Buying ground coffee might save you from having to grind them yourself in a noisy coffee grinder. Ground coffee might even be a little bit cheaper, but to get the richest and most satisfying cup of coffee. Buying whole beans and grinding them yourself gives you the maximum taste and freshness taking your coffee experience to a new level of flavour.
You have the option of choosing the grind size which for starters, greatly impacts the flavour making it easy to customize your coffee according to your taste. Grinding fresh beans each time you make coffee preserves the flavour as oils begin to evaporate as soon as coffee beans are ground. That’s why pre-ground coffee doesn’t taste as good.
So, where should you buy your coffee beans how and why does it matter?
Shop Local
Buying your coffee beans from a local roaster is beneficial for several reasons. The most obvious reason is that it can be an impactful way to reduce your carbon footprint. It also serves your community to shop local. If you’ve sampled the coffee of the brewers nearest to you and still aren’t satisfied then you can consider joining a coffee of the month club until you find your new favourite.
Although it’s best to stay away from big box coffee suppliers like chain grocery stores, you can also try ordering coffee online. The quality is usually subpar at best and there’s no way of knowing how long their coffee beans have been sitting on the shelves.
What Kind of Beans Should You Choose?
It depends on how you plan on brewing your coffee. K-cups are still widely available but their impact on the environment has led many consumers to brew their coffee in a way that produces less plastic waste. Popular choices are
- The pour-over method
- French press
- Espresso
- Cold-drip
Medium to dark roasts tastes best for French pressed coffee and produce a rich, full-bodied flavour. Beans with higher acidity and are only lightly roasted produce a wonderful cold drip coffee.
If you’re making your coffee in an espresso machine then it’s best to consult with the manufacturer on which coffee beans would taste best. You shouldn’t even buy coffee beans for espresso machines, as the finished product might taste a bit sour. Espresso beans are what works best.
For pour-over coffee, this is where you can experiment and let the flavours shine since milk generally isn’t added to pour-over coffee. If you have a sophisticated palate and like to experiment, pouring over coffee might be the brewing method for you.
Do You Know What Kind of Flavour You After?
Just like wine connoisseurs have their preferences, so too do coffee lovers. Not all beans produce the same flavour. But what do terms like ‘full bodied’ or ‘floral’ mean when it comes to coffee?
If you prefer a lighter, less coffee-y flavoured cup of coffee, go for a lighter roast and look for beans that are labelled as floral or fruity.
Full-bodied is the flavour that most people generally associate with coffee. It’s rich and fills your mouth with that quintessential coffee taste. Look for labels that say ‘dark roast’ if that’s what you crave.
You can also find flavoured coffee beans. French vanilla, hazelnut and Irish cream are popular options.
Coffee preferences vary widely and the only way to find out yours is to test as many as you can. Visit Espresso Dolce to buy coffee beans and start experimenting.