Caffè Vergnano 1882 Decaffeinato Ground Coffee Tin 250g

The decaffeinated blend in a ground tin, milder than the kilo bag and rounder on the finish. Decaffeinated first and slowly roasted afterwards, which is why it still reads as coffee rather than as its absence. The tin suits a household that drinks decaf occasionally rather than daily, because ground coffee in a bag would be stale long before it ran out.

An espresso machine. The tin is marked fine grind with a portafilter symbol, and Vergnano list it as ground for the espresso machine. As with any decaf, it extracts a touch faster than caffeinated coffee at the same grind — if it tastes thin, shorten the pour rather than adding more coffee.

Roasted in Santena, just outside Turin, by a family that has made coffee since 1882. The roastery is deliberately slow about it — cycles of fifteen to eighteen minutes at 180–200°C rather than an industrial turbo roast — and each origin goes through the drum on its own, blended only afterwards so each keeps its own character. Two hundred and fifty gram tin, ground and decaffeinated. Ground coffee stales faster than beans — keep the tin closed and use within a few weeks of opening.