Lavazza Qualità Oro beans review: a big, fairly priced bag of all-Arabica beans

This Lavazza Qualità Oro beans review is for anyone eyeing that familiar 1kg bag in the supermarket and wondering whether it’s a sensible everyday bean. It’s an Italian all-Arabica blend with a medium roast, and it’s widely stocked in UK supermarkets. I haven’t tested this in person. My verdict is based on what Lavazza and the retailers list, dated UK prices, owner ratings and the sources I name and link below, and there’s one gap in the evidence I’ll be upfront about.

Lavazza Qualità Oro beans review: the short answer

Buy Qualità Oro if you grind your own beans or have a bean-to-cup machine and want a mild, all-Arabica bag that you can pick up in a normal supermarket shop. At £21.00 at Asda (price at time of research, 28 Sep 2026), the 1kg bag works out at about £2.10 per 100g, which is less per 100g than the illy Classico tin at any shop I could confirm.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants a coffee that’s been through a proper independent taste test, because I couldn’t find one for this blend. It’s also not ideal if you drink only a cup or two a week, as a 1kg bag will take a long time to finish once it’s open.

Skip it if a Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance mark matters to you. The UK listings I read don’t show either.

Who it isn’t for: shoppers who put certification first. Have a look at my best coffee subscriptions guide for roasters that tell you more about where their beans come from.

What it costs right now

These are for the 1kg bag of whole beans. The supermarket prices come via the price-comparison site Trolley.co.uk; the Lavazza price comes from Lavazza’s own UK page.

• Asda: £21.00 (about £2.10 per 100g), price at time of research (28 Sep 2026), via Trolley.co.uk.
• Sainsbury’s: £22.00 (about £2.20 per 100g), price at time of research (28 Sep 2026), via Trolley.co.uk. Sainsbury’s also shows £19.00 with a Nectar card. That’s a loyalty price that needs Nectar, and it may end.
• Waitrose: £23.50 (about £2.35 per 100g), price at time of research (28 Sep 2026), via Trolley.co.uk.
• Lavazza UK: £23.65, price at time of research (28 Sep 2026). Delivery is free over £50, according to Lavazza. The page showed both a basket button and a “Notify Me” button, so I couldn’t tell whether it was in stock. See Qualità Oro at Lavazza UK
• Amazon UK: Check current price. I couldn’t confirm a price there. See it at Amazon UK
• Ocado: Check current price. I couldn’t confirm a price or load the product page.

Trolley.co.uk’s price history shows this bag has swung up and down quite a lot over time, so it’s worth comparing a couple of shops on the day. Lavazza also offers a subscription discount on its site, but that’s a general offer rather than one for this bag, so I haven’t worked it into the figures.

What’s in the bag: the listed details

Lavazza UK describes Qualità Oro as a blend of six Arabica varieties from Central and South America, roasted in Italy. Amazon’s listing names Turin as the roasting location. It’s 100% Arabica with a medium roast, according to Lavazza UK, Trolley.co.uk and Amazon, and Lavazza gives it an intensity of 5 out of 10, so it sits in the middle of the brand’s own scale.

The tasting notes Lavazza lists lean floral and fruity, with the overall cup described as smooth and aromatic. I’m passing those on as the brand’s description, not my own verdict.

Lavazza suggests it for espresso and moka pots, and Amazon’s product title adds bean-to-cup machines and filter. The bag also comes in a 250g size on Lavazza’s site, but I didn’t get a price for that, so the 1kg bag is the one covered here. Lavazza doesn’t list a cups-per-bag figure, so I haven’t worked out a cost per cup.

Who it isn’t for: anyone without a grinder or bean-to-cup machine. These are whole beans, so you’ll need one or the other. My guide to the best burr grinders under £100 is a good place to start.

Freshness and the 1kg bag

The big bag is where the value comes from, but it’s also the main practical trade-off. None of the listings I read show a roast date, and once a kilo of beans is open, it’ll take a while to finish unless you drink a lot of coffee.

