Nespresso got tired of hearing about how many people wanted to taste Kazaar again, and decided to bring it back in 2012. If you haven't ordered yours, you need to - it sold out fast in 2010 and I would imagine it is going fast now. I bought three times the sleeves this year knowing how much I liked it last time.
Kazaar is not for everyone, and its 12 on a 10 scale intensity is a bit of hyperbole, but not very far off. It is intense, and packed with flavors that while strong, are not overdone, not overly roasted just to make a strong impact. If you like "Classic" Italian espresso blends, you should try Kazaar. Those classic blends add Robusta coffee to add some base notes and a lingering finish to the cup. Nespresso took a 100% Robusta blend, as the goal, and started crafting the cup at the growing stage by improving the growing, processing and roasting steps in an effort to accentuate the positive and minimize the sometimes terrible burnt rubber flavors that can come along with a Robusta bean. If you've ever tasted Robusta alone, it's amazing to see that Nespresso has created Kazaar out of what is usually a barely tolerable bean.
Tasting Nespresso Kazaar - Get Ready for Monday's Release
In preparation for Monday's release of the 2012 Kazaar, you might want to watch the video below that Nespresso put out on Kazaar, walking through the tasting steps. If you need a little more, check out our Review of Nespresso Kazaar when it first came out over a year ago. Personally, I have one capsule left over from the last round that I have kept in the freezer. I am pretty excited to have it back, and I won't be just ordering a single sleeve of this stuff. I expect it to go fast.
We announced that the very popular Kazaar would be back in 2012, back in November, and have been looking forward to it ever since. Yea, the "12 on a 10 scale" intensity rating is pure PR hype, but it works and may just be pretty accurate. I like it better than the Ristretto "10's" that are available each and everyday.
While I was on the road this week, I saw the this news on Twitter. If you aren't following @NespressoUSA on twitter, maybe you should… that's where they announced the Nespresso 2012 Kazaar Availability.
Nespresso The Citiz vs. The Pixie - Which is Better?
Nespresso has two very good espresso brewers that are similar in style and purpose, which has a lot of people asking Which is better, Nespresso Citiz or Nespresso Pixie? I think the answer might be both, but let's take a look why.
Nespresso Citiz
The Nespresso Citiz was influenced by the tall and slender sky scrapers in the city landscape and was introduced in 2009 offering a new take on compact and effortless espresso brewing. It came in a handful of colors, and with a relatively small footprint, took over as my favorite Nespresso machine very quickly.
The tank is 1 liter, and the empty capsule bin holds about 10 capsules, giving you ample periods of time between any "maintenance". The Citiz also features automatic brewing - push the button once to start and it automatically shuts off when the Espresso or Lungo is brewed. These brew volumes are user changeable.
The Citiz also shuts off after several minutes when not used. No more is the machine on all day when you forget that it was on after you left for work.
Outpresso - Great Gift for the Green Nespresso Lover
Outpresso is a compact device that separates the coffee from the aluminum in Nespresso coffee capsules, making it feasible to put the spent aluminum capsules in the recycling bin. The Outpresso make short order of your used Nespresso capsules, and since there are no broad scale Nespresso recycling programs here in the US like there are in Europe, you need something to easily do it yourself.
Recycling is pretty easy. Just put the spent Nespresso capsule in the little indentation on the Outpresso, push down the lever and squeeze out the coffee grounds. They stay in the little bin underneath. I tap the grounds out in a bowl for composting or right into the trash depending on the time of year and the mood I am in. I rinse the grounds off the crushed aluminum capsules and put them into my metals recycling bin. Done. It takes about 5 minutes a week. - See my Full Review of the Outpresso.
So, if you have a green Nespresso user on your gift list, consider the Outpresso.
Nespresso Variations 2011 Review - Chcolate, Cherry and Vanilla Blossom
Once again, Nespresso has brought a surprising set of variations to brighten up your holiday season. This year, they continued with a few running themes, sour fruit, and indulgent confection, and again give you a chance to pause and wonder if these flavors are meant to go with espresso.
