Virgin Australia and Nespresso have announced a collaboration which will see Nespresso coffee made available on select Virgin Australia flights.

Virgin Australia’s newly refitted Business Class cabin on board the Airbus A330 fleet will feature the first ‘Nespresso by B/E Aerospace’ machines in the world.

The purpose-built machine is designed to overcome the challenges of making coffee at altitude by achieving Nespresso’s exact standards of:

• Coffee flow time, volume and temperature;
• Coffee yield; and
• Crema and milk foam quality.

As part of the development, the machine was tested in an altitude chamber and at high elevations similar to the cabin altitude to confirm the coffee it produced was consistent with the quality achieved on the ground.

Virgin Australia and Nespresso have chosen the on board coffee selection to complement the palate, as taste differs slightly in the air, and will offer three unique blends at launch including Ristretto Intenso, Espresso Forte and Espresso Decaffeinato.

Virgin Australia is rolling out an exciting training program, together with Nespresso, for Business Class cabin crew, in which Nespresso educates cabin crew on the use of the technology, the Nespresso Grands Crus available on board and overall coffee knowledge.

Nespresso and Virgin Australia will have the following coffees on boad:

• Ristretto Intenso – A daring blend of South and Central American Robustas and Arabica, Ristretto Intenso is a full coffee of exceptional intensity with notes of pepper and a creamy texture.
• Espresso Forte – Made exclusively from South and Central American Arabicas, the complex aroma of this intensely roasted espresso is a balance of strong and fruity notes.
• Espresso Decaffeinato – Dark-roasted South American, Arabicas with a touch of Robusta bring out the subtle cocoa and roasted cereal notes of this full-bodied decaffeinated espresso.

Virgin Australia will feature the following coffee styles on board:

• Cappuccino
• Espresso
• Macchiato
• Long Black
• Ristretto

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