David Schomer's Vivace Vita Espresso Coffee

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Randy Levensalor

I am still somewhat of a coffee newbie, but this is the first coffee with some more complex flavors that I have loved. It is a bit on the expensive side, so it is a treat when I order a few cases of Illy medium roast. It comes fresh roasted, so don't leave it around for too long.

Rated 3 out of 5

Posted By:
brian love

Let me start by saying this is hands down the best base for cappuccinos I've ever had. And I've tried many... Problem is the price has gone out of this world ($28 for a pound?) and they have terrible customer service. I had an issue with an order and tried to contact them directly. They just will not respond at all. For clarity - I didn't go through wholelattelove.com (they are always great) but i went stright to Vivace. I just can't support a company that is non-responsive to customers. Back to trying to find another supplier!

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Bryan Pilat

Excellent flavor, particulary when making latte's and cappuccino's. Full flavored and smooth. We use daily with a Gaggia Brera machine. We've tried many other brands including Starbuck's, Gaggia, and Lavazza and this is our favorite.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Rahul Khare

yummmm

Crema is perfect, taste is smooth, and comes out rich when you pull a good shot. If an expresso bean can be "forgiving" of a poor pull, this is it. If you pull a perfect shot, it's amazing.

The Drinks I've Made With This Product:

Cappuccinos

The Machine I Use:

Manual

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

perfect

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Tracy Olson

My Favorite

This is my favorite after trying many different brands and blends. It is great with cappuccinos and lattes, giving a full-bodied balanced taste without the sharpness of the Dolce.

The Drinks I've Made With This Product:

Cappuccino and Latte

The Machine I Use:

Semi-Auto

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

Beautiful

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
William Bianchi

Vivace Espresso Vita

I tried this coffee for the first time in my most recent order. I found it to be outstanding. It does everything the product detail said and more. It is very flavorful and smooth. Absolutely no bite at all. I will enjoy this.

The Drinks I've Made With This Product:

Espresso

The Machine I Use:

Gaggia Semi Auto

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

Yes

Rated 4 out of 5

Posted By:
Michael Ludvik

Very Good but Not Great

Unfortunately I must break the perfect ratings. I am still in search of that most elusive chimera: the "perfect" shot of espresso. I don't taste a depth of flavor in this coffee, at least not as much as I expected to taste. I hasten to add there is nothing "wrong" with the coffee. Perhaps my palette is defective, who can say? Anyway I continue my quest...

The Drinks I've Made With This Product:

Espresso, Latte, Cappucino

The Machine I Use:

Gaggia Semi-Auto Evolution

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

Excellent.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Jane Rogers

Update to my last review

Still my favorite!

The Machine I Use:

Just wanted to mention that I was forced to return my Starbucks Barista espresso machine and upgrade to a Rancilio Silvia because it soon became apparent that I was not getting proper shots with the mostly plastic, pressurized portafilter on the Barista. For some reason, whenever I used Vivace with the Barista, towards the end of the extraction the coffee would start leaking around the screws on the bottom of the portafilter. I contacted both Starbucks Customer Service and Vivace Coffee Roasters, and was told by Starbucks that it was the fault of the coffee, and was told by Vivace that it was the fault of the espresso machine. I decided that my passion for Vivace was much stronger than my attachment to my Barista, so I returned the machine to Starbucks and purchased a Silvia (with a chrome-plated brass, non-pressurized portafilter) and am now able to enjoy perfect shots of Vivace every time!

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

Better than ever now!

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Jane Rogers

Vivace Espresso Vita

I make both hot and cold lattes with this coffee and it is - in my opinion - absolutely, positively, by far the very the best espresso there is! It has a naturally sweet caramel flavor so there is no need to add any sugar or syrups to my drinks. I use whole beans and grind them right before I use them and can make a perfect, delectable espresso every time! I also like the fact that it comes packaged in two separate airtight bags for long-lasting freshness.

The Drinks I've Made With This Product:

Hot and cold lattes.

The Machine I Use:

Starbucks Barista

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

Absolutely!

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Malcolm Shakespeare

Fantastic Vita!

When I place an order for coffee, this is the one that is always part of it! Having tried loads of different coffee, Vita is definately a big favorite. All of my friends enjoy the taste of this delicious coffee immensely. Highly recommended.

The Drinks I've Made With This Product:

Espresso and Latte. I drink mainly latte from mid-morning.

The Machine I Use:

Semi-Automatic Gaggia Synchrony Compact Digital

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

Excellent crema

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Gary Susienka

Love this coffee!

This is the best coffee I have ever drank and when I share it with friends they always say how delicious this coffee is. Starting with the pour the coffee is a beautiful golden color with a layer of crema. If you can stop yourself from drinking that when mixed with milk it has a great taste of coffee, no bitter and no acid. The coffee comes with the date it was roasted and in air tight 1/2 pound bags. I have now consumed 20+ pounds and look forward to ordering more.

The Drinks I've Made With This Product:

My favorite daily coffee beverage, in the morning, is Latte.

The Machine I Use:

My coffee maker is a super-automatic, Saeco.

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

The crema from this coffee is a rich gold, delicious.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Ben Potis

A must have for beginners and experienced a like

When I first went to find out how to make espresso I searched the web and found xxxxxxxx and in the archives are some of the best instruction I found. I decided if this guy can teach me how to make great espresso I wonder how his beans are. I have to admit just the aroma when opening the box gets your saliva going let alone that this bean packs so well and pulls shots with plenty of crema. I used the vita blend for some instruction on my machine and everyone had a solid puck with this and pulled an awesome shot. If you haven't got it by now, you need to try this bean, you wont regret it.

