Favorite Espresso Beans

November 29, 2009 at 10:03 am · Filed under Just Stuff

I’ve been brewing espresso at home for a couple of months using a Krups 964 which was given to me from a friend. The machine isn’t fancy but it does what’s required. However, it didn’t take long to find out that the keys to good espresso are bean quality and quality of the grinder. I was originally using a whirly blade grinder but it’s results were uneven and I couldn’t get the grind small enough. Trying to make espresso on the cheap, I opted to get an old refurbished hand grinder. With the equipment set, all I had to do was find my preferred espresso beans. Luckily Vancouver is coffee crazy and there are a number of local roasters producing quality beans. Here are my favorites so far.

49th Parallel. Maybe my favorite tasting bean, although I haven’t had it for month or more now. My biggest gripe? It’s a pain in the ass to get there (Kits) from here (the Drive). Second biggest gripe? The beans are a lot harder to grind than the others I’ve tried.

Cafe Artigiano. Taste is fine. I find that the beans are really unstable though. Every grind I make results in a slightly different shot. I’ll make an espresso with a shot time of 28s and then the next one will have a shot time of 20s. This results in really different tastes.

And now my favorite….
Milano La Futura. Easy to grind, consistent shots, and of course very tasty.

  • Robert

    Be careful you don’t get your moustache caught in the grinder.

  • pipkey

    first off a disclaimer, i know nothing about trying to make a good espresso on the cheap.
    i have a la scala commercial grinder. i highly recommend it, although it is an investment. you may have to lie to mercy about how it came to be in your kitchen or how much it costs, but you’ll never regret it.

    at the office i have a gaggia grinder. does the job, but it’s louder, and a lot slower. but you probably won’t have to sleep on the couch as long if you buy it instead of the la scala.

    i use 49th parallel epic. i like the taste and i don’t like buying different beans often as i don’t like having to figure out the grind.
    we can buy ours at wholefoods in west van, and they also ship them up to the naramata coffee shop of all places.

    for you, you are probably faster to go to ecm at first and boundary. they sell 49th paralllel there, as well as other good brands like black cat.

    jj bean isn’t bad, but i also find the bean to be unstable.

  • sluggo

    Steve, I had no idea that you were a coffee aficionado. I purchased some Epic on Friday. I think it is changed from before, it is a Christmas blend. I’ve only made 1 shot with it so far (give me 5min, I’m working on the 2nd one). I recall Epic having a dry look to it. This bag’s beans look smaller and oilier.

    Have you gone to the Milano cafe, on 8th Ave @ the same block as MEC? You can sample all of their espressos there. I also think that’s where they roast. Check out the La Futura.