Lavazza Espresso Italiano Classico Ground Coffee: Which Pack, Which Brewer

Ground espresso coffee goes stale from the surface, and a finer grind means far more surface. That is why the Classico two-pack splits its 500g into a pair of vacuum packs, and why it is the version we would point a daily espresso drinker towards.

Two sealed packs, two fresh starts

Grinding breaks open the structure of the bean and multiplies the area that air can reach. Whole beans keep their aroma for weeks; once a pack of ground coffee is opened, it starts to fade within days. Vacuum packing holds everything in place until the seal breaks. The two-pack uses that: work through the first bag, leave the second untouched in the cupboard, and begin again with a fresh seal halfway through.

So choosing a format is really about pace. The single 250g pack suits a household pulling the odd weekend espresso. For a daily habit the two-pack makes more sense: twice the coffee, and the second half of your supply opens as fresh as the first. At 7g a single the pair gives roughly 71 shots; as 14g doubles, around 35.

Classico or Barista Intenso?

Both are Lavazza espresso grinds, so the difference is the roast. Classico is the medium, balanced one: roasted far enough for sweetness and body but stopped well before it chars, with a bitterness that is present yet restrained enough to drink black every day. Barista Intenso is taken darker and heavier, with more bitterness, and it holds up better under a large amount of milk.

Lavazza describes Classico as 100% Arabica from Africa and from Central and South America. In the cup it reads as toasted nut and caramel rather than heavy cocoa, with a clean finish instead of a long bitter tail. If most of your coffees are short and black, choose Classico; if most are big milky cups, the darker grind or Qualità Rossa will carry the milk better.

Brewing it well

The grind is fine and meant for pressure: a pump espresso machine, or a moka pot at a push. In our view it is wasted in a cafetière, where four minutes of steeping pulls too much out of grounds this small and the mesh lets the finest particles into the mug. On a machine, aim for about 30ml from a single in 25 to 30 seconds.

You cannot change the grind in a bag, so correct a fast, sour shot with a slightly bigger dose and a level, even tamp. Then judge the result by taste rather than by the crema. With pre-ground coffee, a thin or patchy head mostly tells you how long the pack has been open, and a shot can look tired while still tasting as it should.

The packs we stock

• Lavazza Espresso Italiano Classico Ground Coffee, 250g (barcode 8000070018686)
• Lavazza Espresso Italiano Classico Ground Coffee, 2 Pack 500g (barcode 8000070012882)

What to eat with it

• McVitie's Hobnobs The Oaty One Milk Chocolate Twin Pack Biscuits, 2 x 262g: Another twin pack for the same open-one-at-a-time habit, and oats with milk chocolate sit comfortably beside a balanced shot.
• Border Butterscotch Crunch Organic Biscuits, 135g: Butterscotch picks up the caramel in the cup without piling on more cocoa.
• Maryland Cookies Double Chocolate, 200g: For a cappuccino, a double chocolate cookie gives the milk something rich to lean against.

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

Is the two-pack one big bag? No. It is two separate sealed 250g vacuum packs, 500g in all, so one stays closed while you use the other.

How is Classico different from Barista Intenso? Roast depth. Classico is the medium, balanced grind that drinks well black; Barista Intenso is darker, heavier and more bitter, and suits plenty of milk.

Can I use it in a moka pot? Yes. It is ground for espresso, and a stovetop moka pot is the other brewer it suits.

Why does my crema look thin? On pre-ground coffee that usually means the pack has been open a while. Taste the shot before you decide anything is wrong.

How many shots are in the two-pack? Around 71 singles at 7g, or about 35 doubles at 14g.

Curator's note: Keep the second pack sealed until the first is finished, however tempting it is to open it. Classico is the one we would drink black every day, so it deserves to be fresh. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Lavazza Espresso Italiano Classico Ground Coffee: Which Pack, Which Brewer

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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