Espresso "Brick" Coffee Recommendations

Like wine and hi-fi, coffee and especially espresso has a higher end searching for near perfection. Though I have dabbled in roasting my own green coffee beans, including espresso blends, I am here looking for recommendations on the other end of the spectrum. I am searching for pretty damn good espresso pre-ground and packaged. Often seen in 250 gm “bricks”. We have a lower end, decent 15 bar espresso maker in our kitchen. My wife recently picked up a Guglielmo brick of espresso at a local Italian specialty store and I am enjoying it. Only very slightly bitter, with a rich of hint of chocolate along with a strong taste of coffee.

Anybody else out there using bricks for their espresso? What are your favorites? Thanks?

If you are in MA you should be buying from George Howell. Forget about the bricks. They will (reluctantly) grind whole beans for you.

OK, this is probably the wrong crowd to ask about Espresso bricks. Maybe it’s comparable to asking the group for White Zinfandel recommendations? Not that there is anything wrong with either.

Went through a bunch, a while ago, to see what works. As well as beans/grinding, of course. And so far nothing beats a “lowly” brick I came across one day while having a cigar at a lounge, with one of the employees asking us if we’d like some coffee. Blew me away. So, its a “White Zinfandel” brick that used to be available at Target (as we were told at the time), and sure enough I found some there at the time, 10-11 years ago. Target stopped carrying it. Since then, I see them at some Mexican markets here and there, we buy it by the case. Mocha pot. So far, and our relatives and friends all have fancy and expensive machines, nothing beats the density, richness and flavor.

Its a Cuban style roast, very unlike other Latino bricks, very balanced and not too acidic (issue I have with most others, not a fan of way too much acid leading to heartburn). Rich mid palate. I add a bit of turbinado sugar. If you happened to have cortado in Miami area, this is pretty much it.

Look for Cafe La Llave, green bricks, white lettering. They also come in decaf, orange color bricks, same rich flavor. You may also see it in (same green color) cans at some supermarkets, but we tried it side by side a few times, and for some reason flavor is just a touch off, and if you look close enough, seems the grind is just a bit different. Not sure why. But flavor is close enough to bricks, and should work as substitute.

This right here. Best coffee I’ve had and it’s a blessing that they are local to me.

George Howell of “Coffee Connection” back in the day ???!!! Those were the days. One of the first in Boston with a wide selection, fresh roast datee, whole bean or ground to order. That was a flagship store in the Faneuil Hall Marketplace when it opened in the late 70’s. An introduction and education in quality coffee for me. I’ll have to check him out.

P.S. I am still looking for Espresso brick recs. (Thanks Greg)