Lavazza Qualita Rossa Nespresso Compatible Capsules

Compatible is the key word on this carton: it is Lavazza's own Qualita Rossa recipe, packed to run in a machine Lavazza did not make. Get the machine right and what is left is an everyday espresso with real weight and a deliberate edge.

Check the machine before the blend

Lavazza sells capsules for two systems, and they are easy to mix up. This carton is for Nespresso Original machines, the type that takes the small conical capsule. It will not fit a Nespresso Vertuo, whose capsules are bigger and dome-shaped, and it is not an A Modo Mio capsule, which belongs to Lavazza's separate system. Dolce Gusto and Tassimo machines are different again and will not take it.

If you own an A Modo Mio machine, the capsule you want is the A Modo Mio Qualita Rossa, the same blend name in the other format, which we also stock. If your machine takes the small cone, this is the one. The intensity number on the box is Lavazza's own scale, so it compares Lavazza with Lavazza and tells you little about the figure another roaster prints.

Where Rossa sits among Lavazza espressos

Lavazza describes Qualita Rossa as Arabica and Robusta, rich and full-bodied with chocolate notes. In the wider range it sits near the middle: Qualita Oro is the aromatic, sweeter blend, while Espresso Maestro Intenso is the dark one, made with milk drinks in mind. Rossa is weightier and sharper than Oro, yet not as deeply roasted as Intenso, which is why it still tastes right on the third cup of the day.

Pulled short as a proper espresso, it gives a dry, roasted bite and a good, plain coffee smell rather than one headline note. It takes sugar better than most, because the sweetness settles on top of the bitterness without wiping it out. Stir any sugar into the hot shot before milk goes near it, since it dissolves far more readily in hot coffee than in a finished milky drink.

Milk, mugs and which carton

One capsule carries roughly 110ml of steamed milk comfortably, enough for a flat white that still tastes of coffee. For a mug-sized drink, run two short shots instead of stretching a single one with extra milk, which only thins it. Taken black, it suits the end of a meal, when something short and firm is wanted beside a sweet biscuit or a slice of cake.

We stock the ten-capsule and thirty-capsule cartons of the same coffee. Ten is the sensible first buy, because it shows whether the blend suits your taste and whether it runs cleanly in your particular machine. Once it has earned its place as the house capsule, thirty means fewer reorders and a carton that is not forever running out. Keep the carton closed and somewhere cool and dry between cups.

The packs we stock

• Lavazza Qualita Rossa Nespresso Compatible, 10 Capsules (barcode 8000070053526)
• Lavazza Qualità Rossa Nespresso Compatible, 30 Capsules (barcode 8000070053847)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Lavazza Qualità Rossa Nespresso Compatible, 30 Capsules names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current box of Rossa capsules, as Lavazza may change their recipe and allergen advice.

Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. Your box of Rossa capsules settles it.

What to eat with it

• McVitie's Digestives Dark Chocolate Biscuits, 433g: Rossa takes a dark chocolate biscuit better than a sweeter one, and a dark digestive meets its roasted bite head on.
• McVitie's Digestives Biscuits The Light One, 250g: A lighter, plainer digestive for a flat white, where the milk already brings the softness.
• Border Butterscotch Crunch Organic Biscuits, 135g: Butterscotch sweetness and crunch to round off the dry edge of a short black espresso.
• McVitie's Milk Chocolate Digestives Biscuits, 266g: Milk chocolate digestives for a sweetened espresso after dinner, the classic biscuit-tin answer to a strong cup.

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

Will Lavazza Qualita Rossa capsules fit a Nespresso Vertuo? No. They are made for Nespresso Original machines, which take the small conical capsule.

Are these the same as Lavazza A Modo Mio capsules? No. A Modo Mio is Lavazza's own separate system; we stock the A Modo Mio Qualita Rossa separately for those machines.

How much milk can one capsule take? About 110ml, which makes a flat white. For a larger drink, use two shots rather than more milk.

Does it contain any of the major allergens? Lavazza's published list for the Rossa capsules names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current UK pack, as formulations can change.

How should I dispose of the capsules? Follow the current UK pack and your local authority's guidance; the capsules, sleeves and outer carton may each need a different route.

Curator's note: Pull it short, stir in sugar while it is hot if you take it, and leave it at that. Rossa is a working espresso and it is at its best when nobody fusses over it. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Lavazza Qualita Rossa Nespresso Compatible Capsules

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