ATTIBASSI - 'Miscella 1918' Roasted Ground Coffee (250g)

Bologna isn't often discussed in the same breath as coffee, but it probably should be. The Emilia-Romagna region has a deep-rooted cafe culture - one that predates the tourist-driven coffee scenes of other Italian cities - and it is in this context that Luigi Attibassi founded his roasting house in 1918. The company that bears his name has remained family-owned for over a century, and the Miscella 1918 blend pays direct tribute to that origin.

Miscella 1918 is built specifically for the moka pot - a distinction that matters more than it might seem. The stovetop method extracts coffee differently from an espresso machine: lower pressure, longer contact time, and a different thermal profile. Blends roasted for espresso often extract too aggressively in a moka and produce bitterness. Blends roasted too light go flat and acidic. Attibassi has spent over a hundred years learning how to thread that needle.

The blend is built primarily around Arabica beans from South America and East Africa, with a small Robusta component for body and crema. The roast is medium-dark - developed enough to hold up to the heat of the moka pot without going harsh, but not so dark that the origin character disappears. In the cup you get something balanced and characterful: chocolate, a little dried fruit, a clean finish without the bitterness that poorly calibrated moka blends produce.

For anyone who takes their morning moka seriously, the blend matters as much as the method. The grind size, the water temperature, the heat level - all of it counts. But it starts here, with a coffee that was designed for exactly this purpose by people who have been doing it for a very long time.

Best for: Moka pot brewing, stovetop espresso, and any home coffee method where you want a balanced, full-bodied result without bitterness.