When you know, you know. You’ve taken a sip and realised: this is the coffee for me. With plenty of coffee to choose from, finding your coffee can feel a little overwhelming. With just a few simple pointers, you can get on the right track and have the confidence to explore for yourself. Let us help with the search for your new favourite coffee by asking these three simple questions...
1. Want to skip right to it?
If pointers aren’t your thing and you want us to give you the answers...take our Perfect Coffee Quiz. Crafted by our Quality Team, answer five short questions to see which of our core range we think suits you best. Try it here now.
2. How do you brew?
With great coffee and a good brewing recipe, you’re guaranteed a delicious cup. Some brewing methods will accentuate certain qualities in coffee, which is something we believe is key to enjoying the best of coffee. Here are a few tips on coffees we would suggest for these brew methods.
Which brewer do you have at home? Take a look below for our tips on coffees which may suit it best.
Cafetière or French Press
Great for: A lot of different coffees, a real all-rounder. If you enjoy a dash of milk in your coffee – the cafetière produces a heavy, punchy brew which pairs nicely with milk
Typical characteristics: Full bodied mouthfeel, bold flavours and accentuated sweetness
Top coffee pick: Blends and low acidity single origins like Bobolink and Gajah Mountain
How to brew: Our method here
Pour over
Great for: Enjoying the best of light roast coffees with exciting and complex flavour notes
Typical characteristics: Complex, delicate with accentuated brightness
Top coffee pick: Limited edition microlots and bright single origins like Yirgacheffe
How to brew: Our method here
Espresso and bean to cup machines
Great for: Enjoying with and without milk, and as a base in an iced coffee
Typical characteristics: Intense flavour, creamy and full-bodied
Top coffee pick: Opting for a milky drink like a latte or flat white? Go for a nutty, chocolatey blend like Revelation or single origin like Bobolink. If you enjoy your espresso black or as a base for an Americano, a higher acidity or lighter roast single origin will produce a more nuanced, complex beverage – perhaps Maraba or Timana. If you love to explore different flavours, keep an eye out for our limited edition microlots which provide alternative flavours to spice up your espresso.
How to brew: Our method here
Stovetops or Moka Pots
Great for: Creating an espresso-like intensity without the machine! Perfect enjoyed short and black or with a dash of milk.
Typical characteristics: Heavy bodied, dense and intense
Top coffee pick: Chocolatey medium to dark roast blends or darker roasted single origins like Gajah Mountain
How to brew: Our method here
3. With milk or black?
Adding a splash of milk or drinking a milky espresso beverage like a flat white or latte, will add another layer to the flavours of coffee. Some coffees have notes which are complimented by milk while others are best left as they come. Here are our pointers with what we think works best with milk and alternatives, and without.
With milk or milk alternatives
Adding milk to coffee can enhance different notes or create a new flavour entirely. Picking the right coffee to enjoy the best of milk is essential, as in many cases it can spoil others.
While coffee has a reputation of being punchy, milk also has a dense, heavy flavour and mouthfeel. To balance the milk, we recommend coffees with high body and sweetness. This can range across several different coffees from medium to dark roast coffees with chocolate or caramel notes to balanced single origins all the way to limited edition microlots.
Take a look at our selection of blends which have been carefully roasted and blended for not only you at home, but used up and down the country in coffee shops – perfect for milk. If you’re after a single origin, try Liberacion or Bobolink to enjoy their chocolatey and nutty notes.
Without milk
To enjoy the true notes of a coffee’s origin and processing, we suggest opting for light roast coffees. The darker we roast, the more caramelised the flavours become, the more the notes of the roasting process become more prominent. Try a microlot to experience the weird, wonderful and complex flavours of origin or opt for a light roast single origin.
Want to up your game? Try using a V60 brewer to discover the definition in the flavours!
Find the coffee for you. Try our Perfect Coffee Quiz. Crafted by our Quality Team, answer five short questions to see which of our core range we think suits you best. Try it here now.
