I get this question all the time, which capsule is best, and what should I be drinking? I think the best thing that Nespresso does is to include the full assortment with each machine so you get to try them and see what types of flavors are out there and which capsules you'll end up loving with your machine. The only thing better would be to include two of each! (I turned my sample holder into my capsule holder inside the cabinet door)
With flavors ranging from the light Cosi - "A is perfect for espresso lovers who enjoy a mild, smooth crema coupled with the refreshing acidity of a hint of lemon." Strength = "3"
to the Ristretto - "Ristretto is the typical Italian espresso. It is a short, strong, full-bodied espresso with a touch of acidity. It has a pleasantly lingering taste." Strength = "10"
With my Nespresso Essenza C100, I happen to like right in the middle, gravitating to the Livanto and the Roma, and mixing things up with the seasonal blends that come out.
The "Pearl" design is our favorite - a round coffee-maker with a luxurious design.
The folks at Nespresso never stop looking for the latest designs for their Nespresso Capsule driven espresso makers. The Nespresso Essenza C100 that sits on my countertop is the smallest espresso maker to ever come through my kitchen for reviews, except maybe the trusty Moka pot. But Nespresso isn't stopping there, as they have run a design contest again this year to find what might be the next Nespresso coffee maker to hit the shelves. Students from all over Europe competed to design and submit the next best thing. Some are absolutely fantastic; I love the thins designs that would hardly be noticed on the counters. Some are a too edgy for my tastes, but all of them are worth checking out.
We like all of the designs produced by the winners, and really like "Pearl" above. Single Serve Coffee has a detailed post of all the winners, and you will also want to visit the contest site for videos and more pictures of the machines.
Nespresso always puts out some interesting blends and special limited editions throughout the year to shake things up and make life a little interesting. I am usually game for trying them and enjoying them as they change up the normal routine around the Single Serve Espresso kitchen... if there is really a routine as we are constantly roving and trying espresso makers, coffee, pods and capsules. But you get the point.
Goroka is the 2008 Grand Cru Limited Edition capsules that are a celebration of Papua New Guinea and their highland coffees. The coffee is an all arabica blend that comes through with classic arabica behaviors and flavors. From Nespresso: "Once picked the red cherries are immediately pulped to remove the bean as quickly as possible to prevent uncontrolled fermentation. The beans are fermented for three days with daily rinsing followed by a day of total immersion on fresh water to bring out their unique taste. After surface drying in the sun, they are mechanically dried to ensure an even finish. They are carefully hulled 21 days later. The result is a superior coffee and a livelihood for hundreds of coffee growers in the Papua New Guinea Highlands."
Nespresso has just announced their limited edition coffee for 2008 - Goroka. Goroka is described as precious, sophisticated, chiseled, and unique. The coffee is from East Papua New Guinea, and made from Arabica beans grown in a very humid and warm tropical rainforest. Goroka gets its name from the Mountain town where all coffee harvests are sent to be hulled before being sent all over the world.
Go check out the Goroka site, for more information with flashy graphics. Nespresso always has a little eye candy when presenting these Limited Editions. Late last year they ripped through their supply of Nespresso Variations which I had the good fortune of tasting; thinking that they were very high quality.
Coffee prices are on the rise, and two favorites in our house are not immune. With the costs of the raw material - quality green coffee going up, the cost to me, a big coffee consumer are going up too.
Recently the cost of my Nespresso capsules went up; a whole 3 cents, from $0.49 each to $0.52, but hey it's an increase. I think that I can afford it though, especially if it keeps me away from Starbucks for just one day, I'll be good for a few months. I brew in the Nespresso Essenza C100, shots of espresso mostly.
Long time readers also know that we run on a Keurig B-70 in our house and for us, it's allowed everyone in the household to get a cup of what they want. I mean hey, I like the regular stuff too, it's just got to be a pretty hefty roast. Our sister site, SingleServeCoffee.com just reported on some price increases coming for K-cup coffees too. I went over to Coffeewiz and picked up some Tully's French Roast; a pretty popular flavor in our household.
I don't know how you store your Nespresso capsules, but I recently figured out a way to keep a few at my fingertips without much expense or hassle. When I got my Nespresso Essenza C100T, I blew through a lot of the samples that came with the machine and then was left with this pretty good little plastic holder that they came in.
Instead of recycling it, I decided to re-use it. I took some velcro style strips that I found at the home center, and apply three down the back and hang it on the inside of the cabinet above my Nespresso machine.
The result is a cleaner cabinet, and a decent selection of capsules right where I need then and out of sight. Not bad.
I was inspired by the $124 ebony wood version (below) that is available at the Nespresso site, but didn't really have a place to hang it and felt like buying coffee might be better than buying the holder.
Nespresso has introduced three new flavors for their 2007 variations, which I think are going to be a big hit for those warm winter lattes hanging out with friends around the fire. Last year they introduced Absolute Vanilla, Spicy Apple, and Aniseed. The flavors are Chocolate Orange, Almond, and Cardamom.
After trying them all this past week, I have to say that the three are excellent, and a very high quality, pleasing flavor that combines well with the espresso base. This is not some junky flavored coffee from the bottom of an urn at the local convenience store! My favorite was the Almond, a nice roasted almond that sits well as a stand alone espresso and combines well with the sweetness and milk flavors of a latte.
The Cardamom was a pretty good treat. We like Cardamom flavor around our house and have seen it in holiday cookies and other Eastern food dishes, and again it's a decently flavored espresso that stands up to a latte without any problem.
