Lavazza Espresso Maestro Intenso Capsules: The Dark One for Milk

Intenso sits at the dark, bitter-forward end of Lavazza's capsules for Nespresso Original machines, and that roast depth is exactly what lets it stand up to steamed milk. Where a softer capsule fades under a flat white, this one keeps its cocoa and its dry finish.

Where Intenso sits in the range

Lavazza makes several capsules for the Nespresso Original system, and they differ in character as well as strength. Intenso is the dark, bitter-forward one. Qualità Rossa steps back from it, with body and bite but less weight, and Qualità Oro is softer and more aromatic again. Maestro Lungo is set up for a bigger cup, and the decaffeinated Maestro serves the same short espresso late in the day.

Lavazza prints an intensity number on each box, but that scale only compares Lavazza with Lavazza, so it says little against another roaster's capsules. Read it off the carton you have. What the number points at is plain in the cup: cocoa and roast, a thick body for a capsule, deliberate bitterness and very little acidity to catch on.

Built for steamed milk

Dark roasts are the style that survives milk without vanishing, and this is the capsule to start with if you make flat whites or cappuccinos at home. Its long, dry finish is still readable under around 120ml of steamed milk, where a softer blend would turn into warm milk with a rumour of coffee in it.

For a mug of milky coffee, use two short shots, not a single long one. Each capsule makes one drink, and pushing extra water through it only adds the harsh end of the extraction. The arithmetic is simple: the box of ten gives ten short espressos, or five mug-sized milk drinks at two capsules apiece.

Espresso button, small warm cup

The dose is set for a pour of roughly 25 to 30ml. Press the lungo button instead and the extra water brings the bitter, drying tail of the extraction rather than more coffee. If you want a longer black drink, pull it short and top it up with hot water afterwards, or choose the Maestro Lungo capsule, which is dosed for the bigger cup.

Check the machine before anything else. These capsules are made to the Nespresso Original shape, the small cone, so they suit Original machines only. Vertuo machines take a bigger, dome-shaped capsule with a barcode and will not accept them. Nor will Lavazza's own A Modo Mio machines, which use a separate capsule of their own.

The packs we stock

• Lavazza Espresso Maestro Intenso Nespresso Compatible, 10 Capsules (barcode 8000070054271)

What to eat with it

• Lu Le Petit Cookie with Chunky Rich Chocolate Chips, 184g: Chunky chocolate chips meet the cocoa of the roast, a good match for a morning flat white.
• Maryland Cookies Double Chocolate, 200g: Double chocolate holds its ground against a short, bitter espresso taken black.
• Border Butterscotch Crunch Organic Biscuits, 135g: Butterscotch sweetness is a clean contrast to a dark roast with almost no acidity.
• Maryland Minis Cookies - Choc Chip 6 Mini Bags, 118.8g: Small bags for a small cup: a few cookies beside a single espresso rather than a whole packet open.

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 Lavazza Maestro Intenso capsules fit Vertuo machines? No. They are made for Nespresso Original machines, the small conical capsule system.

Is Intenso the strongest Lavazza capsule? In roast depth and bitterness it is the dark end of Lavazza's capsules for this system. The intensity number on the box is Lavazza's own scale, so compare it only with other Lavazza capsules.

Can I make a flat white with it? Yes, it is the capsule we would start with. Use one short shot for a small flat white, or two for a mug.

Should I use the lungo button? No. It is dosed for a short pour of about 25 to 30ml; for more volume, top up with hot water or choose Maestro Lungo.

Curator's note: Two short shots under a mug of steamed milk beat one long one every time. That is the whole trick with this capsule, and it is worth the extra capsule. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Lavazza Espresso Maestro Intenso Capsules: The Dark One for Milk

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

Download as PDF