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Best Espresso Coffee Beans Review
Review some of the best espresso beans for your convenience.
Published November 24, 2021
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Daniel Hedlund
Coffee experts@The Coffee Lab
Anyone who has shifted to whole bean coffee after relying for years on branded coffee grounds will tell you that the difference is profound. In case you have still not shifted to whole beans yet, all you need to do is have a cup of coffee brewed from the best espresso beans to know what you are missing out on. Coffee brewed from whole beans is always more aromatic, fresh, and filled with flavors, but you will still need to brew it right.
Everything from the coffee machine and the filters in it, to the heating process and the espresso beans themselves must be given the proper consideration. The beans used in the coffee machine are the most important consideration of course, and we are going to quickly review some of the best espresso beans for your convenience next.
Pellini No.9 Cremoso Italian Espresso Beans
Quite similar to the wide range of Lavazza espresso beans that we will soon be discussing, Pellini too has an impressive selection of blends that will put even some of the more acclaimed espresso beans to shame. To put that point across, we will be looking at the Pellini No.9 Cremoso Italian Espresso Whole Beans. The Forte blends are produced by one of the oldest and most authentic Italian coffee manufacturers, the Filicori Zecchini family. They are considered to be among the best espresso beans for brewing strong, flavorful cups of joe.
Despite the quality, authenticity and popularity, the Forte can also end up being too acidic and bitter for most people’s taste. Enter the Pellini No.9 Cremoso whole beans, which provide a stronger brew from a similar dark Robusta – Arabica blend as the Forte. However, what makes the Pellini No.9 Cremoso beans better is the fact that no one has ever complained about the brew being bitter.
It’s a strong, smoky blend with notes of sweet caramel which can make for some of the tastiest brews you have ever tasted in a cup of strong espresso without bitterness. Given that it has the inherent acidic notes of a dark roast, the hot plated glass carafe is still not a good idea for any strong espresso blend, unless you drink the pot soon after. It’s not the costliest espresso bean in the market, especially compared to the other options.
Filicori Zecchini Forte Espresso Beans
Very few Italian coffee maker families have a history of allied manufacturing as old as that of the Filicori and Zecchini families. The Forte espresso beans are already well known for their strong, full-bodied taste which will immediately appeal to those looking to get an instant kick in the morning. The Forte espresso beans are a blend of dark roasted Arabica beans and Robusta whole beans, which provides the brew with medium acidity and a note of fresh toasts. The blend is already quite strong to begin with and don’t let the ‘medium’ strength marking mislead you! The Forte beans produce strong brews, which is a good thing since some of us do like our coffee strong and toasty.
However, you will not want to put these beans inside a coffee maker with a glass carafe, unless you have enough people available to drink the entire pot soon after making it. Otherwise, if you use the Forte beans in a coffee maker which has a glass carafe, it will keep your coffee hot with the aid of an additional hot plate. The acidity will continue to increase because of the external heat and in a few hours’ time, the entire brew will turn into an acidic, bitter mess. This should not be an issue inside a thermal carafe, because those retain heat instead of adding more to the carafe from an external source. Retention of heat will not disrupt the strong toasty taste which has made Forte beans from Filicori Zecchini one of the best espresso beans for people who like strong espresso.
Caffe Borbone Miscela Blu Whole Espresso Beans
Despite being in the business for only about 20-years, the Caffe Borbone brand has made quite a name for itself. Whether their best espresso beans can be compared with the Lavazza beans espresso specials is debatable. One might even be tempted to say that the comparison is unfair as Lavazza espresso beans are on a completely different level in their roasting and blending perfection, but that’s somewhat subjective. As far as sales are concerned, the Caffe Borbone Miscela Blu Espresso Beans are among the highest selling products in the category. The company from Naples also sells some of the best ground espresso on Amazon.
