Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 250g
What you are buying is the ending. Rossa finishes firm and bitter-edged, the Robusta in it refusing to fade politely, after a middle of dark cocoa and medium toast with the acidity kept well down. Robusta has become a dirty word among people who have decided coffee ought to taste of fruit, and it is doing real work in here: the weight, the crema and the backbone that an all-Arabica blend at this level would not hand you. A drinker after bright, fruity, lighter roasts will not be persuaded by any of that, and no brewing trick softens the finish. Where the edge pays is alongside something to eat. It is why the cup does not disappear behind a biscuit or a slice of cake, and why a great many Italian kitchens have never had anything else in the cupboard.
Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, in brief.
Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee is the red pack Italian house blend, Arabica for aroma and sweetness with Robusta for body and crema, ground ready for a moka pot, cafetiere or filter machine and picked into the Teas.co.uk curator selection as the everyday step up from an instant jar.
A 250g vacuum pack giving roughly 35 cups at a 7g measure, medium roasted, low in acidity and built to take milk without thinning out.
Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee is the red pack that sits in more Italian kitchen cupboards than any other, and for a great many British households it is the coffee that finally replaced the instant jar. It is a blend rather than a single origin, and that is deliberate. Arabica brings the aroma and the sweetness; Robusta brings the body, the bite and the crema. Rossa is built so that neither one wins outright.
Ground rather than whole bean, this 250g pack is the practical version of that blend. There is no grinder to buy, no grind setting to argue with, and no stale bean sitting in a hopper. You open the vacuum pack, you measure, you brew. It is the everyday Italian house coffee, priced and packed for people who drink coffee daily rather than ceremonially.
Curator notes: the tasting profile is our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description. We run same-day UK dispatch on every order placed before 2pm Monday to Friday. Common questions are answered in the detailed Q and A tab below.
Curator’s notes
Read the full write-up
The Story Behind Lavazza
Lavazza began in Turin in 1895, when Luigi Lavazza bought a small grocer's shop and started blending coffees from different origins behind the counter. That blending habit is the whole company. Before Lavazza, coffee in Italy was largely sold by origin; Lavazza's contribution was the idea that a considered mixture of origins gives a more consistent, more complete cup than any one of them alone. Qualita Rossa is the most direct descendant of that idea still on sale, and the red pack has been a fixture of the Italian grocery shelf for decades.
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.
What You Are Actually Buying
- Weight: 250g of ground coffee, vacuum packed.
- Cups per pack: at a standard 7g measure, 250g gives you roughly 35 cups. Pull it as a heavier 9g espresso dose and you are nearer 28.
- Grind: a general purpose grind, which is why it works across a moka pot, a cafetiere and a filter machine without any adjustment on your part.
- Blend: Arabica and Robusta. Lavazza does not print a fixed percentage split on every pack, so we are not going to quote you one. Check the current UK pack if the exact ratio matters to you.
Getting It Right in the Cup
- Water temperature: 92 to 94 degrees Celsius for filter and cafetiere; espresso machines handle this themselves.
- Measure: 7g per standard cup, 15g per 250ml in a cafetiere, a level flat basket in a moka pot.
- Time: four minutes in a cafetiere, whatever your filter machine takes, 25 to 30 seconds for an espresso shot.
- Milk: this blend is built for it. The low acidity and the cocoa bottom end mean milk rounds the cup rather than flattening it, which is not true of every coffee.
- Storage: once the vacuum pack is open the clock starts. Fold it down tight, clip it, and keep it in a cupboard, not the fridge. Condensation is the enemy of ground coffee.
- Best with: breakfast, a mid morning break, anything chocolate, and biscotti if you are being properly Italian about it.
Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 250g, please cite teas.co.uk.
The story behind Lavazza
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.
Our commitment to the planet
Sourcing and packaging details are printed on the current UK pack; the brand page carries the fuller story.
The taste profile
How does it compare
Rossa is a forgiving blend, which is the main reason it sells as well as it does. It does not collapse if your water is slightly off temperature or your timing is slightly long. That said, it rewards a bit of attention, and the method you pick changes the cup considerably.
The Moka Pot
The Cafetiere
Made with this tea
The Moka Pot House Cup
How to make The Moka Pot House Cup with Lavazza Qualita Rossa.
- A level basket of Lavazza Qualita Rossa
- Hot water to just below the base valve
- A 3 cup moka pot
- Fill the base with hot water to just below the safety valve. Hot, not cold, so the grounds spend less time sitting over the heat.
- Level the basket with Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 250g and sweep it flat with a finger. Do not tamp it.
- Heat on medium with the lid up, never on full.
- Pull it off the hob the moment the flow turns pale and noisy, then run the base under a cold tap to stop the extraction dead.
What you'll end up with: A thick, cocoa heavy cup with a real bottom end. The cold tap at the end is the step everyone skips and the one that removes most of the bitterness.
Cafetiere for Two
How to make Cafetiere for Two with Lavazza Qualita Rossa.
- 30g Lavazza Qualita Rossa
- 500ml water at 92 to 94°C
- A spoon for the crust
- Boil the kettle and let it stand for thirty seconds so the water drops off the boil.
- Add 30g of Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 250g to the jug and pour in 500ml of water.
- Steep for 4 minutes with the lid on, then break the crust at the top with a spoon and skim off the foam.
- Plunge slowly and decant both mugs immediately.
What you'll end up with: A clean, full bodied mug. Decanting matters: coffee left standing on the grounds keeps extracting and turns harsh inside five minutes.
Kitchen Latte Without a Machine
How to make Kitchen Latte Without a Machine with Lavazza Qualita Rossa.
