Lavazza Qualità Rossa Coffee Beans: The Blend for Milk

Rossa is the Lavazza blend built to be drunk with milk, and the Robusta in it is the reason. It gives the cup body, a crema that holds and enough backbone to stay recognisable under a latte, while the Arabica brings the sweetness.

What the Robusta is doing

Robusta has a poor reputation, mostly earned where it is used carelessly. In a blend like this it has a clear job: extra caffeine, extra weight in the mouth and a longer-lasting crema. The Arabica brings the sweetness and the aroma, without which the cup would taste flat. Getting that balance right is the whole skill of blending, the idea Lavazza was founded on in Turin in 1895.

In the cup that means dark cocoa and toasted nut through the middle, a full, round body, low acidity and a long dry finish. It is also forgiving. With a grinder slightly past its best, a dose judged by eye or water a couple of degrees out, Rossa still tastes of coffee, where a more delicate all-Arabica would lose its shape and turn sour.

Choosing between Rossa and Oro

Qualità Oro is all Arabica: sweeter, more floral and gentler in its bitterness. Rossa is stronger, heavier and more chocolatey. The simple rule is to match the blend to the drink. If your coffee is short and black, choose Oro. If it is long and milky, whether a cappuccino, a latte or a mug with milk, choose Rossa, because a lighter blend tends to vanish under that much milk.

Taken very short and black, Rossa can come across as blunt, and that is a fair observation rather than a fault in the bag. It was never meant to be sipped for its florals. Where it earns its keep is as the house bean in a busy kitchen: the bag that makes a decent cup whoever is at the machine, morning after morning.

Settings for milk, and which bag

Begin with 18g in and 36g out over 25 to 30 seconds, the water between 92 and 94 degrees Celsius. If the drink is going under milk, stop the shot nearer 30g to hold on to more body. A harsh, rubbery taste means grind coarser; thin and sour means grind finer. For a latte of around 300ml, use a triple basket or a longer dose instead of stretching one shot.

Both bags hold the same blend. The 250g bag lasts most households about a fortnight and is the one to try it with. The 1kg bag is where owning a grinder or a bean-to-cup machine makes sense: roughly two months at two coffees a day, sealed in foil with a one-way valve that lets carbon dioxide out and keeps air from getting in.

The packs we stock

• Lavazza Qualita Rossa Coffee Beans, 250g (barcode 8000070036284)
• Lavazza Qualita Rossa Coffee Beans, 1kg (barcode 8000070035188)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Lavazza Qualita Rossa Coffee Beans, 1kg (barcode 8000070035188) names none of the 14 major allergens. Before buying Rossa beans, check the bag; Lavazza may change the Rossa recipe and allergen advice.

Ingredients, as published: roasted coffee beans.

Ingredient and nutrition data for this barcode: Open Food Facts (openfoodfacts.org), ODbL. The bag of Rossa beans in your kitchen decides.

What to eat with it

• McVitie's Digestives Dark Chocolate Biscuits, 433g: Dark chocolate is the natural partner for Rossa's cocoa notes, and the big pack keeps pace with a kilogram bag.
• McVitie's Digestives Seriously Chocolatey Biscuits, 250g: A thoroughly chocolatey biscuit holds its own against a full-bodied, toasty latte.
• McVitie's Milk Chocolate Digestives Biscuits, 266g: For anyone who finds dark chocolate too bitter, a milk chocolate digestive is the easy match for a milky mug.

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

What is the difference between Lavazza Rossa and Oro? Oro is all Arabica, sweeter and more floral. Rossa blends Arabica with Robusta for a stronger, heavier, more chocolatey cup that suits milk.

Is Robusta a bad sign in a blend? Not when it is used well. Here it adds body, crema and caffeine, while the Arabica brings sweetness and aroma.

Does Qualità Rossa work in a big latte? Yes, that is what it does best. Use a triple basket or a longer dose for a drink of around 300ml.

What does the ingredient list say? The published list is simply roasted coffee beans, and it names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current pack before you buy.

Which bag size should I choose? The 250g bag to try it; the 1kg bag if a grinder or bean-to-cup machine runs every day.

Curator's note: Rossa under steamed milk with a dark chocolate digestive is about as dependable as a morning gets. Drink it short and black only if you like your coffee blunt. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Lavazza Qualità Rossa Coffee Beans: The Blend 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

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