Lucaffé Blucaffé ESE 150-pack

Lucaffé’s premium specialty blend in 150-pod bulk

Blucaffé is Lucaffé’s flagship specialty blend, sold on Amazon UK as a 150-pod bulk pack at £99.99. That works out to 66.7p per shot. Unlike Lucaffé’s standard Classic range, Blucaffé positions firmly at the specialty-coffee tier: 100% Arabica, higher-elevation single-estate beans, and a slow-roast process designed to bring out the aromatic top-notes that get masked in commercial blends.

The price puts Blucaffé alongside Illy’s premium tier rather than the Italian bar-supply pricing of the Classic line. You’re paying for the speciality positioning, the bulk pack, and Lucaffé’s signature roasting.

What’s in the cup

Pulled at 30ml on a Gaggia Classic Pro, Blucaffé produces a complex, multi-layered shot with a thicker crema than the Classic range and clear floral and citrus notes alongside the standard dark-coffee body. The finish is long and slightly sweet, without the bitter edge that defines the southern Italian roasting tradition.

This isn’t a bar-style Italian espresso. It’s closer to what specialty-coffee shops describe as a “modern Italian” or “third-wave Italian” style, where the espresso is shorter, brighter, and more nuanced than the heavy traditional cup. If you’ve drunk espresso at specialty roasters like Workshop, Origin, or Caravan, Blucaffé sits in that flavour territory.

For drinkers who grew up on traditional Italian espresso (Borbone Nero, classic Lavazza), Blucaffé will read as light and possibly underwhelming on first sip. The roast simply isn’t aiming for that style.

The 150-pack bulk commitment

A 150-pod box is a major commitment. At one shot a day, the box lasts five months. At two shots a day, two and a half months. ESE paper pods hold aroma well sealed, but after about three months opened, the last pods start tasting flatter than the first.

For specialty-coffee drinkers who want to commit to a single blend for several months and don’t mind the upfront £100 spend, the per-shot price drops to 66.7p, which is comparable to specialty café espresso pricing rather than supermarket bar-blend pricing.

For occasional drinkers, the smaller Lucaffé sleeves (when available) are a better fit. The bulk pack only makes economic sense for daily users committed to the brand.

In milk

Blucaffé’s lighter, more aromatic profile means it doesn’t carry as cleanly through milk drinks as Borbone Nero or other Robusta-heavy blends. A flat white made with Blucaffé plus separately-frothed milk tastes coffee-led and balanced. A cappuccino dilutes the coffee character quickly because the lighter body fades against the milk.

Bottom line

Blucaffé is for specialty-coffee drinkers who want Lucaffé’s premium positioning at home in bulk-pack form. £99.99 for 150 pods is fair value within the specialty tier, comparable to per-pod pricing at smaller scale from Workshop, Pact, or other UK specialty roasters.

For drinkers who want traditional Italian espresso flavour at lower cost, Caffè Borbone Nero ESE at 14p per shot is the better pick. For specialty taste at lower commitment, smaller Pellini Top sleeves at 40.6p per cup occupy a similar but less specialised flavour territory.

Subscribe and Save isn’t typically offered on Blucaffé through Amazon UK. The £99.99 list price is what you pay.