From the tropics, across the open seas, to a Swiss eco-environment and some of the world’s most skillful coffee masters, the Nespresso voyage is executed with a single goal: your pleasure.
We’re often asked why we call our coffees Grands Crus.
As a wine from an exceptional region is called a Grand Cru, so too are our coffees. Because each is the expression of it’s origins.
Come on a journey to the coffee belt between the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, where the fruits of the exotic Coffea Rubiaceae tree, luscious red in colour, draw their character from their terroir, their environment.
Grown in South India, in the shade of cedars and interplanted with fruit trees and the spices pepper, cardamom and vanilla, this Grand Cru is itself strong and spicy.
Taste this terroirBack in 2003, Nespresso collaborated with the non-profit Rainforest Alliance to create the program that today continues to protect the natural environment and farmers’ welfare.
But our commitment goes beyond this. It’s about a long-term relationship with and continued loyalty to the coffee farmers in the program.
Nespresso Grands Crus are usually harvested by hand, taking care to pick only perfectly ripe cherries. Though costlier in time and money, we do limit ourselves to only the best quality.
On some of our larger estates, we harvest mechanically and then go back and sort every single imperfection out afterwards.
Not all beans are created equal, so we sort every single one of the billions we roast through a series of trays that differentiate first by size, then density.
The final grading step for raw coffee is colour sortation, both by hand and electronically. A bean might be the right size and density, but have colours indicating damage or imperfection.
For us, a single faulty bean can taint a whole batch, so we select and reselect, then reselect again.
The better the grading, the more consistent the beans, the more even the roast, and ultimately, the more balanced the cup.
Our objective is to retain quality at every single step of the journey and that includes shipping.
That’s why we choose the most expedient sailing routes, avoiding heat degradation, fading, moisture, oxidation and external odours that could deteriorate the flavour of our cargo.
Raw coffee beans are sensitive to humidity and odours. Stored in poor conditions, they can absorb unwanted aromas.
For this exact reason, Nespresso collaborated on the construction of a European port warehouse that stabilises temperature and filters the air.
This state-of-the-art warehouse was built to the highest European environmental standards, even winning a GreenBuilding certificate from the European Commission.
Every 60-kilo sack of coffee is sampled to test conformity to expectation of its physical and sensorial characteristics.
These checks occur before leaving the country of origin, on arrival in Europe, before being sent to the roasting plant, on arrival in Switzerland, before roasting and throughout storage if not intended for immediate roasting.
First, we select coffee origins for their unique characteristics, like aroma, finesse and crema. Then we marry them in proportions designed to highlight their individual brilliance.
As a perfumer knows the harmonics of his ingredients, our master blenders understand the transformation of aromas and flavours.
Although more difficult to execute, we split-roast individual origins separately, allowing each to reach its unique sweet spot.
Whilst poor roasting can ruin the finest coffee, an expert technique elicits the best of every ingredient, balancing origin-specific characteristics and allowing each coffee to show its unique personality.
For this reason, Nespresso develops a specific roast profile for each blend.
Skill ensures consistency cup after cup, year after year, irrespective of seasonal fluctuations.
Long roasted for pleasant bitterness, evolving flavours and a lasting aftertaste, Grand Cru Dharkan is 100% Arabica and is a stronger cup than the current ristrettos.
Experience this long roast
Ultimately, grinding is what allows coffee’s aromas to be released. It’s a critical step in delivering the experience of a Grand Cru.
Master the grind technique and you optimise extraction and end cup quality.
Our research proved that aluminium, together with a pressurised seal, are optimal for protecting coffee’s 900 some-odd volatile aromatics from their enemies of air, light and humidity. Without this barrier, coffee would oxidise and stale rapidly.
From grinding through to encapsulation, processing is in a closed environment to prevent loss of aromas and entry of oxygen.
Extraction is the final moment of truth. The Nespresso system ensures that a capsule perfectly interacts with a machine to release all the flavours that have been so carefully protected. It’s the ultimate expression of all that has gone heretofore.
Our systems operate at the right water temperature, quantity and pressure for each Grand Cru design, so that they deliver our quality promise in every cup.
Discover body, intensity and all the nuances of aroma.
Savour your coffee with your eyes. Nespresso crema is naturally generated thanks to our high-pressure extraction.
Study the colour. Perfect extraction should produce a thick, medium brown cream that is slightly striated. Fill your coffee spoon with crema. It's even, fine and smooth, indicating a successful extraction.
Taking time to smell the aroma rising from your Nespresso coffee, you will first notice the lighter floral and fruity notes. Stir the coffee, and you will release heavier roasted, woody or spicy notes.
On the palate, the flavors of coffee mix, and some of them go to the nasal cavity which enriches your taste sensations.
The 'legs' must be clear and even on the edges of the spoon, similar to caramel.
Can you discern the power and pizzazz of the rare washed Guatemalan Robusta included in this gourmet blend?
Discover Kazaar
Let there be no limits to creativity, when it comes to recipes using the Grands Crus.
Beyond the classic milk preparations, discover how our Grands Crus’ unique diversity and flavour richness develop in these recipes.
Nespresso R&D aimed to ensure that the material chosen, aluminum, not only locks
in the aromatics we've worked so hard to secure, but is also infinitely recyclable.
Compared with production of primary aluminum, recycling it consumes as little as 5% of the energy and emits only 5% of the greenhouse gasses.