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Our assortment of coffee is exceptionally wide: from brands famous all over the world to small local roasters, from beans roasted moments ago to capsules, pads or pods, from blends to unique specialty coffee varieties. How to Choose the Right One?
Depending on your preferred brewing method, you can choose from various types of coffee: coffee beans, ground or instant coffee, coffee capsules, pods or ESE pads. Don’t forget though that the tastiest coffee is the one that’s been brewed using freshly ground beans. Wherever possible, we recommend buying freshly roasted coffee beans and grinding them separately prior to each preparation of a drink (unless, of course, you have a bean-to-cup machine that does it all for you!)…
Once you’ve decided on the type of coffee, consider its variety too. Two words are frequently encountered on the packaging: “arabica” and “robusta”. Most coffee lovers have heard both of them at least once, but not many people can explain what they mean exactly and what’s the difference between them.
Both of these words refer to coffee bean varieties. The arabica variety is more expensive, characterised by more varied nuances of flavour and tasting notes that aren’t typical of the traditional taste at all sometimes. It grows higher up in the mountains and is more sensitive to the conditions of climate and the surrounding nature, so its journey is six times more difficult than that of robusta. Nowadays, the word “arabica” is synonymous with high-quality coffee. Due to its exceptional flavour, many people are now looking for packaging with the phrase “100% arabica” on it.
The robusta variety grows at lower altitudes, is less susceptible to various pests and has twice as much caffeine as arabica does. Even though robusta can be grown at a much lower cost, it’s never consumed on its own — well, except in Vietnam, where it’s mixed with condensed milk. More often than not, the robusta variety is combined with arabica. It’s robusta that endows our coffee with the classic flavour that most of us are used to, namely the stronger, more bitter notes. If you see the words “blend (arabica 70% / robusta 30%)” on the packaging of your coffee, know that this is the kind of taste that you can expect.
Returning to the topic of arabica, it’s worth noting the difference between arabica blends and single-origin arabica coffees. The flavour of blends is more subtle, not as vivid as the taste of single-origin varieties. Single-origin coffees of the highest quality are referred to as “specialty coffee” — they include some of the world’s finest varieties and are characterised by a higher number of unusual, unique tasting notes. It is particularly valued by true connoisseurs.
Before you make the decision on whether you’re going to buy coffee made up of 100% arabica (blend or single-origin) or whether a blend of both arabica and robusta is better suited to your taste, consider the brewing method that you’re going to use. The flavour of blends (both 100% arabica and arabica + robusta) is best unveiled by bean-to-cup machines, semi-automatic machines or moka pots. If you enjoy filter coffee or use various brewing tools, single-origin bans would be your best bet: each new brewing device will reveal different colours included in the complex, varied flavour palette of such coffee. If you decide to try specialty coffee, there’s no need to worry about the brewing method though: all preparation techniques are guaranteed to suit it.
You can also find selected coffee ranges for different preparation methods on our website. For example, coffee for bean-to-cup machines, as well as Percolator, Cafetiere, Chemex, Pour over, Aeropress and Cold brew coffee. So take advantage of these product categories when choosing a coffee for your specific brewing method.
Depending on your preferred brewing method, choose beans of a darker or lighter roast. The latter are best suited for drip or pour-over coffee makers, while beans of a medium or medium dark roast are perfect for espresso machines and moka pots. You should also keep in mind that light-roasted coffee is usually fruitier and more acidic, while the darker the roast is, the more bitter the prepared drink will be.
To make the right choice, in the ‘coffee for espresso machines‘ category you will find the most suitable options for this type of coffee making. And if you prefer mocha coffee, visit the ‘coffee for moka pot‘ page.
You can successfully guess the tasting notes of a certain coffee even if they’re not written on its packaging — all you need to know is where it comes from. Coffee grown in different continents is characterised by different flavours typical of the beans of that region.
African coffee is usually more acidic. In it, you’re likely to encounter notes of lemon, currants, blueberries, lime, as well as other flavours found in coffee characterised by a lower pH.
Bitter, spicier notes are typical of Asian coffee. The dominant flavours include various spices, wood, tobacco and dark chocolate.
The flavour of South American coffee is particularly well-balanced: you can find both chocolaty and fruity notes in it. If you’re tempted to try out the coffee of this region, consider its processing method too: beans processed with the help of the washed method is more acidic, while the dry process endows other South American coffees with a higher level of bitterness.
A bit higher up the map, in Central America, the features of beans become “heavier” and unique notes of sweet tobacco, so typical of this region, appear. Flavours of various fruits and nuts are also common.
The descriptions of most coffees include their tasting notes too. It’s important to understand though that these are not artificial or natural flavourings — we’re talking about notes that occur in the prepared drink naturally, just like the tastes encountered in high-quality wine. Also, these are not vivid, instantly recognisable flavours of blueberries, blackberries or chocolate — rather, it’s something that might remind you of the listed foods. This is extremely subjective too! What might make one person think of blueberries may be associated with a completely different flavour when tasted by someone else. Such tasting notes are simply used to describe the flavour profile of a certain coffee. If these notes are chocolaty or nutty, the coffee will be characterised by a higher level of bitterness, but if its flavours are reminiscent of fruit or berries, the prepared drink will have a sweet-and-sour taste. In any case, you should allow yourself to be surprised and to discover the unique flavours that you can detect in the taste of your coffee!
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