TRADITIONAL ITALIAN ESPRESSO
TRADITIONAL ITALIAN ESPRESSO
The Origin:
Half Robusta, half Arabica, roasted medium-dark for the machine. Dark chocolate and caramel under a crema thick enough to hold a pattern.
This is espresso the way it was drunk before Arabica became the only word in specialty coffee. Italian bars built their reputation on blends that ran half Robusta or more — not as a compromise, but because Robusta is what gives a shot its body, its caffeine and its crema.
Traditional Espresso is that formula, made with coffee worth drinking. Fifty percent Ugandan specialty Robusta for weight and a crema that lasts; fifty percent highland Arabica for sweetness and a clean finish. Roasted medium-dark, it pulls dark chocolate and caramel with none of the ashy bitterness people expect from a dark roast.
It stands up to milk without vanishing into it, and holds its own as a straight shot. If you have been chasing crema with a 100% Arabica blend, this is the half that was missing.