Coffee beans, ground coffee and instant coffee

Start with your machine

The quickest way to narrow down a range this size is to look at what is on your worktop.

• Bean-to-cup machine or grinder: choose coffee beans. Most come in 1 kg bags, which suits a machine that is used every day. If you drink less, a 250 g pack is used up while it is still fresh.
• Filter machine, cafetière or moka pot: ground coffee is ready to use. Match the grind to the method: a fine espresso grind clogs a cafetière and turns bitter in it.
• Pod machine: coffee pods in mild, classic and strong varieties.
• No machine at all: instant coffee such as Nescafé Gold, or single-serve drip bags. A drip bag is a small filter of ground coffee that hangs over the rim of your cup; you pour hot water through it and throw it away afterwards.

Arabica, Robusta or a blend?

Nearly all coffee comes from two species. Arabica (Coffea arabica) grows higher up and gives a softer, more aromatic cup with more acidity. Robusta (Coffea canephora) contains more caffeine, tastes more bitter and earthy, and helps an espresso build a thick crema. Many Italian espresso blends combine the two.

For a smooth, rounded cup look at Arabica coffee beans. For a punchy espresso with plenty of crema, a blend or Robusta coffee beans is the better match.

Roast level and flavour

A light or medium roast keeps more of the fruity and floral character of the bean. A dark roast adds roasted, bitter and chocolate notes and holds its own in milk. If you already know what you like, our selections of mild coffee beans and strong coffee beans, and the pages for espresso and cappuccino, take you straight to the right shelf.

Brands and our own fresh coffee

You will find Italian roasters such as Lavazza, Segafredo, illy, Kimbo, Pellini and Caffè Vergnano 1882, which mostly sell espresso blends in 1 kg bags, names such as Dallmayr, Julius Meinl and Mövenpick, and Costa Coffee beans for anyone who knows the taste from the high street.

Alongside the brands there is fresh coffee under the Café du Jour name: single origins from Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Peru and Guatemala, among others, and blends such as Espresso Intenso and Espresso Madrugador. Do you roast at home? Then have a look at our unroasted coffee beans.

Not sure yet? Try before you buy a kilo

A sample pack lets you compare several coffees before you settle on one. Some packs stay within one brand, such as the Segafredo Preview Package or the illy Espresso Tasting Pack; others mix brands, such as the Italian Espresso Selection.

Drinking coffee late in the evening, or keeping an eye on your caffeine? Our decaffeinated coffee beans include decaf from illy and a fresh Decaf Espresso of our own.