Lavazza Qualità Oro Coffee Beans: Grinding and Choosing a Bag

Qualità Oro has been in Lavazza's range since 1956, a blend of six Arabica varieties from Central and South America. Buying it as whole beans keeps its floral top notes where they belong, inside the bean until the grinder opens it.

Six Arabicas and no Robusta

Lavazza's founding idea was the blend: combining origins so the cup stays steady from one bag to the next. Oro applies that to six Arabica varieties, and leaving Robusta out is what shapes its character. Robusta brings punch and crema, but bitterness with them; without it, Oro reads sweeter and softer, with a honeyed middle, a medium, silky body and a clean cocoa finish.

The aroma is the headline: floral and dried fruit notes over a warm, bready edge. Those are light, volatile compounds held near the surface of the roasted bean, and they are the first thing lost once coffee is ground and left to sit. That is the practical case for the beans over a ground bag, provided you already own a grinder or a bean-to-cup machine.

Grinding and dosing Oro

For espresso, a good starting point is 18g of coffee in and 36g out in 25 to 30 seconds, with the water between 92 and 94 degrees Celsius. A fast shot that tastes sour needs a finer grind; a slow one that tastes dry and bitter wants it coarser. Adjust one setting at a time and pull a couple of shots before you decide anything.

Oro is at its best short and black in a warm cup, and it brings its own sweetness, so sugar rarely earns a place. It works under milk as well, though the gentle roast means a large latte can taste mild; use a bigger dose or a triple basket rather than reaching for syrup. If you like your coffee to hit hard, Qualità Rossa, with Robusta in the blend, is the better bet.

Choosing between 250g, 500g and 1kg

The choice comes down to pace. The 250g bag is the one for trying Oro, or for a moka pot used mainly at weekends. The 500g bag suits a daily espresso drinker with a separate grinder. The 1kg bag is for a bean-to-cup machine running every morning: one purchase in place of four small ones, and roughly 125 singles at about 8g, or some 55 doubles at 18g.

The kilogram bag is sealed foil with a one-way valve: gas from the fresh roast escapes, and air stays out. Whatever the size, once a bag is open, squeeze the air out, close it tightly and keep it away from heat and light. Lavazza prints its intensity rating and origin details on the pack, and they can change between runs, so check the bag itself.

The packs we stock

• Lavazza Qualità Oro Coffee Beans, 250g (barcode 8000070012219)
• Lavazza Qualita Oro Coffee Beans, 500g (barcode 8000070019362)
• Lavazza Qualità Oro Coffee Beans, 1kg (barcode 8000070020559)

What to eat with it

• Lotus Biscoff Caramelised Biscuits, 250g: A caramelised biscuit echoes the honeyed middle of the blend without drowning its floral lift.
• McVitie's Hobnobs The Oaty One Milk Chocolate Twin Pack Biscuits, 2 x 262g: Oats and milk chocolate suit Oro's cocoa finish, especially beside a morning flat white.
• Maryland Cookies Caramel & Chocolate Chip, 200g: Caramel and chocolate chips pick up both ends of the cup, the sweetness in the middle and the cocoa at the close.

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 Qualità Oro 100% Arabica? Yes. Lavazza describes it as a blend of six Arabica varieties from Central and South America.

Oro or Rossa: which beans should I buy? Oro for short black coffee with sweetness and aroma; Rossa, which adds Robusta, for a fuller, chocolatey cup under milk.

Can I use Oro beans in a cafetière? Yes, ground coarsely. About 60g of coffee per litre of water is a sensible starting ratio.

Do I need a grinder? Yes, or a bean-to-cup machine. Without one, Oro ready ground is the better choice.

How long has Lavazza made Qualità Oro? Since 1956.

Curator's note: Try it black before you reach for the sugar bowl. Oro is a quiet coffee, and it shows best first thing, as a short espresso before the day gets noisy. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Lavazza Qualità Oro Coffee Beans: Grinding and Choosing a Bag

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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