For a country that once largely associated coffee with instant granules and oversized mugs, South Africa's relationship with the drink has changed dramatically over the past decade.
Coffee has become a ritual, hobby and lifestyle. Specialty cafés have become neighbourhood fixtures, home brewing has become more sophisticated and consumers are increasingly curious about where their coffee comes from and how it is made.
It is against this backdrop that Nespresso has introduced the new Vertuo machine to the South African market.
Rather than presenting the machine as simply another kitchen appliance, Conor Mulligan, the Nespresso lifecycle lead, framed its arrival as part of a much broader evolution in how South Africans drink coffee.
"South Africa's coffee culture over the past decade has totally shifted," he said. "Coffee shops are now part of everybody's daily ritual. Your coffee in the morning at home, your coffee on the way to work — it has definitely shaped our at-home coffee rituals."
Mulligan said tastes had also become more adventurous.
"We used to say South Africans preferred strong, dark roast coffees in big cups but now, because of café culture, we're shifting towards cappuccinos, lattes and flat whites. It's become more balanced."
The Vertuo range was designed with that diversity in mind.
Unlike traditional capsule machines that rely on pressure to extract coffee, Vertuo uses centrifugal force, spinning each capsule at high speed before brewing. Every capsule carries a barcode that communicates with the machine.
"The barcode is essentially the recipe," Mulligan explained. "It tells the machine exactly how to prepare that coffee, so you can never under-extract or over-extract it."
That technology allows each blend to be brewed according to its intended flavour profile while accommodating different serving sizes, from a small espresso to a full mug.
"The whole idea behind Vertuo was to offer high-quality coffee but in much bigger amounts," he said.
During the tasting session, guests sampled a variety of coffees that demonstrated the breadth of the range. There were traditional espressos, larger mug-sized coffees and even functional blends infused with ginseng, reflecting growing consumer interest in wellness.
"You could have a dose of your vitamin intake in your cup of coffee," Mulligan said. "It's mixing your daily coffee ritual with wellness."
The morning also challenged assumptions about what coffee could be.
One of the more unexpected demonstrations paired espresso with lemonade and ice recipe that balanced citrus with coffee's natural bitterness.
"I love that about Vertuo," Mulligan said. "The whole point is to explore. Create and experiment."
Beyond coffee itself, sustainability remains part of the conversation. The Vertuo is manufactured using 70% recycled plastic and heats in just 30 seconds before automatically switching off to reduce unnecessary energy consumption.
For Mulligan, however, the biggest change isn't technological.
It is the willingness of South Africans to embrace coffee differently.
"There is almost a whole language around coffee now," he said. "People are learning more, asking questions and becoming more interested in different styles and flavours."
The Vertuo arrives at a moment when home coffee is no longer about convenience alone. Increasingly, consumers are looking for experiences that mirror what they enjoy in cafés while giving them the freedom to experiment in their own kitchens.
If anything emerged from the tasting, it was that today's coffee drinker is no longer satisfied with simply making coffee. They want to understand it, personalise it and occasionally, even pair it with lemon.