It’s specialty coffee, but not as you know it.
The gentle whir of the Probat roaster behind the glass in the coffee lab, and the smell of dark chocolate, hazelnut and sweet aromatics in the air.
With Brewer’s Cup championship baristas and licensed Q-graders – with impeccable taste buds and over 20 years experience in the industry, Gold Box is undoubtedly one of the UK’s finest specialty coffee roasters.
Read the full review here – Goldbox Review
Need some pre ground coffee for your espresso machine? Visit Goldbox’s Online Shop.
6. Balance
Espresso Coffee – 3 Blends, 1 Decaf
Volume – 250g or 1kg.
Packaging – Plastic, recyclable.
Shipping – UK and Ireland
Value – ★★★★★★★★☆☆
The name Balance lends itself perfectly to the fantastic cafetière coffee that these guys produce.
Balance Coffee a vibrant roastery based in London.
Founder James has worked in the coffee industry for 8 years and wanted to create a coffee brand with a mission to inspire people to drink better quality coffee at home.
The coffee that they roast is focused on selling to people who are looking at becoming more of a home barista and create that local speciality coffee shop experience in their own home.
With really clean and slick branding their eye-catching watercolour design is a clue about the style of coffee that they offer. They are not afraid to showcase an unusual origin and may provide that unique bag of speciality coffee you are looking for.
As is now demanded as the norm in the speciality coffee world, Balance wants to ensure they create a positive impact by supporting the livelihoods of coffee farmers at origin which in turn, helps create a sustainable supply of coffee for the future.
All of their green beans are ethically sourced from some of the highest quality coffee farmers from around the world.
Check out our Balance Coffee Review for more info.
7. Assembly Coffee Roasters
Espresso Coffee – 2 Blends, 1 Decaf
Volume – 200g or 1kg.
Packaging – Rice paper, recyclable.
Shipping – Worldwide
Value – ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Assembly are the quality and customer focused coffee roaster based in Brixton, London.
They are one of the few coffee roasters in the UK that are pushing the boundaries of each aspect of their business.
The Assembly roastery is housed in a 19th century fire station in the heart of London.
The Loring roaster alongside a state of the art coffee sensory lab and a couple of event spaces to hold cuppings is a testament to how serious these guys take specialty coffee.
Launched in 2015 during the annual London coffee festival, Assembly are now showcasing their coffee on a global scale.
The biggest difference in how Assembly operates for me is their collaborations. When talking to their business manager, Ed, he explained how the team is in constant conversation with their customers, whether it’s a retail customer purchasing a 250g bag every other week or a wholesale cafe that orders dozens of kilos per week.
This conversation enables Assembly not only to build strong long lasting relationships and understand their customers wants and needs but also keeps their finger on the pulse of the specialty coffee industry.
These guys ship whole beans as standard but will grind the coffee for you if you specify in the comments box at checkout.
If you fancy a bag of espresso ground coffee from these guys; Visit Assembly’s Online Shop.
Also check out the full Batch coffee review of Assembly Roasters.
8. Foundation Coffee Roasters
Espresso Coffee – 3 Blends, 1 Decaf
Volume – 250g or 1kg.
Packaging – Paper, recyclable.
Shipping – Worldwide
Value – ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
World class coffee roasting crossed with laid back surf vibes. Waka waka.
Foundation coffee roasters are an independent roastery and equipment supplier based in St Ives, Cornwall.
They began their coffee journey with a mission to create quality and high-grade speciality coffee while at the same time using the best possible ethical practices that have a minimal impact on the environment.
This transcends from the sustainable relationships they build at source all the way through to the Omni-degradable and home compostable coffee bags that they showcase their coffee.
Read our Foundation Coffee Review in full.
Or head over to Foundations Online Shop.
9. Carnval Coffee Roaster
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Coffee Menu – 15 Single Origins, 1 Decaf
Volume – 230g, 500g or 1kg.
Packaging – Plastic, recyclable.
Shipping – UK wide
Value – ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Carnival Coffee Roasters, are an eco-friendly, speciality coffee roaster based in the heart of Penge, South East London.
Their love for life resonates through their bright and bold branding that always brings a smile on our faces each time they pop up on our Instagram feed.
