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New Product Launch

This is a very proud week for the team at Caffesso. We have worked tirelessly for the last couple of years to get to a point where we are able to launch a 100% compostable coffee capsules. Many people across the world (let alone the UK) will not head out to work without their caffeine fix and for nearly a decade, we have been providing capsules which offer superior quality coffee in the convenience of a compatible capsule. However, these capsules do come with their downfalls and if your local council does not run a recycle scheme for them they are sent to landfill.  This is a growing problem because the capsule market continues to grow at a rate of 15% year on year. This is partly down to the ever decreasing cost of the machines but also due to the cost of capsules found at discount supermarkets. 

Our new Eco range uses a 100% compostable capsule which means they can be placed in to your food waste bin and sent off to a commercial compost centre, leaving you guilt free after your morning coffee. There are many variations of compostable capsules on the market but our Eco range is hermetically sealed for freshness. However, this also means no other packaging is needed apart from the box. So there is no need for a foil bag to maintain freshness nor is there a need to be in a air tight plastic bag. So, this means we are able to still provide you with the very best high quality fresh coffee you associate us with every time. 

The Caffesso Eco range capsule is made from renewable raw materials (sugar cane and sugarbeet) and they break down in just 12 weeks. Once the full cradle to cradle cycle has been completed all that is left is CO2, water and biomass. This is then able to go straight back in to the eco system without any harmful effects.

Introducing our Eco range also meant we were able to also look at new blends which worked well with the new paper lid. Those three new blends are: Brasil, Marcala and Tolima.  

All three blends within the Eco range cost just £3.60 per retail box of 10 capsules and they are now on our website. You will also soon be able to purchase them from department stores and supermarkets around the UK and the world.

Welcome to the future…   

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A clean machine produces better coffee

Here at Caffesso HQ we have a selection of machines which we use to continually check our product quality. When doing this over and over and over again you notice the difference in pour and flavor. Both of these elements differ from machine to machine depending on the age of machine and the use of the machine.  

Is your machine now producing below par espresso’s? Another question to ask yourself is – What else might be in your cup?

Before you discovered the convenience of your espresso machine and the indulgent quality taste of our Caffesso coffee capsules, you might have frequented a coffee house on your local high street. Did you notice the Barista cleaned the machine after every use. They also deep clean the equipment every night to ensure the following days coffee’s are as good as the previous. You should be doing the same for your machine and your coffee.

Well now you are easily able to maintain a clean machine with the CaffeNu cleaning capsules. They make it easy and quick, because who has time for cleaning? You need your coffee straight away. Simply pop the capsule into the machine the same way you would with a coffee capsule. Run, rinse, ready.

 

Caffenu cleaning capsules for Nespresso machines

The capsule removes old coffee build-up, dirty residue, tannins, oils and bacteria at the press of a button and leaves absolutely no residue after rinsing. So, your next coffee will be the best you ever had!

We recommend using the cleaning capsule after every 30 coffees made or at least once a month. Why not add some to your next purchase and test it on your machine. You will notice the difference. Click HERE to shop now.

 

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Autumn is here..

With Autumn upon us in the northern hemisphere, our mind wanders to evenings under a blanket and being wrapped up warm. You may well have heard the term Hygge recently with its seeming rise in popularity. Hygge, meaning ‘snug’ is a concept that evokes coziness. So, on that note everyone in the Caffesso office agreed there is nothing more cozy than drinking a hot drink in front of a roaring fire. We took it upon ourselves to do some research on the best Hygge drinks and sampled some of the best out there (well someone has to test them). Here are our findings.

1: Gingerbread Latte
2: White Chocolate Cinnamon Latte
3: Sea Salt Caramel Mocha
4: Red Velvet Hot Chocolate
5: Nutella Mocha Lattes

At Caffesso we know a thing or two about creating the perfect espresso. However, when it comes to adding other elements we sometimes need a bit of help. If like us you need a bit of help, click the links and head to the recipes, you wont regret it.

What will be your favourite winter warmer?

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What do you order?

When faced with different names, different blends and all from different companies, how do you select the perfect espresso blend for you? Here is a brief guide to help you.

Coffee intensity is generally measured using a 1-12 rating. Most companies will use this to show you the strength of the coffee. However, there are differing factors which make up the overall rating of your espresso. So, when making your next purchase or deciding which blend to go with, take the following factors in to consideration.

