How To Choose Espresso Coffee Beans
Like any type of food, you need good ingredients to make a good meal and you need good espresso coffee beans to make good espresso. Even if you have the very best espresso machine on the market, if you have a low-quality bean, you will get a low-quality espresso. Two things you need to consider when buying espresso coffee beans is the roast and whether you want whole-bean or ground. Another item you may want to consider in espresso coffee beans is the country that the beans come from.
What Type Of Coffee Is Best For Espresso
A customer once asked me, What kind of coffee do you put in the espresso machine? My answer was I use a medium-dark blend of Brazilian and African Arabica beans with 15% Robusta beans, roasted three days ago.
The customer wanted to know what beans she could use with her espresso machine at home. She was disappointed to know that my blend was a custom order from a local roaster, which she couldnt buy.
The reality is that you can use any coffee for espresso, as long as you like it. You dont need a special coffee for your espresso machine. Bear with me Ill give you a bit more details in the following section.
How To Pick The Best Coffee Bean
Most importantly, the best beans will be freshly roasted. Always go to a source that advertises freshly roasted. If you are unsure if they are true to their word and if its a shop, go and visit them, if they seem busy and selling a lot of beans this will mean their inventory will have a high turnaround, good for fresh beans. Even better, some shops will roast the beans while you wait, great for grabbing some really fresh beans.
If you have the chance to see the beans youre buying, take a good look and make sure they have a good appearance and importantly the smell, if it smells good, then itll taste good.
Supermarkets can offer some great beans, when buying supermarket beans look for beans that have been vacuum packed this will ensure freshness from the moment they are sealed. Some packs will feature a sell-by date, check the date and make sure it isnt over.
Online coffee bean stores also offer some great beans, but this is down to how often they roast their beans, make sure they give assurances on shipping freshly roasted beans.
Thats why we have reviewed some best coffee beans for espresso, I hope they will satisfy your desire.
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Volcanica Coffee Kenyan Aa Coffee Beans
Kenya coffee beans are among the finest in the world. The effort that farmers go through cleaning and processing these beans is unmatched.
Perhaps one of the greatest contributors to the quality of Kenyan coffee is the fact that the farmers are rewarded for better coffee. The government runs an auction in which all the coffee in Kenya is sold. Higher quality coffees sell for a higher price, giving farmers an incentive to improve their crop .
AA is the largest-sized bean, followed by AB. In Kenya, the bigger the better. Always look for AA. These coffees are characterized by sweet fruit notes, a winey acidity, and a syrupy body. Due to the processing, these coffees are among the cleanest-tasting in the world.
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As youll see in our guide to Kenyan coffee, they make for excellent drip coffee, pour-over or automatic. The medium-full body and bright fruit notes are sure to leave you smiling with each cup.
Quick Recap On Light Roast Medium Roast And Dark Roast Coffee
There are a lot of options you can choose when choosing a roast profile. Your taste preference and willingness to experiment with new flavors will determine which roast you actually end up choosing. But if youre at all unsure, we recommend sticking with a light roast if you enjoy the experience of tasting new flavors.
If youre looking for something closer to the traditional coffee flavor, go with a medium roast. You cant go wrong with our locally roasted Perk Coffee Company light roast and medium roast options, and you can rest assured knowing that quality has been the #1 priority throughout the whole process.
Once youve decided on which craft coffee bean youre going to purchase, the next step is to learn how to store your new coffee beans so that optimal freshness is maintained.
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Which Brewing Methods Make The Best Medium Roast Coffee
While this obviously varies based on individual preference, it is generally agreed upon that the best medium roast coffee brewing method is the cold brew method. This also happens to be one of the cheapest and easiest methods – lucky you! Cold brews are less bitter with a lower acidity, which is great for coffee drinkers who are a little sensitive to that. This method pairs perfectly with medium roast coffee to create a smooth, creamy taste.
Feel free to check out our collection of amazing coffee equipment to find amazing equipment to get your cold brew craze started!
What Are The Best Coffee Beans In The World
The best coffee beans in the world are considered to be Kopi Luwak beans, which is coffee passed through the digestion of the Indonesia Civet Cat. Its also known as poop coffee and its an extremely controversial industry. The question surrounding the best beans in the world, however, is debatable since the best coffee is purely subjective. The best coffee in the world is organic, sustainably sourced beans that taste good to you.
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Do You Prefer Adventurous Flavor Or Consistency
Ask yourself: how much time am I willing to put into making this espresso taste good? Do I need it to taste the same every day?
Most people are creatures of habit when it comes to espresso. We often just want something familiar with that classic dark roast taste, but with a little more flavor.
