We are defenders, lovers and practitioners of good coffee, of precise roasting, of using the most appropriate techniques. But all this is not incompatible with being able to enjoy delicious coffee in the quickest and most convenient way. With this in mind, we started to think about how we could do it and it turned out that the best solution had already been invented: instant coffee.
Nearly a century of instant coffee
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Originally, instant coffee was invented to dispose of the large surplus of coffee that an Italian-French bank operating in South America had in its warehouses due to the fall in prices caused by the Wall Street crisis in 1929. Nestlé’s Max Morgenthaler was responsible for finding a formula that would make use of all that coffee and turn it into a novel, easy-to-use product. After much research, the first instant coffee was launched on the Swiss market in 1938 and, two years later, its success took it to 30 countries around the world.
This is how, for decades now, we have seen instant coffee in supermarkets and bars. But, frankly, we all know that this is not the best coffee. For this reason, we at NOMAD COFFEE wanted to make instant coffee a much better coffee and we set out to discover the best method, putting all our effort into making it possible.
How We Do It
After numerous freeze-drying trials conducted in laboratories across 5 different countries, we have succeeded in creating a high-quality coffee, available both with and without caffeine, which performs well with hot and cold water in any situation. To produce the instant coffee, we prepare an extract with high concentrations and the chosen flavor intensity, which is later dried to form a powder. It then undergoes a cold freeze-drying process, and once frozen, the remaining water is removed through sublimation, resulting in a premium instant coffee powder that is quickly packaged. “Now, we can enjoy a NOMAD cup on a plane, on a train, in your hotel room, at the beach, atop a mountain, or simply when you don’t have time to visit your favorite coffee shop or make a coffee at home,” explains Francisco González, our Director of Coffee.
The coffee: Chambaku (Colombia)
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Of course, the coffee beans would be of high quality, as we don’t work with coffees we don’t believe in, and this was to be no exception. We chose our Chambaku coffee, one of NOMAD COFFEE’s flagship coffees, grown in Caldas (Colombia) at 1,450-1,600 metres above sea level by Juan Felipe Restrepo.
The coffee is named after the Finca Chambakú, where it is grown, which is the Restrepo family’s new project: 12 hectares located in Villamaría (Caldas), in the extension that makes up the Hacienda El Jardín. Recently, the Restrepo family have adapted their traditional coffee cultivation methods to an agro-industrial system that allows them to promote the production of differentiated, plot-based coffees. The optimal conditions of the environment and the proximity of the coffee plantations to the coffee processing facilities make it possible to maintain an exhaustive control that guarantees the excellent quality of the coffee.
Chambakú is processed exclusively according to our quality standards, hand-picking only the coffee cherries that have reached optimum ripeness, which are then subjected to an aerobic fermentation process for one day. They are then pulped and fermented for another day in water. Drying, which takes place in mechanical silos, is carried out intermittently for five days to adequately control the temperature.
The coffee: Chambaku (Colombia)
.
Of course, the coffee beans would be of high quality, as we don’t work with coffees we don’t believe in, and this was to be no exception. We chose our Chambaku coffee, one of NOMAD COFFEE’s flagship coffees, grown in Caldas (Colombia) at 1,450-1,600 metres above sea level by Juan Felipe Restrepo.
The coffee is named after the Finca Chambakú, where it is grown, which is the Restrepo family’s new project: 12 hectares located in Villamaría (Caldas), in the extension that makes up the Hacienda El Jardín. Recently, the Restrepo family have adapted their traditional coffee cultivation methods to an agro-industrial system that allows them to promote the production of differentiated, plot-based coffees. The optimal conditions of the environment and the proximity of the coffee plantations to the coffee processing facilities make it possible to maintain an exhaustive control that guarantees the excellent quality of the coffee.
Chambakú is processed exclusively according to our quality standards, hand-picking only the coffee cherries that have reached optimum ripeness, which are then subjected to an aerobic fermentation process for one day. They are then pulped and fermented for another day in water. Drying, which takes place in mechanical silos, is carried out intermittently for five days to adequately control the temperature.
With and Without Caffeine: Tasting Notes
NOMAD COFFEE instant coffee is available with and without caffeine. The caffeinated version has notes of milk chocolate, floral honey, and pear, while the decaffeinated version, equally delightful, tastes like cocoa powder, molasses, and pecans. Both are well-balanced, sweet, and creamy coffees with a pleasant, lingering aftertaste, perfect to enjoy black, with milk, or plant-based beverages.
We believe that NOMAD COFFEE’s specialty instant coffee is a true lifesaver and the first of its kind in Spain. “A few years ago, we might have considered making instant coffee sacrilegious. However, today, the specialty coffee world has evolved to the point where it can appreciate a good product like this,” says Gonzalez, smiling as he sips a cup of Chambakú instant coffee.
Available in our locations, at nomadcoffee.es, and from NOMAD dealers.