Nespresso ties up with pastry chef Pierre Herme for limited-edition coffee collection
Every year, Nespresso releases a limited-edition festive collection for the holidays. Its latest collaboration is with world-renowned French pastry chef and chocolatier Pierre Herme for a collection that is inspired by Paris, where he is based.
The 60-year-old chef established his own brand, Maison Pierre Herme Paris, in 1998, and it is famous for its pastries, macarons and chocolates. It has boutiques in Paris and Tokyo.
His collection with Nespresso this year will be launched on Nov 3 in Nespresso stores here and online. It comprises three new coffees inspired by French patisseries, as well as advent calendars and a scented candle.
The coffee capsules, which cost from $10 for a pack of 10, boast flavours like Infiniment Espresso, with “vibrant red fruit and smooth cereal notes”, and Infiniment Gourmand Saveur Noisette, with the aroma of roasted hazelnuts with sweet top notes of almond biscotti and vanilla.
The advent calendars comprise 24 coffee capsules, some limited-edition, and cost from $50 each. Completing the collection is the Cafe Noble Scented Candle ($65), which was created by Herme together with French perfumer Olivia Giacobetti. Contained in a porcelain vessel, it has notes of cinnamon, vanilla, spice and a robust Arabica bean.
In an e-mail interview, The Sunday Times quizzes Herme about the inspiration behind the new creations and his own coffee rituals.
Q: What do you personally look for in a cup of coffee?
A: What is most important in coffee for me is the taste. And achieving great taste in coffee comes with precision. I love to say that coffee, like pastry, is an art.
I also appreciate trying new coffees, blends or single origins, from new regions. The Infiniment Espresso coffee we have created with Nespresso is a good example. We selected this coffee from the region of Tolimo in Colombia for its special aromatics and we roasted it to achieve the right level of bitterness and a perfect mouthfeel with vibrant notes of red fruit.
Q: How do you drink your coffee?
A: I mainly drink espresso because that’s where I find the best expression of coffee. With the sweetness, bitterness and many nuances that can be found, coffee is a universe of tastes.
I must say that sometimes, I will fall for a cappuccino in the morning. I drink it with full-fat milk and without cocoa on the milk foam.
Q: What is your relationship with coffee and how has it evolved over time?
A: I discovered it very young with my parents. At the time, it was filter coffee with sugar. Now it’s espresso.
Our approach to coffee at Pierre Herme Paris is extremely rigorous and precise, with different infusion methods depending on the product. For example, if we make a croissant for our cafe, the coffee infusion in it will not be the same as in a tart or in a mocha drink.
Q: Do you have a particular coffee ritual?
A: When I make coffee, I try to measure the weight of the coffee, check the water temperature, the water quality. I’m super attentive to everything contributing to the coffee’s taste.
What’s interesting is I find the work of the barista and the work of the pastry chef to be extremely similar because there is the same attention to detail and the same precision – we weigh everything when we work with coffee and pastry or chocolate.
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