- What makes a coffee bean good for espresso
- The best coffee beans for espresso, matched to how you drink it
- Beans for cappuccino, flat white and other milk coffees
- How to dial in a new bag of espresso beans
- Frequently asked questions
Key takeaways
- Espresso forces hot water through finely ground coffee at around nine bars of pressure in 25 to 30 seconds, so the beans need to be roasted for that job.
- We roast our espresso coffees to a medium to dark profile, which softens sharp acidity and builds sweetness and body.
- For cappuccinos and flat whites, a well-developed blend is often the most reliable choice, because it is built to cut through steamed milk.
- Single origins, coffees from one farm, region or country, can work as espresso but need more careful dialling in: the grind and recipe adjustments that get a shot tasting right.
- Each of our espresso coffees comes with a recipe: dose (coffee in), yield (espresso out) and shot time.
What makes a coffee bean good for espresso
Espresso is a small, concentrated shot. A pump forces hot water through tightly packed, finely ground coffee at around nine bars of pressure, and the shot runs in 25 to 30 seconds. Filter coffee relies on gravity and takes two to six minutes, as our guide to filter vs espresso explains.
That speed and force change what a bean needs to do.
- Roast for pressure. A fast, high-pressure extraction is less forgiving of sharp acidity and delicate top notes, which can turn harsh. We roast espresso medium to dark to soften that acidity and build sweetness and body.
- Temperature to match. Medium to dark roasts are more soluble than light roasts, so pulling them slightly cooler helps keep bitterness in check. Our blend recipes sit at 94 degrees, inside the usual 88 to 96 degree range.
- Freshness you can see. Crema, the golden-brown foam on a shot, forms when pressure pushes carbon dioxide out of the coffee and emulsifies it with oils and water. Thin or pale crema usually points to stale beans, a grind that is off, or water that is too cool.
- Consistency. Espresso runs in a narrow window. A well-built blend can deliver body, sweetness, crema and balance, bag after bag.
The best coffee beans for espresso, matched to how you drink it
Our five signature blends each have an espresso recipe on their product page and in our brew guides.
| Coffee | Tasting notes | How we describe it | Recipe: in, out, time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penny Lane | Salted caramel, dark chocolate, cinnamon | Smooth and approachable, built for rich, sweet milk coffees | 22.5g, 46g, 28 to 32 sec |
| Poker Face | Dark chocolate fudge, burnt sugar, fig | Bold and big-bodied with a golden crema, made to blend with milk | 23g, 40g, 26 to 30 sec |
| Paper Moon | Black cherry, plum, chocolate | Bold and powerful, comes alive in milk and still rewards black drinkers | 22.5g, 46g, 28 sec |
| Purple Rain | Apricot, chocolate almond, brown sugar | Smooth and versatile, punchy in milk and still shines black | 22.5g, 44g, 28 to 32 sec |
| Picasso Baby | Blackberry, cola, dark chocolate | Sparkling and bright, with a juicy, silky body | 22.5g, 46g, 26 to 29 sec |
Every recipe in the table is brewed at 94 degrees.
- Chocolate and caramel, or fruit? Penny Lane and Poker Face lean towards chocolate, caramel and sugar. Paper Moon, Purple Rain and Picasso Baby bring fruit.
- Mostly black? We describe Purple Rain and Paper Moon as good black as well as in milk.
- Can't decide? A Paradox Blend Box holds a 200g bag of each of the five blends, or a trio of Penny Lane, Paper Moon and Poker Face. Our coffee match quiz can also suggest one for your taste.
Prefer variety? Each month we release a single origin roasted for espresso. Browse our current single origins.
Beans for cappuccino, flat white and other milk coffees
In a cappuccino, flat white or latte, the shot has to cut through steamed milk and still taste of coffee. A medium to dark roast builds the body and richness that hold up against milk, and a well-developed blend keeps each cup consistent.
Penny Lane is designed for rich, bold and sweet milk coffees. Poker Face is bold, big-bodied and made to blend with milk. Paper Moon comes alive in milk.
Purple Rain is the all-rounder: punchy in milk, and still good black.
Fresh beans matter here too. Crema is the surface latte art is poured on, and thin crema often signals stale coffee.
How to dial in a new bag of espresso beans
Every new bag needs dialling in, and so does an ageing one: a two-week-old bean behaves differently from a four-week-old bean at the same grind setting.
- Start with the recipe. Weigh your dose and yield, and time the shot. Most of our blend recipes run close to a 1:2 ratio.
- Change one thing at a time. Grind is the first lever. Move it slightly, pull another shot and taste again.
- Tamp level. Tamping presses the ground coffee evenly into the portafilter. An uneven tamp lets water channel through the weak spot, so part of the coffee over-extracts and part under-extracts.
- Keep the grinder clean. Old grounds and oils affect the flavour of fresh coffee. Our grinder maintenance guide covers the routine.
Use this table to read the shot.
| What you taste | Likely cause | Try this first |
|---|---|---|
| Sour, sharp or thin | Under-extraction: water moved through too quickly | Grind slightly finer |
| Bitter, harsh or dry | Over-extraction: water lingered too long | Grind slightly coarser |
| Sour and bitter in the same shot | Uneven extraction, often an uneven tamp | Level your tamp |
| Flat, with thin or pale crema | Stale beans, a grind that is off, or water too cool | Check the roast date, then the grind |
| Different every morning | A recipe that drifts | Weigh your dose and yield every time |
For the language behind all of this, see our guide to coffee brewing terms.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best coffee beans for cappuccino?
Beans roasted for espresso with milk in mind: usually a medium to dark roast blend with the body and sweetness to cut through steamed milk. From our range, Penny Lane, Poker Face and Paper Moon are made for milk coffee, and Purple Rain works in milk or black. The trio blend box lets you compare three of them side by side.
Is a darker roast better for espresso?
Not automatically. We roast our espresso coffees to a medium to dark profile, because that range softens the sharp acidity that pressure can exaggerate and builds sweetness and body. Filter coffees are roasted lighter to keep delicate floral and fruit notes, and under pressure those notes can turn harsh or unbalanced. Match the roast to the method, then choose by flavour.
Can I use single origin beans for espresso?
Yes. Single origins can work well as espresso, but they need more careful dialling in than a blend, because pressure intensifies acidity and highlights some flavours over others. Each month we release a single origin roasted specifically for espresso, with its own recipe on the product page. The Single Origin Espresso Roast Subscription sends you each new one.
Should I buy whole beans or ground coffee for espresso?
Whole beans, if you have a grinder. Grinding exposes far more of the coffee to oxygen, and its aromas start to change and fade once it is ground. Espresso also needs a fine grind you can adjust while you dial in, and a burr grinder gives you more control than many blade grinders. No grinder? Choose your grind when you order and we will grind it for you.
How much coffee should I use for espresso?
Our blend recipes use 22.5 to 23 grams of ground coffee for 40 to 46 grams of espresso, in 26 to 32 seconds at 94 degrees. Start with the recipe for your coffee, listed on its product page, then adjust the grind to taste. Weigh both the coffee and the shot: scales turn a good shot into one you can repeat tomorrow.
Can I make espresso with decaf beans?
Yes. Our Colombian decaf has its own espresso recipe: 22.5 grams in, 44 grams out, 25 to 30 seconds at 94 degrees. It tastes of butterscotch, dark chocolate and caramel, and also comes pre-ground for espresso. Treat it like any other bag: weigh it, taste it and adjust the grind a little at a time.