Espresso Blends

 Creating the perfect espresso blend is a mixture of art, science and a lot of tasting! Coffees from different regions of the world have remarkably different taste profiles, and even within a growing region there can be much variation from one estate to another; depending on altitude, soil conditions and many other factors. Our philosophy is to develop blends that offer more to the palate than coffee from any single origin.

The 2 commercial coffee species Coffea Arabica and Coffea Robusta also bring very different characteristics to a coffee blend. Arabica is generally the more sought after, with better flavour and aroma attributes. However Robusta coffee has a higher caffeine content and also develops better crema in espresso coffee. In Italy it is common practice to add a small proportion of Robusta coffee to an espresso blend in order to give more kick, a practice that also works very well with New Zealand's most popular espresso coffee: the flat white.

We have several blends that have been engineered specifically for the cafe espresso experience. These include both Italian style espresso blends (containing a little Coffee Robusta) as well as the smoother 100% Arabica blends. Also included in the range is our 100% Fairtrade Organic coffee blend Pascolo - with bean sourced directly from Trade Aid.

In 2009 our Milano blend was awarded a bronze medal, in the flat white category, at the national NZ Coffee Awards. At the most recent coffee awards in 2010, our Milano blend was awarded a silver medal in the espresso category, and our decaf also picked up a silver medal.

Wholesale enquiries to jonathan@chiasso.co.nz or call the office on 09 445 1816.