New Nespresso 2014 Limited Edition Cubania Coffee Reviewed
It may surprise you to learn that there is no Cuban coffee in this Cubania Nespresso. What may surprise you more is to learn that coffee was ripped up in Cuba and replaced with sugar cane. There were some amazing varietals of coffee and they were utterly destroyed to plant sugar cane.
What Nespresso have done with this coffee is to attempt to recreate the feelings and movement of Cuban culture by combing a multitude of coffees in just the right amount with just the right roast in a single capsule. The coffees of India, Brazil, Indonesia and Columbia, different varieties and different regions, have all been brought together to create the strongest ever blend. With this espresso a 13 on the scale, I have a feeling a recalibration is in order. Spinal Tap would not approve 😉
This coffee is intense but thankfully not too over-roasted. There are still seriously heavy notes of a really heavy-handed roast but it pulls back from the absolute charred flavour but does pass the caramel into the burnt sugar notes for me. While I could take it on its own, I was much more fond of it the way it was intended to be taken – short with a hit of sugar. This really mellowed the more aggressive roasted notes without diminishing the impact of the flavours. A balanced flavour profile, the coffee was a bit too much straight up but missed with anything (like in a mojito) it was glorious! The sugar in the espresso cup with the shot was perfectly designed – almost as if they meant it… (they did 😉 )
According to Nespresso themselves: “CubanÃa breaks Nespresso’s own coffee intensity record by hitting intensity level 13. Determining a coffee’s intensity is based on the density of the beans roasted and their potential extraction into the cup. To enjoy CubanÃa, extract a 25ml ristretto, mix it with a measure of cane sugar, extract a second 25ml ristretto and pour over the creamy coffee and sugar mixture.” I used an espresso shot with sugar I stirred half way through.
The sleeves of sugar are the same Nespresso packaging, making them almost indistinguishable from a coffee sleeve. Without the small lettering letting you know it is sugar, it would be easy to mistakenly grab them instead of coffee. These are meant to be used with the coffee – not saved and brought out for guests (I’m looking at you dad!) so drink your coffee Cuban-style the Nespresso way – one shot of sugar, one shot of Cubania, let rest and mix to enjoy!
My opinion only, but sugar is simply not needed. It takes away from the experience. It’s like putting sugar in beer, beer is supposed to be bitter not sweet. Hot chocolate should be sweet, not coffee.
Seriously, have you ever tasted the Nespresso CubanÃa? The coffee is simply undrinkable! It tastes like plastic. It is by far the worst coffee from Nespresso. I bought a pack of 10. I took one and almost threw up. On another day, I took a second to make sure the taste and really is disgusting.
Sério, vocês já provaram o Nespresso CubanÃa? O café é simplesmente intragável! Tem gosto de plástico. É de longe o pior café da Nespresso. Comprei a embalagem com 10. Tomei um e quase vomitei. Em outro dia, tomei um segundo para ter certeza e realmente o sabor é repugnante.
Hi Samuel – not only have I tried it, I have gone through 2 packs and am ordering more. Maybe our tastes simply differ but I have tasted plastic and mine was fine and clear of that flavour. I can also identify rubber and that flavour was not there. Perhaps you got a bad batch?