Nespresso Coffee Tasting & Fancy Coffee Recipes

Today I’m sharing a few fancy espresso drink recipes and my experience visiting the San Francisco Nespresso Boutique for a coffee tasting. Enjoy!

I was quite surprised to get an invitation to the Nespresso Boutique in downtown San Francisco for a special coffee tasting with Nespresso’s head of coffee, Karsten Ranitzsch. Until then, I actually didn’t know much about Nespresso, or their coffees, so I thought it would be a fun way to learn a bit more.

The occasion for the tasting was to introduce their 2 new limited edition Ristrettos, the aromatic and smooth Tribute to Milano and the more intense Tribute to Palermo. Karsten talked about the intense research that went into developing each blend, which included drinking cup after cup of espresso in both Milano and Palermo. How do I get signed up for this sort of project? #dreamjob

It was fun to be talked through a coffee tasting. The first step is to look at the crema, or foam. The crema helps to release the aromas from the liquid coffee and is a sign of coffee quality. Next, you use a spoon to gently smell the coffee aromas. Slowly stir the coffee and lift it gently to your nose. Finally, taste the coffee. Take a large sip so the liquid coats your mouth and taste buds. Look for qualities such as acidity, bitterness, body (thickness) and aromas.

We also talked about how the aluminum capsules are specially created to capture the coffee at its freshest and prevent oxidation. One of my concerns about drinking coffee is the environmental impact of both the coffee beans and the packaging. Nespresso selects only the best beans – just the top 10-20% of the top 10% of the worlds coffees (to simplify that math, the top 1-2%). They collaborated with The Rainforest Alliance to create a sustainable program that making sure the coffee has a positive environmental and social impact for farmers. It was great to hear that the capsules are fully recyclable and that many of the Nespresso machines are made from recycled plastic.

Nespresso also just introduced a new Intenso Grand Cru coffee. It’s larger than a traditional espresso and is a first for Nespresso. It’s brewed in their new VertuoLine Evoluo machine. It’s super thick and rich I love that it’s the size of a regular coffee.

The San Francisco Nespresso boutique frequently has free coffee mixology classes so you can learn more too! The classes will restart after the holidays every other Tuesday. You can find out in advance when they are being held by calling Nespresso at 877-637-1650. Even if you don’t have a Nespresso machine, you should still check out the Nespresso boutique. The space is absolutely amazing – with amazing architecture and European decor. You can grab a coffee drink and a bite to eat and enjoy a bit of repose from San Francisco’s crazy downtown. Try the new Intenso coffee while you’re at it!

And in the spirit of A Side of Sweet being a mostly-recipe blog, I’ve shared a few fancy Nespresso drinks at the end of the blog. I hope you enjoy them!

Thanks so much for reading A Side of Sweet! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Bloglovin’, Snapchat (@asideofsweet) or Twitter, or subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts (see sidebar).

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Thanks to Nespresso for having me as a guest for this coffee tasting!