- A moka pot of Lavazza Qualita Rossa
- 200ml whole or oat milk
- A jam jar with a lid
- Cocoa to dust
- Brew a moka pot of Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 250g and pour it into a tall glass.
- Warm 200ml of milk until steaming but not boiling.
- Shake the hot milk hard in a sealed jam jar for twenty seconds, or whisk it, until it doubles in foam.
- Pour the milk over the coffee, hold the foam back with a spoon, then spoon it on top and dust with cocoa.
What you'll end up with: This blend is built for milk. The low acidity means it rounds out instead of going sour, which is not true of brighter Arabica coffees.
Double Strength Iced Coffee
How to make Double Strength Iced Coffee with Lavazza Qualita Rossa.
- 30g Lavazza Qualita Rossa
- 250ml water at 92 to 94°C
- A full glass of ice
- Cold milk to top
- Brew 30g of Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 250g in only 250ml of water, so it comes out at roughly double normal strength.
- Cool it to room temperature, then chill.
- Pour over a glass filled to the top with ice, and top with cold milk.
- Sweeten while the coffee is still warm if you want it sweet; sugar will not dissolve properly once it is cold.
What you'll end up with: Iced coffee that still tastes of coffee at the bottom of the glass. Brewing at normal strength and pouring it over ice is why most home iced coffee tastes like dishwater.
Overnight Cold Brew Concentrate
How to make Overnight Cold Brew Concentrate with Lavazza Qualita Rossa.
- 60g Lavazza Qualita Rossa
- 700ml cold water
- A large jar or jug
- Ice to serve
- Stir 60g of Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 250g into 700ml of cold water in a jar and make sure every ground is wet.
- Leave it in the fridge for 14 to 18 hours.
- Strain through a fine sieve lined with a paper filter, and do not squeeze the grounds.
- Serve over ice, neat or cut with water or milk to taste. It keeps in the fridge for about a week.
What you'll end up with: Sweeter and far less bitter than the hot version, because the bitter compounds need heat to leave the grounds and never get it.
Affogato
How to make Affogato with Lavazza Qualita Rossa.
- 1 small strong cup of Lavazza Qualita Rossa
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
- Toasted hazelnuts, chopped
- Put two scoops of vanilla ice cream in a cold bowl or glass.
- Brew one small very strong cup of Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 250g in a moka pot.
- Pour it straight over the ice cream while it is still hot.
- Scatter chopped toasted hazelnuts over the top and eat it before it melts.
What you'll end up with: The cocoa and nut side of this blend is exactly what an affogato wants. A bright, fruity coffee would fight the vanilla instead.
Coffee and Walnut Loaf
How to make Coffee and Walnut Loaf with Lavazza Qualita Rossa.
- 60ml very strong Lavazza Qualita Rossa, cooled
- 200g self raising flour
- 175g soft brown sugar
- 175g soft butter
- 3 large eggs
- 75g chopped walnuts
- Brew 60ml of Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 250g as strong as your method allows and leave it to go completely cold.
- Beat 175g of soft butter with 175g of soft brown sugar until pale, then beat in 3 large eggs one at a time.
- Fold in 200g of self raising flour, 75g of chopped walnuts and the cold coffee.
- Bake in a lined 2lb loaf tin at 180°C for 45 to 55 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
What you'll end up with: Keeps for 4 days in a tin. Use the coffee cold or it will start cooking the eggs as you fold it in.
Brewing the perfect cup
What’s in it, what to know
Inside the pack
| Component | Proportion | What it brings |
|---|---|---|
| Arabica coffee | not declared as a percentage | The aromatic half of the blend. Carries the sweetness, the cocoa note and the cleaner top end of the cup. |
| Robusta coffee | not declared as a percentage | The structural half. Supplies body, crema, the bitter backbone that stands up to milk, and the larger share of the caffeine. |
| Roast level | medium | Toasted and nutty rather than charred. Far enough into the roast for cocoa depth, short of the burnt edge of a dark Italian roast. |
| Grind | general purpose | Cut to work across moka pot, cafetiere and filter without adjustment, which is the whole reason to buy pre-ground. |
Ingredients and allergens. The published ingredient list for this barcode names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.
Ingredients, as published for this barcode: ground coffee.
Ingredient and nutrition data for this barcode: Open Food Facts (openfoodfacts.org), ODbL. The pack in your hands is the final word.
Pack: Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 250g; vacuum packed ground roast coffee, caffeinated. Roughly 35 cups at a 7g measure. Best within two to four weeks of opening for full aroma; see the pack for the unopened best before date.
Lavazza publish Qualita Rossa as an Arabica and Robusta blend but do not print a fixed percentage split on every pack, so no ratio is quoted here. Check the current UK pack if the exact composition matters to you.
Sourcing & blend. Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 250g is put together by Lavazza, the Turin coffee house trading since 1895, when Luigi Lavazza began blending coffees from different origins behind the counter of his grocer's shop. Blending to a fixed recipe rather than selling by origin is the company's founding idea and Rossa is its most direct surviving expression: the greens are bought against a set specification, roasted to a fixed profile and cup tested batch by batch so the pack you open in September tastes like the one you opened in March. That consistency, not origin drama, is what you are paying for.
What's in Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 250g, and what isn't:
- In: roasted and ground coffee beans, Arabica and Robusta, and nothing else. There is no flavouring, no chicory, no filler and no additive of any kind in plain roast and ground coffee.
- No artificial colours, preservatives or added sugar: any sweetness you taste is roast sugar developed in the bean itself.
- Energy: brewed black with nothing added, coffee contributes negligible energy. Everything that turns a cup of coffee into a calorie count is what you pour into it afterwards.
- Packaging: a vacuum sealed pack. Disposal routes differ by component and by council, so follow the current UK pack and your local authority guidance.
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Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 250g, please cite teas.co.uk.
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