…Kimbo Espresso Italiano from Campania Food and Wine, that is, because it’s the very best Italy has to offer.

Espresso is a particular method of making coffee by forcing hot water through packed coffee grounds. It forms the basis of all those milky delights so popular today, like cappuccino, latte and macchiato.

In Italy, local authorities controlled the price of coffee as long as it was consumed while standing – hence the tradition for drinking espresso at a bar, not seated at a table.

By the way, if you ask for an expresso with an x not an s, that’s a fast moving train, so you might get more than you bargained for!

Naples is the home of espresso and also of Kimbo coffee, the company started by the three Rubino brothers in the 1950s. They set up their own small roasting plant and developed a product of such quality that it’s sold throughout the world today.

The family tradition lives on, with Rubino children and grandchildren managing a 40,000 square metre plant and a huge network of agents.

But what makes Kimbo coffee so special? Why do we, at Campania Food and Wine, rate it so highly?

The very best coffee cultivation

Kimbo coffee agents search across the world for the very best coffee plantations, and keep an eye on all stages of cultivation with numerous checks. Finally, the green beans found inside the jewel-like red berries are dried in the sun, the husks are removed and they are shipped to Italy.

The highest quality beans

The Kimbo experts select only the best raw coffees from the two varieties – Arabica, intense and sweet, and spicier highly-caffeinated Robusta. Product and chemical tests are carried out at the factory in Naples, then tasters give their seal of approval, using the power of their noses and taste buds.

Exceptional roasting

At the roasting plant, the beans are first dehydrated to get rid of humidity, then roasted at temperatures from 160° to 250°C for 8 to 10 minutes depending on the strength, colour and taste of the coffee required. Finally, the beans are cooled at room temperature. It’s a skilful process, developed over the years by coffee experts.

Unbeatable blending

Each batch of coffee is selected and rated according to its sensory profile. Every blend must be consistent in quality and a perfect balance of taste. Technology can only achieve so much – it’s human skill that’s the most important factor here.

Perfect packaging

This is crucial in order to maintain the quality and freshness, so carefully nurtured. Whole beans are packed immediately in a sterile environment while ground coffee is vacuum-packed.

It’s at this stage that we make our purchases. We stock a number of blends from Kimbo Espresso Extra Cream beans to Ground Espresso Decaffeinated.

“Prendiamo un caffè?”

Yes, make it Kimbo Espresso Italiano from Campania Food and Wine!