Bla bla bla - how old are these beans? - bla bla - but it's probably been sitting there for years - bla bla bla - I hate lavazza coffee i'd rather pay 50 a kilo for good quality - bla bla bla bla bla :P
For us wogs who live on the stuff this is a bargain. So there. Enjoy the product and price for what it is. Not for what it isn't…
Same here. For the description, I wish I could do 2 votes :-)
They read my mind! :)
Can confirm these beans are amazing - I use a simple Breville machine at home and the espresso it puts out is amazing.
Having had both LavAzza and these, these are much, much better for the price.
The Golden Bean Competition took place as part of the Golden Bean Coffee Conference and Awards, the largest Roasters coffee event in the world, with over 1,400 entries from in excess of 400 roasters. In addition to winning Gold, Lazzio Coffee also took out the following awards:
Silver Medal – Franchise/ Chain Milk Category – Lazzio Medium Roast
Silver Medal – Franchise/ Chain Espresso Category – Lazzio Medium Roast
Bronze Medal - Single Origin - Lazzio “Colombia”
For those interested, the Golden Bean Awards 2018 results are here
Same Same, Aldi beans and Breville Coffee machine. Makes decent coffee!!
This is the first I've heard of this, must try!
I go for the Aldi Lazzio Dark roast for $11.50/kg. I wouldn't mind trying some of the more gourmet stuff to see what the big deal is though.
Expect this thread to be swamped with OzBargain coffee snobs down-voting shortly :)
Self confessed coffee snob checking in. For the record I've given you a + for being open minded about trying "more gourmet stuff to see what the big deal is".
First, let's debunk the idea of gourmet and price. Price is not and never will be an indicator for gourmet/high quality coffee.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's examine what makes a coffee gourmet or for want of a better term, better than others. As they say in real estate, "location, location, location". But what the hell does location have to do with coffee? It's a berry that comes off of a plant that's grown in the ground!
Here's where you get to the nuts and bolts of it. Firstly, coffee has to be grown in what is known as "the bean belt". This is a region found between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn where the growing conditions are perfect for coffee. Nations such as Guatemala, Costa Rica, Brazil, Columbia, Ethiopia, Puerto Rico and so on all sit in this "bean belt" and as you can imagine are all big growers of coffee.
Second, it's all about the altitude baby (and the soil but altitude just sounds better). The floor for growing coffee is about 800 MASL (metres above sea level) and the ceiling is about 2300 MASL. At low altitude (800-1000 MASL) you get your bland, earthy flavours. Between 1000-1300 MASL the flavour changes and takes on a sweeter profile. Between 1300-1600 MASL you get those citrus/vanilla/chocolate flavour tones and above that is when it takes on those fruity, spicy, floral, berry like flavours.
Lastly, it's the roast. The lighter the roast the higher the acidity, and the darker the roast the higher the bitterness. Lighter roasts are more flavoursome and are typically reserved for filter coffee to preserve the flavour. You don't have milk here; it's a cardinal sin. Medium through to dark roasts are more suited to espresso (with or without milk) though dark roasts really shine with milk because it balances out the bitterness. I honestly don't know anyone who drinks dark roasts (full city or even darker) espresso style/long black/filter without milk.
So, does a budget priced coffee from a major retailer such as Aldi, Woolworths, or Coles mean it's crap? No. Does peak freshness matter? It's questionable; I've had old coffee from a local roaster that was still very acceptable. It's hard to pick out the difference; it's there but it's not a deal breaker. Modern espresso machines can deal with both freshly roasted (single wall baskets) and old coffee (dual wall baskets) producing good results every time if you know what you're doing.
What makes me a coffee snob? Is it price, is it a preference for coffee from a specific location, is it a specific roaster or branded coffee? From my perspective it's applying rules to how coffee is consumed based on what I described above. At the end of the day, I'll respect your choice even if I don't agree with it.
Sorry for such a long post. I tried to condense it as much as possible but there's so much information I wanted to impart so you could make an informed decision that's best for you. Happy coffee drinking!
@Numpty21: I may be a coffee snob but I'm just not that anally retentive. If that's all you got out of my comment, perhaps have a coffee to brighten your day.
Aldi
Haven't tried the Lavazza beans but so far tried the Aldi Medium Roast and one of the Single Origin variety. Medium Roast beans were horrid and Single Origin isn't that much better either but still better than the medium roast. Both not good enough to enjoy as an espresso.
Thanks for the negs. Love Aldi bean lovers thinking they are the best things around. It's cheap no doubt for what you get but there's no such thing as free lunch. You get what you pay for.
