Italian Coffee Beans
So you're looking for Italian coffee beans, and I'll point you in the direction of the coffee beans I think you'll enjoy the most if you're specifically looking for "Italian coffee beans" shortly.
Firstly, though, let's talk about what Italian coffee beans actually are, so you can be sure that you're looking for the kind of beans you're likely to enjoy the most.
THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS ITALIAN COFFEE BEANS...
Technically speaking, there's no such thing as Italian coffee beans. Although technically speaking, there's no such thing as coffee beans at all.
We call them beans because they resemble beans, but coffee trees aren't a member of the legume family, so they're not beans. What we refer to as coffee beans, are seeds of the fruit of the coffee tree.
But that little bit of coffee geek trivia aside, what is meant by "Italian coffee beans"?
Does it mean that the coffee beans themselves are grown in Italy? Definitely not.Coffee beans only grow (commercially, at least) in the strip around the world in between the tropics of Cancer & Capricorn, known as the coffee belt.
Is it that they're from a particular origin?
Not necessarily, coffee beans from various origins are referred to as Italian, often blends of Brazilian and Central American coffees, but they could be from any origin.
Is it that Italian Coffee Beans are a Robusta/Arabica Blend?
Nope. Many coffee beans that are referred to as "Italian" do include a percentage of Robusta, but they certainly don't have to. In fact a lot of Italian espresso was made using 100% Arabica, often natural processed Brazilian coffee beans, and the use of Robusta gradually increased over the years.
Is Italian Simply a Roast Level?
Many people do associate Italian coffee with dark roasts, which is why you'll often find information suggesting that this is what it means to be an Italian coffee. Italian coffee beans can be dark roasted, but they don't have to be.
So what are Italian coffee beans then?
When we refer to beans being "Italian", we're referring to the flavour profile, and what we're really talking about is traditional espresso profiles.
Espresso is of Italian origin, obviously, and what is referred to as "Italian", really means a traditional espresso profile. It used to be that if you said "espresso" you would just have been talking about traditional Italian style espresso, but that's not the case these days.
It's quite common now for people to use light to medium roast single origins for espresso, which will produce quite a different flavour profile to what we'd refer to as a classic Italian espresso.
Some will say that "Italian" is a roast level, and I can understand that from the perspective that a lot of traditional espresso blends have been dark roasted, but this kind of taste profile can be achieved with the right blend without roasting particularly dark.
So "Italian" is about the taste profile, it's not about how this is achieved.
It doesn't necessarily mean it's an Arabica/Robusta blend, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a very dark oily roast. It simply means that it has a classic espresso taste profile.
To recap, then, if you're looking for a more traditional espresso profile, a bold & intense taste with notes of chocolate & sometimes also fruits, nuts & caramel, then you're looking for a traditional espresso profile, or "Italian" coffee beans.
The Italian Espresso Institute have a very specific description of what Italian espresso should be, which is:
"On sight, a Certified Italian Espresso has a hazel-brown to dark brown foam, characterised by tawny reflexes, with a very fine texture (absence of large mesh and larger or smaller bubbles).
The nose reveals an intense scent with notes of flowers, fruits, toasted bread and chocolate.
All of these sensations are felt also after swallowing the coffee in the long lasting aroma that remains for several seconds, sometimes even for minutes.
Its taste is round, substantial and velvet-like.
Sour and bitter tastes are well balanced and neither one prevails over the other. There is no, or a barely perceptible, astringent taste."
THE BEST ITALIAN COFFEE BEANS
So with all that said, I'll now recommend our coffee beans that I think you'll probably like the most if you're shopping specifically for Italian coffee beans.
The best flavour, in my opinion, will always come from freshly roasted coffee beans. So if you were to ask me which are the best Italian coffee beans, I'd say any freshly roasted coffee beans that have a classic espresso taste profile.
Although I should point out that great coffee beans is only part of the equation, you'll need to dial them in. For more on that see my simplifying espresso playlist on YouTube.
