I can’t imagine starting the day without a good cup of coffee. Usually it’s a quick stop at my local café before work, but Nespresso’s new limited-edition BARISTA range brings that café experience straight into the kitchen. With three blends inspired by barista craft, you can make café-quality milk drinks at home without compromising on taste or texture.
The BARISTA line includes BARISTA Corto, BARISTA Scuro and BARISTA Chiaro. Each capsule is formulated to pair well with milk, so they’re ideal for lattes, creamy cappuccinos or espresso macchiatos. The range also offers varying intensities to suit different preferences: BARISTA Chiaro is a smooth, creamy option at intensity 5; BARISTA Scuro delivers a bolder profile at intensity 8; and BARISTA Corto is a dark-roasted blend at intensity 11, perfect for an extra-intense ristretto.
Personally, I prefer a large, creamy coffee with good strength, so BARISTA Scuro is my go-to. The recyclable aluminium capsules have a marbled design that resembles a milky swirl, which is a nice touch for presentation and sustainability.
To get the most from these blends, Nespresso’s Creatista machine complements them well. Its automatic steam wand and adjustable texture and temperature settings let you create silky, café-style milk at home. It’s intuitive to use and even supports latte art for those who want to practice — I’m still learning, but it’s great fun to try.
I tested the range thoroughly and ended up with a full Nespresso recycling canister of used capsules. Recycling is straightforward: I packed them into a prepaid Nespresso recycling bag and dropped it off at my local PostShop.
Inspired by the barista experience, I developed a recipe that pairs perfectly with these coffees: Coffee Biscotti Sticks, made with the intense BARISTA Corto. These biscotti are crisp, delicious and ideal for dunking into a fresh cup. They’re also easy to share, so expect visitors when you start baking.
- 170g flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 50g caster sugar
- 40g butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon Nespresso coffee (I used BARISTA Corto)
- 100g chocolate
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Brew an espresso with your chosen Nespresso capsule and set it aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl combine the butter, flour, baking powder and sugar. Rub the ingredients together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Beat the egg lightly and mix it with the cooled espresso, then add to the dry ingredients.
- Stir until the mixture begins to form a dough.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead briefly. Add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky.
- Divide the dough into portions of about 20g. Roll each portion into a ball, then use your fingertips to shape into thin logs roughly 15cm long.
- Arrange the strips on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the ends are lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10–15 minutes.
- Return the biscotti to the oven and bake for another 10–15 minutes, or until dried out. Flip them halfway through if you like. Allow to cool completely.
- Melt the chocolate using a double boiler: place a small heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water, and stir until smooth.
- Dip each biscotti halfway into the melted chocolate and let excess drip off. Place on parchment paper until the chocolate sets.
- Brew a fresh Nespresso, dunk a biscotti stick, and enjoy your at-home café moment.
