Espresso Machine Coffee
- Monsoon Malabar CoffeeMonsoon Malabar, a wonderful variety from our Asian coffee range, is picked in the Malabar region of India, one of the wettest regions of southern India, undergoes an especially unique process to bring out the beans' fullest flavours. Straight after being harvested the Malabar beans are transported to open warehouses along the Malabar Coast, where they will be exposed to the harsh, moist winds of the area's monsoons for around three to four months. While they are stored in these open ...
From £14.99★★★★★1200 Review(s) - Golden Crema CoffeeThis is the crème de la crème of coffee blends, a robust, rich and bold coffee of the highest quality to spoil yourself with at any time of day. The strong blend makes an exquisite espresso that could be just the thing to give yourself a midday pick-me-up, but if you want to enjoy this treat to its fullest then use it as a base for all your favourite filter coffees: the luxurious texture is brought to the forefront when you add steamed milk, creating creamy, silky lattes and cappuccinos that ...
From £14.99★★★★★906 Review(s) - Italian CoffeeThe same blend as our Continental coffee, but roasted slightly lighter so that the same great flavour is produced without the oily characteristics, making it ideal for smooth and intense espressos. While our Italian is classed as a strong coffee and is best enjoyed as an espresso, you don't need to feel restricted to that single drink. Why not start the day with Italian coffee beans as a base for your favourite filter coffees, and enjoy a powerful, full-flavoured experience. The perfect ...
From £13.99★★★★★494 Review(s) - Dark Decaffeinated Colombian CoffeeIf you're looking for a quality decaf coffee that doesn't sacrifice on strength and intense flavours, then our Dark Decaffeinated Colombian is for you. Ideal for deep, aromatic espressos, these beans offer the rich and luxurious flavour of chocolate and produce wonderfully full-bodied coffees that won't be keeping you up all night. Our Dark Decaffeinated Colombian is roasted on order, so it will arrive to you as fresh as possible, bursting with intoxicating aromas and packed full of flavour, ...
From £14.99★★★★★413 Review(s) - Swiss Water Decaffeinated CoffeeDecaffeinated coffee is ideal for those who want to enjoy their favourite blends at any time of day, without the effects of caffeine, however the process of removing caffeine from a bean can also remove much of the bean's flavour. That's why the Swiss Water Process is a favourite method of decaffeinating coffee: it doesn't remove the flavour and strength of coffee beans in the act of removing the caffeine, and doesn't use any chemicals. In the method, coffee beans are first soaked in hot ...
From £19.99★★★★★525 Review(s) - Arabica Supremo CoffeeAn extraordinary, complex blend of 100% Arabica beans from five different coffee-growing locations across the world, puts Arabica Supremo high on the list of the finest blends to be created. Deep, rich and smooth, with an exotic, spicy aroma, the recipe for this ingenious mix of high quality, expertly roasted beans is a well-kept secret, but once tried, you’ll be left in no doubt as to how amazing it tastes. Arabica Supremo is roasted dark, with a strength level of 8/10, and flavour and ...
From £19.99★★★★★249 Review(s) - Director's CoffeeWith an intense, spicy taste and a wonderfully full body, this Sumatran-based blend is ideal for espressos, packing a strong punch that's not often encountered in blends, yet retaining a complexity of flavours that's not always easy to find in stronger coffees. The big, powerful flavours of Director's linger superbly on the tongue, but aren't so oppressive that you can't enjoy this blend filtered or prepared with a cafetiere. Our Director's blend is especially good for those who enjoy a bit ...
From £14.99★★★★★269 Review(s) - Old Brown Java CoffeeIdeal for espresso, our strong Old Brown Java beans are aged as green beans for at least two years before being roasted, giving the coffee a heavier body and a powerful flavour, but very little acidity. The process of ageing beans is popular among many Javanese coffee producers and can last for as long as three years, during which green beans may be 'monsooned' by being exposed to the warm, moist air of the rainy seasons. As the green beans age they often begin to turn to a light brown ...
From £14.99★★★★★359 Review(s) - Coffee of the MonthGet 50% off your first delivery. Enter code WELCOME50 at checkout! New customer subscriptions only. Cannot be used with any other discount codes or offers A Different Coffee Every Month Our expert roasters select a particular variety from our extensive range each month, and roast to order by hand giving you the freshest coffee available. Suitable for All Brewing Methods Every coffee selected is suitable for all brewing methods - from bean-to-cup, espresso machines, cafetieres and siphons, ...
