Some coffees are made for experimenting. Others are the ones you come back to every morning.
Meet Sweet Maria Espresso Blend a rich, smooth and beautifully balanced coffee that has become a favourite with coffee drinkers across the board.
With notes of hazelnut, dark chocolate, citrus and sweet berry, Sweet Maria delivers plenty of flavour while remaining incredibly easy to drink.
What does Sweet Maria taste like?
Sweet Maria starts with the flavours we know so many coffee drinkers love: rich hazelnut and dark chocolate.
But there’s more happening underneath.
A subtle lift of citrus and sweet berry brings brightness and balance to the cup, keeping the blend smooth and full of character without becoming too heavy.
The result?
Hazelnut • Dark Chocolate • Citrus • Sweet Berry
Rich, balanced and satisfyingly bold.
A coffee that loves milk
If your usual order is a flat white, latte or cappuccino, Sweet Maria might just become your new favourite.
This blend has been designed to cut beautifully through milk, so you can still taste the coffee rather than losing it underneath.
The dark chocolate and hazelnut notes become beautifully rich and comforting with milk, while the subtle fruitiness gives the finished cup a little extra dimension.
In fact, if you ask the Little Italy team how they like to drink Sweet Maria, milk is our pick.
Prefer your coffee black? Sweet Maria's bold flavour and balanced finish mean it holds its own there too.
How to brew Sweet Maria
Want to get the best out of your beans? Our recommended espresso recipe is:
Dose: 24g
Yield: 40g
Extraction: 30–35 seconds
Think of this as your starting point. Every coffee machine and grinder is a little different, so small adjustments may be needed to find the sweet spot for your setup.
We recommend enjoying Sweet Maria around 14–21 days after roasting to get the best from the blend.
Can you use Sweet Maria for alternative brewing?
Absolutely.
Because Sweet Maria is a darker roast, we'd suggest making a few small adjustments when using alternative brewing methods.
Try using slightly less water, adding a little more coffee, grinding a touch coarser and lowering your water temperature.
These little changes can help bring out more balance, sweetness and clarity in your cup.
Who is Sweet Maria for?
Sweet Maria is a great choice if you like a coffee that's bold without being bitter, rich without being overpowering and interesting without being complicated.
It's particularly good for milk-based coffee drinkers looking for beans that won't disappear once the milk is added.
And if you're trying Little Italy Coffee Roasters for the first time and love classic chocolatey, nutty coffee flavours, Sweet Maria is a very good place to start.
Meet your new everyday coffee
There’s a reason Sweet Maria has become a favourite.
It’s smooth. It’s rich. It works beautifully with milk. And it delivers the kind of full-flavoured coffee you’ll happily make morning after morning.
Hazelnut. Dark chocolate. Citrus. Sweet berry.
Meet Sweet Maria Espresso Blend your next bag might not last very long.