June 16, 2006

ESE Review: Tosteria del Corso - Extracrem and Corso Imperio

Tosteria del Corso pods come to us courtesy of Miami Espresso an importer of great Italian ESE espresso coffee pods, and ESE machines. Today we are reviewing both the black “Extracrem” pods and the gold “Corso Impero”. Tosteria del Corso is located in Ferrara Italy and roasts some excellent espresso blends.

These ESE Espresso pods are made to be used in popular makers like the Breville Café Roma, the Krups XP4050 and the Hamilton Beach 40729 espresso machines; all have the ability to use ESE Espresso pods.

First the black Extracrem – Its dark smoky aroma burst out at you when you rip open the pod to load up the brewer; you can tell that this is going to give you a powerful cup of espresso. Extracrem is right on as wave upon wave of crèma pour from the brewer during the brew process. The flavor is dark roasted with an obvious and strong espresso finish. There is a good amount of acidity but not too much that it is over powering or distracting. The Extracrem will have no problems standing up on its own in a cappuccino.

Next Up, the gold Corso Imperio - It is also a nice cup of espresso that brews up with a good crema too. The flavor is more delicate up front and has a bit more acidity than the Extracrem that gives it a bit lighter taste and feel. The espresso flavor is a bit cleaner in flavor with a less pronounced robusta finish. It is less bitter than the Extracrem, but will still stand up in a cappuccino.

For straight espressos my preference is the gold Tosteria del Corso "Corso Imperio", but I like a bit more punch for the milk based drinks so I would take the Tosteria del Corso Extracrem for a latte or a cappuccino.