Last Friday was one of those days when staying home seemed like the most sensible thing to do. The rain would not let up, streets were flooding, and getting around Metro Manila required more patience than usual.

Still, we made our way to the Nespresso boutique at Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Makati, for a coffee I was particularly curious to try. Nespresso and Blue Bottle Coffee were introducing their latest collaboration in the Philippines, the Nola Style Blend for the Vertuo system.

I have always loved iced coffee and milky coffee drinks, so this was already firmly within my territory. Add chicory, caramel, and malted cereal notes to the equation, and I was sold.

The Nola Style Blend takes its cue from Blue Bottle Coffee's New Orleans-Style Iced Coffee, better known as Nola. The original drink combines coffee with roasted chicory, then serves it with milk and sweetness according to preference. The new capsule brings that profile to Nespresso's Vertuo system, allowing it to be prepared at home with the machine's one-touch technology.

Chicory has long been associated with New Orleans coffee culture, lending coffee an earthy intensity and distinctive roasted character. Here, it works with notes of malted cereal and caramel, resulting in a coffee designed to be poured over ice and enjoyed with milk, with sweetness adjusted to taste.

It is exactly the kind of coffee drink I personally enjoy. Cold, creamy, and full-flavored, it has enough character to stand up to milk and ice. The chicory gives it an added dimension, while the caramel and cereal notes make it particularly easy to drink.

The collaboration brings together two different approaches to coffee. Nespresso is known for its portioned coffee system and the convenience of preparing a cup at the touch of a button, while Blue Bottle Coffee, founded by James Freeman in Oakland, California, in 2002, built its name around specialty coffee roasted fresh and brewed to order. Today, Blue Bottle operates a network of cafes in the United States and Asia.

For the Nola Style Blend, the familiar Blue Bottle drink has been adapted specifically for Vertuo. It is meant to retain the creamy, sweet and chicory-forward character of the original while making the preparation much simpler at home.

That ease is particularly appealing for those who like cafe-style iced coffee but do not necessarily want the ritual of measuring, brewing, cooling and assembling a drink from scratch. Pop in the capsule, brew it over ice, add milk, sweeten it if you want, and you have a cold coffee ready for a hot afternoon. Or, in our case, a very wet one.

The launch expands the continuing collaboration between Nespresso and Blue Bottle Coffee, with the Nola Style Blend positioned as a permanent addition rather than a fleeting seasonal release. It becomes available for Nespresso Vertuo machines starting July 11.