Partner content: Nespresso reveals exclusive new coffee variety, a taste innovation 20 years in the making

Nespresso has announced the launch of N°20, a new and bespoke coffee cultivated exclusively for its superlative taste to surprise and delight coffee drinkers and the culmination of 20 years of research and dedication.

Born of a dream to create the ultimate cup of coffee in response to consumers’ increasingly discerning palates and penchant for rare and high-quality varieties, Nespresso’s coffee team began by identifying the finest Arabicas from its Coffee Collection Catalogue.

Since 2003, Nespresso’s coffee masters have worked tirelessly to create this high-quality Arabica coffee plant and identify the ideal terroir in which the new variety would flourish.

The result is a coffee that boasts an exquisite taste profile, featuring enticing orange blossom aromas and fresh citrus notes. N°20 is Q certified by the Coffee Quality Institute, an independent non-profit organisation that designates high standards of quality in the coffee industry.

A decades-long quest for perfection

Taking inspiration from generations of farmers who have traditionally cross-planted coffee varieties to create more resilient plants, Nespresso’s experts decided to use this common practice in their quest for taste perfection.

Once they settled on a combination that yielded this high-quality taste, the team set about looking for the ideal environment to plant the variety. 

After experimental plantings in Colombia, Nicaragua and Indonesia, N°20 was eventually found to thrive best in the soil of the Cauca and Caldas regions of Colombia. There, the coffee was grown by just 59 farmers who collectively planted and cared for one million coffee trees of this new and unique Arabica variety. 

In keeping with Nespresso’s commitment to making coffee a force for good, the 59 farmers who cultivated the new variety are all part of the Nespresso AAA Program and were consequently paid a premium as a reward for their investment in sustainable high quality. 

Guillaume Le Cunff, CEO of Nespresso, said: “N°20 is the embodiment of Nespresso’s values: an obsession with perfection and a determination to innovate. Twenty years of dedication has resulted in an exquisite taste unlike anything that coffee lovers have tried before. I’m thrilled to be able to share this labour of love with people – its quality is a true testament to what decades of passion can produce!”

Karsten Ranitzsch, Head of Coffee at Nespresso, said: “They say good things are worth waiting for, and that’s certainly true when it comes to N°20. Notes of orange blossom, accompanied by rich flowery and fruity aromatics and a bright, citric acidity combine to create a coffee with a rare, elegant and subtle personality. Developed with creating the perfect taste front of mind, N°20 is guaranteed to delight even the most discerning drinker.”

N°20 is a seasonal coffee, meaning that coffee lovers can enjoy its elegant and aromatic profile for a limited amount of time each year. To fully enjoy its rare and refined taste, Nespresso recommends that the subtle flavours of N°20 be best enjoyed as an espresso.

N°20 is a limited edition with a limited volume, and will be launched in Nespresso Original capsules in 2023.