The Passion in Lavazza Coffee: Italians Do It Better - Tracy Kaler's New York Life + Travel Blog

Lavazza’s tasty brew is Italy’s favorite coffee.

There’s no better setting for a cocktail party honoring Lavazza –– Italy’s favorite coffee –– than Eataly’s Birreria. High above Manhattan on the 15th floor with a stunning view of the Empire State Building, a group of coffee-loving media influencers gathered in the rooftop space to celebrate the debut of the new Lavazza Roast specialty coffee blends.
Handsome couple and brand ambassadors Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos attended and spoke on behalf of Lavazza to promote the tasty, caffeinated drinks.

Birreria is a beautiful space for a party.

Lavazza brand ambassadors Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos

Lavazza coffee is more than an ordinary cup o’ Joe as any coffee aficionado can attest; with its rich and lingering flavors, the java contains “passion in every cup.”

That evening at Birreria,in addition to yummy food and wine, we tasted a few exclusive recipes from the Lavazza Innovation Center in Italy. The Italian company transformed the flavorful coffees into edible treats like espresso mousse and coffee caviar, and mixed with liqueurs for coffee cocktails. All those sampled were delicious, and proved that coffee can move way beyond a caffeine fix and become an essential ingredient.

Espresso mousse is my idea of a heavenly dessert.

Coffee caviar was silky in texture.

This coffee cocktail was the perfect after-dinner drink.

Lavazza is Italy’s most popular coffee (approximately 16 million out of 20 million coffee drinkers in Italy choose Lavazza over any other) and the brand is one of the best-selling coffees worldwide. For more than 100 years, Italians have been brewing and drinking Lavazza coffees.

The brand introduced four new brands at Eataly at the Lavazza Tastemaker Event: Gran Aroma, Classico, Gran Selezione, and Perfetto. These are bold and complex; they are ideal for the avid coffee lover or even someone looking for a piquant ‘caffe’ offering more than the standard cup of coffee. My husband Michael and I sampled each one of these blends using our new French press, courtesy of Lavazza!

As I savored each sip, I quickly realized that any brewed coffee I had tasted previously failed in comparison to the French-pressed Lavazza.

The new Lavazza Roast specialty coffee blends

We tried the coffees starting with the lightest and ending with the darkest.

1. Gran Aroma
Since this was the mildest of the flavors, we pressed for 10 minutes, after which we found this brew to not lack the intense flavor we like in coffee, even though it was the lightest of the four.

2. Classico
We pressed for 6 minutes. This coffee was almost chocolatey and buttery. This cup paired nicely with our chocolate croissants from Le Pain de Quotidien.

3. Gran Selezione
We pressed for about 6 minutes also. This coffee was slightly more intense than the Classico, fuller, a bit more acidic, and delectable with a raspberry financier.

4. Perfetto
The darkest and most robust of the coffees, the Perfetto is a rich espresso roast. This was my preferred cup because of the nutty aftertaste, similar to espresso, which I often drink. We pressed this blend for about 4-5 minutes.

I received all of the above-mentioned coffees from Lavazza! These blends are complex, hearty, full of zest, and surely will leave anyone craving more coffee as the day goes on. As an admirer of Italian food, wine, and culture, I would expect nothing less.