Lavazza Espresso ESE Coffee Pods (Gran Espresso)

Decent cup of espresso. Easy cleanup.

I've ordered this Lavazza Gran Intenso 150 ese pods 18 times now over the last several years and found it constantly delicious. Rich and bold. I've never had a torn or damaged pod or a noticeable flavor variation. I use a Mr Coffee Cafe Barista machine which accepts the ese pods. I always make lattees, either 2% milk or oat milk. No added syrups or flavors. When I first got my machine, I tried half a dozen different brands and several blend/roast variations, and this is hands down my favorite. Ese pods in a machine designed to use them is the greatest improvement to my long love affair with coffee. Price has varied from 35 to 45 cents per pod; less than Keurig Kcups and I drive right past Starbucks because my favorite latte is waiting when I get home.

I've personally sipped hundreds of espresso shots brewed from the Lavazza Gran Crema E.S.E. pods using my Delonghi DEDICA (EC680M). Full disclosure though, my wife does not like it, and she prefers other roasters, but for me it's the perfect flavor profile - not bitter at all as an espresso shot (that's very important to me), and I find the aroma wonderful on its own but it becomes absolutely amazing when I rub the rim with some lemon peel before enjoying the aroma.My Delonghi DEDICA does not brew a very thick crema in general, and the crema with these are as rich and thick as I can produce with any other coffee - either E.S.E. or fresh ground. I assume your results will differ if you have a different espresso machine. On this same machine, my wife likes the flavor of the Illy pods but I think this machine has too low a pressure to brew them quickly - takes anywhere from 20 to 30 seconds for the Illy pods (possibly due to a finer grind) but with no better richness of flavor and no thicker crema. The Lavazza pods are a breeze, typically only taking about 8 to 10 seconds, and that's perfect for me.[Update Feb 27, 2019]I used a timer this morning to check my brewing times and the Lavazza pods came in at 16 ot 17 seconds after pre-wet, and 22 to 23 seconds total brewing time. I guess I was so happy with the "short" brewing time that I exaggerated, just a little! ;-)

Before buying these pods I was using Illy espresso ground but wanted to try LavAzza so I searched Amazon and found this to be a great deal for a coffee lover like me who’s always in a rush in the morning. And so I ordered and here is my story:The few pods from my first order was ok, it didn't taste any better than the espresso grounds you can buy in cans but I liked the convenience specially when you are in a hurry in the morning. Although I noticed an unpleasant bitter taste when I was down at about half of the remaining pods. I thought it was my espresso machine. I added a lot of flavors and sweeteners to lessen the weird bitter taste. But at that point I couldn't offer the coffee to our guests anymore. It was that bad already but again I thought it was my espresso machine until......I ordered my second box and I would say this time it tasted so much worse! Even I couldn't drink it anymore so I just bought a can of LavAzza Espresso Ground at my local grocery store and gave it a shot, to my surprise it was a perfect cup I consumed the whole can in a week! So it was never my espresso machine after all so that is why I am not buying these pods again... I am very heartbroken because I thought finally I found my espresso pods supplier but the quality is so bad it’s not really drinkable maybe they are too old. I don’t know… So I still have a box here and I don’t know what to do with the rest of the pods since it’s not returnable. So sad…

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!

These make my morning latte so easy! I have only had my DeLonghi for a couple of months and I am no expert (at all, I mean it's just plain sad) with trying to get ground coffee tamped correctly to make a good cup of espresso. ESE pods for me are perfect - easy to put in, easy to take out, no mess, and no skill required. These Lavazza pods are admittedly not quite as good as Illy, but if you buy in the bulk box these are about 30 cents per unit. In contrast, Illy costs about $13 for a box of 18 pods... just too pricey for everyday drinking! And actually, I think that the Lavazza pods produce a better crema.Also, I feel inclined to mention that not only did I receive my pods with lots of shelf-life left (over a year), but all that I have used so far have been correctly tamped and produce a good, strong espresso.**Update 6 months later... I am loving these more and more. I could not live without them, they are so convenient! And I am just so pleased with the auto-ship program. I just received a new case and the expiry date is good into 2012 (received in Nov. 2010). Good job Lavazza, Good job Amazon!

Great taste. On time delivery

I ordered Lavazza coffee pods and this batch does not have the fresh taste I am accustomed.