My experience with Aldi beans was also average, it was absolutely drinkable, but it definitely didn't get me excited about having another cup of coffee. Going by others reviews perhaps I had a stale batch and should give it another go.
I am afraid that your particular taste is not reflected by thousands of happy consumers and even people in the industry using the Aldi coffee range in their businesses ( cafe's/restaurants/catering/offices/etc. ).
Many people including myself who have a trained tasting palate know how good/great value for $ the Aldi coffee's are and compares favourably, often better than many big well known brands sometimes double the price here in Australia and O/S.
So just because a lot of people buy it, it must mean it's good?
I guess Nespresso must be really good too based on that theory?
Aldi stuff is drinkable and not a bad option if that's all you want to spend on coffee, but some people here make it out to be really good, which it isn't. You don't have to be a coffee connoisseur to figure this out. Not all coffee enthusiasts agree Aldi stuff is good. Just go and check out coffee forums.
@keejoonc: Your last recent comment was well thought out and better worded using a bit more tact, diplomacy and common sense, although my opinion is still a bit different.
In your earlier comment you said the Aldi Medium coffee were horrid, and the single origin ( yellow/green is Brazilian and other is Colombian, so not sure which one you tried ) was not much better.
Last comment you say "Aldi stuff is drinkable and not a bad option if that's all you want to spend" which is much closer to the point but still very vague.
I never said the Aldi coffee wins loads of awards ( often influenced by industry politics and insiders anyway, even Aldi ) and is the first choice for coffee connoisseurs/businesses everywhere, just that for the price and convenience the Aldi coffee is decent and represents great value for little $, especially compared to many well known big volume coffee brands such as Lavazza, Vittoria etc. selling usually for $29-$39 Kg.
@ozhunter68: Let me make myself clear.
Based on my experience, Aldi medium roast that I tried was truly horrid and was close to being undrinkable.
The Single Origin (Brazilian variety I thinK) beans that I'm currently finishing off was much better and drinkable but still very average. Flavour is too weak for my liking and struggled to produce decent amount of crema no matter what grind setting I used.
Perhaps the batches I got were stale or whatever, but this was my experience with Aldi beans.
@brotherfranciz: recommend based on what? based on my experience with cheap beans so far I would rather spend more and get something I actually look forward to drinking. I usually only drink coffee at home on weekends or on my days off so may as well buy better quality stuff in small volumes.
I understand if you are a heavy drinker or have several people drinking coffee expensive beans will be too expensive. It really depends on what you are after.
I have yet to try Lavazza so maybe I will give it a go and see how it compares to Aldi.
Please tell me which cafe's use Aldi beans so I can avoid them like the plague.
Do they also use consumer grade coffee machine?
Wouldn't want to pay +$4 for a cup of coffee if they were using budget supermarket beans.
Vast majority of the population don't even know what's good or bad, and I'm not just commenting on coffee beans. That goes for everything.
@dji1111111: If people go to the trouble to buy coffee beans to grind themselves, and make coffee at home, these people Do have Some idea of what they like in the coffee flavour area. All other people would make instant coffee or have a pod machine of various qualities of course ( not knocking pod coffee as I drink myself occasionally when pushed for time lol ) if having coffee at home.
I have paid $3-$5 per coffee so many times and you often get no better or often worse than a coffee made at home with these Aldi beans ( ground fresh and correctly and made in a sound manner ).
If you ever had anything to do with the coffee side of the hospitality business you would know that the blends made up/ordered for cafe's and restaurants etc are often different and made up to a price for wholesale use and low price. Of course Do Not read this as All, but some not in the Hipster areas.
What are you comparing this against?. Doesn't look very objective.
The Aldi Single Origin, particularly the Colombian, is one of the best supermarket coffees I've found. I think it should cost more (though all coffee should); they're getting an absolute bargain price for that bean if they're able to sell it at $13/kg roasted.
As always I'd rather buy green and roast my own, but if I don't have time to roast those are what I pick up as they're fairly drinkable.
I feel coffee bean price is about right, the problem is how the price is distributed
Hmmmm may have to try them again. Bought a few years ago and they were terrible. Even my staff tasted the difference without me telling them
I too was very underwhelmed by the medium roast after reading lots of positive reviews but admittedly I haven't tried the single origin.
Are you referring to the Aldi beans, or this post?
No other supermarket beans come close to the quality of the $12 Aldi beans, its kinda crazy. I don't know how they do it, its not stale and its $12.
