Ristretto coffee: How Naples inspired this intense espresso
Inspired by Italy, our experts created this intricate coffee with the highest number of origins and sophisticated coffee blending.
Italy is, of course, the home of the espresso. In 1905, the La Pavoni Ideale was the first so-called espresso machine to enter production, using pressure brewing to speed up the process. Each customer could have their own “expressly” brewed cup of coffee instead of being served from the communal urn. It tasted like concentrated drip-brewed coffee.
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In the 1980s, when a Swiss engineer who worked for Nestlé went on holiday to Italy with his Italian wife, she promptly asked him to create a coffee as good as the one she was drinking. He then developped the first portioned coffee system. Soon after, Nespresso was born, and we’ve been crafting exceptional coffee ever since.
To develop an intense espresso, our thoughts naturally returned to Italy again, specifically Naples. We surveyed the city’s best bars (where Italians typically drink their coffee [link to How to Order Coffee in Italy: The Rules]), visited the local expert coffee roasters and went on to create the Ristretto, a Neapolitan classic with a Nespresso twist. This powerful blend has the highest number of coffees from different countries in our range. We’ve very carefully blended them to bring out a bright note, setting it apart from other ristrettos.
We went on to create the Ristretto blend, a Napolitan classic with a Nespresso twist.
It includes Arabica beans from southern Colombia’s high plateaux, which develop fine, fruity and slightly acidic aromas due to the soil and the use of the wet method, which involves fermenting coffee to loosen the fruit surrounding the beans, then washing it off with water.
Arabica
DEFINITION
Arabica: Arabica is a species of coffee, originally from Ethiopia. Two thirds of the world’s coffee production is made from it.
We also use an Arabica grown on Brazilian hillsides and processed with the dry method (the cherries are dried while they’re still whole then hulled) to bring out their character and maximise body. And we’ve added East African Arabicas for their fine acidic notes. We use the time-honored Neapolitan technique of split-roasting, which is roasting coffee beans of a similar density together to bring out their best characteristics and blending the portions back together after roasting.
We quickly roast together two of the washed Arabicas, while we give the Brazilian Arabica and a Robusta (both processed by the dry method) a much longer dual roast to generate strength and character.
Split-roasting
DEFINITION
Split-roasting: Split-roasting means roasting coffee beans of a similar density or size together to bring out their best characteristics.
Clearly, we’ve got a lot to thank Naples for.
