At Carte Noire, coffee isn’t just a beverage – it’s a lifestyle. For over 50 years, we’ve been dedicated to bringing the highest quality coffee to discerning palates across the globe. Our story begins in France, where the timeless Parisian café culture inspired our relentless pursuit of the perfect cup.
Our Roots Run Deep
The seeds of Carte Noire were first planted in Paris in 1960. As café-goers ourselves, we were unsatisfied with the dark, bitter roast coffee commonly found at the time. We knew there had to be a better way to coax subtle, elegant flavors from each bean. That belief led us to create the world’s first “dark roast” coffee – roasted longer and slower to draw out chocolate and caramel notes without sacrificing smoothness. It was a revolutionary technique that came to define our signature taste profile.
The smoky, aromatic brew was a sensation, earning the nickname “Black Card” among Parisian café patrons. The name Carte Noire was born, synonymous with luxury coffee roasted to perfection. As our reputation grew, so did demand across Europe. We expanded our small roasting facility into a global operation while staying true to time-honored French technique. Extensive quality control ensures every batch meets exacting standards for aroma, body, and taste.
The Art and Science of Carte Noire
Producing gourmet coffee is equal parts art and science. Our experienced roast masters carefully coax the full flavor potential from premium coffee beans sourced from across the globe. But first, we must start with only the finest raw ingredients.
Our team travels extensively to find the most flavorful coffees on earth. We establish direct relationships with growers large and small, obsessing over every step from farm to cup. Rigorous sample roasting reveals how each type of bean responds to heat, allowing us to pinpoint optimal roast times down to the second. This precision custom roasting maximizes flavor nuances specific to the origin and growing conditions.
Sourcing prime Arabica beans is our priority. The higher-quality Arabica possesses more sugars and aromatics compared to the bolder, more bitter Robusta. Found in Latin America, East Africa, and Asia, these choice beans make their way into our most exclusive blends. We also source smooth, full-bodied Robusta grown in Vietnam and India to round out select offerings. In all cases, we prioritize fair trade practices that benefit coffee farmers and their communities.
Small Batches, Big Flavor
While industrial roasters process huge volumes quickly, our beans are hand-roasted in small batches to achieve peak flavor consistency. The difference is immediately apparent; our coffees reveal multifaceted tasting notes ranging from roasted hazelnut to redcurrant, lemon, or dark chocolate. Every nuance is a conscious choice, dialed in through decades of expertise.
This personalized roasting process lets us adapt to the natural variations in each harvest. By always controlling temperature and timing, we expertly coax the most aromatic oils and sugars to the surface of each bean. The result is an artisanal level of quality trusted by coffee connoisseurs for generations.
A Roast for Every Occasion
Carte Noire celebrates coffee’s diversity with an array of blends to suit any taste or mood. Whether brewing a creamy cappuccino or an intense espresso, our roasts strike the perfect balance between bold and smooth.
The discriminating coffee lover will appreciate our Dark Roast range, including the iconic Carte Noire Original, espresso-focused Ristretto, and intensely rich Extra Dark. For a smooth yet full-bodied cup, try our Harmonie or Classique blends. Our lighter roasted Café Mélange offers notes of honey and almond, perfect with a croissant. Or sample the nutty Caramelized Pecan, red fruity Kenyan, and other single-origin selections to experience how terroir influences flavor.
On days when you need an extra lift, reach for an Extra Charged blend boosted with natural coffee extracts. And for evenings, relax with a warming mug of our silky smooth Decaffeinated roast. Whatever your taste, Carte Noire invites you to experience the height of coffee refinement.
The Freshest Cup, Your Way
For the complete Carte Noire experience, we encourage you to grind beans right before brewing. Our airtight packaging preserves peak aroma and flavor longer. But for convenience, our pre-ground coffees capture the same nuances in ready-to-brew formats carefully sealed to minimize oxygen exposure.