Caffeine – the general rule here is the darker the roast the less caffeine it contains. However…

Weight – plays a part with caffeine volume due to the amount of coffee packed in to a capsule. The higher intensity coffee will have more coffee neatly squeezed in to its container. Which leads on to the…

Grind – The all important body of the coffee is defined by the grind and so therefore this element is taken very seriously. When you have a fine grind, the water has to go through more particles of coffee before hitting the bottom of your cup. It is because of this, you will get a richer bodied espresso using a finely ground coffee than you would with a coarse coffee blend.

Roasting – The darker the roast, the higher intensity rating. This is a rule which you need to remember in order to understand what type of taste you will get. The longer the roast the more bitter the flavor will become, the shorter the roasted blends will allow softer aromas to come through on to your palette.

So… last but not least Aroma. The morning aroma of coffee coming up the stairs is what gets me up in the morning. However, the aroma is a big part of what rating you are looking for. Floral and fruity notes will land you with a lower rated intensity and a lighter roast. A darker roast with a higher intensity will have a smokey, chocolatey and even nutty aroma possibly more suited to red wine drinkers.

Coffee is subjective like most things in life, so sample as many as you want and see which one works for you.       

 

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3 New Fantastic Blends

Here at Caffesso we are pleased to introduce our 3 New Blends:

vanillaVanilla

A slowly roasted blend of South American and Indian coffees with a delicious vanilla twist.

 

chocolateChocolate

A smooth creamy blend of South American and Indian coffees with delicious hints of rich dark chocolate.

 

caramelCaramel

A perfect blend of slowly roasted South American and Asian coffees with delicious hints of caramel.

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Introducing Our New Airtight Capsule

new nespresso compatible capsuleAfter many months of trials and improvements we are delighted to launch our new Nespresso Compatible capsule. In order to maintain the freshness of the coffee without a foil wrap around it, the pod had to be adapted, and many versions were produced before we got it just right. We have achieved minimising waste and keep the same great taste.

What this means is that each new pod has 64% less packaging volume. We have 3 new blends; 2 single origins from Ethiopia and Colombia plus an improved, stronger Lungo Forte.

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Quality takes more than 15 seconds…..

Savouring an espresso … a brief moment of indulgence during the daily routine is a world of pleasure. However, enjoy your coffee as a connoisseur and you notice that the most subtle flavours take on a new intensity. The only way to really experience coffee is to apply the right combination of awareness and instinct, understanding and enjoyment.

There’s plenty of material extolling the mechanical genius of espresso making technology, but actually it’s just a means to an end. Ultimately our coffee, the way it’s presented and then savoured, is our most important asset and the most important quality differentiator of Caffesso. Credible information is important. We aim to expand your knowledge and appreciation of the speciality coffees you’re enjoying, and be an informative source for your expertise.

So enjoy the learning experience as we expand your horizons – Somewhere between discovery and emotion, you’ll find the essence of coffee and become a true connoisseur for yourself…

Caffesso – for the Italian in you!
Caffesso’s coffee philosophy is distilled from years of experience, and observations of what the world enjoys most in a demitasse of espresso.  It’s very simple really, although it required attention to many details to get it right.  So there’s something in our product range to put a smile on everyone’s face.

WHY ‘Italian roasted’?
Great coffee is an artisan product rather than a manufactured beverage.  Of course some science and simple mechanics are involved in roasting great coffee, but the creation of the blend, and ensuring it comes out of the roaster at just the right time – that’s artisan.  It’s a skill that’s acquired rather than taught.  It’s art more than science.  And Italians have been practicing it since 1906.

1906 is when the first espresso machine was invented in Italy by LaPavoni: the beginning of the industry.  It’s therefore when Italians had to devise a new way of wasting coffee to make use of the high pressure extraction technology the new equipment allowed.

Italian Coffee around the world
The reason for espresso coffees’ continued growth and enduring popularity around the world is inextricably tied to the Italian culture of espresso and the tastes which major Italian coffee roaster brands such as Illy, LaVazza, Segafredo Zanetti, Kimbo, Caffe Vergnano, and ultimately Nespresso (who copied Italian style coffees when they started roasting for their Swiss espresso capsules) have successfully exported globally.

Over the past couple of generations, these companies have made Italian style espresso popular on every continent in the world. Even countries whose consumers normally drink darker and somewhat flat roasted coffee every day appreciate and enjoy the differences and subtlety of flavour in Italian roasted coffees when they get the chance to drink them.  For example, Tchibo, though big in Germany and other parts of Northern Europe, have never made export inroads into other markets. Why ? Because their roasting style is by Germans to suit Northern European tastes: not as popular globally. Their export sales compared to those noted above prove the point. As a consequence, Tchibo purchased Northern Italian coffee roaster, CaffItaly, in early 2013, to enable them to market Italian style coffee and espresso to the world.

