The evolving coffee ritual

As consumers continue to demand a unique fine dining experience, Nespresso explores how coffee is no longer just a post-meal digestif.

Coffee is an integral part of the fine dining experience and for many customers it is the last thing they taste at the end of a meal. In order to ensure their guests walk away having enjoyed an exceptional dining experience, it is not surprising to find that many chefs are now placing more thought into the choice and quality of the coffee they serve.

For more than a decade, we have been working closely with some of the world’s top chefs to further refine and perfect the coffee experience. Through initiatives such as our Coffee Sommelier Programme, both sommeliers and chefs have been able to develop a deeper understanding of the ritulisation of coffee - because the quality of the coffee being served is just as important, as how it has been cultivated, processed and then brewed to create a perfect cup.

In fact, it is through our workshops, we have seen the coffee ritual evolve and a new fine dining trend emerge – one that sees coffee served throughout the menu and makes sommeliers experts in coffee as well as wine. Understanding the complex layers, flavours and aromas of a coffee and how that matches with a dessert or what has been served before is incredibly important to ensure that customers receive the ultimate culinary experience. Nespresso works with fine dining chefs and sommeliers to help them perfect this knowledge so that they can offer a unique, personalised experience to their diners.

Customers are always seeking new fine dining experiences and the evolving coffee ritual is an integral part of this. This ritual is not for show but rather about improving and perfecting the overall dining experience – through the selection of the best coffee, served in the best way for its flavours and aromas to shine.

After all as the two time Michelin-starred chef Claude Bosi from Bibendum in the UK notes, “If you serve the best coffee, it doesn’t matter if you serve it with violins. You want to finish on the best taste. Coffee is the last touch on a great moment.”

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