Lavazza Super Crema Review (The Italian Blend Tested)

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Real-World Testing Experience

What Is Lavazza Super Crema?

Lavazza Super Crema is a medium-roast Italian espresso blend produced by Luigi Lavazza S.p.A., based in Turin, Italy. It's one of the brand's most popular international blends — and for good reason. The bag specifies an approximately 60% Arabica / 40% Robusta composition, sourced from Central America, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

The name gives away the primary selling point: "Super Crema" refers to the blend's exceptional crema production, which is a direct result of the Robusta content. Robusta beans contribute carbon dioxide retention, proteins, and lipids that create thick, stable crema — the kind of crema that lingers in the cup for two to three minutes rather than dissipating in seconds.

The Arabica component rounds out the flavor profile with sweetness, aromatic complexity, and smoothness, while the Robusta adds body, crema volume, and caffeine kick. It's a classic Italian construction — the same basic architecture that built espresso culture in Naples and Rome.

Blend Composition: Arabica/Robusta Breakdown

The 60/40 Arabica-Robusta split in Super Crema is not accidental. This ratio is a deliberate calibration that Lavazza has refined over decades of commercial roasting.

The Arabica fraction — drawn from Latin American and East African origins depending on the harvest — brings aromatic complexity, natural sweetness, and reduced bitterness. You get hazelnut and honey notes, a mild dried-fruit background, and the silky mouthfeel that makes the espresso drinkable without sugar.

The Robusta fraction is where things get interesting for espresso specifically. Quality Robusta — not the cheap filler Robusta that ends up in cheap commercial blends — contributes crema stability, body, and caffeine intensity without introducing the harsh rubber or medicinal notes associated with poor-quality Robusta sources. Lavazza's sourcing is generally solid for a mass-market product; I've never detected the harsh defects that indicate low-grade Robusta.

For home baristas who care about crema quality — and many do, especially those making milk-based drinks — this Arabica/Robusta balance is the reason Super Crema consistently outperforms pure Arabica blends in the same price bracket when it comes to visual crema volume and persistence.

Espresso Extraction Results

I dialed in Lavazza Super Crema using a 9-bar pump pressure, 93°C water temperature, 18g dose with a 36g yield. The first pull came out in 26 seconds — marginally fast but within the 25–30 second window I target for Italian-style espresso.

The shot had a clean mouse-tail pull — the thin initial stream thickening to a steady flow without blonding prematurely. On the cupped shot: immediate hazelnut sweetness, low brightness, no significant bitterness, full body. It's a textbook Italian espresso shot that a traditional-style drinker would enjoy without complaint.

I then pushed the grind coarser to simulate what a home barista using an entry-level grinder might experience. At a 20-second extraction (under-extracted), the shot was noticeably thinner but still drinkable — not sour, not harsh. At 35 seconds (over-extracted), some mild bitterness appeared but it remained within acceptable range. That's what I mean by "forgiving" — this blend has a wider acceptable extraction window than many specialty single-origins, which punish grind inconsistencies harshly.

For home baristas still learning to dial in their setup, this forgiveness margin is genuinely valuable. You don't need to be within ±1 second of your target time to get a decent shot.

Crema Quality: Does It Deliver on the Name?

Short answer: yes, absolutely. Lavazza Super Crema produces some of the most consistent, visually impressive crema I've tested in its price bracket.

With an 18g dose and 36g yield, I consistently got 3–4mm of hazelnut-brown crema with visible tiger striping — the pattern formed by CO2 channels through dense crema that indicates proper extraction. The crema persisted for approximately 2.5–3 minutes before beginning to dissipate, which is excellent for a bean in this price range.

The Robusta content is the key driver here. Robusta's naturally higher CO2 retention — produced during roasting — is released during extraction, inflating and stabilizing the crema layer. Quality Arabica-only blends can produce decent crema, but they rarely match the visual consistency and persistence of a well-constructed Arabica/Robusta blend.

For latte art: the crema held its structure long enough for simple heart or tulip patterns when steamed milk was poured carefully. Nothing competition-grade, but perfectly serviceable for home baristas working on their pouring technique.

One caveat: bag freshness matters significantly for crema quality. I tested bags at three stages — 5 days after opening (excellent crema), 12 days (good crema, slightly less volume), 21 days (noticeably reduced crema, some flat spots). Buying whole-bean and grinding fresh is the difference between Super Crema's best and average performance.

Flavor Notes: What Does Super Crema Actually Taste Like?

Lavazza describes Super Crema as having notes of hazelnut, honey, and dried fruit — which aligns pretty closely with what I tasted across multiple sessions.

The dominant note for me was hazelnut: a soft, roasted nuttiness that lingers on the palate without becoming heavy or oily. The honey sweetness emerges particularly on the finish — a mild, clean sweetness that makes the shot pleasant without sugar. Dried fruit appears as a background character rather than a foreground note; you might pick up a hint of golden raisin or fig, but it's subtle.

What I didn't detect was the smoky, tarry, or ashy notes that darker roasts often introduce. This is a medium roast — not the ultra-dark espresso style of some Neapolitan blends — so the inherent sweetness of the beans remains largely intact.

With steamed milk: Super Crema transforms in a cappuccino or flat white. The hazelnut and honey notes amplify beautifully against whole-milk microfoam. In a 6oz flat white, the balance between espresso intensity and milk sweetness was excellent — this is where Super Crema genuinely shines and why it's long been used as a café house blend.

Straight espresso lovers who prefer bright, acidic, or fruity profiles will find Super Crema underwhelming. There's minimal citrus brightness, no berry complexity, and the overall profile is classic and traditional. That's not a flaw — it's the intentional character of the blend.

Value Assessment: Is the Price Justified?

At $24–$32 for a 2.2 lb (1 kg) bag, Lavazza Super Crema is outstanding value for what it delivers. For context: specialty-grade single-origin espresso typically runs $25–$40 for a 12 oz bag, meaning Super Crema delivers roughly 3x the coffee at a similar or lower cost per bag.

Obviously the quality gap is real — you're not getting the clarity, complexity, or origin character of a properly sourced specialty espresso. But for daily drinking, for milk drinks, and for households that go through coffee quickly, the math makes Super Crema the pragmatic choice.

For reference: Illy Classico offers a more refined 100% Arabica profile at $9–$15 per 8.8 oz — a lower total outlay per bag, though pricier per gram. Death Wish Coffee goes bigger on caffeine and roast intensity. Super Crema outperforms both on crema production and milk drink integration.

If you're looking for your primary daily espresso bean and don't want to spend $40+ per kilo on specialty roasts, Super Crema is a genuinely good answer. See our roundup of the best coffee beans for espresso if you want to compare across price ranges.

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