GranCrema (ESE pod)

Blind Assessment: Produced from an ESE pod on a FrancisFrancis! pod brewer. The low-acid wood and nut character of robusta dominates. Surprisingly lean mouthfeel, but the woody nut notes hint nicely at chocolate in the small cup and turn sweetly rich in the finish. Blooms nicely in milk with a gently fat dark chocolate character.

Notes: ESE (Easy Serving Espresso) pods are wafer-like single-serving sized portions of ground espresso coffee compressed and enclosed in filter paper. Any coffee company that has access to the proper machinery can produce them. Although "pod adaptors" are available for many home espresso machines, ESE pods seem to produce best results when used on home machines exclusively designed for them. We tested this set of sample pods on the pod-only FrancisFrancis! X6 Trio home espresso machine, which allows for some control of extraction rate by how firmly the pod-bearing portafilter is tightened into the machine. We evaluated this espresso at a 26-second extraction for a one-ounce serving, probably a bit too short an extraction for this blend, but the best we could do with the available set of sample pods and the FrancisFrancis! machine. At this writing about 50 to 55 cents per pod purchased online. Italy-based Lavazza is one of the world?s largest coffee roasting companies, with a great variety of espresso blends, though few are available in the United States. Visit www.lavazza.com for more information.

Who Should Drink It: Those pod-brewer owners who enjoy classic everyday Italian lighter roasted, robusta-centered blends.