Pellini Top ESE 108-pack
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Verdict
The aromatic Italian alternative to Borbone Nero at 40.6p per shot in 108-pack form.
What machines does this work in?
Fits all ESE-compatible espresso machines.
- Plant-based · home compostable
Pros
- More aromatic than Borbone Nero at a higher price
- Real chocolate and hazelnut notes
- Good in milk drinks
Cons
- 40.6p per shot, much more than Borbone Nero in same system
- 108-pack bulk commitment
A rounder, more aromatic Italian espresso
Pellini has been roasting coffee in Verona since 1922, making them one of the older established Italian roasters in the ESE pod market. The Top range is their bestseller in Italy, sold on Amazon UK as a 108-pod bulk pack at £43.90, which works out to 40.6p per shot.
The price sits between Caffè Borbone Nero‘s 14p budget tier and Lucaffé Blucaffé‘s 66.7p specialty tier. What you get for the middle pricing is a more aromatic blend than the heavy southern Italian roasts, without paying full specialty-coffee prices.
What’s in the cup
Pellini Top is a 90% Arabica, 10% Robusta blend, much lower Robusta content than Borbone Nero and slightly higher than Lucaffé Classic. The roast is medium, lighter than most Italian-style espressos, and the cup has notes of milk chocolate, toasted hazelnut, and a slight floral edge on the finish.
Pulled at 30ml on a Gaggia Classic Pro, the shot has a medium crema (slightly less heavy than Borbone), a rounded body, and a long, gentle aftertaste. There’s less bitterness on the finish than the southern Italian blends produce, and more aromatic complexity than Lucaffé’s straightforward profile.
If you’re moving from a “third wave” specialty coffee shop towards home pod brewing, Pellini Top is the ESE option that bridges those worlds best. It’s not a specialty single-origin, but it’s not a one-note espresso either.
In milk
Pellini Top works well in milk drinks, with the lighter roast and 10% Robusta providing enough body to carry through a flat white or small cappuccino. The chocolate and hazelnut notes hold up against frothed milk in a way that Cafépod or Lucaffé would struggle with.
If you steam milk regularly and want a softer, more aromatic flavour profile than Borbone delivers, Pellini Top is the better pick at this price tier.
The Verona heritage
Pellini’s flagship roastery in Verona produces ESE pods as a smaller part of their overall coffee business (they also sell ground coffee, beans, and their own machines). The ESE range carries the same blend recipes as their café-supply business, so you’re drinking the same coffee Italian baristas pull in northern Italian cafés.
This isn’t a marketing claim that translates to a meaningful taste difference, but Pellini’s ESE pods aren’t a separate budget line. They’re the same coffee, packaged for home use.
Bottom line
Pellini Top is the ESE pod for drinkers who find Borbone Nero too heavy and Illy Classico too brand-premium. At 40.6p per shot in 108-pack form it’s fair value for a complex, aromatic Italian-style espresso that works equally well black and in milk.
If you’re new to ESE pods and not sure which brand to start with, Caffè Borbone Nero at 14p is the cheapest acceptable default. Move up to Pellini Top once you’ve drunk through a box of Borbone and know you want more aromatic complexity and a lighter roast.
Subscribe and Save isn’t generally offered on Pellini through Amazon UK. The 108-pack at £43.90 is the standard buy.
