Welcome to Coffee Noire-ation: Carte Noire Collection Espresso helping you find your perfect pod partner.
Today we have the lovely Kiki- a mother of two young children, she is short on time and long on tiredness. She says she feels a bit stuck in a rut with her usual morning coffee and is looking for something with flavour and character to really get her morning school run off with a zoom. She needs a capsule that is Nespresso®* compatible, a coffee that is robust- to stand life in a busy household- yet sophisticated, and one that doesn’t taste too bitter as she drinks her coffee short and black: perfect for really getting the background flavours of blended coffees, and quick to drink, because she always has her coffee on the run whilst brushing hair, supervising teeth cleaning, and helping her children get their school coats on.
Let’s see what choices we have for this Multi-tasking mum, shall we?
First up, from the fabulous range of Carte Noire Collection Espresso capsules, we have N°3 Élégant. 3 is elegant and sophisticated, velvety on the tongue . An exceptional pure Arabica coffee with a smooth and subtle taste enhanced by cereal notes. 3 is your perfect companion for that mid-morning caffeine injection, as it has a flavour that is gentle on the palette, comforting yet not too strong. Biscuity notes make it a great accompaniment for that lovely pastry you bought when doing the supermarket shop this morning, and the ideal coffee to sip whilst you reward yourself with ten minutes sitting down and flicking through a magazine. Easy on the eye, with gently flattering grooves in the capsule, it’s just as easy to drink.
N°5 Délicat is a pure Arabica coffee with fruity notes and a silky texture. You are enveloped in a divine scent when you open 5’s packet, and the heady aroma steadily wraps around you whilst the coffee is being made. Creamy yet refreshing , this coffee has a liveliness that belies it’s name. Set squarely in the middle of the strength category, you shouldn’t dismiss this blend as run-of-the-mill. Perfect at any time of day, there’s never a reason not to share a cup with a friend. Keep an eye on this one: it will seduce you when you aren’t looking.
N°7 Aromatique is an aromatic pure Arabica coffee with delicate hints of cocoa. This has a stronger, richer, more earthy taste than 3 and 5, and the cocoa flavour comes through even in a mocha, which is a great mid-afternoon drink to gird your loins for the school run. In fact No. 7 works well in many milk-based drinks and the flavour holds it’s own even when used in the best coffee icing in the world. If it’s versatility you want, No. 7 is your perfect Nespresso-compatible capsule! And just look at the fabulous sophisticated packaging.
N°9 Intense is a rich, intense blend of pure, darkly roasted Arabica coffee. Dark and brooding, this is the coffee you want in your Nespresso® machine after a large meal, or to fire yourself up for a late-nighter. It’s strength and power still come through even in the milkiest latte, and just look at how shiny the gold foil seal is on it’s capsule! Even when expended, it looks glorious in your kitchen. Intense is not for everyone, but the strong full flavours will reward you with a little flamboyance in your daily life.
And now that we’ve met all the coffees, and given “Kiki” a chance to try them all, I wonder which one will be her perfect partner? Each capsule, deep in colour and topped with a decadent foil seal, comes wrapped individually, to preserve the flavour and aroma. Opening each one is such a sense-ation that it will be hard to decide on a favourite, and the flavour of the four coffee blends are certainly on a level playing field with the Nespresso® capsules we have tried. Of particular benefit is that the capsules are available on supermarket shelves and cost no more than the Nespresso® capsules, a great advantage for those of us who do not live near an approved Nespresso® capsule retailer, as we have to order online, and there is a minimum order. Yet for less than the price of a monthly magazine, you can add a box to your weekly shop, making this a budget-friendly choice.
Now, Kiki has deliberated, and tried all of the coffees and whilst she likes them all in different settings, there’s no doubt that her favourite is the Not-So-Délicat No 5: she loves the great aroma when the packet is opened and definitely agrees that it’s the perfect cup, whatever time of day. A clear winner in her house, where the box emptied three times as fast as the others. It will be in her shopping basket next week. Congratulations No 5 and thank you Carte Noire.
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This post is an entry in the Foodies100 Espresso Collective Challenge, sponsored by Carte Noire. Each box of Carte Noire Espresso capsules contain 10 single servings and are available in supermarkets at an RRP of £2.79 and are available in four intensities. To find out more about the new Carte Noire Collection Espresso click here
We were sent a selection of Carte Noire coffees, as well as receiving payment, for the purposes of writing this post, which has been entered into a competition to win a fabulous Paris-related prize. I “may” have based Kiki on my real life self. All opinions, comedy and images are therefore my own.
*Nespresso® is a registered trademark of a third party without any link with Mondelez International group. Compatible with all Nespresso®* machines bought before July 1, 2013. After that date, compatible with most Nespresso®* machines bought. For additional information regarding compatibility, please see UK: www.CARTENOIRE.co.uk/compatibility
Go on! You know you want to tell me what you think!