Its not quite as good as proper $30kg beans from a coffee shop (like manabeans), but for almost 1/3 of the price it just can't be beat
Are the single origin ones any good? I've been meaning to try.
Edit: just saw post above
Aldi isn't everywhere in Australia
Price is not necessarily an indication of quality. I have found these to be long dated in previous sales by both Woolworths and Coles. You can spend $50 if you want to, but many people who do not have snobbishn tastes will be very happy with this coffee.
I think the question is how do these perform against Coles / Woolies / Aldi home brand as those are similarly priced.
The Aldi beans are surprisingly top notch, but I slightly prefer these LavAzza (personal taste).
"vicib" & "Pretzel_Ninga"^^^This^^^, at the regular price of $30 per Kg you would hope they are better than the $11.50 Aldi beans, but often not the case here with these.
Main issue is woolworth coffee will almost always be extremely stale.
Definitely Aldi over these, if you're after a cheaper alternative and you're in a wog house with 10 people who each drink two cups a day (me), then that's the way to go.
My brother who moved out and does not need to cater to 10 people, he uses the local hipster roasted coffees that taste better but cost you a kidney.
I don't know much about coffee, but at work they get Sapore Italiano Classico Premium, is that any good? or is the Lavazza and Lazzio better?
The only way that You will know for Yourself is to try it and see how you like it. So many different options and preferences with food/wine and coffee.
Got our expresso machine for a month now. Started with the Aldi $11.50/kg beans so we could fine tune it to our taste. Tasted nothing fancy but not bad either.
How do these compare to Aldi?
I tried some, they're not bad. No harm in switching it up a bit @ $15/kg. What I like about the Aldi beans is that its the regular price and you dont have to wait for specials, just buy as needed.
Agree. Although my ( and other people in our house ) preferred go to coffee is the Aldi Medium Beans ( I do shop at Aldi and Coles mainly, sometimes Woolworths ), I also love to mix it up when different brands go on sale at a good price, or at a cafe or retail/wholesale roaster.
After trying the Vittoria Organic on sale I also really like that one ( only when half price lol ), like the Grinders medium/dark beans and my favourite regular type easily available brand is the Republic Organic beans ( red package also when on sale of course ).
As I live in the Byron Bay area and have worked in the cafe/restaurant/wine industry, I also like and get plenty of opportunity ( they grow coffee here and many boutique coffee wholesalers/roasters are based here ) to try various coffees either already made or as beans, and for my humble budget and taste I still really like the Aldi beans for most everyday drinking.
Aldi are just better in every way, better tasting, less stale and cheaper. This would just be a downgrade
Tried the Aldi Lazzio single origin Colombian beans; they were okay as a budget alternative to freshly roasted beans. Willing to give these a try and see how they compare.
I wonder what the reps form manna beans and at Ali think when they see these deals and comments…
I am always annoyed when one of these coffee bricks turns up in a Woolies delivery unbricked and soft. My theory is that if it is depressurised it is not as fresh but I can't find any evidence for my theory. Am I wrong? Maybe they brick them just for packing convenience and it does not affect freshness. Does anybody know?
Pre-ground beans have already off-gassed and lost most of their volatile aromatic compounds. The vacuum-packing is to reduce the rate of (not stop) further oxidation of the ground coffee.
'Freshness' is a continuum and a coffee snob is unlikely to drink coffee made from beans ground more than a minute or two before extraction. The vacuum pack approach makes them "less stale" not necessarily "more fresh". If I had to buy pre-ground coffee I would select, in order:
I wouldn't buy pre-ground beans in a non-vacuum-packed bag. But there are plenty on the market.
I reckon those Lazzio Columbia at Aldi are the business. This stuff, the dark blue pack 'crema e aroma' and the black pack 'cafe espresso' are pretty nice, good value at $15.
No, Aldi blends do not have roast date on the pack.
Not a snob @ $43/kg? LOL well you certainly got some cash to spend :)
Most of the snobs here get their stuff ~$30/kg. Certainly no harm in trying the good stuff though, no obligation to buy all the time. Likewise no harm in trying the cheaper beans. Aldi will even give you your money back if you don't like them (60days).
As for the Aldi packs, no roast date but every time I buy a kg (roughly every 2 weeks) the useby date is typically progressed so they seem to be selling them in decent quantity (which to me suggests they're reasonably fresh for supermarket grade). The Medium seem more popular than dark roast.
So….why the neg…?
Does anyone else notice the peak quality from their freshly roasted beans only lasts a couple of weeks max no matter the method of storage etc?
