Lavazza Espresso Italiano Classico Coffee Beans: Setting Up the Shot

Classico is built for one drink, the short, dark espresso an Italian bar pours, and everything about the blend follows from that brief. Buying it as beans makes sense because the aromatic top of a darker roast is the first thing to fade once it has been ground.

Built for the Italian bar serve

Lavazza's Espresso Italiano line is designed around the classic counter espresso: small, hot and gone in a few mouthfuls. Classico is the everyday member of that line. Lavazza describes it as 100% Arabica, drawn from Africa and from Central and South America, and in the cup it leans darker than a breakfast coffee, with toasted bread, cocoa and a faint sweet smokiness in place of fruit.

The bitterness is part of the design rather than a flaw, and the body is full enough to coat the mouth. Pulled well, the crema is thick and slow to break, the sort a spoonful of sugar rests on for a moment before sinking. That same structure lets the roast carry through milk, so the blend works as a cappuccino base as well as a straight shot.

Where to start with the grinder

A sensible opening recipe is 18g of ground coffee in the basket and 36g of espresso in the cup, over 25 to 30 seconds, using water between 92 and 94 degrees Celsius. Change one thing at a time. If the shot tastes weak, leave the temperature alone: with a darker blend, extra heat tips the cup towards ash, so add a little more coffee instead.

Keep the drink small. Stretch a dose meant for a short pour into a mug and bitterness is the only thing left standing. As for yield, a single of about 8g gives roughly 125 cups from the bag, and an 18g double about 55. At two coffees a day that is around two months of mornings from one kilogram.

Living with a kilogram bag

The bag is sealed foil fitted with a one-way valve, so carbon dioxide from freshly roasted beans can escape while air stays out. The aromatics sit loosely on the surface of each bean, a darker roast loses them faster, and grinding strips them quickest of all. So grind only what the next shot needs, squeeze the air out of the bag, and keep it closed and away from the heat of the kettle.

Within the brand, Qualità Oro is the more aromatic alternative, and Qualità Rossa adds Robusta for a fuller, more chocolatey cup under milk. Classico sits between the bar and the breakfast table: dark enough for a proper espresso, balanced enough to drink every day. For a cafetière, grind it coarser and weigh roughly 60g per litre, and the bag stretches to around 16 litres.

The packs we stock

• Lavazza Espresso Italiano Classico Coffee Beans, 1kg (barcode 8000070018747)

What to eat with it

• McVitie's Digestives Milk Chocolate Biscuits, 433g: Milk chocolate softens the dry cocoa finish of a short shot, a gentler partner than dark chocolate for a cappuccino.
• McVitie's Digestives Dark Chocolate Biscuits, 433g: Dark chocolate echoes the dry cocoa finish, a good match for the espresso taken black after lunch.
• Border Classic Biscuit Sharing Pack, 400g: A sharing pack for the after-dinner round of espressos, when the grinder is working for a table of guests.

Elsewhere in the Lavazza range

• Lavazza A Modo Mio Dek, Decaf Eco Caps, 16 Capsules 120g
• Lavazza A Modo Mio Lungo Dolce Coffee, 16 Capsules
• 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

The full range is on the Lavazza brand page.

FAQ

Do these Classico beans need a grinder? Yes, unless you own a bean-to-cup machine, which grinds for you. Without either, buy Classico ready ground rather than trying to brew whole beans.

What does Classico mean in the name? It marks the everyday blend within Lavazza's Espresso Italiano line, which is designed around the short Italian bar espresso.

Is Espresso Italiano Classico all Arabica? Lavazza describes it as 100% Arabica from Africa and Central and South America. Composition can change between production runs, so check the bag you have.

Should I drink it black or with milk? Either. Black it gives a full, cocoa-led shot; under milk the roast still comes through, which is why this style anchors both espresso and cappuccino in Italian bars.

How long does a 1kg bag last? At two coffees a day, roughly two months, or about 125 singles at 8g each.

Curator's note: Classico makes its case in a few mouthfuls, so give it a small cup and leave the mug for another coffee. It is the bean we would keep in the hopper for anyone who takes espresso black. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Lavazza Espresso Italiano Classico Coffee Beans: Setting Up the Shot

More from the tea wiki

• Tea vs Coffee: Taste, Caffeine and Switching
• Caffeine in Tea
• Tea vs Coffee
• Tea for Coffee Drinkers: Where to Start
• Chai vs Coffee

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