If you are very, very serious about how your coffee tastes every single time, it is better not to rely on the mediocracy of instant coffee. Instant coffee might be easy and fast to prepare, but the taste isn’t much when compared to specialty coffee. So, if you want your coffee to always taste perfect, the right idea would be to invest in some good coffee beans.
A lot depends on the right coffee bean, whether you are using a coffee machine or even mixing instant coffee. When high-quality coffee beans are used in the manufacturing process, it greatly affects the taste of the coffee. The quality of coffee depends a lot on what coffee bean you have chosen, especially when you are using a coffee machine to make it. Therefore, whenever you are using a coffee machine at home or at work, it is very important to pay attention to the coffee beans.
Why Isn’t Instant Coffee Enough?
A huge population around the world rely on the ease of convenience that instant coffee brings with it. In a sachet or in a jar, instant coffee is “soluble coffee” that just needs a cup of hot water to prepare. This kind of coffee gives the drinker an adequate caffeine boost and some form of aroma, but without the unique taste of specialty coffee.
When the right coffee beans are used in your coffee machine, it will give your drink just the right amount of texture, aroma and flavor every serious coffee drinker craves. The same experience isn’t possible with instant coffee, regardless of the brand and the price range.
Almost all instant coffee brands come with more or less the same amount of caffeine content and similar taste, which cannot be compared to the qualities of specialty coffee.
For actual coffee lovers and coffee aficionados around the world, instant coffee is simply not enough to satisfy their cravings.
How Does a Coffee Machine Make Great Coffee?
When you are very serious about your coffee needs, a good coffee machine is a right choice to make. While there are many options to choose from, it’s the coffee machines from the most reputed brands that give the best tasting coffee.
Some machines – usually the cheaper models – only come with the barest functions and features needed to make strong coffee, while the more expensive models can bring out the best from any coffee blend. Large and professional-quality coffee machines, especially the ones that are used in cafes and restaurants – make the best tasting coffee while most inexpensive home coffee makers can give a taste slightly better and stronger than instant coffee.
A home coffee maker is a simple kitchen appliance, easy to use, understand, clean and store.
The reservoir inside the coffee maker holds the water that needs to be poured into the machine before making each batch of coffee. The freshly ground coffee powder goes into another compartment, separate from each other. Once the machine is turned on, the water is heated to the ideal temperature needed to make the coffee. The boiling hot water is then sprayed on the coffee powder, saturating the ground coffee and carrying the intense flavor – in a liquid form – down to the cup waiting at the bottom of the machine.
The process is a relatively simple one, but it gives the user the chance to enjoy the true flavor of the coffee beans they are using. Because freshly ground coffee beans are used in a coffee machine instead of instant coffee, the end result is stronger, more aromatic and full of flavor. Instead of the dehydrated caffeine flavor found from instant coffee, using a coffee machine at home or at the workplace gives the coffee lover a fresher and fuller taste of the original coffee beans used.
How Important is Using the Right Coffee Beans in a Coffee Machine?
Undoubtedly, the right coffee beans are a dominant factor to make the best use of your coffee machine.
Without high-quality coffee beans, even the most expensive coffee maker will only be able to produce mediocre tasting coffee, which is why it is important to take the coffee beans into consideration.
The same coffee beans can be used to manufacture high-quality roasted coffee and moderate-tasting instant coffee, as the manufacturing process is what makes the most difference. In the case of using a coffee machine, too, the right kind of coffee beans is what’s going to give the user the best-quality coffee drink. While the coffee machine itself is an important factor, the coffee beans too are also a crucial factor.
What to Consider When Buying the Right Coffee Beans for Yourself?
Both a coffee machine and the right coffee beans are important when you want that unique taste that only specialty coffee can give you, which is mainly the work of the perfect coffee beans. When you have already invested in a state-of-the-art and expensive coffee machine, the next step would of course be to find the right coffee beans for the machine, so that you can get a perfect cup of coffee every single time.
There are actually some factors that are important to remember when you are selecting a bag of coffee beans, wherever you are in the world and whatever your coffee preferences are:
- The Roasting Date
Coffee beans don’t have an expiration date; they have an amazing shelf life which starts to decline only when you open the bag for the first time. Coffee beans will start to go stale only when it comes into contact with oxygen, which doesn’t happen before you open the pack. Therefore, for the freshest possible choice, it is important to choose coffee beans that have been roasted no more than 3 weeks ago.
Coffee Species
Although there are over 100 different species of coffee beans, the most popular ones are Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora/Robusta. Even between these two, Coffea Arabica makes up more than 75% of the world’s total coffee production and is known for its health benefits and unique taste.
Coffea Arabica also contains a higher caffeine content and is a favorite among coffee aficionados who love their coffee drinks to be strong. For use in coffee machines, freshly roasted Coffea Arabica is therefore more suitable for all kinds of coffee drinks.
Origin
There are two origins to choose from when it comes to coffee beans: single-origin which means that the beans come from a single estate, and blend origin, i.e. a blend of two or more species of coffee beans. While single origin coffee beans each have their own unique taste and aroma, blend origins can be roasted and brewed to achieve a more experimental taste. For coffee drinkers who mix milk or other flavor to their coffee, a blended origin is a better choice.
The Roasting Level
The level of how much the coffee beans have been roasted determines its taste as the end result. “Medium roast” – which is the most common type of roast – is suitable for a strong cup of Espresso, while others like a much darker roast. However, the more that coffee beans are roasted, the more they lose their original flavor and their caffeine content. Therefore, if you are using a coffee machine, the taste you are looking for in your coffee will somewhat depend on the roast of the coffee beans you have chosen.
How to Buy the Right Coffee Bean for your Coffee Machine?
Apart from your personal preferences, the kind of coffee maker or coffee machine you have is also an important consideration to buy the right coffee beans.
- If you are using a plunger coffee machine, a simple single-blend, medium roast coffee bean should be the right choice.
For a stove top kettle-like coffee maker, it is better to buy single origin, medium or dark roast coffee beans.
If you have a portable filter maker, coffee beans that are most suited for Espresso shots should be the best option.
On the other hand, if you are using a proper electrical Espresso machine only for making espresso drinks, any kind of medium roast would do.
If you use your Espresso machine to make lattes, some medium roast coffee beans are milder in flavor and react well with milk.
It is the combined efforts of a good coffee machine and coffee beans that gives an aficionado the perfect cup of coffee every single day, which is why it’s very important to choose the best coffee beans for your machine.
