Corleone

In Corleone you taste a pure, unfiltered coffee flavour. It is a very powerful espresso in the South-Italian style, whose intense taste commands as much respect as the name suggests. This blend is dark-roasted and fully organic, aimed at lovers of a strong cup. Below you’ll find more about its origin, roast profile, flavour, processing and other facts surrounding this special coffee.

• Corleone is a blend of beans from several countries. The mix combines Arabica coffee beans from Central and South America (Peru, Honduras and Brazil) with Robusta beans from Uganda.
• It is therefore a blend of two coffee species: high-quality Arabica **and** Robusta. Simon Lévelt explicitly states that Corleone is a blend of arabica and robusta beans, not a single origin.
• The blend is inspired by the southern Italian espresso tradition. In Italy, espressos are often roasted extra dark and a little Robusta is added to Arabica for extra strength and crema. This gives Corleone its “mafia-style” punch.
• Simon Lévelt personally selects the plantations the coffee comes from and maintains direct contact with the local farmers. This close cooperation ensures traceability, fair trade and consistent bean quality.
• The various origin regions contribute to a rich profile: Arabica beans from Latin America provide mild, aromatic notes, while Ugandan Robusta adds extra body and a firm bitterness.

• Corleone is a **Dark Roast** coffee. The packaging indicates that the blend is dark roasted (darker than a medium roast), placing it in the category of bold espresso roasts.
• Within the Simon Lévelt range, Corleone falls under the flavour profile “Robust & Spicy”. These are the “tough powerhouses”: extra dark-roasted coffees with a hint of bitterness and plenty of body.
• A roast this dark delivers a powerful, deep flavour. Italian espressos are typically roasted this way, giving a pronounced bitter note and lower acidity. Corleone follows that classic profile.
• The coffee is roasted in-house. Simon Lévelt roasts fresh daily in their Haarlem roastery using a unique Vittoria double-drum roaster, allowing the process to be controlled with great precision. This guarantees an even, consistent dark roast.
• By carefully balancing roast time and temperature, the roasters extract every bit of flavour and aroma from the beans. Despite the high roast level, scorching is avoided; the beans retain a rich aroma with no burnt notes.

• This coffee immediately electrifies the senses with its intense taste. Corleone offers a powerful, full flavour with a pronounced bitter undertone, delivering an **intense** coffee experience. It is truly a coffee that makes an impression.
• Spicy aromas add extra complexity to the flavour palette. Subtle hints of spices can be smelled and tasted, giving the blend a distinctive nuance and depth. This spicy aspect completes the overall taste experience.
• Simon Lévelt officially describes Corleone's flavour profile as “Bitter & Spicy”, with an intensity rated as Strong. It is therefore one of the boldest coffees in their range, intended for those who enjoy punchy flavours.
• Thanks to the dark roast, notes of roasted nuts and pure cocoa frequently emerge alongside pronounced bitters. Those earthy, nutty undertones come mainly from the Robusta in the blend and give the coffee a full aftertaste.
• The addition of Robusta also provides a beautiful, thick crema layer on espresso. Italian blends often contain about 20–25% Robusta for precisely that reason—Robusta creates a denser, more stable crema on the cup.

• Each origin in the blend has its own processing method. The Latin-American Arabicas are usually wet-processed (washed), while the Ugandan Robusta is mostly dried through dry (unwashed) processing. This combination of processes adds to the blend’s complexity.
• Robusta is more difficult to wet-process than Arabica. The mucilage—the sticky fruit flesh—of Robusta cherries is thicker and harder to remove, so a washed process for Robusta involves greater risks and time. For that reason, Robusta is typically sun-dried naturally on beds or patios.
• The choice between washed and natural processing influences flavour. Washed coffees often deliver a cleaner, brighter cup with more fruity acidity, whereas natural-dried beans give a sweeter, heavier body and a more intense aroma. In Corleone you therefore taste both clarity and fullness.
• After harvest, the coffee cherries are first stripped of their outer skin and pulp, then dried. Ultimately, about 5 kg of fresh cherries yield roughly 2 kg of green coffee beans. This illustrates how much raw crop is required for a bag of coffee.
• Simon Lévelt blends and roasts the green beans in-house to create the Corleone blend. The beans are roasted fresh and, if requested, ground to order immediately after roasting, ensuring each delivery is as fresh as possible. That fresh roast is evident in the cup.

• Corleone contains two coffee species: Coffea arabica (arabica) and Coffea canephora (robusta). It is therefore not a 100% arabica coffee but a deliberate blend of both plant species.
• Arabica beans are known for their refined flavor. They produce a milder, sweeter, and more aromatically complex coffee, often with fruity or floral notes. In the Corleone blend, the Arabicas form the foundation of the taste and deliver the subtler nuances.
• Robusta beans stand out for their higher caffeine content—about twice that of Arabica—and their stronger, more bitter flavor profile. These beans therefore add extra punch and noticeably raise the blend’s caffeine level.
• Thanks to the Robusta, Corleone gains a fuller body and an earthy undertone. Robusta provides more **body** in the espresso and can contribute nutty, earthy flavors. This makes the coffee “heavier” and more intense on the palate, which many espresso fans appreciate.
• The exact Arabica/Robusta ratio is not public, but Italian espresso blends typically use about 20–30% Robusta for the best result. Corleone likely follows this classic recipe: mostly Arabica for refinement, complemented by enough Robusta for power and crema.

