This month, we’re excited to announce the launch of the Nespresso VertuoLine, a brand new countertop machine that brews coffee or shots of espresso from convenient capsules. Since we know the best cup starts with the best beans, we asked Scott Montgomery, Nespresso‘s Vice President of Business to Consumer Sales, all about how the company sources the coffee and ensures superior quality in every drink. Read on, and learn more about Nespresso‘s blends here.
Tell us about the coffee in your capsules. What’s special about them?
Nespresso is extremely selective with the coffee that goes into its capsules—only the top 1 to 2% of the world’s coffee beans meets the quality, taste and aroma profiles required for the Nespresso Grand Cru range.
How do you source them?
Nespresso’s team of green coffee experts sources the very best beans from around the world. In 2003, Nespresso launched its AAA Program, the goal of which is to protect the future of the highest quality coffees and secure the livelihoods of the farmers who grow it, while also protecting the environment. Nespresso works hand-in hand with coffee farmers and a team of highly-qualified agronomists to find ways to continually improve green coffee quality and sustainability. At the very heart of the program is the desire to see the farms of the more than 56,000 coffee farmers Nespresso works with harvesting the very highest quality of green coffee possible. At the end of 2013, 80% of our coffee was sourced from the more than 56,000 farmers in our AAA Program.
You are committed to sustainable quality. How does that affect your buying, and why is it important for consumers?
We strive to find a balance between the highest quality coffee while minimizing negative environmental impact. We work with the Rainforest Alliance through our AAA Program to provide trainings to farmers on the appropriate use of nutrients and fertilizers.
What is your grinding and packing process?
Once the coffee is harvested in countries of origin it is sent to a production facility in Avenches (Switzerland) where it is sorted to determine the best beans available. The coffee is then roasted, ground, and packed in hermetically sealed capsules that protect the coffee from air, light, heat and moisture to preserve specific tastes and aromas.
Can you tell us about the different flavors? How would you characterize them?
There is a Nespresso Grand Cru coffee for every taste preference. There are 12 new Grand Cru capsules that feature different flavor notes based on the profiles of the beans included in our VertuoLine range, including two flavored coffees, Vanilla and Hazelnut, as well as Nespresso’s first-ever half-caffeinated Grand Cru coffee. Additionally, our OriginalLine features 22 Grands Crus, also featuring a variety of different intensities (varying on a scale of 2-12) and flavor notes.
How do you go about developing each blend?
A dedicated team of coffee experts work together to develop each new Grand Cru coffee using high-quality beans that feature a unique flavor profile based off of the special characteristics of the geography, geology and climate of the place of their origin. We also, of course, take consumer demand into account; our first half caff (caffeinated) blend introduced in VertuoLine was in response to high demand, and last year saw the permanent establishment of flavored coffees Ciocattino, Caramelito and Vanilio, in response to Americans’ love of flavors in our OriginalLine coffee.
What are a couple of your favorites?
In the morning, I prefer a strong, full-bodied cup of coffee so with VertuoLine my Grand Cru of choice is Stormio and with OriginalLine I enjoy Dharkhan or Arpeggio. Later in the day, or after lunch, I prefer a more balanced, medium-bodied cup of coffee so with VertuoLine I usually go for Melozio and with OriginalLine I prefer one of the pure origin coffees, Rosabaya de Colombia.
All of our blends include the very best coffee beans in the world and produce a truly exceptional cup of coffee. Only the top 1% to 2% of the world’s green coffee crop meets Nespresso specific taste and aroma profiles, and the texture, density, quantity and consistency of the crema help to reveal the aromas above the cup and preserve them in the cup. It is this marriage of quality and complex aromas that make Nespresso coffee exceptional, unique, and delicious!
Watch the video to see the Nespresso VertuoLine in action:
7 comments
Wow! its great Amazing. I just love and want to buy anyone send me a coupon or Discount….
Can you please tell me the method of making your decaffeinated coffee and if there is use of any chemicals in the process?
Hi Shana, Nespresso decaffeinated coffee does not contain any solvent residue, as it is decaffeinated via a water extraction process. Caffeine that is extracted is used in the pharmaceutical industry or for caffeine-containing soft drinks.
Nestlé developed a process to decaffeinate green coffee using water as solvent: Green coffee grains are soaked in hot water in order to dissolve caffeine. The green coffee beans free of caffeine are dried while the water extract goes through active carbon where caffeine is absorbed. Dried green coffee beans are re-soaked in the water extract now free of caffeine. Subsequently, green coffee beans are dried and roasted.
The residual caffeine content in decaffeinated coffee at Nespresso is below 0.1% w/w, in order to comply with the most stringent regulatory requirements in this field.
Nespresso has several varieties of decaffeinated coffee. The water extraction process allows to extract caffeine while keeping intact the aromas and flavors of coffee. The decaffeinated Nespresso varieties undergo the same quality controls applied to other varieties of coffee.
We hope this helps!
Aren’t the aluminum pods a concern? Alzheimer’s and aluminum are linked. Also, are the plastic parts of this beautiful looking machine BPA free? These are two concerns that everyone should be asking. The interior of the Keurig machines contain plastics that are known to disrupt hormones. The pods too. Until they solve these issues we should not be supporting the sale of these products.
Hi Fran, Nespresso VertuoLine machines are BPA free. Also, the coffee within Nespresso capsules does not come in direct contact with the aluminum. There is a “food grade lacquer” that separates the aluminum from the coffee — it’s a protective film that coats the inside of the capsules and is compliant with FDA regulations for food contact materials. Hope this helps!
So glad you have addressed the BPA issue. Still a little hmmm about the ” food grade lacquer “. Seriously? Food grade lacquer ? Say that three times and you’ll get chills. I did.
Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an incredibly long comment but after I
clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr…
well I’m not writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say fantastic blog!