Kimbo vs Lavazza: blends, roast, price per kilo and where to buy in the UK

Kimbo vs Lavazza is a comparison between two big Italian roasters with different home towns: Kimbo in Naples and Lavazza in Turin. Both sell beans and ground coffee in the UK, and both lean towards an Italian espresso style. This page compares their best-known blends on what each maker says about roast and flavour, what a kilo costs, and how easy each is to buy here. We haven’t tested this in person. Everything below comes from the two makers’ UK shops and product pages, plus Morrisons’ listings, checked on 3 Oct 2026. Read how we compare.

Quick answer: Kimbo is the darker, stronger Neapolitan style (its Napoletano beans are a dark roast, and Intenso is 12/13 on Kimbo’s scale), while Lavazza’s best-known beans are milder and far easier to find in supermarkets. Per kilo they were close on 3 Oct 2026: £17.54 for Kimbo Intenso at Kimbo at Home and £18.50 for Lavazza Crema e Gusto Classico at Lavazza UK.

For more brands side by side, our coffee beans hub has the full list.

Kimbo vs Lavazza: the short answer

Choose Kimbo if you like a dark, strong, Neapolitan-style espresso and you’re happy to order online. Kimbo’s Napoletano beans are a dark roast with toasted, slightly spicy notes, according to Kimbo, and its Intenso beans were the cheapest 1kg bag here at £17.54 from Kimbo at Home on 3 Oct 2026.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants to pick a bag up at the supermarket. We didn’t find Kimbo at Morrisons when we searched on 3 Oct 2026.

Choose Lavazza if you want a wider range, easy supermarket availability or a milder all-arabica option. Qualità Oro is listed as 100% arabica.

Who it isn’t for: anyone after the strongest, darkest cup. Lavazza puts its best-known beans at 5/10 for intensity.

Where they come from and how they roast

Kimbo. Kimbo’s UK site says the company was founded in Naples by the Rubino brothers in 1963, and that its experts check green coffee samples at its plant in Naples. Kimbo describes its roasting as heating the coffee to between 160°C and 250°C for 8 to 12 minutes. Its bean descriptions lean on Naples: the Napoletano blend is described as coming from the old Neapolitan espresso tradition.

Lavazza. Lavazza’s UK product pages list Luigi Lavazza S.p.A. in Turin as the food business operator. Its range is much bigger, from Qualità Rossa and Qualità Oro to Crema e Gusto, the Espresso Barista line and newer blends such as Tales of Italy.

Who it isn’t for: anyone choosing on heritage alone. Both are large commercial roasters, and neither page we read gave roast dates.

The flagship blends compared

Kimbo

• Napoletano (Napoli) beans: dark roast, intensity 10/13. Kimbo describes an intense aroma, strong toasted notes and a slight hint of spice, with a long aftertaste. Listed for espresso, caffè latte, cappuccino and latte macchiato.
• Intenso beans: medium roast, intensity 12/13. Kimbo describes a strong taste with spice notes, persistent crema and full body. Listed for black coffee, caffè crema and latte.
• Espresso Barista 100% Arabica / Aroma Gold beans: medium roast, 9/13, described as having fine, floral acidity and a toasted-bread sweetness. Kimbo at Home sells the 1kg bag as Espresso Barista and the 250g bag as Aroma Gold, with the same description.

Lavazza

• Qualità Rossa beans: arabica and robusta, intensity 5/10, listed for espresso and moka.
• Qualità Oro beans: 100% arabica, intensity 5/10. See our Qualità Oro review.
• Crema e Gusto Classico Espresso beans: arabica and robusta, 8/10, listed for espresso and moka. Lavazza pitches the blend at milky drinks; our Crema e Gusto guide has the details.

Who it isn’t for: anyone comparing the intensity numbers directly. Kimbo uses a 13-point scale for beans and Lavazza a 10-point one, so a Kimbo 10 isn’t twice a Lavazza 5.

Price per kilo and where to buy in the UK

Prices checked on 3 Oct 2026:

Kimbo, at Kimbo at Home (Kimbo UK’s online shop):

• Intenso beans 1kg: £17.54
• Napoletano beans 1kg: £18.66
• Espresso Barista 100% Arabica beans 1kg: £21.37
• Napoli ground 250g: £5.91; Aroma Gold 100% Arabica ground 250g tin: £8.44

Kimbo at Home’s shipping policy says standard delivery starts at £7 an order on mainland UK, with free delivery over £50 (some Scottish postcodes excluded).

