Each roaster has its own style: Italian espresso from Lavazza, based in Turin since 1895, Neapolitan espresso from Kimbo, 100% Arabica from illy in Trieste, Bristot at the foot of the Dolomites, Covim in Genoa, Portuguese blends from Delta and the French brand Carte Noire, plus an organic selection. Choose to suit your taste and your machine.
Turin roaster since 1895: Crema e Aroma Expert, Super Crema, Gran Espresso, Gold Selection, 100% Arabica Aroma Top and organic Voix de la Terre, in 1 kg bags and packs up to 30 kg.
Portuguese slow roasting, in Campo Maior since 1961: Portugal's No. 1 brand. From Delta Gold with its honey notes to full-bodied Ritual, in 500 g and 1 kg bags and packs up to 30 kg.
Neapolitan espresso: Kimbo was founded in Naples in 1963 and roasts in Melito di Napoli. Prestige, Extra Cream, Cremoso, Espresso Mix, Armonico and Kimbo Bio, in 1 kg bags and 3 and 6 kg packs.
Five families of Genoese roasters, serving bars for over fifty years: Granbar, Orocrema, Prestige and Giada, in 1 kg bags.
Belluno roaster, at the foot of the Dolomites, since 1919: Classico Intenso e Cremoso, Classico Oro and Americano Dark Roast, in 1 kg bags.
French brand established in 1978. Two whole bean coffees from its Professionnel range, in 1 kg bags: Aromatique, 100% Arabica, and Équilibré, Arabica and Robusta.
Certified organic selection — Kimbo Bio (organic and Fairtrade) and Lavazza Voix de la Terre (Arabica and Robusta, Expert range), in 1 kg bags and 3 and 6 kg packs.
100% Arabica from Trieste, since 1933: Classico, Intenso, Décaféiné and Arabica Selection Brasile, Colombia and Etiopia, in 250 g pressurised tins.
Three ways to find your coffee beans: the pack size that matches your consumption, the intensity you enjoy in your cup, or a specific selection such as 100% Arabica, organic or decaffeinated.
From a bag to try to a pack for businesses.
From a mild cup to the most full-bodied espresso.
Origin, organic farming or caffeine-free.
Four pointers for choosing your coffee beans, whatever your machine.
A light roast retains more acidity and fruity notes; a dark roast, often chosen for espresso, gives more body and bitterness, with notes of cocoa. A medium roast balances the two.
Ground coffee loses its aromas much faster than whole beans: grinding just before extraction, with a bean-to-cup machine or a grinder, produces a more aromatic cup. The shorter the contact with water, the finer the grind needs to be: fine for espresso, medium for filter coffee and coarse for a cafetière.
Once the bag is open, keep the beans in an airtight, opaque container, or in their tightly resealed bag, in a dry place away from heat and light. Avoid the fridge: moisture condenses on the beans. Lavazza recommends using them within a month; for its metal tin, by contrast, illy recommends refrigeration after opening.
Arabica produces a milder, more aromatic cup, while Robusta adds more body, crema and caffeine. Most of our coffee beans blend the two, such as Lavazza Crema e Aroma Expert, Delta Gold and Kimbo Extra Cream; Lavazza Aroma Top, Delta Gran Crema, Carte Noire Professionnel Aromatique and all illy coffees are 100% Arabica.
Coffee beans retain their aromas for longer: once ground, coffee loses them much faster. With whole beans, you grind just enough for your cup at the last moment and adjust the grind size to suit the method: fine for an espresso, coarser for filter coffee or a cafetière.
You will need a bean-to-cup machine or a grinder. If you have neither, choose ground coffee, ready to use in a filter coffee machine, moka pot or espresso machine with a portafilter.
Depending on the cup you enjoy:
Each product page lists the coffee's intensity, composition and tasting notes.
Coffee does not grow in Italy: Italian coffee is roasted and blended in Italy, usually for espresso. Our Italian coffee beans come from:
The price depends on the brand, coffee and pack size. For example, in a 1 kg bag: Kimbo Prestige (19 €), Lavazza Crema e Aroma Expert (19,90 €) or Delta Gold (24,50 €).
For high consumption, in an office or a bar, see our multipacks, from 3 to 30 kg: Crema e Aroma Expert in a 6 kg multipack (18,10 € per kilo, −9% compared with six 1 kg bags bought separately) or a 30 kg multipack (16,71 € per kilo), or Delta Gold in a 10 kg multipack (23,53 € per kilo).
Divide 1 000 g by the dose for one cup. For an espresso, the Italian National Espresso Institute specifies 7 g of ground coffee, while Lavazza suggests 7 to 9 g: a kilo therefore makes approximately 110 to 140 espressos. A lungo, filter coffee or cafetière requires more coffee per cup.
With Lavazza Crema e Aroma Expert, the cost per espresso using 7 g depends on the format: a 1 kg bag (0,14 €) or a 6 kg multipack (0,13 €).
Its enemies are air, light, heat and moisture. Once the bag is open:
For its pressurised metal tins, illy gives different advice: once opened, the tin is best kept in the fridge with the lid tightly closed. Lavazza recommends using the beans within a month. With a pack, open only one bag at a time: leave the others sealed until the best-before date printed on the packaging.
A bean-to-cup machine grinds the beans itself: adjust its grind size to suit the coffee. If you grind separately, the rule is simple: the shorter the contact between water and coffee, the finer the grind needs to be.
An espresso that flows too quickly and tastes sour needs a finer grind; if it comes out drop by drop and tastes bitter, use a coarser grind.
Selections
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