Nespresso Umutima & Tanim Limited Edition Coffees Capsules

Nespresso Umutima & Tanim Single Origin Backgrounds and Roasting Methods

These coffees come from very different backgrounds. In Lake Kivu in Rwanda farmers have adopted post-modern harvest practices, and coffee is grown mainly in small plots under the beating heat of African sunshine. On the other hand, in Tanim de Chiapas in Mexico traditional coffee farming methods are used which were passed on from generation to generation. Most of the coffee here is grown alongside other crops, and rather than in sunshine the coffee beans are crown under the canopy of trees in the shade.

To help highlight the tastes that are a result of different farming methods, Nespresso have done something rather clever to bring out the flavours of both coffees – they split-roasted them!

The two textures of the coffees are really quite different – the Tanim in particular is unbelievably smooth but has a nice nutty aftertaste to it, and the Umutima feels slightly courser and with a deeper, almost dark-chocolatey feel to it despite the flavours tasting quite fruity – it’s really quite a remarkable mix! To bring this out and make it obvious to normal coffee-goers (like us!), Nespresso roasted half of their Tanim beans at a very long, low-temperature setting which keeps the nuttiness of the flavour intact. They then left the other half of the roast to be darker, which focuses more on the texture. That way, they get the best of both worlds!

Similarly, the Umutima is half roasted lightly to keep a hold of all the juicier, fruity notes – and the other half is left darker to preserve the texture, which in this case is a bit coarser and stronger.

Tasting Nespresso Umutima & Tanim Coffee Capsules, and Which to Use in What Type of Coffee Drink

Here you can see a photo of us taste-testing the Umutima coffee (we tried both as an espresso / lungo / ristretto and also with a bit of milk) at a Nespresso Experience store. If there’s one near you we highly recommend visiting one, as it can be a really fun place to experience all the different flavours without having to buy one of everything!

The first thing to note is how strong the coffee is – even though officially the Umutima is a ‘6’ and the Tanim a ‘7’ on Nespresso’s intensity scale, because of how smooth the Tanim is and the more delicate flavours (nutty as opposed to bright and fruity in the Umutima) it tends to be recommended in smaller sizes. The official Nespresso guidelines say that the Tanim de Chiapas is suited to Ristretto (25ml) & Espresso (40ml) sizes, whereas for the Umutima wa Lake Kivu the recommended sizes are Espresso (40ml) and Lungo (110ml).

We agree with this – the Umutima is seriously bright and fruity, and at an espresso size you can really taste it, whereas the Tanim is a bit more delicate (although personally we preferred the nutty flavours in the Tanim). Therefore, the Umutima is probably better suited to milk-based coffees like flat whites, lattes and cappuccinos. The Tanim is suited to shorter drinks where you can appreciate the delicateness of the flavours more, like an espresso or perhaps a macchiato if with milk.

Buying Umutima & Tanim Capsules for Your Nespresso Machine

Your choice of whether to get Umutima or Tanim coffee capsules for your Nespresso machine depends highly on what kind of coffee you prefer. For milk-based coffees we recommend the Umutima capsule, where the brightness of the flavours won’t get lost even if you use milk as your base. For straight coffees we recommend the Tanim (unless you really like the bold flavours of the Umutima, of course!) because you can appreciate the subtle nuttiness of the coffee better in a water based coffee.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief guide – please make sure to share if you’ve liked it! Until next time, happy drinking!