The "Rosso", classic Italian espresso coffee according to Manaresi

Over the years, documenting the work of the roasting process, I have collected many images and videos of the preparation of Gold (mainly Arabica) and Brown, the blend I personally prefer and that is highly requested by cafes.

Last week, while I was at the company, the "girls" - as they affectionately call them, the packaging department is all female - were packing the "Red kilo," the one I personally use for moka coffee: more intense and dense, with the right amount of Robusta to give a boost in the morning.

In my storytelling and communication work for the company, I renamed it "Classic Italian," because, after all, it has always been the balance between Robusta and Arabica that has characterized Italian espresso, that Italian espresso that everyone, yes, everyone envies us for.

Red, Brown, and Gold directly from our tradition

The history of our roasting company begins at the end of the 19th century and has spanned three centuries! Just as in the past, the company continues to produce three main coffee blends. What were once called the "First," the "Second," and the "Third" are now "Gold," "Brown" (also called Super Bar), and "Red."

Three blends, a matter of taste

Three expertly crafted blends, each with different organoleptic characteristics, distinguished not by quality - we never compromise on quality - but by taste.

Gold, predominantly Arabica, focuses on a refined aroma and a gourmet balance between acidity and spicy notes.
Brown - my favorite - is absolutely fantastic, with that persistent aftertaste that releases a world of flavors on the palate without ever going off track, balanced and digestible.
And then there's Red, the everyday coffee, with which you can never go wrong, also excellent for moka preparation.

And today I want to talk specifically about "Red."

Our "Red" quality, fifty-fifty Arabica and Robusta

In terms of the blend, Red is composed of about half Arabica and half Robusta. Quality Robusta coffee, capable of offering not only strength and caffeine but also aroma.

The coffee consumed by Italian families

That balance and strength, in short, typical of Italian espresso consumed by our families from generation to generation. A habit that embodies that elegance in everyday life which is the essence of Italian-ness and which is so admired and sometimes envied abroad.

A matter of taste and balance, not price

The Robusta we use primarily comes from Southeast Asia (mainly India and Vietnam) and has experienced significant price increases due to transportation costs across the Red Sea and the difficult geopolitical situation, so that today the choice between Arabica (Central and South American) and Robusta is no longer economical but organoleptic.

The trend of single-origin coffees

The coffee market has seen rapid expansion, almost transforming into a cult beverage, with tastings and sensory experiences leading to the spread of so-called single-origin coffees, which are not blended but come from a single variety of coffee.

These coffees offer the specific characteristic of that coffee variety to the palate, but often inevitably do not achieve a balance in terms of flavor, palate perception, and digestibility, especially on an empty stomach. Typically, these are Arabica coffees, more aromatic but also more acidic and sometimes salty in taste.

The trend of Arabica coffee

Another current trend is the use of the term Arabica, which in advertising messages is often associated with superior quality, with a price reflecting this image. If in the past Arabica had a significantly higher price than Robusta (with some exceptions), today this difference no longer exists, for the reasons mentioned earlier. The choice is no longer related to the price of the finished product but to what we want to obtain from the coffee. A pure Arabica coffee will rarely offer a true Italian espresso; a small percentage of Robusta is always needed to balance the natural acidity of Arabica.

Italian coffee is balance

Italian coffee is something else; it is balance and skilled blending. Each variety brings its characteristics, and the blend finds the balance point and that unmistakable flavor of our espresso: milder in Northern Italy, more intense as you move south.

Our "Red," an extraordinary Italian coffee

And so, click, I took the cover photo for this article. The bags are filled semi-manually with a dispenser with weighing, one by one, holding the bags in hand before passing them to the heat sealer.

This photo made me reflect on how often we focus on the trendiest products, neglecting those like our "Red" which represents the history of coffee and, if I may, also a part of Italy's history.