For six years she made a brand of instant coffee a household name in a series of romantic TV ads which gripped the nation. But now actress Sharon Maughan is full of beans about a rainforest-friendly coffee backed by the Cornwall-based environmental charity Cool Earth.

The actress, who starred in Nescafe Gold Blend adverts in the late 1980s and early 90s, volunteered to make an online "viral video" promoting Cool Earth Coffee – which promises to save an endangered tree in the Amazon rainforest for every jar bought.

Rather than winning the heart of a man through a cup of coffee, as in the Gold Blend saga, she rejects her love interest to tell viewers more about the green credentials of the Cool Earth drink.

The 61-year-old actress, who also starred in BBC hospital drama Holby City, said she was happy to be the new face of an 'eco coffee'.

She said: "Cool Earth Coffee has such an incredible story behind it that I spurn my love interest in this ad in order to cut to the chase and tell people how each jar helps protect rainforest, support indigenous communities and fight climate change. All that and it tastes great too."

Remarkably the actress said her sense of smell returned while she was filming the advert at Kew Gardens just before Christmas.

Jemma Woodman, from Cool Earth, which is based in Camborne, said: "Sharon lost her sense of smell suddenly a year ago and it came back while we were making the ad – she could literally smell the coffee. When we first approached her to do the ad, we were expecting there to be a huge fee involved but she'd heard of our environmental work already and was happy to give her time for free. She's been a real ambassador for what we do."

The coffee, which is for sale at Tesco and online, is Rainforest Alliance certified but unlike any other green coffee product, the sale of each jar saves an endangered rainforest tree in the Amazon.

Cool Earth works with indigenous communities to protect endangered rainforests and fight climate change and has won a host of celebrity backers including fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, who launched the coffee back in 2010.

The long-running, soap opera-style Gold Blend adverts starred Anthony Head as the love interest, whose heart is eventually won over by Maughan – with a little help from several cups of coffee.

The latest ad can be seen on YouTube.