Ok, I thought I would add my two pennies worth concerning the Lavazza Coffee Beans. I recently purchased a bag of Super Crema and thought I would give it a try... First a couple of points about me:

I lived in Italy in a little town called Gaeta on the coast located almost equidistant between Rome and Naples for nearly four years... I drank a lot of espresso & cappuccino. I developed a taste for the Italian coffees even though I never asked them what Type of beans they used... While in Italy, I traveled extensively, spending a lot of time in France, Egypt, North Africa, and Spain... Drank a lot of coffee... But, I'm mostly familiar with and have the fondest memories of my Italian coffees...

Now, in the states, I roast my own beans, including espresso blends from Sweet Marias, Burmans, etc...
I've enjoyed the results of my own roasts, which are guaranteed fresh since I'm doing it... Using my newly acquired Mazzer and Rocket Giotto along with Sweet Maria's Amber Blend I get a great cup with lots of crema..

I wanted a little trip down memory lane so I purchased the Lavazza Super Crema beans... I've used them for the last three days. I started with espresso which gave me a nice tasting cup, not bitter, not stale tasting. Second, in milk based drinks - cappuccinos/lattes. The coffee held up pretty well. Again the coffee did not taste stale. I found the Lavazza very pleasing and it reminded me of what I think of as a second home, Italy. Good Stuff...

My only concern is that with a 2.5 pound bag, can I drink it up before it actually does go stale.... I think I can..

I drink Italian import espresso almost exclusively. Although I actually dislike Lavazza, I enjoyed a bag of their Tierra 100% arabica roast recently. I like others much better, including Molinari, Musetti, Caffe Agust, and even Illy. I find that if I freeze the bags when I get them home, and keep them in the freezer after opening, they stay "fresh". I can easily tell if a get a bag that was not sealed properly, because the coffee will act very "stale". Therefore I test each bag for air-tightness before I buy, and look for the latest roast date (i.e. the latest "best before" date).

When I want a trip down memory lane I buy some fresh-roasted modern Nordic roaster beans - reminds me of the N. American roasters. These can be great, but I always go back to my "best before" Italian roasts. Maybe I just have "stale" tastebuds.

PC

peacecup wrote:Maybe I just have "stale" tastebuds.

I doubt it. More likely you just got your taste calibrated to that style of coffee. Unfortunately I find I just don't enjoy those Italian espresso beans anymore. And I used to, albeit long time ago..

I agree with Tekomino, when I was on a business trip in Milan, I drank espresso every day all day, some better than others but the espresso at the hotel was quite good, better even than what I found in the city center searching out all the top cafes.

Still, I was very eager to return home to my bright west coast espresso blends.

I usually go with Lavazza Top Class if I do Lavazza, but recently opened a bag of their Tierra 100% Arabica. I have to say though I prefer the Top Class. Maybe I miss the robusta because I found the Tierra more similar to north american 3rd wave coffee. I grew up in Italian coffee bars in N. America and have been trying to like the "fresh" N. American stuff (I have tried Social, Cafe St-Henri, Metropolis, Verve and Phil and Sebastian thus far) but I still prefer the traditional Italian stuff. When doing the 1kilo bags I usually open it up, put half in a vacuum container and the other half in the freezer. I wish I could get them in 12oz bags though.

I have been meaning to try Caffe Danesi and Miscela d'Oro. Anyone with "Italian taste buds" ever try these brands?

Talking about Italian taste buds, on this side of the pond, USA, try Mikes Handlebar from here. Freshly roasted too.

peacecup wrote: I like others much better, including Molinari, Musetti, Caffe Agust, and even Illy. I find that if I freeze the bags when I get them home, and keep them in the freezer after opening, they stay "fresh".

When I want a trip down memory lane I buy some fresh-roasted modern Nordic roaster beans - reminds me of the N. American roasters. These can be great, but I always go back to my "best before" Italian roasts. Maybe I just have "stale" tastebuds.

I usually drink coffee roasted in Denmark or UK (squaremile, hasbean), but I got inspired to try some of the Italian blends from your recommendations. I tried:

• Musetti (Espresso 100% Arabica, blue 1kg bag): this was really good, easy to work with and I still use it.
  
  Molinari Oro (golden 1kg bag, only 70% arabica I learned...): too classic Italian-espresso-with-lots-of-robusta for my taste
  
  Musetti Fairtrade (light brown 1kg bag, lots of small broken beans): horrible IMHO

I have just ordered some Molinari 100% Arabica, but I would like to know what coffee from Molinari you prefer?

Thanks for the inspiration!

I've run out of Musetti blue, and have been using a half-bag of D'Oro I had in the freezer as a backup. Although I can't drink it all day, I guess because of the Robusta content, I've been pulling some tasty shots with it.

The Molinari Arabica I've had is their fairtrade organic in a black bag. It tastes good but does not seem to stay fresh as well as the others.

There are a lot of different Italian roasters that export to around Europe, so it's worth trying new ones. If you find others that you like please post about them, and I'll do the same.

I'm beginning to wonder if many Italian blends are designed to taste good at lower brew pressures (like moka pots). Maybe that's why they work so well in my PonteVecchio.

Just opened a bag of Musetti blue that was clearly either packaged improperly or got a hole on the way. It exhibits all the characteristics of stale espresso. It demonstrated to me, in fact just how well the "freshness" is conserved with proper packaging.

It was also interesting to me, however, that I could eventually dial in the stale beans to get a decent shot.

PC

mariobarba wrote:I have been meaning to try Caffe Danesi and Miscela d'Oro. Anyone with "Italian taste buds" ever try these brands?

I don't know if I qualify for the "Italian taste buds," but I'm open to a variety of coffee styles. My favorite San Francisco Italian restaurant (Macaroni Sciue Sciue) serves Miscela d'Oro. It's got enough dark bitterness that I prefer it with sugar but it also has a mild, nutty flavor, lasting crema, medium body. The owner/chef taught me to rub lemon peel on the outside of the demitasse cup to cut the bitterness. That works. I find, though, that it misses the natural sweetness I enjoy in local, fresh coffees. But maybe it's blended with the expectation sugar will be added. I have to admit I prefer his food to his espresso but I find it an acceptable pick-me-up.