Love Coffee? Grind Those Beans!

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Coffee can feel like a religion at times, it can be the difference between feeling like things are too difficult and giving you the energy you need to bounce into work, ready to face the day.

For many of us, a visit to Starbucks is a treat to look forward to, or at least it was. As with so many companies and their clever marketing bods, it’s more likely to have forged out a regular place in your schedule rather than being an ad-hoc visit when you’re feeling like you deserve that something extra. For some of us, it’s even developed into a once a day (or more) habit. The problem is, it’s not cheap, and that’s where bean to cup coffee machines come in.

With this massive leap forward in home coffee excellence, you can now look forward to a high quality, strong and easy to prepare cup in the comfort of your own home, made from the same beans you love in the high street.

The secret is getting fresh beans ground, brewed and into your cup quickly. That’s why there will never be an instant coffee to rival fresh grinding – it starts to degrade almost immediately. On this site, we’ll have a look at this in more detail, and more importantly, what you can do about it. And as a quick spoiler, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised at how cheap it can be, in fact, it will be saving you money, as you’ll be spending far less at Starbucks!

Keeping Beans Fresh

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So, you’ve bought your brand new bean to cup coffee machine, you’ve bought some beans at the supermarket, or perhaps online, and now you’re making that first coffee. It’s an exciting time isn’t it? Let’s have a quick talk about something that many people make a mistake with early on in their bean-to-cup career.

Coffee beans are at their best fresh – that’s what makes the fresh coffee taste so incredible compared to a traditional home coffee. The moment you open that packet, the air (or more specifically the moisture in the air) starts to react with the beans and the degradation begins. That’s not to say it all needs to be used immediately – there’s a few things you can do to avoid drinking coffee made from stale beans for weeks to come. First and foremost, don’t buy huge packs of coffee beans unless you make (and perhaps drink) a lot of coffee. It can be tempting to think in terms of getting a bargain, but in my book, buying multiple kilos of beans to save a couple of quid is a false economy. I’d much rather spend a little more and drink fresh coffee – that’s why I bought such a great machine after all (I’ve got the Melitta Caffeo Bistro in case you’re wondering)! So – step one – buy sensibly.

Our second tip is to invest in a good air tight container. New Tupperware style tubs will do – but be sure they’re air tight. As soon as possible after opening the foil wrap on the beans, get them into the tub and shut them away. After filling your bean to cup machine, that is!

Finally, don’t overfill the machine with beans. It’s a common error of judgement – you need plenty in there to make the coffee you need, but it doesn’t need filling to the top every time unless necessary. The automatic machines do usually seal reasonably well, but the containers tend to be much larger than the size of airtight tub you’ll be keeping your beans in which means more air in the machine to affect the bean quality. Try to keep them air tight for as long as possible and you won’t go far wrong!

Fresh beans are not essential, but they do make a big difference to how good your drinks will taste. I can’t imagine why you’d not want to go to the extra effort, after all you’ve spent a few hundred pounds on the coffee maker, why not get the best possible results?

Choosing The Top Coffee Machines

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When you’re looking for the best coffee maker to put in your kitchen, there is surprisingly little to consider. The single biggest factor is likely to be the type of coffee you prefer, and that’s going to be whatever you choose on your visit to Costa. The most popular choices tend to be Espresso for the real die hard coffee fans, and for the more leisurely members of cafe culture, lattes and cappuccinos. There are also various other types that we come across from time to time, most commonly americano and mocha.

Each machine on the market aims to cater for particular types of coffee, with some of them being all rounders. If you like one type in particular, go for a specialist machine, as most experts agree that the generic machines that are able to do a wider range don’t excel in the same way for any one specific drink. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a machine to use when entertaining, the all rounders are a great choice.

Spend a good amount of time doing your research, as the purchase can be relatively expensive, so you’re not going to want to replace the machine in the next couple of years, it’s the kind of thing that you want to get right first time. Common brands include Sage, De’longhi and Melitta, and that last one has stormed through the ranks to take the top spot in many consumer tests recently, as you’ll learn in many of the Melitta reviews focusing on the machine. Their charm is as much in terms of looks as it is in taste, with their machines coming in a stylish design both in black and stainless steel finishes to suit almost any kitchen.

That’s not to say that it’s the best coffee maker for you, though, and as we said, we highly encourage a good amount of research to be completed before you buy. If you like coffee with milk, be sure to look for a good frothing arm, as they can make a huge difference by heating and giving a light foam effect to finish things off when making drinks. A good milk froth will really make it look impressive, and if you really want to go to town (figuratively speaking), you can get some ‘sprinkle stencils’ to add the chocolate powder patterns to the foam on your cappuccinos!

Finally, remember that practice makes perfect. Too many people expect to get the perfect cup of coffee right out of the box, and it just doesn’t work that way. You need to learn how to use the machine, develop your technique and choose the best coffee beans. It does mean you’ll need to drink plenty of coffee in the meantime – maybe just one more practice!