When you purchase a bean to cup machine that brews coffee from beans with just the push of a button, a common question arises: what coffee should you choose? Is there a special coffee for bean to cup machines, or is any coffee suitable? If such a special coffee exists, what distinguishes coffee for these machines from the rest, and what should you consider when choosing? Finally, how should you adjust your coffee machine for the newly chosen coffee?
Coffee for bean to cup machines is essentially coffee suitable for espresso brewing. These machines use the pressure required for the espresso method (9-19 bars) when making coffee. Therefore, you can identify coffee suitable for these machines based on the following criteria:
By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your bean to cup machine consistently produces the best coffee possible. Enjoy experimenting and finding your perfect cup!
Coffee beans for bean to cup machines should meet the same characteristics we discussed earlier. But how do you choose not only suitable but also delicious coffee? Pay attention to these criteria:
It is still common to think that only espresso coffee blends are suitable for bean to cup machines, while single-origin coffee is for various trendy brewing tools or filter coffee makers. This is not true! It all depends on your taste. If you prefer Italian-style coffee (darker roasted, more intense, with commonly found chocolate or nut notes) and often enjoy coffee with milk or various additives, choose coffee blends. But if you are looking for interesting and bright flavors and appreciate coffee without any additional ingredients, be sure to try single-origin coffee roasted for bean to cup machines. It will surprise you with its highest quality and unexpected flavors. Therefore, the best espresso coffee beans can be not only coffee blends but also single-origin coffee specially roasted for this method.
If you decide to choose a coffee blend, pay attention to its composition. An Arabica blend is often fruitier with fruity or berry notes, has a milder taste, and is very aromatic. A blend of Arabica and Robusta beans will have a more intense and sharper flavor. The more Robusta in the blend, the more caffeine the coffee contains.
If you choose single-origin coffee, pay attention to how it is processed. Dry-processed coffee is thicker and sweeter, with dominant ripe tropical fruit and chocolate candy notes. Honey-processed coffee is moderately thick, with sweet fruit and tea notes. Wet-processed coffee has a lighter and smoother consistency, often distinctly fruity, with dominant floral, tea, and citrus notes that can be clearly distinguished. Anaerobically processed coffee enhances the coffee’s fruitiness and gives it exotic flavor notes.
Also, pay attention to the coffee regions from which the chosen coffee comes. Follow these general characteristics:
By considering these factors, you can choose the best coffee beans for your bean to cup machine and enjoy a delightful coffee experience.
Central American coffees are exceptional and difficult to fit into one flavor profile: you can find notes of tropical fruits, various nuts, or even liquor. These coffees will appeal to lovers of distinctive character coffees. They are best enjoyed when making espresso or black coffee recipes.
The darker the roast, the less fruity the coffee will be, with more dominant light bitterness notes. The lighter the roast, the fruitier and more berry-like the coffee will be.
When discussing an automatic coffee machine, this question might seem odd – after all, automatic coffee machines grind coffee beans themselves and make coffee from them. However, many automatic coffee machines also offer the option to make drinks from ground coffee – for this, there is a separate compartment.
Regarding the flavor of ground coffee, follow the guidelines mentioned above about coffee beans. However, besides the flavor characteristics, it is crucial to pay attention to the grind size – not every ground coffee is suitable for an automatic coffee machine. The most important principle is that the coffee should not be too finely ground (as it might clog the machine and the water won’t pass through), nor too coarsely ground – such coffee is not suitable for the espresso brewing method and will be too watery. Choose espresso grind (but not too fine) or medium grind coffee. You can find ground coffee for bean to cup machines here.
Important! Do not use flavored coffee, as it can clog the coffee machine.
When choosing decaffeinated coffee beans for a bean to cup machine, pay attention to the same criteria we emphasized for regular coffee beans (see information above). The only additional criterion to consider is the decaffeination method. We recommend choosing only decaffeinated coffee that clearly states the decaffeination method on the packaging or in the product information. The most highly regarded natural decaffeination methods are the carbon dioxide method or the Swiss Water Process.
Sometimes, even after buying the right coffee for your bean to cup machine, it might not taste as good as expected. Before being disappointed with the coffee itself, we recommend “playing” with the machine’s settings. It is completely normal to adjust the coffee machine for each type of coffee – every coffee is unique. What can we adjust, and how does it affect the drink’s taste?
Every bean to cup machine has a grinder that grinds the coffee beans. You can adjust the grind size: the finer the grind, the more intense and thicker the coffee will be; the coarser the grind, the milder but also more watery the coffee will be. It is recommended to start with a medium grind setting, but then experiment with different grind sizes depending on your taste and the type of coffee chosen.
In most bean to cup machines, you can adjust the water temperature. It’s important to know that temperature not only affects the heat or coolness of your coffee but also its flavor characteristics. The ideal temperature for coffee is considered to be between 92 – 96°C. The cooler the water temperature, the more fruity (sweet and sour) coffee notes come through; the higher the temperature, the more bitter the coffee may taste. It’s also recommended to adjust the temperature based on the coffee roast: if the coffee is darker roasted, lower the water temperature; if it’s lighter roasted, increase the temperature slightly.
Remember that the flavor of the coffee will vary with different coffee-to-water ratios. In the coffee machine, you can adjust the amount of coffee and the amount of water. The more coffee and less water, the more intense the flavor of the coffee, and vice versa – the less coffee and more water, the milder the coffee taste.
Some coffee machines allow you to adjust the flow rate and dynamics of the water. If your coffee machine has these features, be sure to experiment with them. The same coffee can reveal entirely different flavors!
You already understand that the flavor of the coffee is highly dependent on temperature. If you make coffee in a cold cup, it will cool down quickly, and its flavor characteristics will change rapidly. Therefore, we always recommend making coffee in a warmed cup. Some bean to cup machines have a cup warming feature – if yours does, be sure to use it. If not, warm the cups with hot water before making coffee.
The most important thing is that the coffee tastes good to you – so always feel free to experiment!
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