Say It Ain’t So, Lavazza! (UPDATE 9-10-24)

(I know it's spelled "Selezione" but I always spell it the way I say it!)

**UPDATE 8/10/14:

I have come back to eat a light helping of crow. After giving the Italian Dark Roast a fair try - why not, since I had so many free bags? - I have to admit that it's tasting better. I won't say that it is the same as  Gran Selzione, but it's good enough that I wouldn't be surprised if Lavazza was only testing our taste buds. Maybe they only changed the look of the packaging but not everything about the flavor??? I could see that. Like I said, this is starting to taste better and better to me. I can also find this version for better prices than with the Gran Selzione. So there is that...

UPDATE:

My eBay purchases were all duds. I had to return them. The sellers did the same thing the Amazon seller did: substituted that icky Italian Roast for the Gran Selzione. Trying to be slick like Rick...

Apparently, there is no Gran Selzione to be had anywhere - unless those 90 dollar bags on eBay are the real deal, and I don't love any coffee that much!

 I feel as if I have lost a good friend. I haven't, thankfully, but I just learned that Lavazza is discontinuing their Gran Selzione roast. I had hoped that I was just hearing rumors but... I got confirmation straight from someone in customer service for Lavazza. 

In case you missed it, this is the heartbreaking part:

Such sad news...

I'm not a coffee snob but I do have my preferences. I like a very dark roast with a bit of sweetness and notes of chocolate and a smooth flavor.

If you go looking for the flavor description of Gran Selzione, you usually run across something like this:

chocolate, intense, chocolate &
out of stock!

That describes Gran Selzione perfectly. You know what it does not describe? The Italian Roast that Lavazza has "swapped" in... I know because I got 3 free bags of that stuff courtesy of Amazon (a seller sent me the Italian because they ran out of Gran Selzione. The nerve!) I even got a free bag of the Italian Extra Dark. I haven't tried that one yet.

The Italian Roast is not horrible but it comes nowhere near the flavor of Gran Selzione. It is about as much like Gran Selzione as some influencers are like the photos they post. Come on, now!

 It is so unlike Gran Selzione that I gave away 2 of the free bags. I'd already opened one bag so I tried adding a little bit of Dutch chocolate powder to see if that helped. Did it? Not really.

A "hint" so subtle, I can't even taste it...

I was so miserable that my brother was laughing at me for taking it personally. (I was over here practically singing "Nothing Compares 2 U"!) He did make the great suggestion that I get over to eBay pronto and order some Gran Selzione before prices go up. That was some good looking out, bro! And yes, I was able to get a few bags without blowing my budget. But now, I have to find an affordable replacement for when I run out.

I'm over here being mad at whoever at Lavazza made this stupid decision. But I'm going to dry my eyes and take a deep breath. I have to get back out there to find something halfway good enough to replace my Gran Selzione. I have one picked out but it's not the most affordable coffee I know of. That is Jim's Sweet Love blend. Illy probably has something but I know that won't be affordable...

For now, it's goodbye Gran Selzione.

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** COFFEE - Lavazza Gran Selezione Dark Roast

 I'm still trying to find my regular coffee groove. Lavazza is a brand I've been seeing on Amazon for almost as long as I've had a membership. Finally, I broke down and gave the Gran Selezione a try.

"Intense and chocolaty"
their description

The coffee is not bad at all and the price is great. It comes in a 12-ounce bag and at $0.53/oz is less than 7 bucks a pop on a Subscribe and Save plan. I tend to write really detailed Amazon reviews but I kept this one short:

"This is a great price so I'm not mad. The flavor is not as "dark" as I'd like but it is good coffee. I do make it "Euro-style" (measuring by grams and milliliters instead of tablespoons & cups) and that helps boost the flavor.

I can smell them but only taste a little bit of the chocolate notes. The price, the price, the price is what will have me buying this again. I mix it with some of my other coffee that is more expensive to add flavor & save money."

Y'all know I am long-winded so for me to do such a short review kind of says it all. The coffee had me at hello with the price but I wasn't sure at first about a long-term relationship. I might end up doing a subscription just because I am tired of looking for something affordable...

Anyway.

I have been drinking the Lavazza every day for about 2 weeks now and it's growing on me. It is kind of  "chocolaty" but not that "intense". However, every time I look at the prices of other coffee, this one looks better and better. I have one more coffee to try before I give up. The next coffee I'll be trying was bought with a gift card but the non-discounted price is $1.18 an ounce so... that's going to have to be some really good coffee to win me over.

The thing with the Lavazza is that I really do have to measure the coffee out at 2 tablespoons (24 grams) for every 2 Ninja-size cups (or 360-370 milligrams) of water to get the best flavor. The bag doesn't last long at the rate that I drink coffee. This is why I need something at a better price.

When I get the Lavazza made perfectly, it's really good. It has some of the dark chocolate "bite" to it that I love in a dark roast. It's just not a true dark roast if that makes sense. It's like the Kid & Play of coffee where I prefer some Public Enemy strength java.

Unless I love (and can afford) the next coffee, the Lavazza will be my steady while I cheat every now and then with Jim's Sweet Love. They're both Subscribe and Save items so I can get the Lavazza monthly and the Jim's every three or four months.

I've already got plans for when I decide on a regular coffee. Every year, the nieces & nephews ask what I want for Christmas. I was going to ask for one of those little Bissell carpet cleaners. Instead, I'm asking for a set of airtight coffee canisters. 

What does that tell you about my priorities?

Coffee snobs will laugh but what I wish is that I could find Yuban Dark Roast on a regular basis.

Yuban survived the Civil War

The Yuban I've found lately is not the lovely Yuban it used to be (or the lovely Canadian Yuban of today?) but, if I make it just right, it is still the best coffee for the price. And I'm not exaggerating when I say that I have some 2-year-old Yuban vacuum-sealed in 1/2 cup amounts and stored away that still tastes great. I always open up one of the little pouches of it when I'm waiting for my other coffee to ship.

When I try my gift-card coffee, I will, of course, write up a review here.

Peace

--Free