This was the worst coffeeLavazza Gold Selection Whole Bean Coffee, 2.2-Pound Bag I have tried. Bitter, nasty taste.

This has a bit of a sour taste. If you like a dark roast and full flavor for your espresso, try something else. Starbucks espresso roast is better. Illy dark roast is even better.

My guess is that the other reviewer used an inexpensive machine, just not the right amount or maybe a bad bag. It happens – we have all been there.

Anyway, we were very happy with the taste – especially considering the cost. Once we got the settings right on the Gaggia, every espresso and latte has been great. Blows Starbucks away.

I have been using this espresso for over a year in my commercial espresso machine, and have enjoyed the flavor. The Italians do not over roast there beans so you don’t get the bitter Starbucks type flavor. The reason Starbucks over roasts their beans is, to hide a poor quality bean, they are about marketing not coffee. I really have to laugh when somebody compares Starbucks to Lavazza.

We love, love, love this espresso! We’ve tried almost all the lavazza coffees and this one is our favorite! We have a jura espresso machine and with this espresso we have the perfect latte every time. Highly recommend it!

I have a Rancilio Silvia v3 and I’m primarily writing this as an espresso review.
Excellent rich and yet balanced flavor. Great liquorice and dark chocolate flavors and aftertaste. Decent crema, although the production gets rapidly weaker if the beans are open for more than one week(but that’s expected).

The price is also relatively affordable and per pound and is slightly cheaper than many of the nicer American brands out there(ie Peets or your local roast). I think I’ve found my daily brew.

Who this coffee isn’t for…
-Dark Coffee drinkers. This isn’t an ultra dark,oily, burnt(Starbucks drinkers I’m talking to you) roast. It was never intended to be one. If you make drip or French press coffee and you’re used to dark roasts, this will underwhelm.
-Espresso snobs. This isn’t Intelligencia. If you want Intelligencia, go buy Intelligencia. Most of Lavazza’s roasts are meant to consumed in every day situations and every day affordable coffee. This also isn’t Illy coffee and as much as I like their taste better, I do enjoy my fatter wallet.

I’m not too big on milk based espresso drinks, so can’t really give any review there.

In conclusion, this is a solid everyday Italian espresso for those looking for something reliable to drink every day. It’s forgiving enough that you don’t have to make it to exacting standards with a mega dollar professional machine like some of the fancier roasts and it’s not like having to slog through a can of Folgers.

If you want Starbucks or Intelligencia, go buy Starbucks or Intelligencia.

This coffee has a nice taste and I like it very much. It is a little bit overpriced but the quality worth to pay it.

I have been buying and brewing Lavazza coffee for about twenty years–beginning with the time that you could only get Lavazza by a) having someone shlep it from Italy for you, or b) driving down Canal street (if you ever had the displeasure of being stuck in NYC). For years I used the Pienaroma, which is a fantastic coffee, and typically billed by the coffee companies as being the same as the “gold” you get over in Italy. The Pienaroma is fantastic for cappuccino and lattes, but I think this gold is better for straight espresso.

The Pienaroma is 100% Arabica. Not sure exactly what’s in the Gold, but the crema is amazing. I suspect Lavazza must drop in a little Robusto to give the Gold the great crema and a slight bite that I feel is missing in the Pienaroma. Some people mistake this taste, often referred to as “earthy” taste, for a burnt taste. I suggest brewing some espresso from the Gold and the Pienaroma side-by-side and tasting them at the same time. You’ll appreciate this taste is missing in the Pienaroma, I suspect, and after that the Pienaroma will taste “flat” for straight espresso. Summary: if you don’t drink espresso, stick with the Pienaroma as it is more economical and is a fantastic coffee. If you like espresso, give the Gold a shot and see what you think.

Disclaimer: I’m not a professional food taster, so all of the above is just one person’s opinion. Surely you know what they say about opinions…

Lavazza makes a great bean! This is my first time buying the gold selection and it is very smooth yet still has a good stout flavor. Will be buying again.

I have used the Lavazza Tierra and Illy whole beans in my espresso machine. I purchased the Gold Selection thinking gold would indicate a more flavorful brew. I did not find this to be the case. If anything, I think the Tierra has a bit more of an authentic Italian espresso flavor. I am always looking for a strong espresso flavor in my morning latte.

If cost were not a limiting factor, I would go back to the Illy. Unfortunately, the Illy costs quite a bit more than the Lavazza blends. That said, as I finish up the Gold beans in the cupboard, I will either go back to the Lavazza Tierra or maybe try another Lavazza blend.

I got a new super-automatic machine after my old one died and decided to try some new coffees. I have been using Starbucks espresso beans for years; primarily because of where I live in a rural area, it is about the only thing available locally. I looked at a lot of reviews here, and almost everyone likes the Lavazza brand. I figured I would try this one first as it is near the top of Lavazza’s price range and it sounded good from the reviews.

There were a lot of comments about Starbucks burned taste of their espresso, and how smooth this one is in comparison. I would have to agree that it is a lot smoother. I spent a month in Italy a few years ago (the reason I bought an espresso machine when I got back) and, I have to say, the coffee made with these beans is very very close to what I learned to love over there. The taste is much more complex than the Starbucks. Rather than just having a very strong, intense flavor and taste, you can taste more complexity in the flavors of the Lavazza Gold.

While it is more expensive than the Starbucks, I feel that it is worth it. I may try one or two of the other Lavazza beans just to see, but I am very happy with this one after about a month of using it for a couple of espressos or cappuccinos a day.

I prefer the Lavazza Supercrema. This is a good coffee though. I recently found a local coffee made at the Wholefoods in my area and I find the in-store roasted espresso there unbelievable. So I stopped ordering these big bags at Amazon and buy locally instead. The Lavazza Rossa whole bean from Italy is the best Lavazza in my opinion but I can only find it in Italy. They have the ground Lavazza Rossa here but its not the same. The Rossa from Italy has great comlex flavors and I find it as good as the Illy in a red can. The Illy is terribly overpriced so I’ll stick with the local stuff now.

I’m not surprised that this coffee is great.

When you use it with the right grinder and the right espresso machine to achieve a 30-seconds double shot you get incredible amount of crema and superb taste!

Amazon shipping was super fast too!!

Lavazza Gold has been a mainstay in my office for the past 5 or 6 years. Occasionally, I get the urge to try a different bean in my Jura Capresso super automatic, but I immediately return to the “Gold”. Recently, I have been enjoying the “Crema y Aroma” from Lavazza as well. Highly recommend both! One of the advantages with Lavazza whole beans if you use a super automatic machine is that the beans are not oily so they don’t gum up the hopper and grinder.

Lavazza has some of the smoothest expresso beans that I know. Not as harsh as Star Bucks expresso and makes a great Cappocino