So I keep a log of every coffee I pull at home. Twenty one bags in, one thing jumped out that I did not expect: the Quebec roasters keep beating the Toronto ones. Structure in Montreal gave me my only 8. Zab gave me two 7s. Meanwhile I keep going back to the two Toronto roasters down the street, and they keep landing on a 6. Convenience, basically.
So when I came across Nektar, a roaster in Quebec City I had never heard of, I figured the easiest way to test the theory was to just order three bags and see what happens. Short version: the theory held. Nektar averaged a 7 across the three, right in line with my other Quebec roasters and about a point above Toronto. The Colombian was the star. The house blend was the letdown.
See every coffee I have rated The espresso log: every bag, every roaster, scored on the same 1 to 10 scale.
Who is Nektar Torréfacteur?
Nektar opened its first café on rue Saint-Roch in Quebec City back in 2009. Three owners: Guillaume Michaud, Vincent Hamel and Constantin Ioan. A second café followed in Limoilou in 2015, and in 2018 they opened a third spot in Saint-Nicolas, across the river, built around roasting their own coffee. (Tastet)
They call themselves a micro roaster, which in my experience means the owners still know what is in every bag. Small batches, coffees from individual producers, and they say they like playing around with different drying methods and terroirs rather than roasting everything the same way. (nektar.coffee)
The part I liked most is buried on the product page for their flagship blend. They say they created La Sève after ten years of selling other people’s coffee in their cafés. That lines up: café in 2009, roastery in 2018. So they were a café first, for close to a decade, and only then decided to roast their own. That is the order I trust. You learn what your regulars actually drink before you go and buy a roaster. La Sève became their best seller within a couple of years, and their explanation for why is pretty modest: it was “an espresso that was easy to like, without bitterness.” No talk of awards. I like that. (La Sève, nektar.coffee)
One more thing about the bags. There is a little dial printed on each one that goes from Classique to Audacieux, and all three of mine sit on the second notch out of five. So Nektar knows exactly who they are selling to, and it is people who want a good, normal coffee. Fair enough. That is me.
The three coffees I ordered from Nektar
Three 300 g bags, all roasted the same day, September 21. There was a 10 percent welcome code and free shipping to Toronto, so the whole order came to $62.10. That works out to somewhere between $6.60 and $7.50 per 100 g, which is right around the average of everything in my log. Not cheap, not a splurge.
| La Sève | Colombia Popayán | L’été Indien | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flagship espresso blend | Single origin, Récolte series | Café filter blend | |
| Origin | Colombia (Huila) and Brazil | Cauca, Colombia | Guatemala and Colombia |
| Process | Washed and natural | Washed | Not stated |
| Varietal | Not stated | Castillo, Caturra, Colombia | Mixed cultivars |
| Producers | Brazil: a farmer named Jose Maria | 10 to 30 smallholders, 1,400 to 2,000 m | Not stated |
| Roast | Medium, a touch more developed than the Récolte series | Dial 2 of 5 | Medium, kept light for “a small point of acidity” |
| Bag notes | Walnut, caramel, chocolate, creamy | Black Forest cake, roasted nuts, creamy | Nougat, caramel, chocolate |
| Their recipe | 18.5 g in, 32 g out, 30 s | 18 g in, 42 g out, 26 to 28 s | Filter: 19 g in, 33 g out, 30 s |
| Paid | $19.80 (list $22) | $22.50 (list $25) | $19.80 (list $22) |
| My score | 6.5 / 10 | 7.5 / 10 | 7 / 10 |
How I brewed them: Breville Bambino and Encore ESP
Quick note on the setup so you know what you are reading. Regular Breville Bambino, not the Plus. Baratza Encore ESP. Normcore 54 mm bottomless portafilter. 18 g in, and somewhere between 36 and 42 g out depending on the day. 18 in, 36 out is more of a guideline I start from than a rule. Straight shots into a double walled glass, no milk, because I’m lactose intolerant. Nothing fancy, which is kind of the point. If a coffee is good on this setup, it is going to be good on yours. I logged every shot with the grind setting, a 1 to 10 rating and a body score from 1 (thin like tea) to 5 (syrupy). The full list of everything I have rated is in the espresso log.
