Quick Pick: Peet's Italian Roast

Thought I would put this one up since I have enjoyed this coffee so much. I picked this up at a local grocery store, now that Peet's is distributed to the Northeast in several grocery stores, including a lot around my area. Peet's Italian Roast was the one roast that appeared to be best suited for espresso at home, although I was a little disappointed to find only ground in my store, I would have preferred whole bean so that I could grind it myself.

Anyway, Peet's describes their Italian Roast as:

"Intense; blended from the fullest-bodied, most flavorful coffees from the Pacific and Latin America.

The Italian Roast is darker than our normal roast and consequently develops an intense, full-bodied flavor from the blend of Pacific and Latin American origins. The aroma is balanced and complex, and the beans glisten with natural oils.

The name "Italian Roast" comes from the dark roasting style that is common in southern Italy. (Coffees in northern Italy are usually a bit lighter.) The dark roast may have resulted from trying to obscure off-flavors in cheap coffee, but our approach to this roast starts with high altitude, full-bodied coffees.

Italian Roast is one of the coffees we recommend for espresso."

Overall, I agree, I would recommend it for espresso. It is sufficiently dark to give a full bodied cup without crossing the edge of being abnormally bitter. I made it in a good entry level pump machine, the DeLonghi Bar 32 machine, and the result was a thick crema and a strong but clean coffee flavor. Well blended and acidic enough to be lively but not too much to be sour. The finish is clean, but better bodied than many 100% Arabica blends.

I will definitely add it to my rotation of espresso coffees.

September 5, 2007

Quick Pick: Peet's Italian Roast