Product Review: CARTE NOIRE (& some great coffee-making tips)

France's number one coffee brand, CARTE NOIRE, has just launched in Australia. 

CARTE NOIRE has delivered coffee lovers high quality coffee since the 1970s. Born in France from the passion of Monsieur René Monnier, CARTE NOIRE is the achievement of his bold vision to combine coffee knowledge with French art de vivre. 

Monnier made use of his long years of coffee making experience to create coffee perfection, placing excellent coffee alongside France’s highly celebrated food and wine. He pushed the boundaries and not only created coffee perfection in a cup, but created a premium brand impressed by the luxury immergence of time with a unique signature blend.

While the brand has progressed with recent coffee culture and sustainability needs, today’s CARTE NOIRE coffee experts still resonate with this same passion to offer coffee perfection with this market-leading coffee brand. 

Mondelēz International, the world’s second largest coffee company, announced recently it will expand its global coffee footprint, entering for the first time the highly competitive Australian coffee market under the CARTE NOIRE brand.

As CARTE NOIRE is made with beans that are expertly selected, we found the blend to be deeply aromatic, intense and rich in flavour. For an instant coffee, CARTE NOIRE is excellent.

How to make a great cup of coffee at home...

To celebrate the arrival of France's number one coffee brand, CARTE NOIRE in Australia, here are a few simple ‘rules’ to ensure that each and every cup tastes as delicious as it should! 

1. As a guide, the easiest way to make a good coffee is to add 1-2 teaspoons of coffee to your cup and then add hot water, just off the boil.
2. Cups and mugs can can vary in size, but the ideal ratio of coffee to water is 1 heaped teaspoon of instant coffee to 150ml of water. So your coffee cup is larger than this, you may need to adjust the amount of coffee you add accordingly.
3. Always use fresh, cold tap water for the best tasting cup of coffee.
4. Avoid using water right off the boil, as it will scald the brew and make it taste bitter. Instead, boil the water and allow it to cool for a minute or so before you use it. 92-96 degrees is the best temperature for coffee.  
5. Be generous with the amount of coffee you use - using less coffee gives it that thin, watery taste. If you prefer a mild coffee, buy a mild blend rather than using less of a medium or dark roasted instant coffee. As a rule of thumb use one heaped teaspoon of instant coffee per cup.
6. Try to use your coffee as quickly as possible after opening. The taste of your coffee will start to deteriorate once it is exposed to air, and although this will be minimal over the course of 3-4 weeks, it will become more noticeable over a longer period of time.
7. Instant coffee is extremely hydroscopic (absorbs moisture) so always use a dry teaspoon to measure out your coffee and keep the lid tightly secured to avoid humidity.  
8. Bitterness is present in all coffee to some extent - without some bitterness it would taste rather flat and lifeless. Adding milk to coffee neutralises some of the bitter notes because milk blocks the bitter taste receptors on the tongue. This is why most people prefer to drink their coffee with milk. You can add as much or as little milk as you like and the higher the fat content of the milk, the more indulgent the body and mouth feel of the coffee will be.
9. Don’t be tempted to reheat your coffee. If it goes cold, simply throw it away and start again. Reheating it in the microwave will leave you with a stale tasting brew. There is no pleasure in a lukewarm, stale cup of coffee!

Gastrology received the product courtesy of CARTE NOIRE.