CLASSIC ITALIAN BLEND
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The fact that we've named this blend Classic Italian may give you the impression that this is the one to go for if you're looking for Italian coffee beans.
In reality, the reason we called it Classic Italian is that this was one of our first medium/dark roast espresso blends, and we wanted to emphasise that this was a bean to cup machine friendly "classic Italian" coffee bean.
With a lot of traditional espresso blends being fairly dark roasted, and with most bean to cup coffee machines not having removable burrs, cleaning the oils off the burrs can be tricky with bean to cup machines.
So the Classic Italian blend was our first espresso blend specifically aimed at bean to cup machines, achieving the classic taste profile by blending, without the need to roast to the point that the beans become oily.
Classic Italian is certainly one of our coffee beans that I think you'll want to try if you're thinking of classic Italian espresso, but don't let the name give you the impression that it's only one in our range that you might enjoy if you're looking for a classic Italian espresso profile.
Need a new Bean to Cup machine?, have a look at my post on the best bean to cup machines to date
The Best Bean to Cup Machines Review
CHOCOLATE BROWNIE BLEND
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Another blend with a classic espresso taste profile, but this one is all about the chocolate, in particular, for making mega chocolatey milk drinks.
This is definitely what I'd call a crowd pleaser, in fact it's our no1 best seller.
It's a blend of two Arabicas (Brazil Santos, Ethiopia Djimmah) and Indian Cherry Robusta. As with Classic Italian, it's not a classic dark roast, it's what I refer to as medium dark, dark brown and matt, while "dark" would be dark brown and glossy.
This is by far my favourite coffee, overall.
It's very forgiving when it comes to dialling in, it's bold but balanced (when dialled in, which as I've said is particularly simple with this blend) and it's mega chocolaty, especially when used as the base for flat white, cappuccino etc.
Also, thanks to the blend of beans used, it's happens to be our cheapest coffee bean, which is a happy coincidence!
CHOCOLATE FONDANT BLEND
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Another one of our best sellers, and another crowd pleaser, chocolate fondant blend is a slightly different blending of the same three beans used in chocolate brownie, including the Djimmah being roasted slightly darker.
This results in a more intense flavour with darker, toasty chocolate notes reminiscent of chocolate fondant.
Basically chocolate fondant is an amplified, more intense, even more chocolaty version of chocolate brownie, so if you like your espresso or espresso based drinks a bit bolder, this might end up being your favourite.
FRUIT & NUT BLEND
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As the name would suggest, this is an espresso blend that focusses more on the fruit and nut flavour profile.
This blend is fruitier than the other three blends above, but it's a fruitiness balanced with notes of hazelnuts & chocolate, not a funky & complex acidity that you might expect from a lighter roast single origin.
This is a 100% Arabica blend of Brazilian and Costa Rican coffee beans.
Brazilian Mió Lot 1930 is a red honey processed coffee with an SCA Score of 84.5. Costa Rican La Trinidad is a washed coffee with an SCA Score of 85.
If I've thrown you with "washed" and "honey", don't worry, un-washed beans aren't dirty, and no bees were bothered during the production of honey processed coffee beans ;-).
These are just the processing methods, meaning how the beans (seeds) are separated from the cherry fruit.
Washed processing is done by washing off the fruit from the seed (what we call the beans). Natural processing involves drying the cherries in the sun & then mechanically processing them to remove the seeds from the fruit.
Honey processing is an in between method, with different colours used to describe the various methods, whether they're semi washed, whether they're dried in the sun or in shade and so on.
Italian Coffee Beans - Conclusion
The end.
Just kidding ;-).
To conclude, when we say Italian coffee beans, we're talking about the classic Italian espresso profile, it really doesn't matter how this is achieved, yes it can be with a darker roast, it can be with a Robusta blend, but it doesn't have to be.
Some people will argue and say that Italian coffee bean beans simply means a dark roast, or a dark roast Robusta blend, and that's their opinion, they're wrong but they're allowed to have that opinion, even if it's wrong ;-).