I learned a long time ago to just go with it and trust that if I didn't like something, it was only about $12 lost. More often or not, I have really enjoyed the flavor variety, and there is no time like the holiday season to enjoy a little whimsical indulgence. If I judged a book by its cover, I may never have tried a few of my favorites like Crystalized Ginger from 2008 and Apricot from 2009. Of course, I also like "regular" flavors like last year's reprise of the Almond flavor in the 2010 Variations.
Base of Livanto
If you enjoy the Livanto capsule blend on a regular basis, like I do, you're probably pretty happy to have the 2011 Variations based on this capsule. I would pick it because it is a dark but still moderate blend that has enough acidity to play up sour fruit flavors, but is not overly acidic to kill anything requiring a velvety smooth body.
I ran across this the other day and wanted to pass it along. I am always on the lookout for capsule holders because I hate having the capsules rolling around in a kitchen drawer. Some are vertical holders, while some mount on the wall, some are handmade out of bamboo, but this one is a carousel much like those designed to hold K-Cups.
Great Accessory and Gift for the Nespresso Drinker
It holds up to 40 capsules, and rotates 360-degrees with a chrome finish. The carousel is about 10-inches high and about 6-inches in diameter.
Nespresso announced today that they are bringing back Kazaar in 2012. Kazaar was the Limited Edition that was very successful, kept getting more and more requests, so they decided to bring it back next year to re-visit the 12 on a 10 scale for intensity. Recall the Kazaar is an all-Robusta blend that seeks to minimize the rubbery off flavors that come with high Robusta content, while delivering the punch of espresso flavor that is associated with Robusta; Maximize the good while limiting the bad.
Nespresso announced the news just hours ago on the Nespresso FB page, with a cool video to support it. I think the video is great, and totally created to hype the news. Kazaar was founded on hype (12 on a 10 scale anyone?), but also backed the hype with a decent product. So here's the start of the 2012 hype machine, and I know I can't wait for the product to back it up.
Nespresso has their annual holiday espresso capsules out and they have brought new flavors to the party this year; Vanilla Blossom, Dark Chocolate and Cherry. As always, Nespresso has gone all out to highlight the release of their Variations Capsules and this year is a bit better than most. Go to their Variations website and open the book to learn more. The 3-D pop-up book has a tab for each flavor, that will have you pulling tabs and spinning spinners to see the animations in action.
Vanilla Blossom - A delicate harmony capturing the roundness of the Livanto Grand Cru and the velvety taste of vanilla. A smooth blend distinguished by the light floral notes.
Dark Chocolate - Dark and bitter chocolate notes meet the caramelized roast of the Livanto Grand Cru. A rich combination reminiscent of a square of dark chocolate.
Cherry - The sweet and fragrant notes of ripe cherries awaken the toasted ones of Livanto Grand Cru. Together they create a fruity and full-flavores taste.
Capsul'in is the first empty Nespresso compatible capsule that works in the full line of Nespresso machines that I have used. The Ne Cap design does not work in the Nespresso Citiz and the Nespresso Pixie machines that used a new design standard for the capsules which included a raised ridge at the base of the Nespresso capsule. The Capsul'in design also features a raised ridge on the base of the capsule, making it work well with the newest and currently most popular machines that Nespresso has to offer.
Capsul'in Left, Necap on the Right - the ridge around the Rim of the
Capsul'in makes it compatible in the
newest Nespresso Machines
The Promise of Nespresso Compatible Capsules
The promise of empty Nespresso Compatible Capsules is that users can take advantage of the amazing simplicity of the Nespresso machine design, its consistent quality and its convenience to brew up capsules filled with your own favorite espresso blend in a more economical way. Other empty Nespresso compatible designs have offered some savings and have delivered on the ability to use your favorite espresso blend, but as far as capturing the convenience of the Nespresso machine system, they fell short. I didn't think hauling my old Nespresso Essenza out of the basement very convenient, and given the popularity of the newer machines, I found that I just couldn't get behind the idea.
Having universal compatibility, the Capsul'in system has promise and was worth trying.
