March 26, 2008

Fantini Arabica and Tre Stelle ESE Pods

The Fantini company started roasting coffee in the 1960's in Rome and these days they deliver coffee to more than 10,000 espresso bars around the country and around the world. Their new plant, built to ISO 9002.2000 standards for quality and care. The new plant location is about 12 miles south of Rome.

I recently got some Fantini Arabica and Tre Stelle pods to try out. They are some pretty authentic style ESE pods from Italy, but I found both a little bit lacking in complexity and overall body.

100% Arabica - It's a pretty dark roasted Arabica that has some peppery notes layered on top of some of the roasted/burnt notes. The slightly nutty lingering dark roasted flavors is prominent, but still allows for a clean typical arabica finish. The flavor is a classic acidic arabica flavor.

Fantini Tre Stelle - Similar to the Arabica, the Tre Stelle is dark roasted and a bit thinner than I like on flavor complexity. There is some caramel flavor mixed into the dark roasted flavors, but overall its not as well balanced as I like. The Robusta blend is definite, but not overpowering and lingers nicely in the aftertaste.

Both the Fantini Arabica and the Fantini Tre Stelle are available at Select Brands