PODcast #49 : Espresso Pods News

Welcome to The PODcast, PodMerchant's newsletter of espresso pod news, education, tips and deals. Back issues of The PODcast are available online.

This issue is a bit late due to the Thanksgiving holiday. We normally release the PODcast at the beginning of the last week of a given month.

Tales of the Torrefattore

Torreffazione Venturelli Gian Luca, A.K.A. Lucaffé

With this issue of the PODcast I introduce a new column, Tales of the Torrefattore. Torrefattore (tohr~ray-faht~toh-ray) is Italian for "roaster." Another Italian word you'll see a lot here is Torrefazione (tohr~ray-fahts-yo-nay) which means "roasting". This occasional section is intended to make PodMerchant customers more familiar with the companies that create the products they love. (Thanks to PodMerchant customer Ezra Goldman for suggesting this idea.)

What better place to start then with Torreffazione Venturelli Gian Luca, AKA Lucaffé? We carry 9 different coffees and 9 cups created by Lucaffé. By product count, Lucaffé is the biggest roaster that we represent. Unlike many of the roasters, Lucaffé is a first generation company, founded in the 90's by Gian Luca Venturelli (hence, Lucaffé). Lucaffé's focus is, and has always been, on espresso pods — though they also offer coffee in whole beans.

Torreffazione Venturelli Gian Luca is based in Carpenedolo, Brescia, Italy, not far from the beautiful and famous Garda Lake (Lago di Garda) at the foot of the Italian Alps. You can see their operations via the PodMerchant Map of Roasters.

Here's a view inside their facility. I love that the equipment is painted the signature Lucaffé red.



Lucaffe is a very modern company, having no baggage from previous generations of ownership. In that regard, they are somewhat like American companies — able to strike out in a new direction — and that direction, fortunately for us, was espresso pods.

Torreffazione Venturelli, like many roasters, is a small company. Very few of the roasters that we represent are what one would call a large company. Lavazza, illy, and Danesi are probably the largest. Being a small company allows them to focus on quality rather than broad appeal. Even though Lucaffé is a modern company, nevertheless, without a keen skill as a master roaster, Signor Venturelli could not have achieved the wonderful coffees that are the hallmark of this company. Their offerings are among my personal favorites. Whereas I usually do not care much for single-origin coffees, I drink large amounts of Lucaffe's Colombia and Messico single-origins coffees. How do they do it? I don't know, except to say that it must be in the selection and roasting. My hat's off to Signor Venturelli.

Lucaffé's branding is certainly eye-catching and unique. The affable "Mr. Exclusive", or simply "Lucaffé," character is their mascot. He appears costumed differently according to the pod. Suspenders and jump suit on Classic, natty jazz musician attire on Mr. Exclusive, as a Venetian gondolier on Exquisit, in pajamas on Mamma Lucia, and driving a motorcycle on Blucaffé (with Marilyn Monroe in the sidecar).
 

PodMerchant News

"The Ship! The Ship!"

Paraphrasing Tattoo's exclamation of "The plane! The plane!," from Fantasy Island, I excitedly announce that we have in a new sea shipment. We had run out of a few Lucaffé pods — all back in stock now, along with new Lucaffé ceramic cups and some Lucaffé swag, which we'll be giving away by drawing on our Facebook page.

PodMerchant Featured Product

Rounding out the Lucaffé Collection of designer cups, we now have in stock these stylish white ceramic cups. They are the same design as the previously announced Mr. Exclusive and Blucaffé cups, but at a much lower price.

The Lucaffé Total White Espresso Cup. A nice feature of these cups is a molded-in ridge indicating the level for a single shot. Note the filled-in handle with the "L" logo.

The Lucaffé Total White Cappuccino Cup. Big brother to the demitasse cup. The "Lucaffé " logo is molded into the saucer underneath the cup on all Lucaffé Collection cups.

Miscela d'Oro's new design espresso cup, by the famous Italian designer Oliviero Toscani. We also have the matching Miscela d'Oro Toscani-designed cappuccino cup in stock.

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For 10% off your next order — Enter code: XXXXXXX (note, that is "P-C-Zero") and please press the "Redeem Coupon" button or the coupon will not be entered.

That's all for this issue of the PODcast.


Kevin Garrett, The PodMerchant.