word, is transportive.