The Drinks I've Made With This Product:

I make mostly Latte and Hot Cocoa.

The Machine I Use:

Expobar Office Pulser

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

This bean and machine are an excellent combination

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Bradley Horton

I'm a beginner to home espresso making and took to heart suggestions that one should begin with cheap coffee BUT my thought was, that to get grinders and espresso machines dialed in...you have to suck it up and begin with great coffee. I am happy I did this...I was getting perfect "golden rule" shots from the second shot with this coffee. Great tasting and super with milk. Ya can't go wrong.

The Drinks I've Made With This Product:

Capps & Espresso

The Machine I Use:

Rancilio Silvia

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

Incredible Crema...almost all crema sometimes which threw me as a beginner!

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Marilyn Morris

Startlingly GOOD

I had to spend the money for a Super Auto Espresso Machine because I cannot make a good cup of coffee. I have liked the Lavazza coffees a lot, but the Vivace Espresso Vita knocked my socks off! Like the other reviewers, I like the packaging which insures more freshness, the roasting date and quick ship. I will always buy these. All my friends love it too and are always begging coffee from me. You have to try it.

The Drinks I've Made With This Product:

Americano

The Machine I Use:

Capresso Super Auto

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

Yes

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Scott Regalado

David Schomer's Vivace Espresso

I am not the type to get on and write a review, but this coffee bean was so good I had to share my experience. I have tried almost every bean offered on WholeLatteLove and with out a doubt this coffee tops them all. I first tried an espresso and was amazed at the smooth taste and sweet creme. Moving onto a latte and cappuccino, the coffee was married with the sweetness of the microfoam steamed milk perfectly. I am hooked and plan to use this as my regular espresso bean. The packaging is worth the extra money as well. The 1/2 lb resealable bags with a coffee aerator is great for super auto machines. You can optimize the fresh taste much better then with other large coffee orders.

The Drinks I've Made With This Product:

Latte, cappuccino, espresso

The Machine I Use:

Super Automatic, Gaggia Syncrony

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

Excellent Crema

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Richard Torrence

Vivace Vita and Dolce

Now you sell a really good coffee! I've tried several from various roasters, but nothing matches these. Both are nice, but I prefer Vita--even for espresso in the evening (and especially over hazelnut gelati, for dessert; so simple, and so delicious with biscotti).

The Drinks I've Made With This Product:

Cappuccino in the morning, in my apartment, espresso the rest of the day in the office.

The Machine I Use:

Pasquini Livia Auto and Saeco Vienna de Luxe, respectively.

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

Vivace coffee produces the best I have ever found, especially in the Pasquini.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
Nadav Caine

Superb

I've been home roasting for some time, and before that used some well known mail order brands such as Black Cat and Decatur Street Blend for my cappas. I'd have to say that the Vivace Vita is as good, if not better, than any blend I've ever had. There is not one scale for taste, of course, just as there is not one scale for wine. To classify it: the Vita is a sweet, low acid coffee, which is my favorite. It doesn't have a lot of exotic or musty or fruity flavors; it focuses instead on chocolate and caramel tones. In milk it turns very sweet and smooth. My girfriend says it's the smoothest cappa she's ever had, almost like there's no espresso in it at all (even when made quite strong in a traditional cappa, 1/3 each part espresso, foam, and milk). Also a nice touch is that though I ordered 2 pounds, I received 4 sealed half-pound bags, each its own resealable high quality ziploc and each with the roast date on them. This was a VERY nice unexpected touch, so that it's easy to keep all the beans as fresh as possible. Finally, the roast is conservative but hits the mark bulls-eye: what I, a novice roaster, call Vienna roast, producing a fragrant dark brown powder once ground, neither black nor milk chocolate brown. I'll be ordering more.

The Drinks I've Made With This Product:

Traditional Cappas.

The Machine I Use:

ECM Giotto with Mazzer Mini.

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

50 percent coffee, 50 percent crma.

Rated 5 out of 5

Posted By:
John McCurdy

At last!

I used to have an ECM Giotto until I changed to the Brewtus. I was able to produce good crema most of the time with pretty much any high quality bean (I usually stuck with Lavazza). Then I started reading some of David Schomer's stuff on the web and decided to give his Vivace blends a try. The first thing that will catch your eye is that every high-quality bag is marked with the roast date. So far I haven't received a shipment that was more than a few days old. If you stick to his recommendation and brew at the proper temperature (on my machine, I brew at 95 deg), you'll get about a 50/50 espresso to crema ratio everytime. The crema is fairly persistent, as well, and should last plently long enough to mix with your milk. I'm not a straight espresso drinker. However, with milk the Vita produces a very rich and just-the-right-amount-of-sweet espresso that ends with buttery chocolate. The aroma of the beans is as good as any I've ever smelled. The weak link in my Cap chain is definitely my Gaggia grinder. I'm sure that with, say, a Mazzer Mini you'd be able to come about as close to perfection with Vivace as is possible with a high-end "prosumer" machine. I suspect this coffee will outperform just about any other bean on the market with a lesser machine; and if the home barista is able to develop a technique to brew at a fairly consistent 95 deg, s/he should be able to far exceed that mermaid place with each draw.

The Drinks I've Made With This Product:

Caps

The Machine I Use:

Expobar Brewtus

Does This Product Produce Good Crema?

Perfect, everytime