Our year-round espresso blend has been formulated for balance and consistency. You wont have to spend much time fussing with the recipe or fall in love with a coffee only to have it disappear from the shelves at the end of the season.
But, if you do like to nerd out and challenge your espresso-making ability, you may be looking for something small-batch and ultra-limited edition with funky, fruity flavors. These types of coffees inspire, challenge, and reward those who take the time to brew them correctly.
A small-batch, single origin coffee is the adventure mode of espresso.
Sparrows Coffee All Seasons Blend
Sparrows Coffee All Seasons Blend
Living up to its name, this clean, sweet cup is perfect all year round featuring notes of sweet cherry and smooth chocolate.
In a place like Michigan, where Sparrows Coffee roasts the Ethiopian and Colombian beans to perfection, its not uncommon for the notoriously inconsistent Midwest weather patterns to make you feel as if youre experiencing all four seasons in a single day. Thats why the All Seasons blend just makes sense the medium-roasted java tastes good at any time of the year.
As you sip on a cup of coffee brewed from this blend, note the citrus, milk chocolate, floral, and honey flavors all bundled up in a sweet and smooth package simply delicious on a crisp spring afternoon or a cozy winter evening.
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Familiarize With The Different Beans Variety
All the cups of coffee around the world are not just limited to a single bean variety. Before getting started, its better to familiarize first with the cups you drink every day to determine the things you need.
Some say that quit worrying about these and rather just focus on finding the roaster that will give you what you want. But in my case, having this exciting awareness about the different types of beans will somewhat influence me in choosing the best-desired coffee.
- There are four different types of coffee beans that are widely produced and cultivated Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, and Excelsa.
- The coffee industry depends mainly on Arabica and Robusta for commercial use. Its because they are by far the best as both of them can sustain the global need for coffee.
- Both the Liberica and Excelsa species are less common and popular due to being rare and their limited availability. Another reason is that they cant sustain the need for many consumers.
So, moving on, now that youre a little bit familiar with the different varieties of coffee beans, you might ask which is better and which bean should you choose? Lets move on and further explore it and help you choose the right coffee beans that suits your needs.
What About Bulletproof Coffee Beans
Bulletproof Coffee Beans are 100% Arabica beans, available in four different roasts: light, medium, medium-dark and dark.
Theyre tested for toxins, which is a big deal when you are a coffee lover and drink coffee every day. You want high-quality coffee that tastes good and makes you feel even better.
Bulletproof Coffee Beans deliver in the following ways:
- They are fair trade, which means they are grown in direct partnership with Rainforest Alliance Certified farmers to ensure sustainable operations.
- Single-origin beans grown on high-altitude estates in Guatemala or South America, depending on the season.
- Delicious whether you drink your coffee black or enjoy Bulletproof Coffee.
- Choose between whole bean coffee, ground coffee, or K-cup coffee pods.
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Tips For Choosing The Best Coffee Beans
1. Know your preference
There are two broad categories of commercial coffee beans in the market today, Robusta and Arabica. Knowing what you like will go a long way in helping you pick what you want. The Arabica type of coffee grows in high altitude areas. It is commonly known for its slightly acidic, smooth taste. On the other hand, Robusta grows in lower altitude areas and has a strong, bitter taste. Though Arabica is considered to be of a higher grade, this largely depends on its growing process and the treatment it receives during its journey to the coffee roaster. All this does not guarantee that the end product is of highest quality. So, unless you want to become an expert, quit worrying about bean type and focus on finding the roaster or brand that makes beans that meet your needs.
2. Pick coffee beans based on your preferred taste
3. Determine how much caffeine you want in your coffee
Contrary to what most people believe, dark roasted coffee beans contain lower levels of caffeine than those whose roasting is light or medium. Light roasted beans have the highest level of caffeine of all the three. Coffee beans that are used to make Espresso are in the medium roast realm. If you want to capitalize on your caffeine intake, you are better of going for light or medium roasted beans.
4. Go beans from a respected coffee roaster
5. Always check the roast date
6. Avoid coffee beans that are labeled 100% Coffee
Peaberry Beans From Tanzania
A Peaberry coffee is a single, round coffee bean inside the coffee cherry. A normal coffee cherry holds 2 beans, side by side, each with a flat side. The peaberry is alone inside the cherry and shaped differently.
Because of the round shape and the fact that these beans are denser than most coffee beans, they roast more uniformly . Only about 5% of all best coffee beans in a given crop are considered peaberry. In order to get a lot of strictly peaberry beans, rigorous hand sorting is required to separate them from their half-bean counterparts. This added labor increases cost.
