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According to legend, in days gone by, the 1700s to be abstractly precise, ships carrying coffee beans across the Indian ocean were subject to intense monsoonal winds, spraying salty water and salty air across the decks, seeping through the cracks and into the cargo. The inherent nature and texture of the coffee beans was altered over these journeys up and down the Malabar coast, infusing the coffee with a sylvan, saliferous hue redolent of those wet and windy voyages.
To capture the spirit of those adventurous maritime days aboard seawhipped galleons and clippers, Nespresso has introduced the limited edition Monsoon Malabar grand crus, the latest in its collection of nostalgic, culturally inspired flavours. The recent past has seen Maragogype (Central America), Cubania (the Caribbean) and Cauca and Santander (Colombia) all unleashed on Australian palates.
Nespresso briefly had Monsoon Malabar in its range last year, as part of its Good Food & Wine Show partnership, and the response was so strong it’s being disembarked again.
“Nespresso invites you to experience a story of coffee, wind and pleasure with the Monsoon Malabar Limited Edition Grand Cru,” a representative of the Swiss company told me. “This legendary coffee takes you on an unforgettable journey to discover its exclusive woody and spicy aromas, tinged with subtle salty notes. It will surround you with its bold intensity 8 and capture you with its strong character and pleasant, refined aftertaste.”
Monsoon Malabar is available from Nespresso for $8.90 per sleeve of 10 capsules. It is intended to be poured as either a ristretto or an espresso, and enjoyed with a chocolaty petit four.
Meanwhile, Nespresso has partnered with Berlin design studio Geckeler Michels to create the Touch collection of coffee vessels, pictured here:
“We tried to integrate the strongest identity element of Nespresso in the cup design, which is the shape of the capsule,” David Geckeler and Frank Michels told me. “This is reflected in the form of the upper part of each cup. The result is a cup shape with a strong silhouette which provides a subconscious hint to the brand’s identity.”
In addition to the two cup sizes pictured above (cappuccino and mug), there are also espresso and lungo sizes. All are available in packs of two for RRP $30 (espresso) and RRP $35 (all others). There are two packs available: two espresso and two lungo for RRP $58, and two cappuccino and two mugs for RRP $62.
Here are all four stylishly positioned on a rocky outcrop:
