We leave for Italy tomorrow and will be in Venice until Saturday then renting an apt in a villa in Tuscany for a week. The apt has a Bialetti coffee maker which I have never used before so I found some instructions online. What kind of coffee would you recommend buying in Italy for this kind of maker or should we take some Starbucks with us? We are definite cofee addicts in the morning so need to be able to make coffe when we get up and then enjoy the Tuscan morning!!!

Hi CJ,

If you have a favorite coffee, bring some and then shop for coffee in Italy.

I think that you will want Espresso grind.

Please please please don't put starbucks coffee in that Bialetti!
There'e Illy, Levazza, probably widely available, or look in Venice for some other brand. Anything local. If you put starbucks in there, the Bialetti will not appreciate it and will do something to take revenge......

Good morning Bellastarr

Such a passionate response so early in the morning....made me laugh.

But it is true. You could start an international incident!! If you wont have time to shop on your arrival day, do it however. I will even bet that the apartment owner will leave you enough for your first morning. and espresso it is.

Buongiorno CanadianJane-That's because I just got back and am mourning the idea of darkening the door of any starbucks here.
Passion is Passion. and Italian Coffee is among other, a subject of passion. When you get there, just ask anyone! Have a wonderful time.

Just buy the Lavazza in the silver/red package, or the Lavazza Oro. Bialetti is the quintessential way of coffeemaking in Italy. Maybe you won't appreciate it if you are completely "starbuckized". Pity for you.

Illy fine grind, which I recommend you use in Canada as well. You'll find it here. If you like the coffeemaker, you can buy a Bialetti here as well. If you are a true caffista, there'll be no turning back! Back to Starbucks that is. It's only one step above Tim Horton's coffee.

Poutine-
D'accordo. S'bucks is swill! Yuck!

We use our Bialetti stovetop mocha pot on occasion and it makes really nice espresso and only in about 4 minutes.

Kimbo or LaVazza Oro

My wife and I drink Kimbo every morning. I actually prefer it over the much more expensive Illy

Though I'm not a big coffee drinker, I do find the emotional reactions to Starbucks interesting.

While their coffees might not be the absolute best in the world, and some individual blends might not be to everyone's taste, many of them have received good ratings when judged in blind tastings.

Starbucks is just fine.

"Starbucks with us? We are definite cofee addicts "

er how can you be both?

please do not mention the 'S' word iand italian coffee in the same sentance. And certainly don't in italy - coffee is almost as important as football (soccer)

Stick with Illy or LaVazza and you'll be pleased. As for Starbucks, only in a terrible pinch. It is far too acidic and not very tasty. That goes for nearly all American coffees too.
Have a grat trip enjoy the coffee.

Travelatte

Starbucks has many varieties of coffee, as do many coffee companies. They do not all have the same characteristics.

Don't let obvious irrational prejudice color your judgement.

Sounds very much like "All black people are lazy." Or "All Frenchmen are dirty." Or "All Germans are militaristic brutes." Or "All Americans are noisy and ignorant." Or "All Arabs are insane, bloodthirsty terrorists." "All Starbucks is terrible."

Certainly blind prejudice against human beings is much more serious than blind prejudice against a product, but it all comes from the same place.

Starbucks is fine for grabbing a cup on the go. I would not necessarily choose their beans for my expresso maker.

Off to Italy today...thanks for the passionate information about coffee in Italy. I am looking forward to this new coffee experience. Caio!

I have never been a coffee drinker, but now you have interested me in getting a Bialetti for DH. He loves it when we're in Italy.

I checked the Bialetti site and they have several models. Williams Sonoma has a 12 oz. capacity model, no model name, for $30 and they recommend using a medium grind. How many ozs. in an expresso cup?

Which model is the best for someone who can't brew a decent cup of coffee and will probably use it maybe 10 - 20 times a year - unless DH becomes an addict

Williams Sonoma has Illy for $12.95 for 8.5 ozs. (over $25 a lb!!!) Is that a standard price for expresso? Depending on useage, does that go very far??

Thanks,

Nina

I forgot to mention that he is addicted to his daily "you know whose", grande coffee mocha with whipped creme. He also loves them in the little bottles.

I read the label, and gained two pounds and my cholestoral shot up 20 points Are those easy enough to make at home with expresso maker?

Nina