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Peaberry is available from many regions but Peaberry beans from Tanzania are popular as they tend to have a brighter acidity, medium body, and notes of brown sugar and subtle fruitiness. Delicious coffee for a manual pour over or an automatic dripper.
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Pts Coffee Flatlander Signature Blend
PT’s Coffee Flatlander Signature Blend
Easy does it. And this coffee proves just that. A bittersweet aroma is balanced by a nutty, sweet finish. Heres to one less complication.
Did you know that medium roast coffees are often called the American roast? This is because these strong-flavored, non-oily beans are generally preferred in the United States. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that the Flatlander Signature blend from PTs Coffee is so widely enjoyed.
Beans for this medium roast are sourced from South America. When its brewed, youll taste notes of sweet caramel and citrusy tangerine, and the chocolate aroma will have your mouth watering as soon as the first drop of java hits the carafe of your automatic drip machine. You and your taste buds will absolutely love the nutty, sweet finish of this well-rounded brew.
If youre a fan of PTs Coffees 1861 roast and are sad youve been unable to find it, no worries this is the same blend, just with a new name and the same well-loved taste.
Which Coffee Maker Are You Using
Besides understanding the chemistry of a coffee bean, a specific coffee maker can make one bean more suitable for you than others. Which coffee makers do a better job at extracting flavours and which is more ideal for coarser or finer grinds?
Every gadget requires different methods of brewing which in turn, produces varying flavours. For example, compare between a french press and drip machine the faster steeping process in the french press often results in a full-bodied and robust coffee whereas, the filter paper in a drip machine causes a slower brewing process that gives a more aromatic brew.
The amount of control you have over every variable of the machine determines how you can perfect the brewing process. Based on the coffee maker you have at home, tailor your choice of the coffee bean to suit the end taste that you are looking for.
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Buy Beans From A Respected Source
Its possible youve been buying beans from a barrel in your local supermarket. Well, unfortunately, these beans have probably been exposed to oxygen and U.V. light resulting in a faded poor taste. Buying sealed bags can avoid this problem, but low-quality coffee brands often provide no roast date or source location.
This is because the beans have likely been sourced from several and taken to one plant to roast and package them. Then, they are warehoused and shipped to the store, possibly weeks to months later, already stale.
Sumatra Mandheling Beans From Indonesia
This coffee is named after the Mandheling people who once farmed the coffee in northern Sumatra. Coffees from this area tend to have lower acidity with a sweet, smooth body. The coffee can vary in taste from cocoa and tobacco to earthy and herbaceous. Many people choose to dark roast Sumatra coffees to enhance sweetness and its almost spicy flavor. If you like these flavors, visit our guide to dark roast coffee beans here.
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Coffees from Sumatra as a whole are typically processed with a hybrid method, akin to wet-hulling. This processing method is perhaps the largest factor in the outcome of the coffee. These beans are great for your Moka pot.
Sumatra Mandheling beans are one of the great controversies in coffee. Coffee drinkers tend to love it or hate it. What about you?
Due to its full body and low acidity this coffee does very well in a french press or pressure style brewing method.
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Use The Right Beans For The Right Brew
Finding the right bean for the beverage you plan to brew can be an incredibly subjective topic, so well try to tread carefully.
However, choosing the right type of coffee based on how you plan to drink it can make a massive difference to the experience. Generally, blends for milky coffees and single origins for black coffee is best.
The difference between these two types of coffee is simple: blends take various beans and combine them to produce specific and complex flavor profiles. Often these blends are created to add milk to the coffee. Naturally, this makes them perfect for milky coffees such as lattes and cappuccinos.
Single origins come from a single geographic location like a farm or estate. Single-origin coffees allow the drinker to taste and appreciate the specific nuances each bean has to offer. Therefore, single-origin beans are great for espresso or black coffee as nothing distracts from the flavor.
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Cafe De Loja Specialty Coffee
There are plenty of reasons for drinking coffee. Maybe you sip on a hot, steaming mug of the stuff when you need a jolt of energy, or perhaps youre a casual java drinker who just enjoys the taste of high-quality coffee. No matter your coffee drinking habits, Cafe de Loja Specialty Coffee surely wont disappoint.
This brews 100 percent arabica beans are sourced from Ecuador, hand-picked from an altitude of over six-thousand feet, and carefully roasted to bring out all the beans natural flavors. The result is a medium-dark roast coffee with smooth and crisp fruity flavors but no bitter aftertaste.
In the coffee world, Cafe de Loja has proven to be one of the brands you can trust, as it has been ranked the best cup of coffee in Ecuador six times!
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