Spitz.me wrote:Sure, I have a few to recommend that I'm sure you can find easily in Canada. The list below is in the order of preference.

Lavazza Gold Selection
Kimbo Superior
Lavazza Super Crema
Lavazza Top Class
Kimbo Extra Cream

The Super Crema and Superior are at 30% Robusta and they're more manageable in terms of making a good tasting shot without the negative qualities of the robusta overwhelming. The Gold Selection has a washed robusta that Lavazza calls higher quality robusta and it is at 30%. It's a very nice robusta since i haven't tasted anything approaching the obvious/overwhelming robusta taste in the other blends.

I'm just now getting around to taking your advice. I ordered a bag of Super Crema a few weeks ago and now that my new Kafatek Flat is here, today I actually pulled a few shots of it. I'm happy to report that I liked it. Pulled at 18g in/27g out at 197F. Quite sweet and nutty in a really great way. Possibly still some acid I'd like to subdue so I might try 200F. I used part of the bag for seasoning the new grinder and as soon as I opened it I filled three mason jars and put them in the freezer. I'll be interesting to see how quickly it deteriorates (if at all) while frozen. The bag I just got from Amazon was almost exactly one year old. The Super Crema is currently $28 for 2.2lb which given what I tasted today is a great deal. The Lavazza Gold is currently at about $30 for 2lb which also sounds like a killer value if it's even better than the Super Crema.

Do you have a strong preference for the Gold over the Super Crema?

Thanks for the heads up Tony. It took me a while awhile but I didn't forget.

I've had a bag of Super Crema in the freezer for a good few months. I bring out one mason jar at a time (alternating between local beans) and it's still holding up well!

Hey Chris, it's great to see that after all of this epic taste testing, you found yourself circling back to the Super Crema! Haha

You certainly seem to have a more discerning palate so I can't describe much in the ways that you can. What I will say as the most striking difference between the Super Crema and the Gold Selection is that the Gold seems sweeter and more complex. Remember, complexity is relative here. The bottom line is that I think it's tastier!

I put the Super Crema in mason jars and stuck them in the freezer as soon as I opened the bag. This morning I weighed out the frozen beans and pulled another shot. Yep, it's actually good. I screwed up the temperature by forgetting to drop it to 197F from 200F and the freezing made the grind finer at the same setting on the Monolith so the shot ran very slow but even still I enjoyed it. A bit of rubber but not burnt. Tomorrow I'm going to drop the temperature and grind coarser. Also I think it is recommended to dose lower than the 18g in the 18g VST that I used so I'm going to try 15g in an EPHQ ridged basket. If I have another good shot I'm going to order the Gold.

Thanks again for pointing out these coffees. I can't seem to find a source for Kimbo Superior in Canada. Any ideas?

You'll find that the coffee basically tastes the same as you go through the frozen portion by just dosing frozen beans and putting the rest back in the freezer. Using these Italian beans at room temperature for longer then a few days is just not great.

And my experience is a low temperature (196-198) on both the Super Crema and the Gold is required. Too hot just makes them ashy and gross.

To be honest, the Kimbo Superior is pretty bland compared to the Gold selection. I wouldn't waste much time seeking it out if you have access to the Super Crema and the Gold Selection. My source was "Lady York Foods" in Toronto and I don't know of a Canadian online source, unfortunately.

If you like the Super Crema, then I think you'll enjoy the Gold Selection.

A bag of the Gold has been ordered. Currently $30 CAD on Amazon. It almost seems too good to be true. On another note, have you ever tried Milano? It's expensive and they have no free shipping but people have told me it's the holy grail for Italian style espresso. Thoughts?

mwynne wrote:I've had a bag of Super Crema in the freezer for a good few months. I bring out one mason jar at a time (alternating between local beans) and it's still holding up well!

This is kind of what I'm hoping to be able to do. Alternate between fresh modern beans consumed within 2-3 weeks of roast and then a series of mason jars of Italian "stale" beans that I can pull out anytime and just dose frozen into the Monolith. The repeatability going between grind settings on the Flat is really fantastic. Glad to hear that people have good luck with it in jars for a few months.

PIXIllate wrote:A bag of the Gold has been ordered. Currently $30 CAD on Amazon. It almost seems too good to be true. On another note, have you ever tried Milano? It's expensive and they have no free shipping but people have told me it's the holy grail for Italian style espresso. Thoughts?

Milano in Vancouver? I used to live around the corner from them and I am a big fan. But that was before I started espresso at home, have only really had their stuff in their cafe. They have a couple roasts that are divine, in my opinion.

PIXIllate wrote:A bag of the Gold has been ordered. Currently $30 CAD on Amazon. It almost seems too good to be true. On another note, have you ever tried Milano? It's expensive and they have no free shipping but people have told me it's the holy grail for Italian style espresso. Thoughts?

/Edit warning - I went over the quota of 1 for the use of "hefty".

I haven't tried Milano and I'm all for trying new coffees, especially those touted as "holy grail" coffees! I had a look and it's unfortunately a hard pass at this time. I'm overwhelmed with a huge order from Klatch and at $70 for 2lbs I just can't see that becoming a regular purchase. My experience Has led me to defer to value since I've never had a coffee that I thought would be worth a hefty regular premium. There are so many delicious offerings in general.

Recently I paid a pretty hefty premium as a Canadian on the Roma blend and a few others from Caffe Lusso in search of "the best" fresh Italian inspired blend with robusta. They didn't live up to expectations and this experience has further supported my feelings in general on Italian blends. That freshness is not worth the hefty premium over buying the tried and true Italian blends we've come to enjoy in all their stale glory. I'd rather splurge on some fantastic Klatch offerings!

/Rant end?