Which Passalacqua coffee? Cremador, Mehari, Harem and Mexico compared

Passalacqua is a coffee roaster from Naples, and we stock four of its blends as 1 kg bags of beans: Cremador, Mehari, Harem and Mexico. Cremador and Mehari mix Arabica with Robusta; Harem and Mexico are 100% Arabica. Harem is the only one of the four that Passalacqua roasts dark, and the other three are medium-dark.

Who makes Passalacqua?

The Passalacqua family started the business in Naples in 1948, after the war. Its first coffee shop was Bar Mexico in Piazza Dante, Naples. For each of these four blends, Passalacqua publishes the share of Arabica, the roast and how many countries the coffee comes from.

How do the four blends differ?

The figures and tasting notes below are Passalacqua's own, from its blend pages.

• Cremador: 70% Arabica and 30% Robusta, from five countries, medium-dark roast. Tasting notes: chocolate, honey and hazelnut. Passalacqua calls it a creamy coffee, velvety on the palate, with dried fruit, cocoa, hazelnut and toasted almond on the nose.
• Mehari: 55% Arabica and 45% Robusta, from four countries, medium-dark roast. Tasting notes: chocolate, toasted bread, liquorice and black pepper. Passalacqua describes a strong, full-bodied coffee with a rich crema, and one of its most requested blends.
• Harem: 100% Arabica from eight origins, including Jamaican Blue Mountain, dark roast. Tasting notes: citrus, caramel, chocolate, honey and rum. Passalacqua made it for connoisseurs and suggests drinking it without sugar.
• Mexico: 100% Arabica from seven countries, medium-dark roast. Tasting notes: caramel, honey and hazelnut. Passalacqua calls it its most iconic blend: delicate on the nose, round and sweet in the cup, with a velvety body. It also asks you to brew it with care.

Which one should you choose?

• For a strong, full-bodied espresso with a peppery finish, choose Mehari, which has the most Robusta of the four.
• For a creamy, nutty espresso with some Robusta, choose Cremador.
• For an all-Arabica coffee roasted dark, with caramel and rum notes, choose Harem, and try it without sugar first.
• For an all-Arabica coffee that is gentler and sweet, choose Mexico.

How to brew them

All four come as whole beans, which Passalacqua sells for espresso, so you need a grinder or a bean-to-cup machine. Our guides on making espresso at home and coffee for a bean-to-cup machine cover the set-up, and keeping coffee fresh at home covers an open 1 kg bag.

Where to buy Passalacqua in the UK

Crema Aroma stocks all four blends in 1 kg bags of beans. You can compare them on our Passalacqua page.

Reviewed 27 September 2026.