To celebrate the launch, some lucky coffee lovers can indulge in a free cup of M&S Magic Coffee™from February 1st until February 4th, 2023, starting at 10:00am in M&S cafés
- The drink taking the world-famous Melbourne coffee scene by storm is now available for the first time in the Middle East, exclusively at M&S Cafés for only 16 AED
- Launching in the Middle East as the hub of coffee lovers – adults in the Middle East drink over 3.5 kilos of coffee per year [1]
- The nineties brought you the latte, the noughties brought you the Flat White, and now in 2023 M&S Café brings you… The Magic!
Calling all coffee lovers! The leading British retailer, Marks & Spencer, operated by Al-Futtaim Group, is excited to announce the arrival of the hottest new style of coffee since the Flat White, Magic Coffee™ to its much-loved M&S Cafés across the Middle East.
Known as “the barista’s choice” in Melbourne, Australia, where the drink first originated, Magic Coffee™, which will be exclusively available in M&S Cafés from February 1st, is a uniquely bold coffee, without the bitterness. Served with velvety steamed milk, it is hailed as having the “magic” perfectly balanced ratio of coffee to milk.
Served in a 6oz glass or cup, Magic Coffee™ is smaller than a Flat White (typically served as 8oz) and half the size of a Latte (typically 12oz).
Today is the first time Magic Coffee™ has become widely available in the Middle East, exclusively at M&S Cafés, and in celebration of its arrival, M&S Cafés will be serving up “magical moments” for some random customers to enjoy, by offering a cup of perfectly blended Magic Coffee™ for free from February 1st until February 4th 2023 starting at10:00am.
It’s no secret that the Middle East and Africa are known as the hub of coffee consumption. The UAE spends around AED 2.3 billion on coffee every year [2] and the coffee market in the Middle East & Africa has a projected growth of 7.5% by 2027 [2]. Making waves to the coffee market in the region, the M&S Café has brought the Magic with the next best coffee trend since Flat White, Magic Coffee™ – to inspire the coffee lifestyle in the region.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE MAGIC
So, what is a ristretto and why is it so different?
- Ristretto means ‘restricted’ in Italian
- A ristretto uses the same amount of ground coffee as an espresso but is extracted using half the water, and a shorter extraction time (the time the water passes through the grounds in the “cradle” and into the cup)
- Using less water creates a more concentrated flavour, and the shorter extraction time brings a different flavour balance to the coffee
- When you extract a shot of coffee, you get acidity at the start, sweetness next, then bitterness at the end. The ristretto extraction stops before the bitterness stage
- The addition of 5oz of velvety textured milk at the end exaggerates the sweetness that bit more; resulting in a coffee that is full of flavour, but without the bitterness
M&S Magic Coffee™, AED 16, is available to drink in or take-away now in all M&S Cafés across the Middle East except in Saudi Arabia.