From £14.99★★★★★54 Review(s) - Dark Colombian CoffeeOur Dark Colombian is a slightly stronger coffee than our Colombian Medium Roast, which makes it more versatile as it is suitable for cafetiere use, filter coffees and intense espressos. Again using Medellin Excelso, from Colombia's Cordillera Central in the Andes, this excellent coffee really does display some of the finer qualities of the renowned Colombian coffee bean: a rich aroma, luxurious depth and sweet flavours of fruit and chocolate. These Colombian beans benefit from being grown ...
From £14.99★★★★★189 Review(s) - Blue Sumatra CoffeeThis strong Indonesian coffee comes from Sumatra, the second largest of the Indonesian islands, and is considered among the finest examples from the region. Indonesia itself is the fourth largest coffee producer in the world, and the longitude and latitude of the country make for particularly well suited micro-climates in producing a diverse, flavoursome variety of beans. In fact, depending on the region, Indonesian coffees are known to be imbued with flavours of cocoa, smoke, cedar wood, ...
From £15.99★★★★★295 Review(s) - Barista Reserve CoffeeThis sweet and mellow blend is an excellent all-round coffee that is highly recommended for business meetings, professional events and other situations where you want a flexible coffee that will suit everyone's tastes. The blend offers subtle flavours that are delicious, yet unimposing, and without much bitterness or acidity, making a smooth, very enjoyable coffee. The medium strength beans mean that this blend is suitable for all filter coffees and can be enjoyed straight from the ...
From £14.99★★★★★287 Review(s) - Java Santos CoffeeThis blend of Indonesian Java and Brazilian Santos creates a wonderfully strong coffee that's full of flavour, but without any bitterness. Java, or Kopi Jawa as Indonesians refer to it, is typically a strong, slightly sweet coffee, and it works wonders here with the light body and low acidity of Santos. The balance of flavours creates an indulgent blend that's best enjoyed as an espresso, but can also be used in a cafetiere or as a base for your favourite filter coffees.
From £14.99★★★★★168 Review(s) - Continental CoffeeThis strong coffee is full of character and perfect for those who enjoy powerful, dark roasts that pack a punch. Our Continental is the darkest roasted coffee we offer and, while perhaps not for the faint hearted, offers a divine combination of heady aromas and rich, oily, well-balanced flavours. Given the strength of this wonderful coffee, we would recommend it mainly for intense espressos, although it can also be used to make rich filter coffees that will carry a very mild acidity and ...
From £13.99★★★★★224 Review(s) - Caffè Marcos CoffeeOur premier blend of expertly roasted coffees from the very finest plantations in Central and South America, mixed with complex tones from African and Indian speciality beans for a deep, rich and full-bodied coffee. A slight hint of acidity is balanced beautifully with a mellow flavour in what we consider to be one of our greatest ever blends. Perfectly suitable for an exquisite espresso, Caffè Marcos forms the ideal base for all manner of coffee drinks. With a strength level of 8/10, ...
From £19.99★★★★★106 Review(s) - Guatemala Swiss Water Decaffeinated CoffeeGuatemala Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee offers the typical taste profile of a Guatemalan coffee, but without the caffeine, so it can be enjoyed at any time of the day or evening. It is produced using the ingenious Swiss Water Decaffeination Process, a method that removes caffeine from coffee without the use of chemicals, and without losing the wonderful flavours contained in quality Arabica beans. It is a medium bodied cup with good acidity, a rich aroma, and hints of citrus and caramel. ...
From £22.99★★★★★70 Review(s) - Dark Maragogype CoffeeThe coffee industry in Guatemala began to develop in the 1850s, with small plantations flourishing. Cultivation of coffee and the country's coffee industry was given a sizeable boost during the Liberal Revolution of 1871, when goals of modernisation and trade improvements caused the bean to become an especially important crop. To this day coffee remains one of Guatemala's main exports, along with sugar, textiles and bananas. The particular bean used in our medium and mellow Dark Maragogype ...
From £18.99★★★★★125 Review(s) - Papua New Guinea CoffeeCoffee in Papua New Guinea is mostly cultivated in the country's five highlands provinces; Western Highlands, Eastern Highlands, Simbu, Morobe and East Sepik. As a relatively small producer of coffee, Papua New Guinea generally sources its harvested beans from small land holdings, or 'coffee gardens', owned by farmers, which are located largely in isolated areas that do not require synthetic fertilisers or pesticides. Our Papua New Guinea coffee has a distinctive chocolate and nut flavour, ...
From £14.99★★★★★87 Review(s) - Buckaroo CoffeeNot for the faint-hearted, our Buckaroo Blend is strong, darkly roasted and straight to the point, with a kick that's sure to get you moving first thing in the morning. While this blend is great in filter coffees, it really comes alive as an espresso, where the deep, rich aromas and powerful flavours are brought right to the forefront, giving your senses a wonderful wake-up call and lingering on the tongue long afterwards. Roasted to order, our Buckaroo blend will be delivered to you with ...