One thing on timing. Fresh coffee needs some time to rest after roasting, because it is still letting off gas, and that messes with your shots. I wait until about day 10 off the roast date before I score anything, and I rate between day 10 and day 20. You can see why with La Sève: on day 10 it was dialled in at grind 16, and the very next day the same setting ran fast and I had to go all the way to 10. On the other end, La Sève started tasting burnt around day 17 and L’été Indien dropped half a point on day 21. So give a bag about a week before you judge it, and try to finish it inside three weeks.
Tasting notes and scores, shot by shot
Nektar Colombia Popayán (Récolte series)
Opened day 13, rated days 13 to 20, 7 rated shots
Their recipe is a long one, 18 g in and 42 g out in 26 to 28 seconds. My shots ran anywhere from 36 to 42 g out depending on the day, so I ended up pulling it both ways, my usual 1 to 2 and their longer ratio. First shot on day 13 at grind 13 ran a little fast, 36 g in 23 seconds, and it was already a 7.5. Went to 11, slightly better, still a 7.5. Then on day 18 I left the grinder at 7 from the day before and pulled three shots there. Still 7.5. Seven rated shots, seven 7.5s, anywhere from grind 7 to 13, and whatever the yield was that day, it did not move the score. If you have a Bambino and you just want something that works, this is it.
Smooth from the first sip, and noticeably less sour than La Sève. Low acidity the whole way through. A little creamier too, a 3 out of 5 for body, which makes it the heaviest of the three. Still not thick, but it is there. The bag says Black Forest cake and honestly, that is exactly it, and it gets stronger as it cools. So the cherry reads like the cake, not like fruit, and that matters for me, because fruity coffees never score well in my log. Roasted nuts I never really picked up.
- Buy again
- No. It is good, it just did not stand out enough to beat trying something new.
- Sits next to
- Ties my two Rogue Wave 7.5s and sits just under Structure Fondation (8). Beats Ethica La Macarena (6), another washed Colombian from Cauca, and edges Café Cultor Inga Mystique (7).
- For the log
- Black Forest cake, smooth, low acid. A 7.5 on every shot from grind 7 to 13. The pick of the three.
Nektar L’été Indien as espresso
Opened day 14, rated days 14 to 21, 5 rated shots
Nektar calls this their filter coffee and says you will get less crema as espresso. What it actually needed was a much finer grind than the other two. First shot on day 14 at grind 11 ran fast. Went to 9 and it ran even faster, which should not happen, so probably channeling or my dose was off. On day 16 I dropped all the way to 6 and it finally tasted the way it is supposed to. 7 tasted the same. So if you are pulling this as espresso on an Encore ESP, start around 6 or 7 and go from there.
Caramel first, then a little chocolate behind it. At grind 9 there was a little sourness, but at 6 and 7 that went away completely, just chocolate and caramel. So the “small point of acidity” they kept on purpose, I only really got when the shot was off. Thin, tea consistency, same as La Sève. Nougat I never picked up. It held at a 7 through day 16, and on day 21 it felt more like a 6.5 to me.
- Buy again
- No.
- Sits next to
- Same tier as Zab’s two 7s, Joyeux Roger and Bromance. A notch above the “fine, no complaints” 6s like Structure Brunch and Hale Espresso.
- For the log
- Caramel then chocolate, thin. Needs a very fine grind (6 or 7). Slipped to 6.5 after day 20.
Nektar La Sève espresso blend
Opened day 10, rated days 10 to 11, shots through day 22
Their recipe is 18.5 g in, 32 g out in 30 seconds. I ran my usual 18 in, 36 to 42 out. On day 10, grind 16, and it was pretty much dialled in from the first shot. Any finer and it would have choked. The next day, same 16, it ran fast and under extracted. The bag had degassed overnight. Two more dial-in shots and I landed on 10, which is a big jump for one day, right? The first shot at 10 tasted a little burnt, the next one was clean. Then around day 17 it started to turn. Grind 10 came out slightly over extracted, I went to 7, and it just tasted burnt. Same thing every day after that, right through day 22.
