• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Coffee Review

The World's Leading Coffee Guide

Advanced Search

  • Reviews
    • Latest Reviews
    • Top-Rated (94+)
    • Espressos
    • Best Values
    • Top 30 Coffees of 2022
    • Taiwan Coffees – 台灣送評的咖啡豆
    • Pods and Capsules
    • Reviews by Country of Origin
    • Reviews by U.S. City
    • Green/Unroasted
    • Advanced Search
  • Reports
    • Latest Reports
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia-Pacific
    • Espressos
    • Annual Top 30
    • Processing Method
    • Social/Environmental
    • Tree Variety
    • Blends
  • Equipment
    • Interpreting Equipment Ratings
  • Journal
    • Preview – 2023 Tasting Reports
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
    • How Coffee Review Works
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Kenneth Davids
    • Our Team
    • Our Advertisers
    • Our Sponsors
    • Learn
      • Interpreting Coffee Reviews
      • Reference
      • Glossary
    • Contact Us
  • Trade
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
    • Becoming an Advertiser
    • Campaign Package Deals
    • Getting Coffees Reviewed
    • Quoting Reviews
    • Award Certificates
    • 2023 Media Kit
  • 中文 – Chinese
    • 評介和獎章宣傳使用條款
    • 台灣送評的咖啡豆
    • 如何將您的咖啡送評
    • “行銷攻略” 促銷活動
  • Members
    • WHY BECOME A MEMBER?
    • Member Benefits
    • Our Sponsors
    • Programs and Initiatives
    • Member Support

Shop for top-rated coffees at Durango Coffee Company

Shop for No. 1 coffee of 2021 at Paradise Roasters

Shop for top-rated coffees at Amavida Coffee Roasters

Shop for Top-rated coffees at Barrington Coffee Roasters

Shop for top-rated coffees at Kakalove in Taiwan

Shop for top-rated coffees at GoCoffeeGo

Shop for 93-point Yemen coffee at Baba Java


Buying Espresso : Whole Beans for Espresso

Buying coffees as whole beans and grinding them just before brewing is by far the best alternative for espresso drinkers who are serious about quality. Buying whole-bean coffees and having them ground at the store is probably second-best.

Whole-bean coffees offer almost infinitely more choice for espresso brewing, and produce (in most cases) a fresher, richer, more fragrant beverage.

Whole-bean coffees are sold in two forms: fresh in bulk from bins and in foil valve bags. The valve bags are designed to protect the coffee from both moisture and oxygen, the two sources of staling in coffee. The oxygen is usually flushed from the bags by using an inert gas like nitrogen before the freshly roasted coffee is dropped into the bag and the bag sealed. Freshly roasted coffee produces carbon dioxide, which is trapped inside the bag, further protecting the coffee from oxygen. The valve imbedded in the bag allows excess carbon dioxide to escape and prevents the bag from inflating.

Furthermore, simply because a coffee is sold in bulk from a bin doesn’t mean it’s freshly roasted. Starbucks, for example, packages its bulk coffees in valve bags. Clerks simply open the bags and dump the coffee into the bins.

Ultimately, whether the coffee appears in bags or bins, it comes down to trusting your taste buds and trusting the store. Specialized coffee stores with high volumes are almost always more reliable sources than supermarkets. Stores with high volumes are typically more trustworthy than new stores with low volumes. Stores that roast on premises can be the best place of all to buy whole-bean coffees, assuming the roasting is done right. Locations of specialty coffee stores can usually be found in telephone classified pages under the retail coffee heading.

  • Introduction
  • Pre-Ground, Canned Blends
  • Espresso Pods
  • Whole Beans for Espresso
  • Around the World in a Demitasse
  • Primary Sidebar

    Shop for top-rated coffees at Durango Coffee Company

    Shop for No. 1 coffee of 2021 at Paradise Roasters

    Shop for top-rated coffees at Amavida Coffee Roasters

    Shop for Top-rated coffees at Barrington Coffee Roasters

    Shop for top-rated coffees at Kakalove in Taiwan

    Shop for top-rated coffees at GoCoffeeGo

    Shop for 93-point Yemen coffee at Baba Java

    Become an advertiser

    Get Coffees Reviewed

     

    Shop for No. 1 coffee of 2021 at Paradise Roasters

    Connect with Us

    Sign Up for Our Free E-Newsletter

    Enter your email address below to receive our free e-mail newsletter
    • Coffee Reviews
    • Tasting Reports
    • Reference
    • Glossary
    • Please Support Our Advertisers
    • Contact Us
    • Journal
    • Kenneth Davids
    • Interpreting Coffee Reviews
    • Roast Definitions
    • Caveats about Coffee Ratings
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Getting Coffees Reviewed
    • Advertising Opportunities
    • Quoting Reviews
    • Copyright
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Site Security

    Copyright © 2023 Coffee Review. All Rights Reserved.