Too often the coffee served at the end of a meal is disappointing—even at very fine establishments.Nespresso aims to help rectify the situation with Nespresso Exclusive Selections, a collection of single-origin coffees from the Himalayan foothills of Nepal and the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Until recently, these coffees have been available exclusively at two- and three-Michellin-starred restaurants in Europe. That changed this year, when Nespresso selected two of Canada’s best restaurants as Exclusive Selection partners: Toqué! in Montreal and Langdon Hall in Cambridge, Ontario.

For the Canadian launch of Nespresso Exclusive Selections this fall, the luxury coffee company invited Langdon Hall chef Jason Bangerter and Toqué! Chef Normand Laprise to create limited-edition tasting menus that featured these coffees as ingredients. Both restaurants were chosen for their commitment to sustainability and fine-dining excellence.

At Langdon Hall, Bangerter deployed an intense coffee-infused jus to coat a medallion of longhorn beef adorned with winter truffles. At Toqué!, Laprise intensified the earthy flavours of venison and chanterelles with an emulsion of peaberry coffee from Mount Kilimanjaro.

Nespresso’s recyclable, hermetically sealed capsules ensure that each serving of Exclusive Selection coffee stays perfectly fresh, with aroma and flavour intact, and that when served, always features a signature, decadent layer of crema. The rich, tan-coloured foam elicits an intoxicating caramel scent and signifies a well-pulled shot of espresso. That’s the way to properly conclude a dinner. —Claudia McNeilly