Each major coffee chain cares not only about the high-quality drink prepared by the barista, but also about what the guest prepares for himself at home. When a guest begins to choose a grain, a huge variety rises in front of him. What to choose?

How to choose coffee beans

1. Check the grain type

Coffee beans are divided into two types: Arabica and Robusta. We recommends and uses exclusively 100% Arabica itself. It contains more aromatic oils that affect the taste of coffee. Imagine a bitter drink to which you want to add sugar - probably it is made on the basis of Robusta. Arabica coffee is more interesting and varied, it can reveal notes of chocolate, fruits, nuts, ripe berries and even tea. Arabica plantations require special care, farmers harvest almost 5 kg of ripe berries from one tree, and after roasting, about 1 kg of grain remains. This is why good coffee beans cannot be cheap.

2. Decide on the cooking method

How will you prepare coffee at home: using an espresso machine or an alternative method? The latter includes:

• drip coffee maker

• Turk

• French press

• aeropress

• pourover

• kemex

3. Select the degree of roast

Each method has a different roast bean: for the espresso machine, medium, for the alternative, light. We do not recommend using dark roasted beans, because they give out excessive bitterness.

4. Pay attention to the freshness of the grain

Ideally, if from the moment of roasting it has passed from a week to 1.5 months, during this period it is at its peak. Nevertheless, the grain retains its excellent taste for 6 months.

5. Follow your taste preferences

Someone likes a smoother and more understandable taste with chocolate-nut notes, someone is more interested in grains, where acidity manifests itself in a variety of ways: green apple, orange, etc. retains taste and aroma.

Which coffee to choose for a Turk

Light roasted beans are ideal for this cooking method. Grinding plays an important role: for a Turk, coffee should be ground into dust, that is, as fine as possible.

How to choose coffee for a drip coffee machine

For a drip coffee maker, it is enough to choose good coffee beans and the correct grinding, the coffee machine will handle the rest. That is why it is popular with coffee lovers. Due to the fact that the human factor is involved here minimally, coffee always turns out to be consistently tasty. Light roasted beans are ideal, grinding - coarse or larger than average (take the size of cane sugar particles as a guide).

• For Aeropress, Chemex and Pour over also select medium-sized light roasted beans. Guests are often interested in how the Chemex differs from the Pour over: the pour over has ribs inside the funnel, so the filter does not completely adhere to the walls and the coffee is brewed differently.

How to choose coffee for your French press

A French press is the second most popular alternative way of making coffee at home. To get a tasty drink, choose a light (or medium) roast, the grind is the largest.

Which bean is suitable for an espresso machine

Best coffee for espresso usually combines a medium roast with a fine grind.

The user of the espresso machine must have some skills, such as how to temper the coffee correctly and select the desired espresso profile.

How to choose ground coffee

The best solution if you do not have the opportunity to grind beans at home is to buy ground coffee or ask to grind beans in a coffee shop. To understand which ground coffee tastes better, study the factors we described above: bean type (Arabica or Robusta), roast, freshness and grind. Ask the barista or check on the packaging for which preparation the grain is ground.