Lavazza - Oro Gold Double Pack Ground Espresso Bricks - 2 x 250g

Why Lavazza? It tastes great no matter how awful the water. I've had Danesi, Kimbo Illy, Mauro, Motta most of the home grown commercial Italian brands, it's impossible not to when you live in Italy.

Back in NYC, these brands are hard to come by, although Illy and Lavazza market and sell their coffees packed in cans and formulated for the American palette (regardless of what they may say) for in the American supermarkets. Yet, all of these brands with the exception of Lavazza brick, and I've tried the all, suffer from one major problem when it comes to their taste: the water.

Oddly, while living in Italy, I didn't like Illy, even when I got an espresso in the Pantheon quarter of Rome ( considered to have some of the best water in Italy, second only to Napoi), while I always liked Lavazza in every bar in which I had it and for that matter in every bar in every country in which it's served, I cant say the same about the other brands.

In New York it's a different story. Illy seems to be made for NY water and it makes a great espresso; however it is ridiculously expensive and outside of NYC, it's not all that great. On the other hand, the Lavazza Qualita Orosold in bricks in Italy makes a great cup of espresso regardless of water quality. I live in a rural section of VT close to the Canadian border now. The water is horrendous and Lavazza whether it's Qualita Oro, Rossa or Crema e Gusta in the brick always tastes great except when I screw up making it in my Junior…