Choosing coffee becomes much easier once you start with the machine that's going to brew it.
A coffee that works beautifully through a manual espresso machine may require a completely different grind from one intended for filter brewing. An automatic coffee machine introduces another set of considerations, while a capsule machine requires an entirely different coffee format.
The first question therefore isn't necessarily:
Which coffee is best?
It's:
Which coffee is appropriate for my machine and the way I like to drink it?
Manual Espresso Machines
A manual or semi-automatic espresso machine gives you considerable control over extraction.
That also means grind size matters enormously.
Espresso normally requires a relatively fine grind, but there's no universal grind setting that works for every machine, grinder, basket and coffee.
If you're buying whole beans, you'll need a grinder capable of making sufficiently small and consistent adjustments for espresso.
If you're buying ground coffee, tell the roaster that it's intended for an espresso machine.
Blend or Single Origin for Espresso?
Both can work extremely well.
Coffee blends are often designed to create a particular balance of body, sweetness, flavour and consistency.
Single-origin coffees can provide more distinctive characteristics from an individual origin or lot.
Neither is inherently more suitable for espresso.
The better choice depends on the flavour you enjoy and whether you're drinking the coffee black or with milk.
Automatic Coffee Machines
Bean-to-cup automatic machines grind and brew the coffee internally.
Convenience is their great advantage, but they generally provide less control over extraction than a separate grinder and manual espresso machine.
Coffee with good body, sweetness and balanced flavour can work particularly well in automatic machines, especially when most drinks contain milk.
Extremely oily beans can also create problems in some automatic machines, so check the manufacturer's recommendations for your particular equipment.
Carlini produces coffees specifically suited to automatic machines, including Supa Auto.
And this time, that link actually goes to automatic-machine coffee.
Nespresso-Compatible Capsule Machines
Capsule machines don't use loose beans or ground coffee supplied by the customer.
The coffee has already been ground, dosed and sealed inside the capsule.
The important first step is therefore compatibility.
Carlini's compatible capsules are designed for Nespresso Original-style machines, not Nespresso Vertuo machines.
After compatibility, choose according to flavour and how you drink the coffee.
For milk-based drinks, you may prefer greater body and flavour intensity so the coffee remains noticeable after milk is added.
For espresso or black coffee, you might choose anything from a rich chocolate-driven profile to something sweeter or more distinctive.
Explore Carlini's Nespresso-compatible coffee capsules.
Filter and Pour-Over Coffee
Filter brewing generally uses a coarser grind than espresso, although the appropriate grind depends on the particular brewer and recipe.
Single origins are popular for filter because the brewing method can make individual coffee characteristics particularly easy to experience.
That doesn't mean filter coffee has to be lightly roasted or that blends can't be used.
Choose the coffee according to the flavour you want rather than assuming a particular roast level belongs exclusively to one brewing method.
Plunger and French Press
Plunger coffee generally benefits from a substantially coarser grind than espresso.
Using coffee that's too finely ground can increase sediment and make plunging more difficult.
A wide variety of roast styles, blends and single origins can work well.
Again, there isn't one mandatory “plunger roast”. The brewing method and grind need to be appropriate, but the flavour remains a matter of preference.
Whole Beans or Ground Coffee?
If you have a suitable grinder, whole beans give you the greatest control over grind size and allow you to grind immediately before brewing.
That's particularly valuable for espresso, where relatively small grind adjustments can significantly change extraction.
Pre-ground coffee can still be a perfectly practical choice.
The important thing is having it ground appropriately for your brewing equipment.
“Ground coffee” isn't one universal specification. Espresso, filter and plunger require substantially different grind characteristics.
When ordering professionally ground coffee, specify how you're going to brew it.
Don't Choose Coffee by Roast Level Alone
Terms such as light, medium and dark roast are useful descriptions, but they aren't universal standards.
One roaster's medium can resemble another roaster's dark.
Roast darkness also shouldn't be confused automatically with coffee strength or caffeine content.
If you want coffee for milk, look for sufficient body and flavour intensity.
If you drink espresso or black coffee, consider the flavour characteristics you actually enjoy.
Chocolate, caramel, nuts, fruit, florals, spice and acidity can all appear in different coffees.
The darkest coffee isn't automatically the strongest, and the lightest isn't automatically the most sophisticated.
Match the Coffee to the Drink
The machine is only half of the equation.
The other half is what you're making with it.
Flat White, Latte and Cappuccino
Milk dilutes the concentration of the espresso and changes how its flavours are perceived.
Many milk-coffee drinkers therefore prefer coffees with good body and enough flavour intensity to remain present through the milk.
Espresso and Short Black
Without milk, the coffee itself becomes more exposed.
This is where sweetness, acidity, body, bitterness and individual flavour characteristics become particularly noticeable.
Long Black
A balanced espresso coffee can work very well as a long black.
Rather than simply forcing excessive water through the coffee, make an appropriate espresso extraction and add hot water separately.
Freshness and Storage
Coffee doesn't suddenly require a different storage system because it's July.
The fundamentals remain the same throughout the year.
Protect roasted coffee from excessive exposure to:
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Oxygen
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Heat
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Moisture
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Direct sunlight
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Strong surrounding odours
Keep the bag properly sealed and store it somewhere cool and dry.
A kitchen cupboard away from the oven and direct sunlight is generally preferable to leaving coffee exposed on the bench.
There's usually no need to refrigerate the bag you're opening every day.
How Much Coffee Should You Buy?
Freshness doesn't mean coffee must be consumed immediately after roasting.
Freshly roasted coffee releases carbon dioxide after roasting and can benefit from an appropriate resting period, particularly for espresso.
But roasted coffee also doesn't improve indefinitely.
Buy quantities that make sense for your actual consumption rather than accumulating months of roasted coffee simply to obtain a lower price per kilogram.
Choosing the Right Coffee
There's no single coffee that's best for every machine.
Start with the brewing system:
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Manual espresso machine
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Automatic bean-to-cup machine
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Capsule machine
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Filter or pour-over brewer
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Plunger
Then consider whether you're using whole beans, professionally ground coffee or capsules.
Finally, choose according to the way you drink coffee and the flavours you actually enjoy.
Carlini roasts coffee for a range of brewing methods in Melbourne, including blends and single-origin coffees available as whole beans or ground to suit different equipment.
If you're unsure what to order, tell us which machine or brewing method you're using and how you normally drink your coffee.