I love coffee. But I also love espresso and I also love Lungo.
For those not familiar with coffee may wonder, what is Espresso? Well, Espresso machines pressurize and shoots near boiling-water through finely ground coffee beans packed into cakes. Espresso is known for its complex, aromatic and caffeine-packed shot of coffee. Lungo which means “long” in Italian, makes the flavor a bit more milder, as more water lessens the intensity.
As many coffee has become popularized in the US via Keurig K-Cups, Nestle’s Nespresso line of machines brew espresso and coffee from coffee capsules/pods and for the most part, they are premium-priced (these are about a $1 per capsule and on Amazon, each box, you get 10 each and three boxes).
And with Nespresso machines, their original line was great but it’s small coffee using small capsules but Nespresso offee fans wanted larger servings and thus, in 2014, Nespresso launched their Vertuoline system of machines.
And Nespresso is quite successful and they also have a popular celebrity promoting their coffee machines.
For this review, I take a look at the Nespresso Capsules VertuoLine: Alto XL Intenso, Dark Roast Coffee and it’s one that I have been looking forward to because I love dark roast coffee. It’s my preference!
The Alto XL line is their bigger cup Nespresso line and there are only two offerings, Intenso XL and Dolce XL.
The Alto Intenso XL features notes of dried wood and dark caramel and features a washed Robusta from Guatemala. So, a combination with the washed Arabica from Costa Rica, the blend of these two coffee beans results in a dense, thick crema (the reddish-brown froth on top of the espresso).
Smooth and bitterly strong, with an intensity of 7, the coffee features a similar caffeine level of an Arabica but a partial decaffeination of the Robusta portion. It may not be for everyone, but I really enjoy the taste.
This coffee is so delicious and of course, you have to love dark roast coffee to fully appreciate it. With this, I do add a little non-fat cream to it and it makes for a perfect morning coffee for me.
Overall, I recommend the Nespresso Capsules VertuoLine: Alto XL Intenso, Dark Roast Coffee.
