The Journey to perfection
Perfect coffee is no coincidence. Which means we push the boundaries uncompromisingly at every step of the long value chain from tree to cup, carefully crafting our coffees for your pleasure.
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Perfect coffee isn't something that can be left to chance.
Perfect coffee pleasure is no accident; it must be deliberately created, consistently and without compromise, cup after cup, by living our principles.
Along the complex path from bean to cup there are quicker and cheaper ways of doing what we do, but there is no better way.
A single faulty bean can taint a whole batch, so we take control of quality down to the very last one - with a deliberate dedication to getting the details right at every step of the way.
In our AAA Sustainable Quality Program, we're learning together with our farmers how to improve their farms. At the end of the day, it's the farmers who best understand their coffee trees.
Juan Diego, Nespresso AAA Manager in Costa Rica
How we make coffee
Coffee is harvested and processed in countries of origin, which means it is pulped, fermented, washed, and dried there.
It is the seed of the coffee cherry (called “green bean”) that we transport to roasting facilities in Switzerland. Once here, it is blended and roasted to perfection. As a final step, it is ground and encapsulated.
Responsible sourcing tastes best
Our approach necessitates another level of selectivity which concerns the sustainability of the coffee tree and coffee world in general.
To address the issue of coffee's future, we created the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program in 2003 in conjunction with the non-profit, Rainforest Alliance. This approach enables Nespresso to safeguard the future supply of the highest quality coffee, while paying farmers a higher income and protecting the natural environment. Our commitment goes beyond this, it is about a long-term relationship and continued loyalty to the coffee farmers in the program.
Our certification system positively impacts thousands of farmers, families and environment.
Chris Wille, Chief of the Sustainable Agriculture Program, Rainforest Alliance
Nespresso is committed to
Quality
The best quality coffee
Sustainability
The natural environment
Productivity
A long-term relationship with our farmers
Harvesting quality from the best terroirs
The fruit of the Coffea Rubiaceae tree, coffee grows between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer.
As with wine, great coffee draws its characteristics from its terroir; the result of harmony between soil, weather conditions, variety, aspect and altitude. We call the tree's fruit a "cherry" for its luscious red colour whe ripe and its cherry-like shape. As with any fruit, coffee tastes best when harvested perfectly ripe.
Coffee is a cherry like wine grapes
Cherries from the same tree will ripen at differing rates and therefore should be picked at different times.
In order to pick only correctly ripened fruit, the majority of coffees used are harvested by hand. Though more costly in time and money, this guarantees the best quality because beans that are too green or overripe are eliminated.
From the French word "terre" (soil), terroir designates a defined region where in the growing environments are of similar altitude, soil composition and climate (temperature, rainfall, sunshine, humidity etc).
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Soil - Altitude
- Latitude
- Rainfall
- Sunshine
Soil 
Altitude 
Latitude 
Rainfall 
Sunshine Not all beans are created equal
The better the grading, the more consistent the beans... the more even the roast, and ultimately the ore balanced the cup.
Safeguarding quality through all stages from farm to cup requires us to carry out repeated and systematic physical and taste checks; prior to bagging the coffee at origin, prior to transporting by sea or air, and again upon arrival in Europe. Taste (or "cup") testing ensures only the finest, cleanest coffee is selected.
Harmonic ingredients
Just as a perfumer knows the harmonics of his ingredients, so our master blenders create aromatic compositions.
We develop our coffees in a blend composition much like a form of magical alchemy. Nespresso panel cuppers are intensively trained, tested, certified and re-certified every 3 months for their ability to identify quality. Sensory evaluation looks beyond physical attributes, linking taste to variety, terroir and care in cultivation.
Back in Switzerland, we select specific coffee origins for their unique characteristics, (aroma, flavour, body, etc), combining components in proportions designed to enhance their individual brilliance.
As a perfumer knows the harmonics of his ingredients, so our master coffee tasters understand the transformation of fragrance and flavours. Having practiced these skills for over 25 years, Nespresso quality is a result of mastery, not coincidence.
The subtle blending of varieties reveals a wealth of flavours, each contributing remarkable characteristics. The two main commercial coffee species grown, Arabica and Robusta each bring distinct characteristics to a blend. Coffees of both types must pass physical, sensory and sustainable standards tests of the highest order.
Where Arabica brings finesse, acidity, clarity and elegance to the cup, Robusta adds heft, body, texture and pure coffee aromatics. Nespresso uses between 90% to 95% Arabicas with some Robustas to either add spice to select coffees, or create unique personalities in others.
For each coffee, Nespresso select only some of the best beans in the world.
Nespresso Quality specialist, Green Coffee
Terroir-specific roasting for terroir-specific aromas
Roasting and grinding are vital stages in creating our Nespresso coffees as this is where we reveal the full flavour and aromatic potential of the green coffee beans
Correct roasting depends on finding the time, temperature and other parameters best suited to a blend, thereby allowing origin characteristics to be fully expressed.
Whilst poor roasting can ruin the finest coffee, an expert technique elicits the best of every ingredient, balancing origin-specific characteristics and allowing each coffee to show its unique personality. For this reason, Nespresso develops a specific roast profile for each blend.
Depending on the roast technique used, the same coffee can acquire vastly different cup results. By knowing the character of our beans, we roast each with the goal of optimising and maximising its flavour. Origin, type, shipment, batch… all these variables impact roasting. Our expert understanding ensures consistency cup after cup, year after year, irrespective of seasonal fluctuations.
Made-to-measure grinding for optimal extractions
Ultimately, grinding is what allows coffee aromas to be released, making it a critical step in delivering an aromatic experience while drinking a Nespresso coffee
The grinding technique, therefore, optimises extraction and end cup quality. As every coffee type or blend extracts differently, our approach to grinding is not uniform, but varied, highly individualised, and adjusted for the best quality cup of each Nespresso coffee.
Capturing freshness: safeguarding aromas for your cup
Nespresso created the hermetically sealed aluminium capsule as the optimal way to lock in freshness.
Aluminium capsules were designed for their complete barrier capacity that protects around 900 volatile aromas of coffee. Sealing in this manner prevents oxidation and guarantees optimal cup freshness. From the completion of roasting onwards, all processing is under a controlled atomosphere in order that no oxygen should touch coffee en route to encapsulation.
In the final quality step to the customer, extraction, Nespresso's comprehensive quality system ensures that finished capsules interact with machines in such a way as to extract all the flavours that have been so carefully sought, selected for, roasted, ground and packed... In other words, to serve as the ultimate expression of all that has gone before. Our brewing systems operate at the right water temperature, quantity and pressure for each coffee profile, so they deliver our quality promise in the cup.
The material was also favoured because it is infinitely recyclable and thus not only maintains quality and flavour integrity, but is not a spent resource once used. Compared against the production of primary aluminium, the recycling of aluminium products consumes as little as 5% of the energy and emits only 5% of the greenhouse gases. As part of our vision, Nespresso has already put in place used capsule collection capacity for recycling above 80% at end 2013, reaching our target one year earlier than planned.
Discover the wide range of Nespresso Coffee
Ispirazione Italiana coffee range
Introducing Ispirazione Italiana, our latest range inspired by the unique coffee roasting expertise of Italy's diverse regions. Let the journey begin!