Nothing jumps out on the first sip. Mild, no sharp edges, lots of crema. Low acidity when it is hot, but it gets more sour as it cools. Thin, smooth like a tea, a 2 out of 5 for body. On day 10 there was a slight chocolate aftertaste that does not hang around. By day 11 it turned nutty, hazelnut more than walnut. Caramel I never got. Creamy only showed up late, and only slightly, by which point the other notes were gone. Basic. It gets the job done, and most people would be fine with it. I just would not go looking for it.
- Buy again
- No. Easy to drink, easy to forget, and it went downhill after day 17.
- Sits next to
- Between my “fine, no complaints” 6s and the 7s. Well under Structure Fondation (8) and Zab Joyeux Roger (7), the Quebec coffees it should be competing with.
- For the log
- Mild, nutty and thin like tea. Fine on day 10, burnt and flat by day 17.
Would I order from Nektar again?
The Quebec theory held. Nektar averaged a 7 across three bags, right in line with my other Quebec roasters and about a point ahead of Toronto. But none of the three are going on my reorder list. Even the Popayán. They just did not stand out, and there are a lot of other roasters I want to try.
- If you are going to try one bag, get the Colombia Popayán. A 7.5 on every shot, and about as forgiving as it gets on a Bambino.
- If you liked that, try L’été Indien as espresso, but grind a lot finer than you think.
- Skip La Sève if you drink your espresso straight. It is mild and thin, and mine went flat after day 17.
Scores are on the same 1 to 10 scale as the rest of my espresso log. A 7 is usually where I start buying a coffee again. And just so it is clear, nobody sent me anything. I paid for all three bags.
Questions people ask about Nektar coffee
Does Nektar ship outside Quebec?
Yes. My order shipped from Quebec City to Toronto with free shipping. Their confirmation email says orders placed Thursday to Sunday ship Wednesday, and Monday to Wednesday orders ship Thursday. Mine arrived about ten days after the roast date.
Which Nektar coffee is best for espresso?
La Sève is the one Nektar built for espresso, and it is their best seller. Colombia Popayán also comes with an espresso recipe on the product page. L’été Indien is their filter blend and works as espresso with less crema. My pick after two weeks is the Colombia Popayán, by a clear margin: 7.5 against 7 for L’été Indien and 6.5 for La Sève.
What is the roast level on Nektar’s coffees?
Every bag has a dial from Classique to Audacieux. All three I tried sit on the second notch of five, which I would call a medium roast. Nektar says they avoid roasting dark so the sweetness comes through without a smoky or bitter finish.
How much does Nektar coffee cost?
List price in September 2026 was $22 for the 300 g blends and $25 for the Colombia Popayán. A first order code took 10 percent off, and shipping was free. That is about $6.60 to $7.50 per 100 g.
How long should you wait after the roast date to brew Nektar coffee?
I started scoring at day 10 off roast and rated through day 20. Before that the shots were still changing from one day to the next: La Sève needed grind 16 on day 10 and grind 10 on day 11. Colombia Popayán held at 7.5 all the way to day 20, while La Sève started tasting burnt around day 17 and L’été Indien slipped on day 21. Mine arrived about ten days after roasting, so it was ready to go when it showed up.
Does Nektar work on a Breville Bambino?
Yes. At 18 g in and 36 to 42 g out with a Baratza Encore ESP, Colombia Popayán was a 7.5 anywhere from grind 7 to 13. L’été Indien needed a much finer grind, 6 or 7. La Sève moved around the most: grind 16 on day 10, then 10 by day 11.
Sources: Nektar Torréfacteur, La Sève, Colombia Popayán, L’été Indien, Tastet, Nektar Caféologue, and my own order confirmation from September 2026.