Correct, there is no way to change that, its simple chemistry. Freezing them does work a bit, but it never keeps their best condition
My laugh for the day 🤣🤣🤣 thank you!!!
Luckily I have a commercial roaster less than 5 mins from me who sells to public walk-ins at supermarket prices :) they even ask if you want it all in 250g bags at no extra cost!
Name drop?
No need to laugh, just be grateful and thankful that your Currently living so close to a commercial roaster that sells retail at supermarket price and even better packs in individual 250g packs for you.
Not everyone is as lucky ( and skitefull as you ), so no need to rub it in the way you did.
Thats pretty amazing, and slightly hard to believe why they would bother selling beans to customers at wholesale prices
I am jealous!
Where is this roaster? Name please, if possible?
I get it from Griffith Bros coffee roasters in Mulgrave VIC. Mind you the prices aren't 50% sale supermarket prices. But on average $15 per 500gm. Depending on what range of beans I order the prices have been under or over $30 for a kg. They also give a discount to you over the counter so prices aren't reflective to what is on the website. Its a pretty crummy looking warehouse on the outside, and not much of a shop front. They have heaps of range and if lucky could get a sample of different beans when you buy some. Depends who serves you, if its the boss or one of the factory workers. The door behind the counter is usually open so you can see the massive machinery in the background. They had a software upgrade with the roaster recently so supposed many more fine-tuned roasts on the way.
Just picked up some beans. They started at 4am this morning roasting to beat the heat. 250g of Dutchess (Brazil, Minas Gerais India, Pulney Hills Indonesia, Semeru Papua New Guinea, Chimbu Province) at 8.25 and 250g of nicaragua at 9. With discount came to 15.50. Roasted in the last day or so. Opened the Nicaragua and they are pretty good. Some slight oil now, but should be more coming out in the next few days. Heres a pic of the Nicaragua beans. They have a branch in SA and WA too
https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/55818/66266/20190125_1…
https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/55818/66267/20190125_1…
Cool, Roy.
Cool story. Needs more dragons but…
Supermarket beans never have roast dates. I like to think of it as a gamble.
Sometimes you'll get fresh oily beans at a great price, and sometimes you get stale dry beans. I like to roll the dice for a bit of excitement in life. Besides, it all generally beats buying coffee out.
Thanks for sharing.
I will be the first to admit but I've never had coffee from ground coffee beans at home, I've always just had instant coffee. Am I missing out?
You sure are!
hell yes. i always drank coffee instant, then went to a pod machine and thought that wasnt bad, but once i started grinding and brewing my own beans i wont go back, sure my coffee went from taking 1 minute, to 5-10 minutes to make. but far more enjoyable.
Coffee made from fresh beans roasted on demand > Coffee made from fresh-ish pre-ground beans > Coffee made from stale pre-ground beans (Vittoria, Lavazza et al) > instant coffee > water
To put it simply, you are missing out!
Hedonic treadmill.
Don't drink too much coffee. It causes anxiety, stress and anger.
Get some B complex supplement to balance out
Any thoughts on Vittoria mountain grown coffe. Coles is selling it for 20$/kg
Sure. If you like the taste of it then drink it.
Personally, I like fresh coffee. And Vittoria is as fresh as John Farnham's music.
It is one of the best ones in coles/woolies and is well worth it on special (eg $15-20). Normally when it goes on special it sells out quickly however you can normally get a raincheck which means you then get a fresher batch seeing as the older stuff has sold out.
The Republica is better but does not go on special a lot and is not in all stores.
I tried various Aldi ones a few years ago and they were terrible. In fact I was considering taking back the remainder of the packet at the time. Have not tried the new ones but will probably give them a go at some stage.
Have been very happy with Central Coast Coffee (search on the internet if interested, don’t have a link ready). Consistently great coffee, and not super expensive.
You can drink supermarket coffee, and sometimes I also buy it on specials, but every time I give myself a promise not to do it again.
Just because you call yourself a wog, I give you a +
I like Lavazza and this is a great deal. Thanks, OP
I keep my Lavazza beans on an Illy Tin on the shelf above the coffee machine. That immediately makes them taste better!
Especially when guests come and see me pour some of them in the hopper before making their coffee…
Thanks OP
Upvoted due to the wog factor 😆
Lavazza coffee when in turin was actually suprisingly good, even when in a vending machine.
I grabbed the beans, theyre serviceable for my saeco full auto. Ive not had a good run with aldi beans in the past but its been a while and after reading the above i might give em another “shot” soon
As a wog there’s better coffee at Aldi $11 a kilo.
+1 for the description.