Thierry Henry on how to make the perfect cup of coffee
The legendary striker turns coffee connoisseur for Shortlist...
Thierry Henry is rightly considered one of the greatest strikers of all time. And while he’s had a number of incredible jobs — player, pro football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster — his latest is perhaps the most surprising.
Henry turned into the ultimate coffee connoisseur recently, teaming up with Ninja to launch the House of Vibes Café in London. If you were lucky enough to go along — it was situated in Eastcastle Street, London for five days — the pop-up was frothing with coffee insights, as well as coffee-inspired rooms and experts on hand to guide you through your coffee journey.
It was also packed with Ninja Luxe Café Premier coffee machines, so you could try out your coffee techniques yourself.
What wasn't part of the package was Thierry Henry but Shortlist was invited to an exclusive reveal of the pop-up and the Arsenal legend was on hand as a 'coffee coach' to offer up some ace coffee advice.
While we did try and shoehorn some footie chat into the mix, as you will read this was certainly a coffee-fuelled chat!
Here's the man himself, explaining all about his love for coffee...
Thierry Henry on...
When his love for coffee started
"I love French coffee of course, but my real love affair with coffee began in Italy. The coffee culture there is incredible, and I quickly learned to appreciate a real espresso. The espresso culture there is on another level. It's about the ritual, the quality."
How to make the perfect cup of joe
"For me, it starts with quality. Quality ingredients and quality precision. You must start with quality beans – you can't cheat. And that's where the Ninja Luxe Cafe helps. The built-in grinder, with 25 settings, lets me fine-tune the grind with quality and precision. The Barista Assist Technology? It's clever. It guides you, understands what you're trying to achieve. It's like having a top coach whispering in your ear."
How French coffee culture compare to the UK
"In France, coffee is often a more social affair, enjoyed in cafes with friends. In the UK, it seems more about experimenting with different coffee, flavours and styles. Ninja told me that they recently discovered that more than half of 18–24-year olds’ coffee orders in the UK are influenced by TikTok trends.
"I like to have the best of both worlds without compromising on quality [by making coffee at home] – I get to change up my coffee style without even leaving my home and I can even get my friends to come over for a catchup and a coffee!"
Aside from coffee, what's the perfect way to start the day
Main image credit: Ninja/Future