pre ground coffee is simply a waste of money, sorry

in terms of the bean the first requirement is that they have been freshly roasted, regardless of what they are

the next point is the beans themselves. most espresso roasts have traditionally been a blend of beans, the idea being that no 1 single bean provides the perfect cup of espresso

however at Londinium Espresso we have put considerable effort into developing single origin roasts, giving you the opportunity to experience the unique characteristics of each bean around the world

it must be made clear that a great number of coffee beans are not suitable as single origin espresso, in fact they are just foul when put through the espresso process

the other thing is coffee beans fall into 2 main types, arabica & robusta. Robusta is generally regarded as inferior to arabica beans, although i think it is fair to say that the best robusta is probably superior to the worst arabica

most espresso blends will contain a small amount of robusta, and this should not be dismissed as a bad thing necessarily, probably around 10-13%, as it greatly assists the ease with which crema can be produced on the coffee

finally, while italy is one of my favourite places to visit dont believe the hype that all italian coffee is great, unless you believe that all italian cars are ferraris; it simply isnt the case. find yourself a local gourmet coffee roaster & you will generally find great coffee

what kind of coffee beans do you need to make Espresso? | Barenostrum