Carnival are an inspirational team. Their focus on providing an eco-friendly product is a great example for future roasters to follow.
Their ethics transcend all the way from Colombia where they support sustainable coffee projects all the way to South East London where they offer local delivery on a bicycle.
Their story started in Medellin, Colombia where they grow and produce coffee on their family farm. The farm has been in the family for generations ever since Juan’s Grandfather won a mountainside on the outskirts of the city in a very lucky game of cards.
Even more luckily the conditions were ideal for growing coffee.
Read our latest Carnival coffee Review here.
Shop their delicious coffee via the Carnival Online Shop
How To Use Espresso Ground Coffee?
Brewing espresso involves using hot water forced through very finely ground coffee under high pressure.
The end-product is a shot of highly concentrated coffee with a caramelly richness and a crema on its surface.
This shot can be the basis of cappuccinos, flat whites, mochas and lattes, or just enjoyed on its own as an almost instantaneous dose of pep.
To obtain this shot though, you typically need an espresso machine which utilizes heat and finely tuned mechanical parts.
Many cafes lease their machines as this heat and the mechanical operations involved leave the machines requiring regular maintenance.
For this reason, the coffee grinders that sit side-by-side with the espresso machine need to be checked and calibrated on a daily basis (dialling in the coffee) to ensure the coffee beans are ground to the right level of fineness.
Although espresso machines are becoming more common in the home, for those looking for long term savings, some people still make use of the rather rustic Italian-style stovetop espresso pots.
Using a Moka pot is fairly simple – you fill the bottom with cold water and the filter with ground espresso, then place it on a hot stove hob to boil.
As it heats and bubbles, the water is forced through the filter and the ground espresso within it, into the empty pot above.
The pressure in a Moka pot isn’t enough to provide the same thick creamy top layer of emulsion you see on machine-made espressos, which is another reason why some opt for the
Grinding the beans so finely mean that certain beans will provide a better flavour.
Can You Buy Ground Espresso?
Whilst ground coffee beans will always be fresher than pre-ground powder, yes, you can buy ground espresso powder.
Even major supermarkets now stock espresso ground coffee, which they’ll have in bags or tins sitting beside instant coffee, dark roast or unground beans.
Is Ground Espresso The Same As Ground Coffee?
There are some differences between ground espresso and ground coffee, but the most major difference revolves around the preparation of the coffee, as opposed to the beans themselves.
The first major difference is that espresso is ground much finer than cafetiere, filter or pour-over coffee.
Whilst it is possible to use regular ground coffee in an espresso, the course grind doesn’t do your machine many favours and your shot may taste much more sour, as a result of an increase in acidity levels.
Regrinding the medium-ground powder so that is finer may cause your grinder to get clogged up. You can even make espresso with instant coffee, but it isn’t likely to taste enjoyable.
As for the beans themselves, the second major difference is that some coffee can often be designed to provide the light and more complex flavours that shine through filter or pour-over coffee brew.
Lightly roasted, single origin beans work better in these longer-brew methods, but may taste overly sour in espressos, or render that beautiful crema that the oils expressed in dark roasts provide.
Espresso arguably provides you with a lot more of the benefits coffee has to offer than other methods.
Filters often strip many of the natural minerals which give your cup great benefits. Even with its high-pressure heat system, espresso allows all of these minerals , along with the oils into your beverage.
This is obviously before you add milk, sugars, or sweeteners. If you want a longer black coffee, you can always make a shot, or double-shot espresso and add hot water for an Americano.
Many distributors, or growers will prepare blends of coffee beans, ground specifically for the home barista.
These speciality coffees tend to have incredible flavours and often work alongside sustainable supply chains, so that the farmers and the environment which they grow in are looked after.
How Long Does Ground Espresso Coffee Last?
Provided your ground espresso is nice and fresh when you first get it, you should consume it within one or two weeks of opening the bag it comes in.
It can often taste more bitter, or lose its freshness if it is cons
umed after this point.
How To Store Ground Espresso Coffee?
Just like storing regular ground coffee, avoiding excess heat, air, or light is the best way to go. An opaque, air-tight container kept at room temperature will keep your grounds usable for a week or two.
Freezing the grounds in a freezer-proof container can make them last somewhere between one and five months.
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