Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/676929
43 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 8 MAY 2016 Costa Coffee Malta celebrates launch of St Julian's outlet COSTA Coffee Malta has marked another milestone in its sweep of barista coffee culture, with the official opening of its latest out- let at Spinola Bay, St Julian's. To celebrate the launch of its 10th local store, Costa Coffee Malta invited international cof- fee expert and Costa laboratory manager Hugo Castaneda to give guests and coffee lovers a first- hand workshop on the art of cof- fee making and tasting. Castaneda, who leads the team that determines the recipe be- hind Costa's great-tasting coffee, detailed the history and heritage of the brand, as well as the nu- ances of Costa's unique 'Mocha Italia' blend. He went on to explain Costa's mix of f lavour combinations and range of hot and cold drinks, and then gave the group dynamic hands-on insight into how to make the perfect cappuccino – barista style! "It has been fantastic to visit Malta and to see how Costa has made its mark on the local mar- ket over the last three-and-a-half years," Castaneda said, adding that Costa now operates 1,242 stores across 31 countries. "This latest store really has cre- ated a fantastic space for people to meet, relax, work, study, take in the beautiful view across the bay, and, of course, enjoy our de- licious range of coffees." Costa Coffee Malta remains dedicated to giving coffee-lovers the perfect space and atmos- phere to enjoy expertly-made speciality drinks, sweet and sa- voury snacks, and complimen- tary Wi-Fi. "From our Rainforest Alliance certified beans to the f lavour combinations of your favourite beverage, we constantly strive to deliver the perfect cup of coffee to our customers, whether in- store or on-the-go. "It has been so exciting for me to be part of Costa Coffee Mal- ta's latest milestone and to learn more about our local customers' tastes and preferences. I look forward to developing further innovations within the Costa laboratory, and to bringing them to the market in Malta in the near future," Castaneda added. Costa Cof fee Malta's new St Julian's outlet is open daily from 8am to 10pm. Costa laboratory manager Hugo Castaneda gave guests and coffee lovers a first-hand workshop on the art of coffee making and tasting Arkadia has been honoured with the Waitrose International Partner of the Year Award by the leading and award-winning British food retailer in recognition of its top performance in representing and growing the Waitrose business in Malta and Gozo. The Award was presented to Arkadia by Waitrose's Mark Francis to Managing Director Brian Mizzi, Chief Operating Officer Maria Micallef and General Manager Antoine Portelli. THE mobile blood dona- tion unit recently paid a visit to Gzira, where Banif Bank 's Central Services are located. A number of Banif em- ployees rolled up their sleeves and made an all- important blood dona- tion, helping to answer the regular calls for blood put out by the Na- tional Blood Transfusion Service. Such was the response from the Banif team that not all employ- ees were able to donate blood in the allocated time. To this end, a sec- ond blood drive is being organised for Banif em- ployees later this year. Banif's team answers the call Definitely not your run of the mill fruit THE saying 'don't judge a book by its cover' has never been more accurate than in the case of the rambutan, a fruit imported by Fruitland Company. With its spiky exterior and less than ap- pealing aesthetic, the fruit looks as if it has just come out of an alien apocalypse movie where it starred as the main antagonist. However, the seemingly prickly shell is nothing but a thin soft exterior protecting a delicate pearly white fruit. The rambutan is to South East Asia what the apple is to Europe, with ample nutrients that help generate red and white blood cells and boost immunity. It is also high in fibre and iron and extremely low in calories. No wonder they're crazy about it! All you need to do to eat the fruit is pierce the soft shell with a knife and peel the skin off like you would do with an orange. You will be left with a sweet inner juicy fruit, said to taste slightly similar to a tangy grape. Watch out for the seed inside, as biting it will leave a very bitter after-taste. Unlike most fruit, the rambu- tan does not continue to ripen once picked, but starts to decay if left unattended, which makes the fruit available for a limited time and consumed best one to two days after purchase, when firm and vibrant in colour. Shrivelling spikes are the first sign of deterioration so watch out for them when buying, but since Fruitland Company makes sure to import only the highest quality of fruits, this should not be an issue. Fruitland Company is situated in Pitklali Road, Attard. For more information, call 2339 2343.