Nespresso VertuoLine

Some Thoughts on the Latest and Greatest in Coffee

I have been meaning to write about this new machine and coffee system for a while. Because of the unnamed company I work at, I have been fortunate enough to try quite a bit of coffee from this machine.

I will admit a Nespresso bias, since it is a coffee system I personally sell for work, and something I have been to their specialized training for sometime ago. My destiny is somewhat tied to this doing well.

Therefore, I will not get into a heavy review, and I spent few weeks waffling about what I want to say about the machine. After all, this blog is a portion of my personal "journey with coffee" or some such nonsense.

For those who have not seen it, or had a chance to sample it, the Nespresso VertuoLine is Nestle's attempt at winning over America's drip coffee drinkers. The United States still has not fully been won over by pure espresso. The bulk of American's first instinct to a shot of espresso is to pour in enough milk and sugar into 1.3 ounces that it swells to two cups, and one more ticket in the diabetes raffle. Crema is a foamy substance on the top that is fairly alien to the average drinker.

With the VertuoLine, they created a new proprietary capsule with a bar code reader on it, then changed the extraction method to centripetal force to reach the usual 19 Bars of Nespresso pressure. When I heard about this machine, and the details, I thought that Nespresso is copying, or adapting The Remington iCoffee (a machine I'd like to get and try out for myself, honestly.) However, the VertuoLine is still not this, and could be something better. The coffee pods themselves make up for the difference.

What you get with the "coffee" coffee pods looks like 8 ounces of Guinness with a thick, foamy head that would impress any barkeep in London. The resulting coffee is still the dependable, excellent coffee that most people but the snobbiest of coffee snobs consider great.

No matter how they sell it, it is not drip coffee. It is not even amazing drip coffee that one would get from a Chemex.

With any of the coffee Grand Cru's, the resulting cup is closer to an Americano with a thick, two inch crema, or a a French Press with the mythical crema on the top. The coffee is thicker and silkier than anything out of most drip machines. (One of the reasons my mind went to the iCoffee.)  Nespresso recommends folding the crema back into the coffee itself to rebalance the cup. I haven't seen anyone do that, yet. The crema holds just too much wonderful aroma though.

The few purely drip coffee people I have talked to about the machine report that they are getting upset stomachs after drinking the coffee. I chock it up to that big difference in intensity. Potentially, due to the method of extraction, the VertuoLine has a hell of a hit of caffeine. It will be surprising to regular espresso drinkers.

So is this American style coffee? I really don't think so, and I think calling it that is a mistake.

For marketing towards a traditionally conservative portion of coffee drinkers, I think the VertuoLine is too much. For drip, the VertuoLine does not beat the purity of pouring a cup from the Chemex.

The VertuoLine is a new experience in coffee, and Nespresso marketing it the way they are could be a mistake. Secondly, I wonder about its price point in comparison. The machine is pricey, outside my range, even discounted through my employer. The coffee at just below a dollar a pod is pricey for cup of joe, and a capsule based system. Its still cheaper than McDonalds or Dunkin, and tastes better, but still not as convenient, nor is it quite the portion size of either. Also, the crema maybe too much if a change to bear, even as wonderful as it smells.

For espresso drinkers looking for something a little different, or looking for a cup they can enjoy a bit longer than a shot, this is the real deal. I honestly can't wait until someone reverse engineers this so someone can use their own beans, and coffee people can tweak and play with it.

CNET has a comprehensive review of the machine and some comparisons. If you're looking at this machine, I'd recommend checking it out. It is the first fully fledged consumer review I have come across.

http://reviews.cnet.com/espresso-cappuccino-machines/nespresso-vertuoline-red/4505-17878_7-35837779.html

Nicola Coffee Rossio

Here is a surprising coffee.

I found this during my big coffee spree last week with the intention to use it for Turkish and Vietnamese coffees.

I have finally gotten around to giving it a real try.

After a little research,I discovered that it is a roast from a cafe in Lisbon, Portugal. I found something surprising.

I dug around on the Internet just be sure, and read the bit of English that I missed before on the packaging.

This is a coffee made entirely of Robusta. High quality Robusta, but still Robusta, and mostly from Africa.

