Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee: The Red Bag Explained

The red bag is a blend with a job: Robusta supplies the punch, the crema and the grip through milk, while Arabica stops it turning harsh. Everything about brewing it well follows from that split, starting with how hot the water is.

Why Robusta sits in the blend

Lavazza built its name on blending, the founding idea when Luigi Lavazza opened his Turin roastery in 1895, and Qualita Rossa shows the method plainly. Arabica and Robusta are combined for a cup Lavazza describes as rich and full-bodied with chocolate notes. Robusta is the part that shapes the character: it brings the firm bitterness, the heavy body and the thick, foaming crema a stovetop pot throws up.

That makes Rossa the counterweight to the house's all-Arabica blends, which we also stock. Espresso Italiano Classico leans floral, and Qualita Oro, made since 1956 from six Arabica varieties, is the more aromatic of the pair. Rossa trades some of that perfume for weight. Cut the brick open and you meet a smell of roasted nuts and caramel with a dry, cocoa-like edge, then a cup that keeps its shape once milk goes in.

Moka pot first, cafetiere second

The grind is medium, and it is happiest in a stovetop moka pot, where that Robusta body shows best. A filter machine copes well too. In a cafetiere it is slightly finer than ideal, so expect a little silt at the bottom of the cup and press the plunger slowly rather than forcing it down. An espresso machine wants a finer grind than this, so it is not the bag for one.

Harsh, ashy coffee from this blend almost always means the water was too hot. Bitterness is the last thing to leave the grounds, and water at a full boil drags out more of it. Give the kettle about thirty seconds to settle before pouring, and in a cafetiere plunge at three minutes rather than five. The same coffee then tastes nutty and caramel-sweet instead of scorched.

One brick or two

Ground coffee goes flat quickly once air reaches it, because the grounds expose so much surface. That is why Rossa comes vacuum-packed in a hard brick: until the foil is cut, the coffee is held close to how it left the roaster. From the moment it is opened the aroma begins to fade, so the aim is to finish each brick while it still smells of the roast.

We stock the single 250g brick and the 2 x 250g twin. The twin is two separate sealed bricks rather than one large bag, so the second is as fresh on its first morning as the first one was. Pick the single if you drink coffee now and then or are trying Rossa for the first time; pick the twin if the moka pot goes on every day. Once it is open, fold the foil down tightly and clip it shut.

The packs we stock

• Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 250g (barcode 8000070036864)
• Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 2 x 250g (barcode 8000070035171)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee, 2 x 250g (barcode 8000070035171) names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the red Rossa bag before buying; Lavazza may revise this moka blend's recipe and allergen advice.

Ingredients, as published: ground coffee.

Ingredient and nutrition data for this barcode: Open Food Facts (openfoodfacts.org), ODbL. The red bag in your cupboard is the final word on Rossa ground.

What to eat with it

• McVitie's Hobnobs Milk Chocolate Biscuits, 262g: Oats and milk chocolate bring enough crunch and sweetness to meet a strong, milky cup of Rossa halfway.
• Lotus Biscoff Caramelised Biscuits, 250g: Biscoff's caramelised snap echoes the caramel note in the blend and holds its own against the Robusta bitterness.
• McVitie's Original Hobnobs Biscuits - The Oaty One, 255g: The plain oat biscuit for a black cup, when you want the coffee's cocoa edge to do the talking.
• Border Classic Biscuit Sharing Pack, 400g: A sharing pack for the days when one moka pot is pouring for several people.

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

Can I use Qualita Rossa ground coffee in an espresso machine? It is not the right match. The grind is medium, which suits a moka pot, a filter machine or a cafetiere; an espresso machine needs something finer.

Why does my Qualita Rossa taste bitter? Usually the water is too hot or the brew runs too long. Let the kettle rest for about thirty seconds and plunge a cafetiere at three minutes.

What is in the blend? Arabica and Robusta. The published ingredient list we hold reads simply ground coffee and names none of the 14 major allergens.

Is the twin pack one large bag? No. It is two separate 250g vacuum bricks, so one stays sealed while you work through the other.

Is Qualita Rossa good with milk? Yes, and it is the Lavazza we would pick for a milky coffee. The Robusta gives it enough body to carry through.

Curator's note: Brew it in a moka pot, lift it off the heat as soon as it starts to splutter and pour in hot milk. That is the red bag at its best, and it is how we would introduce anyone to it. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee: The Red Bag Explained

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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