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| Product Name | Lavazza Espresso ESE Coffee Pods |
| Brand | Lavazza |
| Product Origin | Italy |
| Coffee Beans | Arabica and Robusta |
| Roast Level | Dark Roast |
| Flavour Name | Espresso |
| Caffeine Content | Caffeinated |
| Biodegradable | Yes |
| Recyclable | Yes |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Customer Reviews | 2022 |
| Customer Rating | 92.57 out of 100 |
| Service Rating | 9.5 |
| Easy to Use Rating | 9.4 |
| Freshness Rating | 9.2 |
| Aroma Rating | 9.5 |
| Flavour & Taste Rating | 9.1 |
| Strength Rating | 9.1 |
| Value for Money Rating | 9.0 |
| Price | See Best Price |
Before writing this review, I have written an article on Best ESE Pods and Which Espresso Machines to Use Them With. But my readers repeatedly emailed me asking me to write a review of Lavazza ESE coffee pods, so I needed to write this review.
If you love Italian coffee and easy cleanup, you will love these Lavazza ESE pods.
Lavazza is a good name and has great coffee in Italy.
The coffee experience is amazingly consistent across all bars in Italy, from the humblest hotel near the parking lot for ferry Fusina-Alberoni to the five-star hotel in Venice. True coffee lovers drink espresso with no sugar and enjoy the aftertaste for the next 30 minutes or longer.
Lavazza ESE pods are one way of bringing the experience very close to that of Italian bars. Espresso made with these pods is smoother and fruitier than any other pod. Illy ESE pod is also a competing Italian brand, but I find that Lavazza’s pods are smoother and more pleasant.
Easy to Use
No worries! Whether you’re new to homemade espresso or you’ve jumped in from a bean-to-cup coffee machine, using these pods is easy and quick without a mess. They also made an excellent base for lattes, cafe mochas, and espressos. You’ll appreciate and enjoy a good cup of coffee in the morning.
Easy Clean-Up
While using Lavazza ESE pods, the clean up is so much easier than ground coffee, and you’ll need a zero-effort, zero-thought caffeine solution. They work great, and the taste would be excellent.
How Can You Enhance The Taste?
These Lavazza pods are for an ‘ESE’ adapter handle. ‘Easy Serve Espresso‘.
If you try an incompatible filter handle, you’ll wind up with weak, mostly water, undrinkable liquid. Buy a proper ESE pod compatible coffee machine and use these pods correctly. Use a perfect amount for the ideal shot, i.e. a single pod for a single shot and double pods for a strong espresso shot. This way, you’ll stay for the taste.
Compare With Starbucks
If you’re used to Starbucks and searching for a comparable replacement because Starbucks has discontinued, these Lavazza ESE pods are the super alternative for you. But Lavazza is a little mild than Starbucks, and if you feel so, you can jump in towards Illy’s pod. But Illy’s pods are a bit more expensive than Lavazza. However, if the price is more critical for you, you can choose Lavazza’s less costly pods. They produce MUCH better tasting and visually appealing espresso!
Compare With Coffee Shops Espresso
If you compare Lavazza flavor with that espresso of coffee shops, you’ll find Lavazza flavor more mild and smooth. The reason is baristas in coffee shops use 15 grams of ground coffee for a regular shot of espresso. There are just seven grams of coffee grounds in a single Lavaza’s ESE pod compared with coffee shops. You can figure out for yourself how 7 grams of coffee grounds of an ESE pod can give you such strength you get from 15 grams. Otherwise, you will get the same strong espresso as you get from coffee shops if you use two ESE pods. Then probably you would love Lavaza’s ESE pods.
Compare with Illy ESE pods
ILLY is a bit too toasty than Lavazza; if you feel so, try the more mellow Lavazza. Smooth, rich, and flavorful without too much acidity. It also produces excellent caramel-y crema on the top of your espresso.
If you compare the Lavazza ESE pods package with Illy ESE pods, seconds are tightly packed.
Price
Lavazza is an excellent coffee with a very reasonably priced. You’ll be thrilled with how smooth and mild it is. If you are all used to drinking Illy but want to change since it’s rather expensive, Lavazza is a cheaper alternative for you.
The price is so low that you pay less than a buck for each pod, and the coffee will be better than Illy. And if you make it more appropriately and accurately, it’ll give you results more than Starbucks.
Crema
If you are addicted to ground coffee, you can’t get much better crema results from Lavazza ESE pods than from a bean-to-cup coffee machine.
Packaging
If you are an environment lover, you may have a complaint about the outer package of Lavazza ESE pods. They are not biodegradable, so you can’t compost them. It would be better if they wrap them in paper-like many tea bags.
