my nespresso machine and me, we’re still best buds. a faema simply wouldn’t fit into our tiny apartment (not to mention our budget) and on some days i simply feel like popping in a capsule, hitting a button and receiving instant gratification from the aroma that accompanies the familiar buzzing and droning of the machine. i admit i’m also just a sucker for their limited candy aroma editions – i may or may not have a secret stash of caramel capsules. and while i’m at it, i might as well admit i’m always the first one to go running to a local starbucks when they debut their annual pumpkin spice latte or whatever spice mochafrappuccino something.

you see, no matter how much i love the bitter taste of the perfect espresso or the delicate balance between coffee and milk in a cortado – i’m still a three-year-old at heart and sometimes in my taste buds, too. so when i heard the news that amsterdam-based SO IT IS launched a collection of aromatic coffee beans, i knew i had to TRY THEM ALL.

the SO BEAN ME UP line has five different flavors – plums and cinnamon, hazelnuts, honey, vanilla and caramel – and obviously they are all as sweet as can be. they’re definitely not a substitute for your morning coffee, unless you’re the kind of person who eats dessert for breakfast. i found some of the aromas to be a little overwhelming on their own, so now i just mix in some of my favorite aromatic beans (hazelnuts, without a doubt) with regular beans to get a subtly flavored cup of coffee. it’s a bit more work than pressing the button on the nespresso, but i love the idea of custom ‘designing’ a flavor according to your mood.

photos by stephanie duval // marble chopboard by HAY // ceramic cups by VIPP