Mario Batali and La Colombe team up for ‘Caffé Italiano’ coffee line

In season two, episode three of the Travel Channel's Dangerous Grounds, chef Mario Batali tasks La Colombe co-founder Todd Carmichael with creating a coffee blend that would capture the Italian definition of coffee better than ever before. Now, we're about to taste his efforts.

Beginning Sunday, Jan. 25, Batali and La Colombe will launch "Caffé Italiano" at select Target locations. As a new collection of Italian-style coffees, the blends will serve as two tastemakers' tribute to one of the greatest coffee cultures in the world.

"We use specialty-grade beans to create the perfect balance between bitter and acidity, combining traditional Old World coffee with New World upgrades" Carmichael says of the new blends. "The result is a big coffee with big crema and body."

There will be three options to choose from, running the gamut from dark and nutty to medium-bodied and chocolatey:

Abruzzo Blend: A dark-roasted, nutty blend from Haiti, Brazil, and Ethiopia.
Roma Blend: A medium-roasted blend with flavor hints of milk chocolate from Haiti, Brazil, Colombia, and Ethiopia.
Amalfi Blend: A decaffeinated blend from Brazil and Sumatra. 

If you can't wait until Sunday to grab yourself a bag, the Caffé Italiano blends are currently available on the La Colombe site at $13 for 10 ounces.