• All coffee from Simon Lévelt—including Corleone—is **100% organic** certified. Organic cultivation means no chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers are used, but rather natural compost and ecological methods. That is better for the environment and for farmers’ health.
• Since late 2021, Simon Lévelt’s entire coffee range has also been **Climate Neutral Certified**. This label guarantees that the CO₂₂ emissions of the coffee supply chain are reduced as much as possible and the remainder is offset. The company aims to operate entirely emission-free by 2050.
• Sustainability has been in the family company’s DNA since 1826. Simon Lévelt always selects its coffees with care for people and nature. All coffee is now organically sourced, grown and traded with respect for farmers and ecosystems. This long-term perspective contributes to continuity for the farmers and quality for the consumer.
• Several Simon Lévelt coffees have also become Fairtrade certified in recent years. This ensures that farmers receive a fair price for their beans. (Corleone itself does not carry a Fairtrade label as far as known, but it does benefit from the direct trade relationships that Simon Lévelt maintains.)
• In addition to sustainable cultivation, attention is also paid to waste reduction. In 2024, Simon Lévelt launched a campaign to cut packaging and encourage customers to shop packaging-free—for example by bringing their own tins or bags to the store for refills. This fits into the broader mission to reduce environmental impact on all fronts.

• Corleone shows its best side as an **espresso**. Ideally, use an espresso machine that delivers about 9 bar of pressure and grind the beans finely: this will give a powerful shot in which all the flavours are concentrated (after all, the coffee was developed for this).
• If you don't have an espresso machine, a **stovetop pot (moka pot)** is an excellent alternative. With Corleone, a classic moka pot brews an authentic, Southern Italian–style espresso – small, strong and full of flavour.
• For the ultimate experience, brew this coffee as a **ristretto** – an extra-short espresso of about 20 ml. Corleone is perfect for this; its description doesn’t say “criminally tasty” for nothing – in a tiny cup you get an explosion of flavour.
• This blend is also ideal as a base for milk drinks. Its intensity cuts through the milk beautifully, making it perfect for cappuccinos, flat whites, latte macchiatos and the like. A cappuccino with Corleone still offers a pleasant coffee bite alongside the creamy milk foam.
• Use freshly ground coffee for the best results. It pays to grind the beans just before brewing – Simon Lévelt will gladly grind Corleone fresh in-store on request. That way you capture the maximum aroma, tailored to your brewing method.

• Simon Lévelt classifies Corleone as having **intensity: Strong** – the top end of their scale. This indicates that the coffee has an above-average powerful flavour compared with milder blends.
• The roaster places Corleone among its “tough powerhouses” because of its robust character. It is a coffee that proudly parades its spiciness and is clearly aimed at lovers of full-bodied espresso.
• According to the product description, this blend is particularly suited to the serious coffee lover seeking a special experience. In other words, Corleone is viewed as a coffee for connoisseurs who appreciate intensity.
• Corleone is part of the **Espresso Tasting Pack** from Simon Lévelt, alongside blends such as Corazón® and Barista. Its inclusion underscores that Corleone is one of the brand’s key espresso blends they invite customers to try.
• This coffee is a fixture in the range and has a loyal fan base. Its lasting popularity is evident in the fact that Corleone has been available unchanged for years and is often recommended by word of mouth among enthusiasts – a quiet recognition of its quality.

Corleone coffee beans are packaged in the distinctive Simon Lévelt bag (usually 250 grams) with a modern, clean design. The packaging is mostly done in natural tones with a striking dark green accent at the bottom, this colour indicates the Dark Roast category to which Corleone belongs. On the front there is a clear label with the name "Espresso Corleone" and a concise description ("Very powerful southern Italian espresso, criminally tasty"), plus icons showing the recommended use (espresso). The EU organic logo is also prominently displayed on the front, highlighting its sustainable credentials. Since 2020 Simon Lévelt coffee packaging has been updated, no aluminium foil is used any more, only 100% recyclable material. The current bags have a kraft paper look with a thin inner layer, fully suitable for recycling. Thus the packaging design is not only attractive but also environmentally conscious.

• Corleone is widely available at Simon Lévelt. It can be purchased in all 40 Simon Lévelt specialty shops in the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as through the official Simon Lévelt webshop. In addition, it is regularly found at selected organic stores and coffee specialty shops.
• The standard package is 250 grams (whole beans). The price for this amount is around €9 to €10 per bag. Through the Simon Lévelt webshop, for example, Corleone is offered at about €9.25 per 250 g, and promotions can temporarily lower the price to around €8.50.
• For large scale users or the hospitality sector, Corleone is also available in larger quantities. One kilogram packs (1000 grams) are offered, external retailers charge about €37 to €38 for 1 kg of Corleone beans. This makes the price per cup more economical.
• Because it is an organic coffee, Corleone is also distributed through health food stores. In 2020 Simon Lévelt introduced a special espresso bean line (medium, dark and extra dark roast) for organic shops. As a result, Corleone or a comparable dark roast blend has also become available through that channel.
• When purchasing, you can choose between whole beans or ground coffee. In Simon Lévelt stores Corleone can be ground for you free of charge to the correct grind size (espresso, filter, etc.). This way you always have the optimal grind for your brew method, with no extra effort.