Ground coffee for every brewing method

Buy ground coffee: what you'll find here

This category brings together two kinds of ground coffee. The first is ready-ground coffee from coffee brands: Italian espresso coffee from illy, Lavazza and Segafredo in 250 g packs, Pellini Top in a 250 g can, and 500 g packs such as Gala Mild Aroma, Landhaus Klassisch and Landhaus Naturmild. The second is Café du Jour fresh coffee, from single origins such as Brazil, Ethiopia and Guatemala to espresso blends such as Espresso Madrugador. For those, you choose the grind on the product page.

Most ready-ground coffee comes in what is called a standard grind, usually a medium grind. With some coffees you can choose between a finer and a coarser grind. Which one you need depends on how you brew.

Medium, fine or coarse ground coffee: which grind for which method?

The rule is simple: the shorter the contact between water and coffee, the finer the grind. From very fine to coarse:

• Extra fine, almost like flour: Turkish coffee, brewed in a small pot called a cezve or ibrik.
• Fine: espresso machines with a portafilter. The water passes through the coffee in well under a minute.
• Fine to medium: the stovetop moka pot. A little coarser than espresso, so the coffee doesn't clog the filter.
• Medium: filter coffee machines and pour-over drippers such as the V60.
• Medium to coarse: the Chemex, which uses a thick paper filter and brews slowly.
• Coarse: the cafetière and cold brew. Coarse ground coffee is the right coffee for a French press, where the coffee steeps in the water for minutes or hours.

What goes wrong with the wrong grind

Coffee that is too fine for a slow method gives up too much: the cup tastes bitter and harsh, and in a cafetière the plunger becomes hard to press. Coffee that is too coarse for a fast method gives up too little: an espresso runs through too quickly and tastes thin and sour. If your coffee tastes off and the beans aren't the problem, the grind usually is.

Arabica, Robusta or a blend?

The bean also shapes the cup. Arabica tends to be milder and more aromatic, with more acidity and sweetness. Robusta is stronger and more bitter, contains more caffeine and adds body and crema to espresso. Many Italian espresso coffees are blends of the two; our fresh single origins are Arabica. For a milky cappuccino a blend with some Robusta works well; for black filter coffee a single-origin Arabica shows more of its origin.

Decaf and low-caffeine ground coffee

Drinking coffee in the evening, or cutting down? This category also has decaffeinated options: Landhaus Entkoffeiniert Decaf in a 500 g pack, Lavazza DEK Classico and illy Decaffeinated in 250 g packs, and from Café du Jour the Decaf Espresso, Decaf Special and Low Caffeine. More options are in decaffeinated coffee.

Ground coffee or whole beans?

Once ground, coffee loses its aroma much faster than whole beans do. If you drink one or two cups a day, a 250 g pack will be finished while it still tastes fresh; with a 500 g pack, keep it closed tightly in a cool, dark cupboard. If you want the freshest cup, buy coffee beans and grind just before brewing with one of our coffee grinders. You'll find all of it at cafedujour.ie.