From £13.99★★★★★104 Review(s) - Brazil Ipanema CoffeeExclusively prepared bourbon variety cherry beans. This unique coffee, grown in the Sul de Minas Gerais region of Brazil, to the Northwest of Rio, is slightly citric, has noticeable acidity and evident floral overtones. Its soft, mellow and sweet taste stands alone, producing distinct fragrances and aromas. The aftertaste is long, pleasant and almondy. Brazil Ipanema is suitable for all brewing methods, but excels in espresso-based drinks in particular. Want to read more about Brazil Ipanema ...
From £15.99★★★★★76 Review(s)
Your Essential Guide to Espresso Machine Coffee
For many connoisseurs, the espresso is the purest distillation of coffee, capturing the true essence of the bean. If you’re someone who savours a short-sharp caffeine boost, we strongly recommend investing in an espresso coffee machine. We guarantee it will become your best friend in the kitchen.
From step-by-step brewing instructions to the best espresso makers on the market, check out our indispensable guide to becoming a budding barista in your own home.
The Java Jargon Decoder
Here are a few terms that may come in handy as we explore coffee for espresso machines.
- Portafilter - The part of the device that holds the ground beans before and during the brewing process.
- Puck - The round disk of grounds created when the coffee is compressed into the basket.
- Tamping - Tamping is the process of tightly squeezing down and compacting the grounds in the portafilter with a tamper.
- Under-extracted - When you don’t dissolve enough desirable particles into your drink, resulting in a weak, sour or astringent taste.
What is an espresso?
This type of coffee refers to the preparation process of blasting near-boiling, pressurised water over highly compacted coffee grounds to deliver a concentrated brew with a sophisticated, robust flavour. Served in a one drink shot or used as a base for some of your favourite recipes, this sort of coffee delivers an intense and flavour-packed hit of java.
How to grind coffee for espresso
When it comes to how fine to grind your beans, a super fine grind is key. The pressure of the pump mechanism means maximum flavour can only be extracted from finely ground coffee beans. You’ll know if your grounds are too coarse if you find yourself with a weak and under-extracted brew.
How to make espressos
- Get your superfine ground coffee ready and measure out around 18-21g or whatever your manufacturer recommends.
- Tamp the coffee firmly and evenly until it’s tightly compacted in the portafilter.
- Engage your puck and turn on the pump for about 18-23 seconds for a perfect brew, although you should always refer to the manufacturer’s guidelines in respect of your appliance.
- Drink it neat for a quick pick-me-up or add as milk for a creamy latte or cappuccino.
What is the best espresso maker?
If you’re looking for a quality home coffee machine, you are spoilt for choice whatever your price range. We stock a range of quality, Italian-made Gaggia espresso makers. These beautifully made machines, available in a range of models and colours, include features such as professional group and filter holders, steam wands, solenoid valve, traditional Gaggia boilers and 15 bar pump, allowing you to create perfect espresso with every use.
What is the best coffee for espressos?
For the best coffee for an espresso maker, Coffee Direct offers a wide range of over 60 espresso-perfect varieties. Some of our customer favourites include blends such as Monsoon Malabar, Golden Crema and Swiss Water Decaffeinated.
Each delivery can be ground to order, so your delectable item is instantly ready to use, or you can request whole beans if you prefer to grind your own. To choose your delivery grind preference, simply select the type of bean you’d like in our drop-down menu when purchasing your roast.
FAQs
What is the difference between espressos and regular coffee?
Espresso coffee is all about the method of preparation. Unlike regular coffee, this type of brew is made by forcing pressurised hot water over highly compact and superfine grounds.
Can you use ground coffee in electric espresso devices?
No. The issue with using regular coffee grounds (such as those you use for your filter coffee) is that they will be too coarse, leaving you with an under-extracted brew. If you’d like to get your coffee grounds exactly right, Coffee Direct grind to measure. Just select ‘espresso’ in our drop-down menu when purchasing your coffee, and you will be sent perfectly sized grounds for your espresso device.
What is the best espresso machine for beginners?
When it comes to a beginner’s espresso coffee machine, the best option for you should match your brewing needs and be easy to use. For example, if you like to use your espressos as a base, some have pre-programmed drinks menus, as well as an in-built milk frother so you can make lattes and cappuccinos.
If you hate the thought of messy grounds or coffee grinders, a machine that supports capsule pods may be a good choice for minimal mess.
If you're not too tech-savvy, you may want to avoid that one super fancy model touted as the best coffee machine that money can buy (aka the sort of coffee machines that feel like you're playing video games they’ve got so many buttons).