Lavazza Gran Espresso Single-Serve Coffee Pods, Dark Espresso Roast, Pack of 150

Smooth, clean flavor. No bitterness or after taste. This is now my go to Espresso pod. OMO the brew quality from these pods is superior to either K-Cups or Nespresso. Similarly, the Lavazza Gran Creama Whole Bean coffee is my choice for a fresh grind brew. Recommended

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! ;-)

Literally the best tasting espresso! It makes it so easy to make an espresso in the morning and the size of the capsule works perfectly with our Breville Bambino! They definitely have a good amount of caffeine but are super smooth. Try them out if you haven’t used them before!

"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.

Flavor is decent but nothing remarkable in the taste/flavor. When making an Americano, I find myself needing to use two pods rather than one, which slightly negates the cost advantage per pod. That being said, I got them for ~20% cheaper than the other lavazza pods, and significantly cheaper than other options on Amazon. I'd rate this at 3 to 5 stars, depending on how it's priced for alternatives.

Lavazza Gran Espresso I good, but I will stick with the Gran Espresso Intenso. Just my preference.

We are a large Italian family that is very picky about our coffee. We love this brand and these pods. After inheriting the machine from our uncle we wanted to use it right away. We started with other imported Italian pods that we found somewhat pricy. We ordered the Lavazza in an effort to save some money and are not disappointed. We really like the taste of the coffee just as much if not better. When we host our large family it is a must to serve cappuccinos and espressos after dinner. Everyone raves about the taste! I wish I could also find a decaf version since even the younger kids in our family like coffee too.

Smooth and not as bitter, great foam. A double does it for me but it's so smooth it makes me want to brew more. I subscribed ♡

Great stronger pods but delivery was 2 weeks late

We do enjoy these pods. They are ESE standard format (check your machine specifics) and the quality of the coffee is very tasty and creamy. At this price beats the pods we were previously buying at the common big name chains

Fantastic flavour. The price has increased over the years, so I tried a different product and it just couldn’t compare. The flavour of Lavazza is superb

I love these espresso pods. They allow me to use practically fresh ground coffee because they are vacuum, sealed, and most espresso makers do have the attachment to use these pods as opposed to tamping down grounds which make a mess. The taste is fantastic too.

Excellent quality coffee in good quality ese pods. Bought these as a replacement for a poor batch of our regular Cialdissima product and is a marked improvement even on the previous decent versions. Coffee flow through the pod is excellent and a decent tasty cream. For this price, these pods are a steal 👍