Lavazza ESE Pods VS Ground Beans
If you prefer to make espresso on your bean-to-cup coffee machine by grinding coffee beans with a burr grinder, this is a great idea. Because of the flavor, strength, and crema, the espresso made from Lavazza ESE pods can never compete with the espresso made from a bean-to-cup coffee machine.
But sometimes, you are in a hurry, and you don’t have time to grind coffee beans and fill them in the machine’s portafilter, then Lavazza ESE pods could be an excellent option for you.
Bear in mind; it will take you a little while to adjust to the distinct flavor of Lavazza if you are accustomed to freshly roasted, fresh espresso ground coffee. So, when you’re in the luxury of time, don’t use Lavazza ESE pods and use your beloved bean-to-cup coffee machine instead.
How to Solve Taste Problem
If you’re a new converter from bean to cup coffee machine to Lavazza ESE pods, you may have a problem at the beginning of getting something that looks like weak tea. Make it clear whether you were using the double shot insert or single-shot insert. Because you can get much better results when you switch to a single shot insert, water will take the most straightforward course’, and it will probably go over the edges of the espresso pods. On the other hand, if you like a double shot insert, place two Lavazza ESE pods in the portafilter of your coffee machine.
Freshness
Lavazza has an excellent reputation for delivering you fresh ESE pods. It doesn’t send you Expire pods, nor does it send you even close to expiration. So far, everyone who has tasted the “coffee” drink from Lavazza ESE pods, whether it’s espresso, latte, mocha, cappuccino, or cafe Americano, has loved the brand’s flavors and aromas.
These pods deliver a bold (not bitter), earthy, distinctive flavor that is sure to please a broad range of espresso fans, like me and probably you.
So you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the quality, decent crema, and flavor when you prepare espresso with Lavazza if you’re an espresso fan.
Storage
Coffee pod Holders or Nespresso pod holders are best for their storage. When you buy a large quantity of ESE pods, place them in a Nespresso pod holder and store in a dry and cool place, so that they can remain fresh for a long time. Poor storage can contribute to the sour taste, and they don’t make a good coffee, and you can’t return them.
Flavour
Lavazza’s flavour profile is rich earthy, and fabulous! You’ll find an excellent pleasant taste, aroma, and superb crema in the end beverage. If you are a lover of a mild and smooth coffee, Lavazza is good to go. Being a fan of low acidity, if you compare Lavazza with illy’s ESE pods (espresso roast), you’ll much prefer this as Lavazza pods do not have a burnt coffee taste and seem to have the right balance of everything coffee should have. Moreover, Lavazza has a much better flavour than its competitor Zicaffe’ Cremadensa.
Lavazza Gran Espresso
If you try this variety of pods in a proper high-pressure ESE pods compatible machine, you’ll find them by far the best. You’ll find the taste very smooth without bitterness.
As far as crema is concerned, you’ll still do better with whole beans and a high-quality grinder. So, you’ll get a thin crema top with these, but maybe that’ll satisfy you.
Lavazza Gran Espresso is the one to get if the price to quality ratio is of any importance to you at all. These pods are almost as good as Illy’s ESE pod, at one-third of the price or less. The packaging is a bit cheap, but the coffee will taste delicious. Good flavor and good body.
Lavazza Espresso
This is one of the better espresso ESE pods from Italy. You’ll find it consistently high quality, with a smooth taste and an excellent crema. The shipping is quick and very secure; you can’t beat the price either. So, it is not only delicious but economical.
To see if you like these Lavazza Espresso ESE pods, start with the smallest quantity.
Lavazza Gran Espresso Intenso
You’ll receive directly from Italy a 150 count pack of individually wrapped pods. They make 100% bold Italian espresso crowned with a thick crema.
Lavazza Gran Espresso Intenso has a bit strong flavor. It has more flavor and caffeine than Lavazza Gran Crema Espresso. You can make a decent cappuccino with this in your ESE pods compatible coffee machine with a lot of crema consistently without the hassle of grinding the beans.
Lavazza Gran Crema Espresso
You’ll receive Lavazza pods in a box, with a sealed plastic bag inside, containing about 150 Lavazza Gran Crema Espresso pods. Lavazza Gran Crema ESE pods are a great way to go, especially for something like a cappuccino or Americano.
They’ll prove themselves much better than your expectations. The body is fuller as you can expect, and overall the taste is pleasant, neither bitter nor sour.
Conclusion
If all people had the same tastes and everyone liked the same ESE pod, there would be one brand of ESE pods in the world. Finding the “perfect” ESE pods is up to you to decide according to your tastes and preferences.
However, many times you want to do something different or change your habit. How do you find the perfect ESE pods? It depends on your current tastes and moods. My best advice is to follow your emotions and try different things.
Although ESE pods are very easy to use, there may still be some difficulties for a new user. So if you are new, watch the video below, so you don’t have any problem using them.
