Coffee beans

Whole bean coffee retains its aromas longer; once ground, coffee loses them much more quickly. With whole beans, you grind the exact amount for your cup at the last minute, and you adjust the grind size according to your brewing method: fine for espresso, coarser for a filter or French press.

It requires a grinder or a mill. If you don't have either, choose pre-ground coffee, ready for use in a filter coffee maker, Italian coffee maker, or espresso machine with a portafilter.

Depending on the mug you like:

• A creamy Italian espresso : the Lavazza Crema e Aroma Expert, the Lavazza Super Crema, with notes of honey and roasted hazelnut, or the Kimbo Extra Cream, predominantly Robusta, for a thick crema.
• A mild coffee : Lavazza Gold Selection, with notes of honey and nuts, or a 100% Arabica such as Lavazza Aroma Top, Delta Gran Crema or Carte Noire Professional Aromatique.
• A full-bodied espresso : the Lavazza Gran Espresso, with notes of cocoa and black pepper, or the Delta Ritual.
• A Portuguese coffee : Delta Gold, with notes of honey and ripe fruit, or Delta Chávena, with notes of malt, chocolate and hazelnut.
• An organic coffee : Kimbo Bio or Lavazza Voix de la Terre.

Each card provides the coffee's intensity, composition, and notes.

Coffee doesn't grow in Italy: Italian coffee is roasted and blended in Italy, most often for espresso. Our Italian coffee beans come from:

• Lavazza , Turin roaster since 1895: Crema e Aroma Expert, Super Crema, Gran Espresso, Gold Selection, Aroma Top;
• Kimbo, born in Naples in 1963, for Neapolitan espresso: Prestige, Extra Cream, Kimbo Bio;
• Bristot, coffee roaster from Belluno since 1919, at the foot of the Dolomites;
• Covim, five families of coffee roasters from Genoa.

The price depends on the brand, the coffee and the format. In a 1 kg bag, for example: Kimbo Prestige (€19), Lavazza Crema e Aroma Expert (€19.90) or Delta Gold (€24.50).

For large consumption, in the office or in a bar, see the packs, from 3 to 30 kg: Crema e Aroma Expert in a 6 kg pack (€18.10 per kilo, -9% compared to six 1 kg bags bought separately) or in a 30 kg pack (€16.71 per kilo), Delta Gold in a 10 kg pack (€23.53 per kilo).

Divide 1000 g by the amount of ground coffee needed for one cup. For an espresso, the Italian National Espresso Institute recommends 7 g of ground coffee, and Lavazza indicates 7 to 9 g: one kilo therefore yields 110 to 140 espressos . A lungo, a filter coffee, or a French press will require more coffee per cup.

With Lavazza Crema e Aroma Expert, expect to pay per 7g espresso: in 1kg bags (€0.14) or in 6kg packs (€0.13).

Its enemies are air,light ,heat , and humidity.Once the sachet is opened:

• close it tightly, or transfer the grains into an airtight and opaque container, made of glass or ceramic;
• Store it in a dry, at room temperature, away from the oven and stove;
• Avoid the refrigerator : moisture condenses there and alters the taste;
• Grind the beans only when you are ready to prepare the coffee.

Lavazza recommends consuming the beans within one month. With a pack, only open one sachet at a time: the others remain sealed until the best before date printed on the packaging.

A grinder machine grinds the beans itself: adjust the grind size according to the coffee. If you grind separately, the rule is simple: the shorter the contact between the water and the coffee, the finer the grind should be.

• Espresso machine : fine grind .
• Italian coffee maker : medium-fine.
• Filter coffee maker : medium.
• French press coffee maker : large.

An espresso that flows too quickly and comes out acidic requires a finer grind; if it flows drop by drop and comes out bitter, a coarser grind is needed.