Lavazza, at Lavazza UK and Morrisons:

• Qualità Rossa beans 1kg: £22.50 at Lavazza UK; check price at Morrisons
• Qualità Oro beans 1kg: £23.65 at Lavazza UK
• Crema e Gusto Classico Espresso beans 1kg: £18.50 at Lavazza UK and Morrisons
• Qualità Oro beans 250g: £6.50 at Morrisons

Lavazza UK says delivery is free when you spend £50 or more.

So on a kilo-for-kilo basis, the two are close: the cheapest Kimbo kilo was £17.54 and the cheapest Lavazza kilo £18.50 (Crema e Gusto Classico at Lavazza UK). Delivery is what separates them. Kimbo is mostly an online order, while Lavazza is on supermarket shelves.

Who it isn’t for: anyone buying a single bag of Kimbo online. With £7 delivery under £50, one 1kg bag ends up dearer than Lavazza from the supermarket.

Which suits espresso, moka or bean-to-cup

• Espresso machine with a grinder: Kimbo Napoletano if you like a dark, strong shot; Lavazza Qualità Oro if you want a milder, all-arabica one.
• Moka pot: Lavazza lists Qualità Rossa and Crema e Gusto beans for moka. Kimbo’s bean pages don’t list moka, but Kimbo sells ground coffee too.
• Bean-to-cup: both work. For milky drinks, Kimbo lists Napoletano and Espresso Barista for lattes and cappuccinos, and Lavazza pitches Crema e Gusto at milk. See our bean-to-cup machines hub.

Downsides

• Kimbo: hard to find in shops on our checks, and delivery adds £7 under £50.
• Lavazza: the best-known beans sit at the mild end of Lavazza’s own scale, which won’t suit fans of a dark Neapolitan cup.
• Both: no roast dates on the pages we read, and intensity scales that don’t line up.

Who should buy Kimbo, and who should buy Lavazza

• Buy Kimbo if you like a dark, strong espresso and can order £50 or more at a time from Kimbo at Home to get free delivery.
• Buy Lavazza if you want to pick up beans with your weekly shop, or want a milder 100% arabica option such as Qualità Oro.
• Buy Lavazza Crema e Gusto if you mostly drink milky coffee and want the cheaper Lavazza kilo we found.
• Buy Kimbo Espresso Barista if you want Kimbo’s 100% arabica beans; it was £21.37 for 1kg at Kimbo at Home on 3 Oct 2026.

FAQ

Is Kimbo stronger than Lavazza? Kimbo’s beans are described in stronger, darker terms, with Napoletano a dark roast at 10/13 and Intenso at 12/13 on Kimbo’s scale. Lavazza’s Qualità Rossa and Oro sit at 5/10 on Lavazza’s scale. The scales differ, so treat this as a general steer.

Is Kimbo Aroma Gold the same as Lavazza Qualità Oro? No, they’re different makers’ blends. Both are sold as 100% arabica, according to Kimbo and Lavazza.

Where can you buy Kimbo coffee in the UK? We found it on Kimbo at Home, Kimbo UK’s own shop. We didn’t find it at Morrisons on 3 Oct 2026, and we couldn’t check Tesco or Amazon because their sites blocked our check.

Which is cheaper, Kimbo or Lavazza? Per kilo they were close on 3 Oct 2026: £17.54 for Kimbo Intenso from Kimbo at Home, £18.50 for Lavazza Crema e Gusto Classico at Lavazza UK. Delivery can tip it.

Does Tesco sell Kimbo coffee? We couldn’t confirm a Kimbo listing at Tesco, because Tesco’s site blocked our check. Kimbo at Home, Kimbo UK’s own online shop, sells Kimbo beans, ground coffee and Nespresso-compatible capsules.

Does Kimbo make Nespresso-compatible capsules? Yes. Kimbo at Home listed Kimbo 100% Arabica and Barista Ristretto aluminium Nespresso-compatible capsules when we checked on 23 Oct 2026, at £4.05 a pack or £34.65 for a case of 10 packs.

Related

• Kimbo coffee beans: the Neapolitan espresso blends sold in the UK
• M&S Collection Colombian beans review: Fairtrade everyday beans that are hard to price online
• Lavazza Qualità Oro beans review: a big, fairly priced bag of all-Arabica beans
• illy Classico beans review: a well-loved small tin, if you shop around