If you’re a light drinker, the smaller illy tin may suit you better even though it costs more per 100g. If you get through coffee quickly, or you run a bean-to-cup machine every morning, the 1kg bag makes more sense.

Who it isn’t for: people who drink coffee only now and then and want every cup from a freshly opened pack.

What reviewers and owners say

This is where the evidence gets thin. I looked for independent UK tests of Qualità Oro beans from Which?, BBC Good Food, The Independent and Good Housekeeping and couldn’t find one. The Guardian’s supermarket coffee round-up from September 2025 included a different Lavazza product, Qualità Rossa ground coffee, rather than Oro, so I’m not using its verdict here.

Owner feedback is the main thing to go on. On Trolley.co.uk, the 1kg bag has 4.8 out of 5 from 8 reviews across four shops (checked 28 Sep 2026). That’s positive but a small sample. Amazon UK also shows a large number of owner ratings, but I couldn’t confirm that they cover only this 1kg bag rather than several pack types together, so I haven’t quoted a figure.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants an expert taste-test verdict before buying. If that matters, a specialist roaster with published reviews is a safer bet.

Qualità Oro vs illy Classico

These are two well-known Italian brand beans, and they’re closer than you might think.

• Price per 100g: about £2.10 to £2.37 for the Lavazza 1kg bag at the shops I could confirm, against about £3.20 for the illy 250g tin at £7.99 from illy UK (all price at time of research, 28 Sep 2026; Lavazza figures via Trolley.co.uk and Lavazza UK).
• Pack: a 1kg bag for Lavazza; a 250g pressurised tin for illy, which illy says helps keep the beans fresh until you open it.
• Beans and roast: both are 100% Arabica with a medium roast, as listed.
• Owner ratings: 4.8 out of 5 from 8 reviews for the Lavazza bag on Trolley.co.uk (checked 28 Sep 2026). My illy review covers what I could find for illy.
• Independent tests: I couldn’t find one for either.

If you want the lower price per 100g and get through beans quickly, go for the Lavazza. If you’d rather buy smaller amounts more often, the illy tin is the easier fit. My illy Classico review has the full picture.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants a big pool of owner reviews before buying. Eight reviews on Trolley.co.uk is a small sample for the Lavazza bag.

Downsides

• No independent test. I couldn’t find a UK taste test of Qualità Oro beans, only owner ratings.
• No certification mark shown. No Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance logo on the UK listings I read.
• Freshness. A 1kg bag takes a while to finish, and there’s no roast date on the listings.
• Patchy price checks. I couldn’t confirm the Amazon or Ocado price, and Lavazza’s own stock status was unclear.
• Small owner sample on Trolley.co.uk. Eight reviews is encouraging but not a lot.

Where to go next

If you still need a grinder, start with my best burr grinders under £100. For a machine to use these beans in, see the best espresso machine under £300 or bean-to-cup machines under £500, and my best coffee scales guide helps if you want to weigh your doses. For other supermarket beans, see my Tesco Finest Sumatra review or M&S Colombian review.

FAQ

How much does Lavazza Qualità Oro cost? The 1kg bag was £21.00 at Asda, £22.00 at Sainsbury’s (£19.00 with a Nectar card), £23.50 at Waitrose and £23.65 at Lavazza UK, all prices at time of research (28 Sep 2026). Prices move, so check on the day.

Is Qualità Oro 100% Arabica? Yes. Lavazza UK lists it as a blend of six Arabica varieties from Central and South America.

Can I use Qualità Oro in a bean-to-cup machine? Amazon’s product title lists bean-to-cup machines alongside espresso, moka pot and filter, and Lavazza suggests espresso and moka pot.

Has Qualità Oro been independently reviewed? Not that I could find. The Guardian’s 2025 supermarket coffee round-up covered Lavazza’s Qualità Rossa ground coffee, which is a different product.