Finally the Chocolate Orange was a treat too, reminding me of those chocolate oranges that I used to see around Christmas. I liked this one more as a latte than a stand alone espresso, but again, the quality and balance of the flavors was well done. It's clear that they worked hard on these flavored espressos and I like them as a nice treat and change to the usual rotation of Livantos, Romas, Arpeggio's and Decaf Intenso's that are floating around the kitchen.
I made these in my Nespresso Essenza C100T which I like for its small size, ease of use and its excellent espresso.
Nespresso is on a tear these days, having just opened a new store in Paris on the Champs d Elysees, and two new ideas for them, Boutiques in stores; one in SoHo, NYC and one in Chevy Chase MD. The Cafes are in Bloomingdales and there you can enjoy the wonderful taste of espresso while considering a purchase of a new machine or if you already have a machine, it can be an easy place to pick up more capsules. (Man check out that picture up there - don't you wish you had a wall like THAT and all of those lovely espresso capsules?!?!)
I love my Nespresso Essenza C100T for its small size, ease of use and its excellent espresso. I just got in some of the new Nespresso Variations - flavored espresso capsules and they look pretty good; can't wait to crack into them tomorrow. They come in three varieties and are available for a limited time at the Nespresso stores and boutiques, as well as online at the Nespresso Club.
The new flavors are:
Almond
Cardamom
Chocolate Orange
Press Release and addresses of the new Boutiques follow....
Nespresso has their Special Club Grand Cru limited edition capsules out and I think that they are definitely worth a try. The Limited Edition Jalayatra capsules celebrate the rich Indian coffee history that may have gone unnoticed by many. The blend captures the complex past of “Monsooned” beans that took the long journey back to Europe from India, where the beans changed in character to take on a spicy complex character. Now in the past, this might have been mistaken for bad beans, but this blend is not, and has a spicy lively character that is worth checking out.
The beans originate from the Southern coast of India and are blended into a “Malabar Arabica” mix that has an intense taste, and is definitely worthy of their “8” strength rating.
I put away my Livanto blend for a week and stuck with the Jalayatra blend to see what life might be like on the coast of India, and I have to say that life is pretty good. You have to enjoy the deep rich flavors that come with a full bodies espresso. Overall the espresso is definitely acidic, worthy of an Arabica blend, but not hollow in body, and it comes full of pepper, spicy flavors that linger to give it a pleasant aftertaste. If you like, add a hint of sugar which changes the profile a bit to round and bring out the caramel flavors that are in the cup; easy and a very different and delicious experience.
As with any Nespresso capsule, the brewing process is easy, and on my Essenza C100 I can shoot out a great espresso in only a couple of minutes while I get the rest of breakfast ready. Pre-heat, lift the lever to drop the capsule in, press the espresso button, and let it rip; about 30 seconds later you get a frothy beautiful cup of espresso. I am usually partial to the Bodum Pavina espresso glasses, but also liked the limited edition espresso cups that I got to celebrate the Jalayatra release. The shot looks even better with the white of the cup behind it to set off the light brown and rich colors of the crèma.
Wanted to point out that our sister site SingleServeCoffee.com has made the trip to the New York Nespresso Boutique Espresso Bar to be a part of the US National launch event for the Nespresso Lattissima, an automatic beverage center that uses not only the Nespresso capsules, but the DeLonghi milk frothing capability, making lattes and cappuccinos at the push of a button. This is very similar to the DeLonghi EAM 3500 super automatic that I reviewed recently, in that it does all the work at the press of a button and allows you to refrigerate your fresh milk in the removable milk container.
Nespresso is running a charity auction of some pretty cool items to benefit the Rainforest Alliance. The auction runs through May 23rd. To date, Nespresso has raised over $25,000 for the Rainforest Alliance through the auction. Check out trips to Costa Rica, Autographed Nespresso machines, and even a trip for two to Switzerland!
So yesterday we brought you the review of the Limited Edition Oâ Capsules are available now at the Nespresso website. The limited edition capsule is the Oâ, which means "to marry" in Swahili, is a union of two coffees from the regions around Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya blended together to create a great tasting cup of espresso. Bright and flavorful. Also available are limited edition espresso cups and saucers inspired by the Oâ blend, and designed by Guillaume Dufrancatel.
"Inspired by the double origin of this Limited Edition, the artist Guillaume Dufrancatel has designed two different cups, to illustrate the heritage from a fertile soil combined with natural elements from the sky to guarantee quality and abundance of the coffee crop. On the first cup, the artist has illustrated a theme associated with the sky: an orange cloud evokes the high altitude at which the coffee plants grow. On the second cup, he has depicted a volcano in dark shades, symbolizing the volcanic soils of Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya into which Oâ plunges its roots." Wow, and you thought it was just an espresso cup!
The latest Limited Edition Nespresso Capsule is out and available for purchase at the Nespresso Boutique in NYC, or online at the Nespresso site. I recently reviewed the Nespresso C100T Essenza and I really liked it, in fact I am in the process of buying one myself (I have to send the review model back). The limited edition capsule is the Oâ, which means "to marry" in Swahili, and is symbolic of the union between earth and sky to create a great growing region. This capsules is the union of two coffees from the regions around Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya.
What's the Best Nespresso Capsule?
The "Pearl" design is our favorite - a round coffee-maker with a luxurious design.
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Coffee prices are 
I put away my Livanto blend for a week and stuck with the Jalayatra blend to see what life might be like on the coast of India, and I have to say that life is pretty good. You have to enjoy the deep rich flavors that come with a full bodies espresso. Overall the espresso is definitely acidic, worthy of an Arabica blend, but not hollow in body, and it comes full of pepper, spicy flavors that linger to give it a pleasant aftertaste. If you like, add a hint of sugar which changes the profile a bit to round and bring out the caramel flavors that are in the cup; easy and a very different and delicious experience.
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