Lavazza Coffee
I am a coffee proletarian compared to my sons Jack and James– I don’t roast my own coffee beans, nor do I operate exotic machinery for producing confections that are exquisitely attuned to my sensitive palate. One day I’ll hear that they’re climbing trees in Ecuador to harvest their own beans and I won’t be surprised.
Nonetheless, I enjoy good coffee (they would challenge that statement). I’ve gravitated to medium roast blends. I’ve had periods where I favored French or Italian roast coffees, or some of Starbucks’ bold/dark roast blends, but to me, medium roast coffees are more flavorful, maybe because they’re less overpowering.
For years I drank Starbucks Pike Place Roast, the medium blend Starbucks brought out some years ago when they began to diversify their offerings. It’s good coffee, but after trying Lavazza’s Classico blend I’ve never gone back.
Classico is the best drip coffee I’ve tasted – rich, smooth, complex, no heavy aftertaste. Lavazza is the largest Italian coffee producer, and frankly their product line is uneven. I don’t have another Lavazza variety I’d recommend.
Classico is widely available in supermarkets, though to get whole bean coffee I have to order directly from Lavazza.
Try it and let me know what you think. If after trying Classico you have a better idea, I’m all ears. But I’m not going to climb a tree for it.
- Jack Jr.
Cold Brew
I didn’t have an idea for this week until I read Dad’s entry. I have not tried Lavazza, but perhaps I’ll give it a shot. I’m still in the dark roast phase of my coffee life, but perhaps age will mellow me soon. For now, though, lest the coffee proletariat unite, let me offer a coffee recipe that even you plebs can enjoy.
I don’t drink cold brew all year, but here in the South (where temperatures routinely reach “kill me now” levels) it can be really nice on a hot day. Several years ago, a coworker shared his very simple cold brew recipe with me and I can absolutely vouch for it. You’ll need a French press — I hope that’s not too bougie.
1/3 cup French press grounds to 1 and 1/2 cups of water.
Let sit 24-48 hours in fridge BEFORE pressing plunger down
I like letting it sit at least 36 hours before drinking, but it’s up to you. Try it, and let me know what you think.
- Jack III
At the risk of being thrown off Substack, I'm going to recommend Stok Extra Bold Cold Brew that you can pick up in the grocery store or maybe even Walmart, even though I may try the French Press recipe here and compare. But someone introduced me to Stok a couple of months back and it is by far one of the smoothest coffees I've had. I'm a bit of a coffee snob, though I've never climbed a tree or eaten coffee that has passed through the intestines of a cat / civet (evidently that's a thing), but if you haven't tried Stok, give it a shot (pardon the pun).