Lavazza Gusto Crema, Roasted Coffee Beans, 500g with Medium Dark Roast

Excellent coffee. Strong, creamy and well-balanced without being overly bitter. The flavour feels rich and luxurious, and comes quite close to the European café-style coffee. The trick is brew properly - to use the espresso machine properly - fine grinding, the right tamping pressure, good quality water, and correct dilution. When done right, it produces a thick and a full-bodied cup.

First time getting gusto beans. Beans were fresh. Happy with taste.

The flavour is beautiful. The roast is rightly dark, but not too dark. It is perfect. It has been decades since I drank Qualita Oro. So I cannot compare this one to Qualita Oro which is Ethiopean if I remember right. That would cost you Rs. 7,200 a kilo. Qualita Rosa would cost about half of that. At 800 a kilo, Gusto Crema is a bargain. India is an important coffee grower. I have bought Chikmangloor grown Plantation and Peaberry beans from a local reseller. I have bought Classic coffee beans, Rage, Vero which stopped the Indian production of beans. For a lot of years I had to find a balance between flavour and the cost which Vero had offered. After that stopped I was on the lookout for an alternative. And of course, for the price, I just could not ignore Lavazza Gusto Crema. The cost actually made me wonder (it's so cheap) whether I should take the risk. But I could rest assured with the Lavazza name. For Rs. 800 a kilo, it is really cheap. But rest assured, the quality is international. If you enjoy real coffee, if you can appreciate a coffee from a gourmet coffee shop like CCD, Barista, Starbucks etc., then this coffee is for you. Please don't buy it if you like coffee with strong chicory flavour. Don't buy this coffee if you are the one who adds a tinge of Nescafe to a glass of milk and lots of sugar. If you are an instant-coffee lover, this definitely isn't for you. If you like your beans over-roasted so that they almost smell like dried fish or prawns, this isn't your coffee. But if you have never tasted the real coffee or find it too expensive, this definitely is worth a try. It is real coffee at a bargain price. I can understand why Vero (I loved their coffee by the way) had to shut down the Indian manufacture. I can give 100% guarantee for this Lavazza Gusto Crema.

Overall 4/5: Great quality product Freshness: 5/5 fresh & intense aroma Bitterness: 3.5/5 found more bitter Acidity: 3/5 found it to be more acidic Roast: 5/5 very well evenly roasted This coffee is something you shouldn’t buy. Unless you are serious about it Grind levels and brewing methods Medium grind (around 5–8) Pour-over/drip coffee: A medium grind is comparable in texture to sand. This allows water to flow through at an optimal pace, resulting in a balanced extraction. Aeropress (with a longer brew time): A medium grind can be used with the Aeropress for a full-bodied cup, especially with an inverted brewing method. the quality is international. If you enjoy real coffee, if you can appreciate a coffee from a coffee shop like Barista, Starbucks etc., then this coffee is for you Fine blend of arabica and robusta beans handpicked from the Indian plantations of coorg and chikmagalur with an exotic aroma of chocolate and spices

Flat in aroma and flavour. A very average generic cafe stuff . No mention of arabica /robusta ratio of blend in the pack. Unfortunately comes in minimum of 500 g pack have to wait out till I finish which could be 3-4 months !