Nespresso Lattissima+ (Plus) - One Button Latte Machine in New Smaller Size
Nespresso has been pushing (down) the limits on small size brewers with the Citiz and then the Pixie introductions in the last few years, but they are now reapplying that capability to a fully automatic espresso and steamed milk machine that can crank out Lattes and Cappuccinos with the push of a button. The newly designed Nespresso Lattissima+ is a small, full featured brewer that uses the familiar Nespresso capsules, fresh milk and some incredible engineering to crank out cafe style drinks in short order. The result is a machine that is about the same depth and height as a Nespresso Pixie and only about two Pixies wide. (It would fit perfectly on my counter - we're working on getting a review unit in.)
Review: Nespresso Dhjana Limited Edition Grand Cru
Nespresso has a long tradition of issuing limited edition capsules that tend to experiment with various themes or delve into new territory that push the envelope for flavor, or distinct character. A study in contrasts can be seen in last year's Kazaar (Kazaar Review), an "11 on a 10 scale" for intensity of an all-robusta blend and Onirio (Onirio Review), a lightly roasted, delicate as a flower blend that was anything but intense in its punch, but formidable in its flavor.
With the launch of the Nespresso Dhjana, their sustainability message escorts the new capsule blend to market. The coffee is 100% sustainably sourced, with a goal of soon having all of Nespresso's coffee procured in the same way. It's been a long term project for them to build a better supply chain and in doing so, assuring high quality coffee through high ad low harvest years.
Dhjana is a blended espresso that has a very classic approach; add a few parts bold, and slightly acidic coffees, and build flavor profile as well as overall impact by adding back a little bit of Robusta. Nespresso has done this with Colombian, Costa Rican, Brazilian and a little bit of Indian Robusta. We got ours on day 2, and have been drinking it regularly, and have blasted through a couple of sleeves already.
Nespresso's Limited Edition Dhjana will be shipping today, as Nespresso has already started its world wide rollout of the newest capsule. Focused on sustainability, the message around Dhjana is that the coffee beans for this blend area from Nespresso's Ecolaboration project where their coffees are farmed in a way that makes economic and ecological sense for the entire value chain.
The flavor story is one of classic balanced espresso with Brazilian, Costa Rican and Columbian Arabicas, balanced with a hint of Robusta from India. Roasted and rated an "8" on their intensity scale of 10, this should be an exciting one.
The above image is from overseas, look for a Nespresso.com re-do this morning in the US, that will allow you to oder the newest Nespresso variety; Dhjana.
You can brew Nespresso Dhjana on any Nespresso capsule machine, including their smallest machine the Nespresso Pixie, or their equally thin machine the Nespresso Citiz. Don't have one? Check out Nespresso's store on eBay for great deals on reconditioned Nespresso machines.
Nespresso will be releasing their Dhjana Limited Edition Grand Cru, and it sounds like it will be a complex blend of several varieties that sound pretty enticing. The strong blend (an "8" on the Nespresso Intensity Scale), will be a blend of Arabica coffees from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica and a Robusta from India. The Indian Robusta should provide enough kick to make it a full bodied strong flavored blend that balances out the acidity from the Colombian and Costa Rican coffees.
Nespresso is touting their sustainable coffee production platform with this launch citing that all of the coffee is sourced from a new "AAA" program called Ecolaboration. The program offers financial and training assistance so that small farmers can grow high quality coffees in a sustainable manner. By 2013, Nespresso has pledged to get all of its coffee from the program. Clearly, it's a tough job and one that has a long investment cycle, because they started the program about a decade ago.
Look for more news on Nespresso Dhjana in the coming days. We have confirmed with a representative of Nespresso that the release in teh US will be on September 12th.
Yet another Nespresso knock-off is hitting the market (read up about a few other Nespresso Compatible Contenders), this one in France, with a line of four espresso varieties. The four versions are currently available in France, sold through a series of shops, from a light decaf to an intense variety that is said to be of an Italian style. Rounding out the line is a medium bodied "Prestige" and a balanced variety that mixes Arabica and Robusta for a flavor that's right down the middle.
We'll keep an eye on this to see if they come to the US.
Review: Nespresso Kazaar Tasting 2012
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