Whole Coffee Bean Italian Espresso Medium Dark Roast - FORTE by Filicori Zecchini. Arabica and Robusta Blend. Roasted then blended. Made in Italy since 1919 - 2.2Lb (1kg) Bag

When a friend who adamantly disliked coffee returned from Italy with a sudden love of espresso, of all things, I had to find out more. And while this is not necessarily the same brand she may have had while vacationing in Italy, her close friend and tour guide introduced her to this brand stateside, claiming it's the ONLY coffee he buy here in America. Now I already enjoy coffee quite a bit, but after hearing it converted a die-hard coffee hater, I figured I had to give it a try. It's a relatively inexpensive considering it's a two-pound bag, but I have to say it is quite delicious. I haven't done a coarse grind drip batch yet, but the espresso grind I tried in my Aeropress was quite wonderful. It's rich, dark, and flavorful, but not nearly as acidic or biting as I anticipated. Maybe it's the paper filter in my Aeropress, but more than likely it's just a really smooth, deep and approachable bean. Bon Appetit!

I have owned top-quality home espresso machines for nearly forty years and experimented with many brands of espresso beans. I 've always found the best to be Illy, Lavazza, and a local brand in Chicago called Intelligentsia. Until now. On recommendation from a vendor, I ordered a bag of Filicori Zechini Forte beans. They arrived last week and every day I have enjoyed the most delicious home-brewed espresso I've ever had. I own a Gaggia Classico semi-automatic machine with a separate Gaggia 8002 MDF grinder. With the grinder set at 5, I get a consistently thick, rich, creamy brew every time. I am so happy to have discovered this fantastic coffee!

This roast is among the richest that I have found to date that is compatible with a super automatic espresso machine. (Dark, oily beans will gum up the works.) I've been able to dial the machine in to form perfect pucks--neither too dry not wet--yielding aromatic espresso with a ample crema and no bitterness. For drip, I would choose a darker roast, but if you are limited by machine restrictions, I recommend taking these beans for a grind. I dinged a star for lack of transparency regarding roasting date and bean origins and processing standards.

I have a Gaggia Baila AND really like dark roasts. I've been warned to NOT use beans roasted so dark they give off oils (I have in the past usually gravitated toward Starbucks, Kirkland and Peets dark roasts, which are used as examples of what NOT to use with the Babila or other automatics). The story from espresso machine experts is that such oily roasts will clog the internal grinder (which cannot be disassembled & cleaned by end users). I searched for some months to find something suitable, came across this blend / roast. It's pretty dark without any of the oily characteristics I need to avoid. The flavor is very good - it tastes (to me) like coffee - none of the fruity / earthy / wine-like flavors so many people seem to enjoy in their coffee. I can make it strong (generally about 30 grams of coffee for 6-7 ozs of water) and still get good flavor. I also use an Aeropress (when not using the Babila) and make a stronger cup (more like 40 grams of coffee per 6-7 ozs of water). This blend also tastes really good with the Aeropress.

The taste is amazing

Feel like I just got burned. Sorry but this is not any good to me. Bitter. Edit: I'm adding a star because rather than straight espresso, this coffee is good as an ameriano.

You wouldn’t think it would matter what type of beans you get to make espresso (I’m new to this), I was using a Starbucks ground espresso before I bought these beans...The Starbucks espresso tastes like strong coffee, but has a burnt aftertaste. These beans make the espresso taste like rich bitter chocolate. I like to make Iced chocolate lattes, with these beans I only used one pump of chocolate syrup. Before, I had to use 2 pumps of Totani chocolate syrup and a couple squeezes of Hershey’s chocolate syrup to get to the right taste. Plus, the intensity is nice. I feel plenty awake, but not like I stuck my finger into an outlet. Also you get a lot of beans. The bag is 2x bigger than a bag of flour...I honestly wasn’t expecting that, had to find a place to store it. I hope it’s ok to put in the freezer...

I enjoyed this batch of coffee! Well balanced, great acidity levels and goes great by either alone or with your favorite creamer! It is a dark roast Italian style a bit too strong, so careful when brewing it to enjoy solo... Great aroma... Don’t give it “Five Stars” because I had better ones... But don’t get me wrong, it is a good buy! You’ll get a very decent cup of coffee! Mary Ann Flores