In praise of the Lavazza espresso machine

The Lavazza A Modo Mio pod machine saved me from my financially ruinous relationship with takeaway coffees. 

In the interest of transparency: yes, Lavazza did send me A Modo Mio pod machine (from their divine Smeg collaboration) gratis. I am unashamed in my desperation to cultivate some semblance of decorum in my rancid little studio apartment. You can not blame one for jumping at the opportunity to elevate their ramshackle kitchen with a chic little appliance.

That said, I am contractually under no obligation to write about the machine. I could’ve just welcomed the beauty into my life and ghosted emails until my dying day. However, it would nag at my conscience if I did not give Lavazza the kudos so sincerely deserved.

The A Modo Mio Lavazza is quite simply, the best pod coffee machine I have experienced. As a veteran of bleak pod coffee, I was skeptical that any machine could scratch one’s itch for the true espresso experience.

I am not going to lay it on thick and say that the machine reaches the same glorious heights of a manual espresso machine with freshly ground beans, but it comes pretty damn close.

If you’re in the market for a pod machine I assume that convenience is a top priority. There is absolutely nothing convenient about operating a manual espresso machine. If I wanted to start my day with a strenuous arm workout I’d take a morning pilates class, not ground beans within an inch of their life.

The greatest triumph with the Lavazza Mio Modo machine is that Lavazza’s coffee is genuinely very good. It’s full of body, courtesy of the amount of ground coffee they pack into the pods; 7 grams against a standard Nespresso pod’s 4 grams.

Patience is pleasure’s greatest advocate and that sentiment certainly applies to the A Modo Mio. Where most capsule machines splutter out an espresso shot in 12-16 seconds, the Lavazza machine takes a languid 20-25 seconds, resulting in a rich, creamy, satisfying espresso.

You don’t need a master’s in engineering in order to work the machine, it’s criminally easy. Simply lift the lever, drop your pod of choice into the socket, lower the lever and let the machine do the rest of the work.

The machine comes with a sampler pack of nine signature coffee bean blends so you can intuit which one of Lavazza’s ten signature blends is to your taste.

Lavazza offers a fabulous customizable subscription service that will deliver pods to your door. However, if you (like me), are ghastly at keeping on top of subscriptions, Woolworths and Coles stock a selection of pods.

There are five machines in the Lavazza A Modo Mio collection for those that aren’t a total patsy for 50s-indebted glamour, including:

You can find the entire range here.

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