Introduction
This is a review of the Nespresso Milano Intenso, which is a Limited Edition coffee release for the Nespresso Original Line machine. It was introduced worldwide at the end of January 2023 and appears to be a slight redesign of the popular Tribute to Milano capsule. The below table shows the comparison between the two coffee releases:
| Old Tribute to Milan | Milano Intenso | |
|---|---|---|
| Intensity | 9 | 8 |
| Bitterness | 3 | 3 |
| Acidity | 1 | 2 |
| Body | 4 | 3 |
| Roasting | 4 | 4 |
| Notes | Fruity, cereal | Toasted, fruity, cocoa |
The Milano Intenso uses arabicas from Latin America, which are medium roasted in a split roast technique, and a robusta is used for a smaller dark roast portion. The Intenso Milan can be brewed as either an espresso size or ristretto size cup. Notes mentioned by Nespresso are: dark cocoa, toasted cereal, jammy fruit, and a shimmer of spice.
The Milano Intenso was co-designed by Chiara Ferragni with the intent to create a coffee that is a tribute to the city of Milan.
Aroma
The Milano Intenso has somewhat mild aromas. I’m getting earthy notes, similar to Sumatran (i.e. the Nespresso Indonesia capsule) style coffee. The crema is medium thickness, dense and dark.
Taste
The Milano Intenso when brewed as an espresso has light fruit notes, possibly like lemon or another citrus fruit. It has cereal notes, somewhat like rye, and both light sweetness with a nice bitterness that lasts. I find it’s not very intense, but feels just right. The bitterness lasts even for a while after drinking the Milano Intenso, and it’s a nice bitterness.
When brewed as a ristretto it does have much stronger fruit notes, and tastes a lot like lemon or lemon peel. It’s much nicer as a ristretto, and has cereal and slight spicy notes. The bitterness is strong and lasts, but it’s a nice bitterness. You get those lemon like notes that last as well.
Result
The Milano Intenso is somewhat dissapointing to me, since I was hoping it would be a lot like the Tribute to Milano coffee which I loved so much. Although, if you like intense coffees, you should really like this one. It’s the traditional Italian coffee with intensity, bitterness and fruit notes. For those that don’t like fruit notes, I definitely do not recommend you order this one.
By the way, it was mentioned on r/nespresso that a second Italian coffee capsule for the Original Line machine would be coming out this year, which I was told of by an internal Nespresso employee. I’m guessing it probably will be a Tribute to Trieste like coffee. If you want to keep up with the latest information on Nespresso, make sure you check out r/nespresso regularly.
NOTE: I also thought that the 2021 Ispirazione Nevecento and Ispirazione Millennio (both of them) Limited Editions were way better tasting than the Milano Intenso; just so you have a comparison.
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Alvin Bunk 