This is the Nespresso Ispirazione Italiana 2021 Ispirazione Novecento. A limited edition for 2021, the coffee was inspired by the 1940’s coffee of Italy—the spiritual home of espresso—when coffee was often dark roasted using wood-fired ovens.
The coffee is a dark roast of West African Robustas blended with heirloom Arabicas. It has an intensity of 9 out of 13 and comes in a matte black marble patterned capsule.
The espresso was a brown-black colour with a spicy and nutty aroma. Prepared as a long black with a 1:1 water-to-espresso ratio, the coffee was intense with a smoky dark roasted undertone persisting from head to finish, punctuated by initial spicy notes that developed with a nuttiness in the body. The smokiness evolved with spicy prominence in the finish ahead of a lingering, bitter aftertaste. The coffee was enjoyable for its minimal acidity and while its bitterness was not overwhelming, its heavy body made it better suited to milk.
This Nespresso Ispirazione Italiana 2021 Ispirazione Novecento contained 10 x 5.7 g capsules. It was produced in Switzerland and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2021.