Our whole bean offerings work perfectly with any home grinder or café-style burr grinder. For ultimate freshness, try our Nitrogen Flushing technology that replaces oxygen in the canister with flavor-preserving nitrogen gas. Compatible with Nespresso® systems, our single-serve capsules deliver restaurant-quality taste with zero mess. Or brew a perfect pot with our instant coffees, expertly freeze-dried to lock in authentic Carte Noire essence.
However you wish to enjoy it, our sole purpose is sharing the quintessential French coffee experience. We invite you to taste the passion in every cup.
Where Tradition Meets Innovation
Coffee purists admire our adherence to old-world French technique. Yet over the decades, Carte Noire has pioneered leading-edge innovations to elevate quality and sustainability.
We were the first to implement alternative energy, solar heating and biomass boilers, reducing our roasteries’ environmental impact company-wide. The Carte Noire Foundation fosters youth entrepreneurship plus supports coffee cooperatives and growing regions abroad.
Processing advancements allow us to craft micro-lot coffees showcasing taste nuances from individual farms. New oxygen- removal technologies like Activ-BallTM and our Nitrogen Flushing lock in coffee oils and aromatics unlike ever before.
Through it all, flavor remains our guiding light. Our roast masters combine generations of expertise with the latest bean science to create tomorrow’s gourmet sensations. At Carte Noire, the timeless quest for the ultimate coffee lives on.
The Café Lifestyle, Anywhere
The classic café plays an essential role in French culture. More than a place for coffee, the café is a public living room where friends debate ideas, writers find inspiration, and romance kindles over pastries. The relaxed sophistication of this everyday luxury infuses the Carte Noire spirit.
While we started in Parisian cafés, today Carte Noire coffee is savored worldwide: in restaurants, offices, airports, homes, even aboard the French TGV. Wherever we go, we bring a taste of the quintessential café lifestyle. Our coffees transform any moment into a first-class coffee break.
That experience is our gift to you. We source and roast coffees from across the globe, so you can feel a bit of café culture in every cup. Let Carte Noire transport you to a more refined place, starting each new day with a perfect cup’s promise of possibility. Because for us, coffee is more than a business – it’s our passion.
Join the Club
The Carte Noire Coffee Club allows members to explore new flavors every month. Choose your ideal roast levels and bean formats, and we’ll deliver freshly roasted selections from around the globe straight to your door.
Each shipment includes tasting notes and brewing tips to help you prepare each coffee at its peak. Over the course of a year, experience new origins and rediscover old favorites. Join fellow coffee enthusiasts in the Club’s online community and learn from the experts.
Club membership makes an ideal gift for the coffee lover in your life. Participation is flexible; switch up your shipments or pause any time. Join today to unlock a world of coffee enjoyment and perks.
Come Tour Our Legacy
Since 1986, the history of Carte Noire has been preserved at the Cité Internationale du Café in Paris. This coffee museum and cultural center celebrates all aspects of the beloved brew through interactive exhibits and workshops.
See authentic roasting machinery from our original 1860s factory and learn about coffee’s journey from far-flung farms to cup. Smell and taste your way around the world in guided tastings and cupping sessions. Napoleon III’s lavish coffee pavilion from the 1867 Paris Exposition provides an ornate backdrop.
Expert classes teach professional barista skills and latte art techniques in an actual coffeehouse setting. Budding artists can paint with coffee, while cooking workshops highlight coffee’s use in gastronomy. Temporary exhibits highlight coffee culture worldwide. It’s an immersive experience for coffee aficionados of all ages.
Visiting Paris? Stop by the Cité Internationale du Café to experience our passion first-hand. Nowhere else can you engage with coffee’s rich history and future quite like this. We look forward to welcoming you!
Coffee Is Our Passion
From century-old roasting traditions to sustainable innovation, quality is our guiding light. With care and expertise, we handcraft an array of blends and single-origin coffees to please diverse tastes. The result is a roasted-to-perfection smoothness that makes every cup distinctly Carte Noire.
We’re excited to bring a taste of quintessential café culture into your daily routine. Our story began in 1960s Paris; now it continues with coffee lovers like you. Stay bold, yet smooth. There’s a perfect cup for every mood. Join us for the journey – your next coffee break starts here!
