Lavazza Gran Espresso Intenso E.S.E. Coffee Pods – 150 Count

Wonderful taste and easy to use. Smooth on the palate.

Arrived well packaged,intact.The flavor is great and consistent.A huge time saver with clean up.

I like the Lavazza coffees and these e.s.e. pods are super convenient. Amazing crema and bold taste. Great price too

"Lavazza doesn’t disappoint! Been using the Medium Roast ese pods for a few good years and decided to try out the Dark Roast. It’s almost as good as the Medium Roast, not as nutty but with hints of pepper and chocolate. Works very well with cappuccinos and lattes. I use it with a Francis Francis X5 and our family loves Lavazza brand!" I wrote this review a few good years back, since then we've seen and tasted a decline in the quality of this coffee. We loved the hints of cocoa and pepper yet they are nowhere to be found today. Also, these ESE pods are watery, the extract comes out in about 5-8 seconds and almost with no crema. No, it's not our espresso maker because we tried other makes (Illy, Lucaffe) and their pods behave the way they are supposed to, 18-25 seconds extraction which provides for great flavor and crema. The only Lavazza we like somewhat is the White Packet known as Intenso, but when compared with other brands it does not have the same complexity, albeit the crema is what is supposed to be like. I hope Lavazza corrects this in the near future.

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 was gifted an espresso machine last year. The whole family pitched in with providing accessories. I struggled to master a decent shot. I’m sure I watched every video available on how to produce a rich shot of espresso. As arthritis in my hands got worse the machine lay dormant. I was happy to find that prepared discs were available. They make a very good shot and are reasonably priced. Now, if I could just master the steaming wand…

I've used these Lavazza ese pods for a couple of years now in my Delonghi espresso maker. I've been completely satisfied with the good flavor, aroma and crema these produced in my machine. But, something changed with the last case of 150 pods that I purchased. For starters... the box I received was different. It was a generic plain box that wasn't the usually marked Lavazza box. The pods WERE wrapped in the usual wrapping so that eased my mind some. When I opened the pod wrapping to use it. I didn't get that wonderful coffee aroma that I usually get. Upon brewing it in the same espresso maker that I've always used. I watched as the first half of the shot came out. It was the usual rich dark brown color. Then at about the second half of the shot seemed like clear water with a tan color to it was coming out in to the shot. The flavor was that of severely diluted coffee. I'm not sure that this was a true Lavazza product. I hope that Amazon can look into this. I gave it multiple opportunities with the same results.

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! ;-)