oronzous wrote:this thread was an interesting reading. thank you all.

I have yet to try many of the coffee mentioned here, but I've tried several Lavazza.

So far my Lavazza rank is :

1- Super Crema
2- Gold Selection
...
3- Top Class
4- Gran Espresso
5- Crema e Aroma
....
6- Gran Crema
7- Qualità Oro (it was stale)

From Kimbo I only know the 'espresso napolitano' (avoid at all costs), some Segafredo (not consistent, sometimes good, sometimes dull), and ESSSE selezione (quite good, almost on par with the SuperCrema).

Something to keep in mind is that Italian coffee roasters usually carry 3 product lines: Home (casa), Bar, and Office (mostly pods). Home products are not necessarily intended for espresso machines, since most Italian households only use moka pots. Espresso? there is a bar in every corner for that.

That would explain why the Kimbo espresso napolitano or the most common Lavazzas fare poorly on espresso machines, yet they are best sellers in Italy. In my personal ranking, all 'home products' fell below the average

Just opened my first bag of Lavazza Super Crema yesterday. On the bag it says dose 20g. So far, I have to say that 20g at around 25-30 seconds tastes gross. This is the 3rd bag of the sample pack I bought from WLL. The only one I liked was the Kimbo Extreme Blend. Both the Lavazza Super Crema ( which I've heard is popular) and the Moromas Platinea taste gross. Maybe it's just not to my liking? What dose and time are you using to get a good tasting shot from the Super Crema?

Something is not right. Most Lavazzas suggest a 7gm dosage for a single shot or 14gm dosage for a double. You may have gotten that confused with their tamping pressure suggestion of 20Kg. You should definitely decrease your dosage. As suggested by earlier posts and based on my own experience, the max I dose with Lavazzas is 17gm and I get 30 to 34 gm out. Delicious.

Cool. I'll try that. Thanks - much appreciated!!

the Oro is slightly brighter then the kimbo, but I extract more caramel flavours
honestly, the Oro is just as good as the kimbo and the first italian blen I can recommend as much as the Kimbo.

Ive dranked 14g in 19 g out of Kimbo and Oro just today. I preffered my Oro today.



my ranking as of today is:

1- Oro caffe Premium
1- Kimbo superior
3- Lavazza super crema
6- Caffé Motta lounge bar
6- Caffe Motta espresso bar
6- Segafredo intermezzo
7- Vergnano
9- Danessi
9- Kimbo Napoletano

My shipment of Kimbo Superior arrived today. As pictured, the roast date was 3-02-17, expiry date is 04-18.

It appears as a no oil..only a droplet on a couple beans, sort of a full city +.
As expected, even in my MCAL, I didn't expect a creme "Bomb." I wasn't disappointed!


It reacted very well to my setting for Espresso Vivace Dolce. The pull was smooth, no jerkiness, though unlike Dolce (7 days post roast) the Superior quickly blonded seconds after a "Fellini." (I will be posting a thread on a combo of the MCAL/Sette/Dolce hopefully some will find at least entertaining.)

There was not an explosion of coffee smell as I had hope, but it also doesn't smell stale. Immediately upon opening the bag, I Ball jared 2 full jars, leaving the rest for 4 days worth of experimentation...and hopefully enjoyment.

My shots were identical dose, identical yield...15 grams in, 36 grams out. I have a feeling this coffee will work better as some have experience, maybe 14 gram dose, 24 grams out by weight, or thereabouts? We're talking the MCAL 49mm basket, a bit deeper, though might feel a bit empty with 14 grams. I have another basket that came with the machine that looks like a Cremina basket.

Tastewise, it was pretty bland, though not bitter, with a bit of dark wood, no smoke, and a nice buttery aftertaste after a few minutes. I could imagine this coffee as being real interesting earlier on. I had no real accelerated heartbeat or over-caffeinated issues, though I do feel a wee bit more "coffee" than my usual 2 shots, leading me to believe the Robusta component is maybe 15-20% tops.

Lets see how it goes the next few days.

Hey Rob,

I find the sweet spot for Superior for me is 14g in / 18g out. It gets pretty chocolatey in the ristretto range. It also counteracts the "blandness" you dedcribed.

Thanks. Will pull some shorties inn the traditional style. As it happens, the MCAL's singles are the best from any machine I've experienced.

R

oronzous wrote:this thread was an interesting reading. thank you all.

I have yet to try many of the coffee mentioned here, but I've tried several Lavazza.

So far my Lavazza rank is :

1- Super Crema
2- Gold Selection
...
3- Top Class
4- Gran Espresso
5- Crema e Aroma
....
6- Gran Crema
7- Qualità Oro (it was stale)

From Kimbo I only know the 'espresso napolitano' (avoid at all costs), some Segafredo (not consistent, sometimes good, sometimes dull), and ESSSE selezione (quite good, almost on par with the SuperCrema).

Something to keep in mind is that Italian coffee roasters usually carry 3 product lines: Home (casa), Bar, and Office (mostly pods). Home products are not necessarily intended for espresso machines, since most Italian households only use moka pots. Espresso? there is a bar in every corner for that.

That would explain why the Kimbo espresso napolitano or the most common Lavazzas fare poorly on espresso machines, yet they are best sellers in Italy. In my personal ranking, all 'home products' fell below the average

Regarding Lavazza: Try the lavazza pienaroma. You may revise your rankings as this is pretty good if you get it within a reasonable date from the production date.

I like to serve super crema for non-espresso drinking friends of mine. As this is a very balanced blend and there is no strong flavors that turn off some drinkers. Overall its versatile but not exceptional in anyway.

Just opened a kilo of Kimbo Superior with the March 17 production date. I'm very pleased with this blend its such a great value.

Just received a kilo of Super Crema and was pleased to find it's "only" 3 months old. Looking forward to trying it tomorrow.

Side note, I'm really glad to have found this thread. Being accustomed to fresh roasted coffee, I was always puzzled as to why I enjoy Lavazza. Nice to see I'm not the only one.

I'm working with (as suggested) 14 grams in, 22 grams out...a little more than the 18 grams Dominick recommended, but working for me. Having experience with 2 of his machines...Cremina and La Pavoni, I feel the MCAL at 22 grams allows more layers of flavor than stopping at 18 grams. I use my Brewista II scale for measurement. As opposed to other coffees like Bodka's Ala Italia, my home roasted, or Dolce, etc, I do NOT keep the Kimbo in the Sette's hopper. I keep it stored in my Ball jar, and 1/3 fill the hopper for the day.

This is a nice coffee, mild, no bitterness, and easy commonage. Much easier than I imagined.