This stuff is nuclear
This is absolutely my favorite coffee, and I rely on it heavily to keep me going through insanely intense work weeks. As a chemist I'm extremely concerned with the potency of my coffee. By potency I'm referring to the amount of the coffee that actually gets extracted from the grounds via the brewing process. Crema e Gusto has to be the strongest coffee I've tasted and probably requires about half the grounds to achieve the same potency compared to other coffees. I've tried a wide variety of other coffees such as Kicking Horse which is another highly rated coffee on Amazon. Although Kicking Horse's Kick Ass Coffee has an arguably better, more complex flavor than Crema e Gusto, it suffers from the same lack of potency like other coffees. I believe the reason for Crema e Gusto's strength lies in the fact that it is 70% robusta beans which are known to taste stronger than arabica beans. Additionally, the caffeine content of robusta beans can be up to double that of arabica which lends to the enhanced stimulant properties of Crema e Gusto versus other arabica based coffees. The question is now why not just get 100% robusta coffees for maximum potency. The problem with that is that you'll sacrifice flavor for the potency. I believe some cheap coffees such as Folgers often contain 100% robusta beans since robusta beans are overall cheaper to produce than arabica. As everyone is well aware, these coffees taste bad and tend to be bitter. On the other hand, Crema e Gusto is perfectly balanced (containing 30% arabica) to deliver a smooth, bold flavor while retaining the potent nature of robusta-based coffee. If you're a flavor snob who only drinks coffee for a great taste, go for something like Kicking Horse, however, if you're like me and need a nuclear charge to keep you going all day long but value taste as well, Crema e Gusto is the perfect coffee. Update: Almost four years later I'm still buying this stuff by the case (20 bricks per case). I religiously brew two Crema e Gusto espressos every day using this espresso maker Mr. Coffee Automatic Dual Shot Espresso/Cappuccino System, ECMP50 . Other brewing methods are simply not as efficient at extracting the coffee. Trying many other coffees since my initial review has only reaffirmed the superiority of Crema e Gusto because it is 1. super potent in caffeine content 2. rich in flavor and 3. very cost effective. A fourth quality I've seen related to points 1 and 2 is the size and uniformity of the grind. It's not too small which will clog the portafilter, yet small enough to achieve excellent extraction while pulling an espresso shot. I've tried grinding whole beans, and even with a bur grinder, I've found it difficult to match the perfect grind of this coffee. I recent received my PhD and have this coffee to thank in helping me to work productively all those years. Read more