Customer Reviews

Lavazza Gran Crema Espresso, Single Dose Pods (Pack of 150)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I bought these to use with a Handpresso portable espresso maker. The first few shots that I made came out a bit too quickly (as others have mentioned) and had a slightly wattery taste with very little crema.

THIS ISSUE CAN BE RESOLVED!

After the first few shots, I decided to add some additional tamping pressure to the pod by pressing down on it with a solid object (I found that a mason jar or coffee mug both worked great) with the hopes that this would increase brewing time and provide a more satisfying shot.

It worked, and now my shots come out perfect, with good flavor and tons of crema. I have to give these pods four stars for the poor tamping, but fortunately this is something that can be resolved quite easily.

Great Espresso Pod. I use it with my Breville 800. Good flavor, and its quick and easy to dispose. At first I was running into problems with the pod but followed anothers advice and now it works great. You need to wet the pod filter first, then put the pod in and tamp it down. The moisture on the filter helps hold the pod down. Other than that it works great. Buy with subscribtion and save...

Lavazza makes a fantastic coffee; however, these pods, designated ESE, do not work well with my Francis! Francis! ESE espresso maker. In comparison, it takes an average of 20-22 seconds to pull a shot with the illy ESE pods. These Lavazza pods take, on average, 5-8 seconds -- way too fast! (Maybe the coffee is not packed well enough inside the pods?)

When in Italy (and here at home), I drink a lot of illy and Lavazza, but, sorry to disappoint, these pods were not up to par! Of course, if you're in a rush in the morning, maybe shaving off 15 seconds is a good thing!

This is one of the best deals for bulk pods, but in our recent box a bunch of the packets were empty (sealed but with no pod). If this continues then this may not be that good of a deal.

Lavazza pods are simply the best coffee in the world
and I have been buying them for 10 years now.

I make this espresso with my DeLonghi EC155 Espresso Maker and it comes out beautifully. The espresso that comes out is a rich dark chocolate color with a nice layer of crema.

As another review as noted, the espresso is not packed as tightly in the pod as other brands, such as Starbucks, but this issue is easily resolved if you wet the pod and then press it down with a good metal tamper. Once you do this, the espresso that comes out is perfect. If you buy this product in bulk and then on auto-delivery from Amazon, the value is very good and much cheaper than going to a coffee shop every day for a latte or cappuccino.

I like pods because the clean up and measuring is done for me - super easy. I love being able to make lattes in my home. Companies like Lavazza make it easy!

I was getting the occasional watery shot also. I started trimming about 1/3 to 1/2 off of the paper edge of the pod, including all of the big tab. I haven't had one watery shot since.

I have a Lavazza Cuisinart machine. It came with Lavazza pre packaged pods. I liked the way it worked so I ordered more here. The new Lavazza pods did not fit my machine. They are a smaller diameter and thicker. They dont work. The bad thing is there is no sizing number or code to tell what pods fit what machines. This is a non returnable item so i am stuck with them at my expense. Since there are obviously different pods for different machines wouldnt you think that there would be a number or color code stamped on them?

I was first unimpressed at the taste and performance of the Lavazza pods, but I think it had to do with my initial lack of experience with my machine (Rancilio Silvia) and the loosely packed pods as other reviews have mentioned.

Once I got accustomed to getting the correct temperature water while pulling my shot and also dealing with the loosely packed pods (I use my tamper to just pack it into the filter basket), I have noticed a marked improvement in taste and crema production.

Yes, they tend to pull a little too fast (10-15 seconds. My understanding is that even single shots should pull for the same amount of time), but for the convenience, what more can you ask for? I'm not one of those people who is willing to invest an exponential amount of effort to achieve the 99th percentile if, for a minimum amount of work, I can accomplish the 90th. The fact that cleanup is much easier is also a nice plus. Call my lazy if you will, but that's just what I value.

For those who have grown accustomed to drinking Starbucks cigarette butts or some of the finer dark roasts that have dominated US of A (I am a Peet's freak), this coffee might be a shocker at first taste. It's a medium roast which many Europeans tend to prefer in their espresso and might take some getting used to. If you're more of a straight espresso drinker, you might find a medium roast like this coffee more sweet and fruity on the palette as it leaves less of a lingering bitter aftertaste.

Bottom line, it's a great bang for the buck and with the convenience/consistency factor of the ESE pod, I'm willing to overlook the fact that it doesn't pull that ever elusive "God shot" (even most cafes sell mediocre espresso). If that last 10% does matter for you, then get the whole bean stuff.

I needed an alternative to grinding my own when time didn't permit doing it properly. My Starbucks Sirena Espresso Machine, Stainless and Black came with an ESE pod holder so I decided to give it a try. The pods do not seem dense enough coming out of the sealed packet to make a good espresso but the end product proves otherwise. Nice and very consistent crema over the course of the last forty shots. The pod has to be positioned just so to avoid the filter's tab from overlapping the portafilter seal but this is easily accomplished. The taste is smooth and similar to what I would get from a fresh medium roast Columbian, not at all like the over roasted concoctions that other's bill as an espresso roast. It is so quick to pop a pod out and put a fresh one in that double shots and entertaining are easy to accomplish. That's my main problem now, I'm only grinding my own when I want something different and have a leisurely amount of time. Weekdays = ESE & Weekends = grind. Looks like Lavazza is now my standard cup.