Caffe Borbone Blue espresso beans work with almost any coffee machine, so long as it supports brewing from coffee beans directly. This is a big bonus, since some of the others are not as compatible and you may have to stick to specific brands only while buying your new coffee machines. The brew should taste mild-medium, with clear, sweet tones of cream, and a strong aroma of the full-bodied Arabica-Robusta blend. It may or may not be the best espresso bean available, but it does make having a sweet cup of medium strong coffee so much easier.
Lavazza Espresso Beans: Espresso Barista Gran Crema
Before we continue, note that a definition of the best espresso beans is highly variable because you might be fonder of the ¡Tierra! Selection from Lavazza, or their Gran Riserva whole beans instead. That’s perfectly okay because they are all among the best espresso beans you can buy. That being said, most find that the Espresso Barista Gran Crema is one of the most balanced options on the company’s impressive catalogue of whole beans.
Especially if you are relatively new to the whole bean coffee scene, you will come to love the slow roasted beans. This is a full-bodied brew which these beans produce without hitting too hard on the caffeine strength, complete with aromatic notes of honey, Italian coffee and cookies. The Espresso Barista Gran Crema Lavazza espresso beans produce cups of coffee that even the best ground espresso on Amazon can never hope to counter. After a few minutes, you should also notice a pleasant hint of creamy undertones lingering on.
Espresso Barista Gran Crema beans have a strength rating of 7 which makes it medium-strong on the lower side. The Italian espresso blend consists of Robusta and Arabica beans, which has almost always produced great results for Lavazza. We will also have a few other blends from the company on this list, but the Espresso Barista Gran Crema is probably the best espresso bean to get started with.
Lavazza Espresso Beans: Gold Selection
Like the name itself suggests, the Gold Selection comprises of the company’s finest blends, containing only the best espresso beans harvested from atop Central and South American mountains. Lavazza creates the blend by blending java and kaapi royale with utmost care. The washed and natural Arabica beans form about 70% of the blend, while the rest is derived from washed Robusta only. Unlike the Gran Crema, the Gold Selection Lavazza espresso beans offer a medium-bodied, medium-strength brew which maintains a surprisingly fine balance of mild acidity and delectable sweetness. However, there is no undertone in the blend, although the notes of almond and honey are aromatic and profound. The Gold Selection might very well be the best espresso beans in the company’s arsenal, but it all depends on what your palate prefers.
Lavazza Espresso Beans: Espresso Barista Perfetto
Another slow roasted Espresso Barista from Lavazza, the Espresso Barista Perfetto is not a blend of two different beans. Instead, the beans are exclusively Arabica coffee beans, infused with a delicate taste of cream and a slightly more aromatic presence of chocolate notes. These might very well be the best espresso beans for people who enjoy the finer, sweeter taste of coffee. If you are looking for a stronger taste in your brew though, you may want to stick with the Espresso Barista Gran Crema blend instead.
How to Choose the Best Lavazza Espresso Beans?
Lavazza espresso beans in general are some of best espresso beans you can find in the market, but it can get a little confusing. They have such a wide catalogue for customers to choose from after all. The only way to know which one would suit your palate best is to try out a few different flavors, strengths, and blends first. As experts always suggest, buy small quantities of differently flavored and blended beans in varying strengths.
Change to a different cup of Lavazza beans espresso every other day or so, while keeping a gap of at least 24 hours between each flavor change. This gap is necessary to keep your palate cleansed. After a week or two, you should know exactly which ones are your favorite Lavazza espresso beans. It is perfectly possible to apply the same technique to find out what the best espresso beans are in general, according to your own experience.
Give each the best espresso beans reviewed here a try and see if one of them can’t replace the best ground espresso on Amazon you have been using for so long. Sure, you may need to invest in a new coffee machine as well, but some of the smaller, one-button coffee grinder and brewer machines are available for less than $50!
About the author
Daniel Hedlund
Working with the Era of We initiative and loves knowledge sharing and a really good cup of coffee.
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