Capsules – so much fresher than any other coffee

The best way to spoil good coffee is to leave it open for a couple of days. Think about how good a pack of coffee smells when first opened. Your first cup is delicious. But by the end of the week you can hardly smell the coffee. That means it’s been exposed to the air for too long and its already beginning to stale.

Capsules keep the coffee fresh until you are just about to drink it. With Caffe Impresso you get the fresh taste each time you open a foil and pop your capsule into a machine.

Our espresso capsules are designed for a 25ml single espresso shot. Do remember though: if you want a strong doppio (double shot), don’t use the long pour button: make 2 single’s in the same cup.  The taste will astound you.

Our Standards

Some are measurable. But many are only discovered when our customers drink our coffee. Flavour always comes first.  Everyone’s palate is different. That’s why we offer a range of blends. We have consistently been told that our coffees taste better than our competition. We will maintain and expand on that position. And we’ll continue to be innovative and creative in our new product development on an ongoing basis.

Performance

Some capsules deliver their espresso in 15 seconds, and some take 30+. A short extraction simply doesn’t extract the full body of flavour from the coffee, whereas a long extraction can either burn or dilute the coffee in over infusing it.

Caffesso capsules are designed to Italian espresso standards, for an extraction (pour) time between 17 and 23 seconds, with the pour times varying slightly from one espresso to another; each individual coffee blend being precision ground and engineered to deliver the best flavour extraction for that particular blend.

Competitive

There’s no need to set a high price for espresso capsules just because you can. Caffesso capsules are always priced to compete with the global market leader.

Quality

Of course, our high quality standard goes without saying. Our coffee is sourced for the taste it delivers – our roasting is strictly traditional (‘if the wheel ‘aint broke …!’) – and our business practices are built for sustainability across the board.

Why Blends ?

Coffee behaves differently in the roaster as the seasons change and we pride ourselves on our understanding of the roasting process. By using a blend of coffees in our capsules we can create flavour profiles which are more complex and balanced than the individual parts. The temperatures that coffee is roasted at are vital in developing the flavour so we combine our tasting skills and sense of smell with computer software to make sure every batch perfectly develops the flavour of the blend.

Arabica coffee tastes are as distinctive from one region of the world to another as grapes and regional wines. We use between 18 and 25 different coffee beans from all over the world. Most of them are Arabica, but we also use 4 different kinds of Robusta whose acidity helps to bring out the widely varying flavours of the Arabica coffees.

Why different coffees ?

Everyone’s palate and taste preferences are different. If that wasn’t the case the coffee business would be a very different proposition: one coffee blend that would please every tongue in the world ? Thank goodness for variety and diversity. And that’s why we produce a range of blends, flavours and coffee strengths. Something to put a smile on everyone’s face.

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How to better manage your espresso coffee strength

Machine Settings
You should restrict the pour volume (the amount of water flowing through your capsule during the extraction process) in order to get the optimum strength of coffee that each specially blended capsule is designed to deliver.

Most Nespresso® or Nespresso®-compatible machines have a programmable pour volume setting (check manufacturers instructions for your machine to learn how to adjust pour volume settings) which may have been deliberately or inadvertently adjusted during use.

This most often results in longer-pour programming for your machine rather than a shorter pour.

Coffee Volume
Espresso capsules, just like commercial espresso machine porta-filters or ‘handles’ used by a professional barista, are designed to create the optimum individual espresso with between 5-7grams of finely ground coffee for each individual espresso.

Drink volume
A text book single espresso should be just 1.25 fl.oz of liquid. If you prefer a double or ‘doppio’ espresso you should really use 2 capsules to pour a 2.5 fl.oz drink (just as a professional barista would use a double-shot of ground coffee in a double porta-filter) rather than to infuse twice as much water through one capsule, as this will only dilute and weaken your premium quality coffee taste.

In fact the coffee connoisseurs’ choice is to order their espresso ‘ristretto’ (restricted) poured, at just 0.75 fl.oz to truly experience the finest and purest taste attributes and characteristics of each blend, and eliminate any of the bitterness that is experienced in coffee which is extracted for longer.

Blend Selection
Select the coffee blend that best suits your taste preference according to the strength or intensity rating on the package – Caffesso blends range in intensity from 3 to 12 – and there’s a reason there is a choice: because everyone’s palate is different.

Future Blends
(see FUTURE BLENDS)
Caffesso will launch new espresso and coffee blends in 2013/14 featuring aadditional character and strength choices.