To some people in the coffee world, the lowest quality Arabica is better than the highest quality Robusta. I have come across quite a few people disagree with that, including the people at Nespresso and the wonderful people at Sweet Marias.

In order to write and say something intelligent about the coffee, I decided to forgo all tricky methods and get right down to basics: a French Press. I discovered this interesting fact after I started cupping and tasting.

We've got a dark, slightly sour coffee, with seemingly high caffeine, and a hint of spiciness. Its different from my usual fair, and I like it.

Frankly, I think it needs a touch of sugar to really taper off the bitter, but its fine in a Press.

This form of extraction really gets down to the essence off the coffee without removing anything or altering it.

For reviewing purposes, I drew a shot of espresso with knowing more about the coffee. It is a better espresso. When properly tamped, it creates a nice, thick crema. Still a bit bitter, with something earthy in the smell. It still draws an intriguing shot. It lingers on the tongue.

You can find it on Amazon, or like I did in Home Goods.

http://www.amazon.com/Nicola-Coffee-Rossio-Roasted-Whole/dp/B00H87G4OE

Back To Roasting...Again.

Not the best of picture of me. However, this is the lengths I am willing to go for the best morning cup I can manage. I just look sweaty there.

Luckily, you can store dried, green coffee bean for up to a year in a cool, dark place. I still have a bit leftover from the last buy with Sweet Maria's and I needed to use it up.

Now that time is permitting, and I no longer have a cold, I broke out the mask. I could still smell the roasting coffee, and it was easier to get into the roasting a bit more. However, it did filter the fumes that were giving me days worth of problems.

I changed the amount to about a third of a cup each time, and used the end of a bamboo spoon to occasional stir.

I wanted to roast dark, but in the end, I wound up making a roast similar to the ones I have done in the past.

This was also the first time I was able to use the espresso machine for a roast, properly. For espresso, this lighter roast took about 72 hours for the flavors to settle down. Yesterday was fine, but today was perfect. The first day or so, the coffee was just too gassy and acidic. I've also made an Aeropressed Americano with it. It came out nicely. (I will have more general commentary on the Aeropress Americano soon.)

I also broke out the French Press, which I hadn't used in a while. With fresh roasted coffee in it, it is about what I remember.

And it is good.

Cold Press Coffee

I finally gave it a shot in the French Press. Last evening, I picked up a coffee from Meijer from the dispensing bins. 

I want to preface this by saying that I really like cherries, and I do not know what I was thinking until I brought the coffee home. I picked up a Michigan Cherry Coffee. It is artificially flavored with Michigan Cherries oils. 

Again, in hindsight, I am really not sure what I was expecting. It was a nice, strong, cherry smell that fills the nose. In a regular French Press, the coffee seems to be too oily to be properly enjoyed. I have the same issues with other flavored coffees too. The coffee itself is well roasted, and all Arabica. Its is a nice, light roast.

I made up a second pot with cold water, and set it in the fridge for 12 hours. When we got up this morning, I pushed down on the plunger, and poured it out over ice with a bit of milk. My fiance still needed sugar.

It was exceptionally smooth, refreshing, with a nice boost of caffeine. It maintained the cherry flavor with the overall coffee-ness in the background. I cannot say this particular coffee knocked my socks off, and I probably will not be buying it again. But I will be making a few more cold presses with it. 

Cold Brew Coffee on Cool Tools

Now, here is something genuinely coffee related, if a bit unseasonal now that its cooling down and snow is a real possibility.

It details using a French Press for cold brew coffee for iced coffee rather than brewing it hot and then icing it down. Not only do you keep from watering it down, you'll have less acid in the cup.

Prepare your French Press and use lukewarm or cold water. Put it in the fridge for 12 to 15 hours, and let it extract. Press it when its done.

It makes complete since in its simplicity. I found this in the Cool Tools feature on BoingBoing today, a blog I owe much too. This how I have learned a lot about coffee by hand.

I will be giving it a shot in a couple days, I think, perhaps with the flavored coffee I picked up last weekend. If this works to my liking, I might need a French Press just for cold brew coffee.

http://boingboing.net/2013/10/30/easy-cold-brew-coffee-with-a-f.html