Jan 2016 - New Nespresso capsules, Mysore Nuggets, Brazil

Date Posted:6 February 2016 

 

Take 2 - new generation Nespresso capsules

After releasing our first generation Nespresso-compatible capsule in 2013, we took a break from that segment during 2015 to observe the evolution of the capsule market.
Our involvement with single serve portion control coffee goes back 5 years via our market-leading ESE pods, so dealing with such low dosage products provides us with interesting insights.
The 1st generation capsules provided some opportunities for improvements and no matter how high the quality grade of the coffee used in the capsule, it was remarkably difficult to generate sufficient flavor without resorting to higher caffeine elements (which we understand the original inventor of the systems has also done).
We were also constrained by the wrapping technology available at the time - having 3x capsules in a wrapper was never going to be an optimal solution for the end customers.
The key challenge with the capsule clone market (domestic Nespresso compatible) is that nobody except for Nestle has the appropriate material to create a full hermetically sealed capsule (it's also the reason there has been such a land fill waste backlash). That is, only Nestle has the packaging that deploys a food-grade plastic lined aluminum product to ensure a basic barrier seal without needing a wrapper.
Unfortunately there are now many sellers in Australia offering capsule clones promising hermetic seals from their plastic products, but the honest truth is that it's not possible - these products are being sold without sufficient levels of full disclosure regarding product lifecycles and certainly lacking advice to prospective customers about the real and rapid degradation of the contents.
Those plastic capsule leach the essential volatile compounds via a process called effusion, so the capsule is effectively stale when you use it.
The disappointing fact is that sellers, including many ranges available in supermarkets only care about fast moving products - not about quality and integrity.
The only current reliable alternative is to wrap the capsule in a metalized foil and flush with nitrogen gas to displace oxygen.
Our new 2nd generation capsules use the most advanced clone capsule product on the market - individually wrapped. We believe they are the best nespresso compatible capsules in Australia.
To fill the capsules, we leveraged our best coffee blend, roasted a fraction darker to produce more intensity.
The capsules were converted locally by a specialized provider and we offer them for sale in the mycuppa store here

 

Yes.....back in store


Mysore Nuggets

Back in November 2015, we ran the India Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold on pre-order to limit the quantity of kilos that would be sold from our small holding.
My thoughts are that Nuggets were the best tasting espresso coffee in years. It was nothing short of amazing and those lucky customers who first tried it were quick on the phone to secure more.
Our next small shipment was due to arrive in the 2nd week of December, however, the ship was delayed in transit and the fresh crop arrived in our warehouse late last week on 7th January 2016. We do not have a lot of this wonderful coffee - it's likely to run out by March.
If you love black coffee, then Mysore Nuggets definitely has to be your go to bean.
Delightful acid balance, sweet raisin softness and a silky smooth body leading to a stewed currant finish.
Just superb.
India MysoreNuggets Extra Bold

 

Australian coffee drinkers addicted to textured milk...

A funny thing happened on my holidays - I discovered something that had been sitting right under my nose for ages.
No, it wasn't some weird relaxed state of mind or the creation of a new coffee innovation but an observation that came as a bit of a shock.
It's about milk.......and the critically important role milk plays in the psyche of the Australian coffee drinker.
To read my story, please click on the following link......Addicted to Milk

 

Brazil bouncing back

The world's largest producer by a clear margin, 12 months ago Brazil suffered one of it's worst droughts in history.
This affected the growing and flowering seasons and subsequently the volumes that were realized from yields were lower than forecast.
The impact was a price spike as fears of a global coffee shortage forced demand to exceed supply on the futures exchanges.
In the cup, we thought Brazils were a bit milder during 2015 and subsequently we went a fair bit shorter on Brazils than we had in the past requiring us to go longer on Colombians to make up the shortfall.
We were extremely fortunate to pickup the Cambara Natural microlot. Here was a Brazil that had plenty of cup flavor and complexity.
Last week we received a new crop of fresh Brazil from a specialty bourbon supplier.
This coffee is a beautifully prepared semi-washed natural with a very small screen size - it's super sweet, chocolate and nut with sweet apricots and stone fruits running through a well defined and balanced body.
We are using this wonderful new Brazil in our popular Super Brazil blend - available here

 

El Salvador difficulties prevail

El Salvador coffee has been a staple in our portfolio since late 2007 when we picked up our first lot of the Himalaya branded bourbon and it has been high on my list of "must haves" ever since.
The coffees from El Salvador have a defined sweetness that sets them apart from other Central American origins. We absolutely love how El Salvador coffees work with espresso and in particular milk-based espresso.
The situation in El Salvador has been deteriorating for a long time. Civil war, gangs terrorizing governments and authorities and in the last couple of crop seasons the Roya (Coffee Leaf Rust) has affected El Salvador farms with greater impact than other areas of Central America. Part of this has been due to a lack of infrastructure and capital from an economy has been on it's knees for too long.
Over the last 18 months, we have gone short on El Salvador coffees. This has not been an easy decision as premium El Salvador coffees were important components in most of our specialty grade blends.
However, the actions are in direct response to limited supply, escalated prices and to some degree average cup qualities.
Following on from the Roya epidemic, the current El Nino weather has caused a crippling drought in the Eastern area of the coffee plantations.
There is currently no incentive for young Salvadoran men and women to take up farming - pickers at harvest earn just 4 USD per day and the only way farmers can attract labor is to offer free housing, energy and food during the harvest periods.
We don't see the situation improving any time soon and it's likely the coffee in El Salvador is in a state of crisis - which is a real shame. The country knows and accepts there is a problem and they are doing their best to focus on specialty grade coffees to avoid the commodity trap.

Ethiopians......what the ?

If you are a fan of our Ethiopians, then you may have noticed or even wondered why there might have been a few changes on some of your orders for Sidamo, Yirgacheffe and Harrar coffees - depending upon when you place the order.
We have a number of holding for each of these varietals and I have been rotating through these lots on alternate basis - e.g. open a 60kg bag of Sidamo Guji Natural and roast that bean until the bag is empty. The next bag to open will be the Sidamo Bensa washed which has different attributes and characteristics to the Guji natural. Similarly, we do this with the various Yirgacheffe coffees from Aramo, Aricha, Dumeresco, Edido, Kochere, etc. For a while during 2015, we also ran a Limu natural alongside our ever popular Limu washed.
Please do not be alarmed- these are all Grade 1 coffees of the highest available from the import list arriving into Australia.
Washed coffees have a darker and more consistent bean appearance. They tend to have a higher lemon and honey component in the cup and are cleaner in cup definition.
Naturals are more floral, giving off incredible aromatics when ground, have a mottled appearance (mix of light colored and darker colored roasted beans), create more body and tend to be fruitier (particularly berry notes) than the washed varietals.

From the team at mycuppa.com.au, we wish you a happy New Year.