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My Capsule doesn’t fit my Nespresso® ROMEO machine very well

This is an old machine no longer sold by Nespresso®. It was manufactured between 2004/2006, and in fact there have been myriad complaints about the machine breaking down: too many electrical problems and product jamming. It was a bit overcomplicated in its manufacture, hence its discontinuation.

CI points / suggestions as follows:

  1. It is more than likely that the machine will not have been broken by Nespresso® compatible capsules, for 2 reasons
    1. The capsule is loaded on the Romeo machine face down, coffee then extracted through the capsule vertically rather than the horizontal barrel configuration on Nespresso’s modern machines. This has the least potential of any Nespresso® machine configuration for jamming.
    2. Any ROMEO machine would be between 6 and 8 years old as of this writing. These machines, like most small household appliances and ‘white goods’, are designed with a built in obsolescence of about 4 years. Old age and long term wear and tear are more likely to blame than any Nespresso® compatible capsule, and in all likelihood the machine would have broken down using Nespresso® capsules at about the same time.

It would be entirely coincidental that a ROMEO machine would break down after 6+ years of use, when using a Nespresso®-compatible capsule !

  1. If the ROMEO problem is not a major breakdown, in most instances the machine can be shut down and turned back on again after a few minutes, so that it resets itself.
  2. There are a number of ‘fix-it’ solutions for older Nespresso® machines on line (sites like ‘Fixya – Solutions for everything’, for example) within which one may find a solution for whatever ails a machine
  3. The capsules will never fall straight through the Romeo machine because of the way the capsule is placed on the machine and then extracted vertically.
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Nespresso® Compatible Capsule Alignment

Nespresso® Machines and Nespresso® capsules fit together like very loose jigsaw puzzle pieces. The pyramidal shape, and matching slot in Nespresso® machines, along with the capsules’ extruded Aluminium construction, are patented by Nespresso®. Most Nespresso®-compatible polypropylene or plastic capsules are therefore made with a flat rather than pyramidal top.

The practical result of this small design difference is that Nespresso®-compatible capsules fit a Nespresso® machine capsule slot to about 90% accuracy rather than 95% accuracy with Nespresso® capsules (YES, Nespresso® capsules drop through too !), which can occasionally create a tendency for misalignment as compatible capsules are dropped into the machine. This is EASILY overcome by paying a little attention to capsule insertion technique.

Potential issues:
Compatible capsule pushed into machine slot, drops straight through into capsule disposal container, where Nespresso® capsule stays in place.
Solution: Don’t push the Nespresso®-Compatible capsule into place in the machine. Let it settle into place, otherwise it will drop straight through. Ensure capsule is aligned with compression head before closing the lever. If necessary, press the wide end of the capsule towards the front of the machine with your finger after you drop it in, before closing the lever, to ensure proper alignment as the lever is closed. Obviously, remove your finger before closing the lever !

Compatible capsule dropped into Nespresso® capsule slot tilts down or sideways and thus becomes out of alignment with compression chamber, where Nespresso® capsule stays aligned. Then when lever is being closed, it feels like its being forced to close.
Solution: open lever again and reposition Nespresso®-Compatible capsule. If necessary, press the wide end of the capsule towards the front of the machine with your finger after you drop it in, before closing the lever, to ensure proper alignment as the lever is closed. Close and lock lever and proceed as normal.

Lever closure feels forced: Caffesso makes its capsules of polypropylene rather than Aluminium, although the bottom foil of the compatible capsule is made of the same aluminium foil which is easily pierced by the Nespresso® machine. However, capsules may feel different in the machine lever-closure action.

When the lever on top of the Nespresso® machine is pressed down you align with the extraction unit, at the same time as puncturing the bottom of the capsule ready for coffee extraction. With Caffesso capsules, you don’t need to puncture the top of the capsule as precision perforations which maximise extraction flow through the coffee are already in the top of the capsule. So if the lever feels like its being forced with Nespresso®-Compatible capsules, its not ! This is the difference between capsule alignment mechanisms grasping the plastic ‘hips’ of the capsule rather than soft aluminium.
Solution: As long as you have your capsule properly aligned (see above), press the lever down until it locks. You will feel the pins ‘pop’ through the base foil as the capsule is simultaneously positioned correctly within the extraction unit. And proceed to make your Caffesso™ espresso as normal !

Bear in mind, Nespresso® compatible capsules will not damage a Nespresso® machine just because they’re plastic. In any contest between the strength of steel vs. plastic, steel always wins !