Lavazza A Modo Mio Lungo Dolce: the long, gentle capsule

Lungo Dolce is the A Modo Mio capsule designed to be run long rather than pulled short. The soft roast, the gentle acidity and the round body all follow from that one decision about the size of the cup.

What lungo and dolce actually mean

The two Italian words on the box are a brewing instruction and a flavour promise. A lungo is a long extraction, with roughly double the water of an espresso passing through the same amount of coffee, so the cup is bigger, lighter in body and gentler in taste. Dolce means soft or sweet. Together they describe a mug-sized black coffee for the morning rather than a small, heavy shot.

More water through a dose pulls out more of the dry, late-arriving compounds that a short shot leaves behind. A capsule intended for that length therefore has to begin from a softer roast, or the cup turns harsh by the end of the pour. That is why this one reads as low in bitterness and round rather than thick, with a mild brightness near the top of the cup.

One machine system, and why it matters

A Modo Mio is Lavazza's own closed capsule system. These capsules go into A Modo Mio machines and nowhere else: Nespresso, Dolce Gusto and Tassimo machines cannot take them, and nothing designed for those three goes into an A Modo Mio. If in doubt, read the name on the front of your machine before ordering. On most A Modo Mio machines a dedicated long button handles this, and it is the one to use.

Because the dose, grind and tamp are all fixed inside the capsule, the machine becomes the main thing that can go wrong. A gentle coffee has no heavy roast to hide behind, so a machine overdue for descaling, or one left unused for a couple of weeks, shows up in this cup sooner than it would under a darker capsule. Keep the machine clean and this capsule repays it.

Where it sits among our Lavazza capsules

We carry three other A Modo Mio lines beside this one. Passionale and Qualita Rossa share the system, and Lavazza describes Qualita Rossa as Arabica with Robusta for a fuller, chocolatey cup. The A Modo Mio Dek is the decaf, sold as Eco Caps. Lungo Dolce is the gentle, long-cup choice of the four, the one to reach for when darker capsules feel too assertive at mug length.

Expect soft toasted cereal, a little cocoa and a faint sweetness in the aroma, then a round body that can take a splash of milk without going thin. We think it is at its best black. Pulled short as an espresso it tastes thin rather than concentrated, because the roast expects the longer pour. The crema is thinner than on a short shot too, as the same gas is spread through more liquid.

The packs we stock

• Lavazza A Modo Mio Lungo Dolce Coffee, 16 Capsules (barcode 8000070086494)

What to eat with it

• McVitie's Hobnobs Milk Chocolate Biscuits, 262g: Oats and milk chocolate suit a soft, round black coffee without overpowering it.
• Border Butterscotch Crunch Organic Biscuits, 135g: Butterscotch sweetness echoes the gentle roast and gives a mild mug something to lean on.
• Maryland Minis Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Mini Bags Multipack, 6 Pack 118.8g: Small bags for the morning, when one handful is enough beside a long coffee.

Elsewhere in the Lavazza range

• Lavazza A Modo Mio Dek, Decaf Eco Caps, 16 Capsules 120g
• Lavazza A Modo Mio Passionale Coffee, 16 Capsules
• Lavazza A Modo Mio Qualita Rossa Coffee, 16 Capsules 120g
• Lavazza Crema e Gusto Classico Coffee Beans, 1kg
• Lavazza Crema E Gusto Classico Ground Roasted Coffee, 500g
• Lavazza Crema e Gusto Dolce Ground Coffee, 250g

The full range is on the Lavazza brand page.

FAQ

Which machines take Lungo Dolce capsules? Only Lavazza A Modo Mio machines. They do not fit Nespresso, Dolce Gusto or Tassimo, and capsules from those systems do not fit an A Modo Mio.

How many coffees does a box make? Sixteen, one capsule per cup. Each capsule gives a single extraction, so there is no second drink from it.

Is Lungo Dolce a strong capsule? No, it is mild by design, with low bitterness and a round body. For a number, go by the intensity figure Lavazza prints on the pack in your hands.

Can I use it to make an espresso? You can, but it tends to taste thin when pulled short, because the roast was built for the longer pour. For a short shot, another A Modo Mio capsule suits better.

Are the capsules compostable? Some A Modo Mio capsules come as compostable Eco Caps and others do not, so read the box you receive and follow your local authority's guidance.

Curator's note: Press the long button, leave the milk in the fridge and keep the machine descaled. A quiet coffee like this shows every fault in the kit, and it rewards a clean one. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Lavazza A Modo Mio Lungo Dolce: the long, gentle capsule

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