Lavazza Gran Espresso Pods, Medium Roast, 150/Carton

I have been shopping on Amazon for a long time but never thought to search for "espresso pods" but I am so glad that I did. This pod is awesome! It is smooth and creamy and tastes sooooo good. In fact, I just ran out of them and went to Starbucks for my morning latte and it just tastes like cr@p. I was buying Starbucks pods for about 10 years and using them in my old Barista machine but their espresso is super bitter and often tastes like the bottom of an ashtray but finding another pod until now was and seemed almost impossible. This purchase has just confirmed what I already suspected... Starbucks is just more American cr@p that they are trying to pass off as I don't know what. This pod is like that love you have been searching for all your life and suddenly you meet and realize that the last 10 years could have been so much better. Then you get angry for dating all those other idiots. Oh wait.... this is a product review. Anyway great espresso pods!

Easy to use, sturdy, rarely breaks, and brews perfectly.

I know that sounds obvious, but for the price (~$0.75/ea) I had secretly hoped for astounding quality. Pros: - Very easy to use - Good flavor (rich, but more coffee taste than espresso taste). - Easy clean up (no loose grounds) - Better flavor than competitors (side by side compare with Zicaffe' Cremadensa, and Lavazza was MUCH better) Cons: - Tastes like strong coffee rather than espresso - Expensive (a good value would be <$0.50/ea) Suggestion: - Keep a box on hand for quick drinks (serving guests who are not picky), and for quick use in lattes and other drinks where the taste of the espresso is not critical. - Use fresh ground for other occasions

These taste really good. Convenient. Nothing at all wrong with them.

This is a great coffee. I am really happy with how smooth and mild it is. All I used to drink was Illy Medium Roast because it was easy to get locally but it's rather expensive. I started looking for a cheaper alternative and saw all the positive reviews for this. I was still a bit skeptical just because everyone has a different idea of a great cup of coffee. Let me say this again.. It is MILD!!! If you are expecting Starbucks espresso then go somewhere else. The roast doesn't taste burned and it has a good crema. I use this with my handpresso portable espresso maker with excellent results.

Not entirely espresso quality. I am using it for my DeLonghi espresso maker, although the coffee quality seems a bit low. Doesn't produce as much crema as with regular ground coffee and flavor is much weaker and a bit stale.

I bought these pods mostly due to the great price and positive reviews. I had been buying Illy ese pods from Sur La Table and the cost was astronomical. I was looking for a tasty and cheaper replacement... That being said, I will keep looking. These Lavazza ese pods are not great at all. They are poorly made, the espresso is somewhat loose in the pod and not packed properly. A few of my pods were not sealed all around the edges and the grounds leaked out into the foil packet rendering them unusable. The filter material itself is very cottony and ends up soaking up your brewed espresso rather than just filtering it through into your cup. While it does produce a beautiful crema, the espresso flavor is flat with no body, no tone, no aroma, no nothing. I was a professional barista for years and I know good espresso. This is NOT worth the cost, even with free shipping. You will end up with a cup of muddy, gritty, acidic brown water. Save your money and look elsewhere!

Works with my illy ESE pod machine, good to have alternative options to the illy ESE pod line up.