How To Choose Coffee For Your Cafetière

Enjoy speciality-grade bagged coffee delivered to you as often as you like. Every coffee has a story and Pact give detailed information about its provenance and who farms it. All of the coffee is ethically sourced and there are lots of varieties to try, which makes subscribing a good idea. Coffee connoisseurs will love the level of information and range of coffees to try. Pact Coffee is also available in pods. Will Corby - Director of Coffee and Social impact describes the coffee, "The natural process behind the coffee has developed a delicate raspberry note, which beautifully complements the creamy chocolate flavours and mouthfeel."

Tried and Tested by Commercial Content Writer, Natalie Knowles: "Terra Altas is a Brazilian dark roast that promises hints of chocolate and raspberry brownie. It's coarse grind coffee for a cafetière, which I received through the post. I immediately noticed a distinctive fruity coffee smell just taking it out of the packaging. It came with a little card that gives information about the grower (Aurello Figueiredo Felizali) and the farm in Brazil. Upon opening the well-sealed (and quality resealable packet) the light brown grounds had an incredible chocolate aroma.

"I brewed 3-4 tablespoons in an eight-cup cafetière. The taste was clean, smooth and fresh. Terra Altas has a chocolatey taste with a fruity zing. The mouthfeel was silky. It reminded me of a chocolate bourbon biscuit… they'd pair very well together. The packaging perfectly contained and sealed the coffee. It tells you when it was roasted (13.01.23) and when it was packed (16.01.23). I received it one day later - that's really fresh coffee IMO."

This is a full-bodied Peruvian coffee, made from Arabica beans that are handpicked by farmers who are supported by Cafédirect's charity: Producers Direct. Machu Picchu is a single-origin coffee that's rich, chocolatey and - surprisingly -decaffeinated. This popular coffee is widely available in supermarkets at a very reasonable price for premium coffee.

Tried and tasted by Natalie Knowles, Commercial Content Writer: "I tried this decaf Machu Picchu blend in an attempt to be virtuous and cut down my caffeine intake. I'd tried many of the Cafédirect ground coffees because of the reasonable price and they became part of the weekly supermarket shop. I can honestly say that I found this decaffeinated blend tasted equally as delicious as any of the others. So much so that having a full cafetière to work my way through over a leisurely weekend breakfast felt like an indulgent treat rather than a deprivation. Full marks too for Fairtrade credentials and 50 per cent investment of profits back into coffee farming communities."

This is Union's most popular espresso coffee bean, bold with hints of chocolate and treacle. Offering a not-too-bitter flavour for morning or all-day drinking, Revelation Espresso is speciality-grade and made from 100 per cent Arabica beans. Please note, you'll need a grinder in order to prepare this coffee. As Union is a B-Corp company, its coffee is ethically sourced directly from smallholder farmers, for a fair, sustainable price.

Customer review: "These beans have great aroma, good flavour profile and offer good value for money. There are hints of milk chocolate and cinnamon, with a touch of sweetness and citrus. The flavour is relatively bold/full-bodied. I mostly brew this in an espresso machine but if anything I would say the flavours are enhanced when I use my Aeropress."

All the world's a stage... and this coffee is a global affair. The single origin beans hail from Brazil. They are washed in water from the coastal mountains of British Columbia, to naturally remove the caffeine. The Brazilian bean's distinctive flavour profile is preserved and absolutely no chemicals are used in the process. Then it's a hop across the Atlantic to Blighty, where the beans are hand roasted in Monsoon Estate's roastery in Stratford-upon-Avon. You can join the Beans Coffee Club or purchase gift vouchers. In addition to superb-tasting coffee, you'll have access to brewing guides, masterclasses, giveaways and more.

Tried and Tasted by Commercial Content Writer, Natalie Knowles: "I received this Swiss Water Decaf Brazil from Beans Coffee Club, which offers over 100 coffees from the UK's best roasters, delivered through your letterbox. The packet arrived just over a day after the coffee had been roasted. I was impressed by the speed and the economical brown paper bag envelope. Inside, there was a quality resealable packet of coffee which had a paper sleeve that gave some information about the coffee.

"I believe Beans Coffee Club focus on UK-based roasters, and so there was detailed information about Monsoon Estates. I loved that the QR code on the packet took me to a page that told me who roasted my beans (thank you, Probat). Beans Coffee Club has an original take on the concept of provenance and it's fantastic to be supporting artisan producers in the UK.

"Back to the coffee - it smelt intensely chocolatey - and on first taste, I found it smooth, satisfying and yes - yummy. This is one coffee that I would pair with milk and a wholemeal biscuit or brown sugar, to really enhance the natural sweetness of the beans. I rarely say this, but Swiss Water Decaf Brazil would make a lovely cappuccino - maybe I am picking up on the cocoa notes in the coffee. A treat without the caffeine - it's the stuff dreams are made of."

(Roasted: 24.01.23 and I received it 26.01.23 (I love that the packet was annotated by hand - a great personal touch.)

Presto Coffee has a super detailed listing on Amazon that describes the provenance and process of this coffee. It's a popular pick and receives good reviews. Use a coarse setting on a grinder to prepare the whole beans for making French press coffee.

Customer review: "This coffee, straight out of the bag, lovely glistening beans, dark with a lovely 'pungent - chocolate-nutty' aroma and if you taste just the beans really excellent, not too acidic and a nice bitter aftertaste on the tongue. I use beans in my bean-to-coffee machine with a strong taste setting and can have espressos or with frothy milk. In either case, the coffee is nice and mellow with acidic overtones and there is this kind of dark chocolate/nutty taste on the tongue which persists for some time."

Yorkshire may be famous for its tea, but it's also home to this iconic brand. Cartwright and Butler are famous for high-quality teatime biscuits, cakes and classic preserves. For anyone that's nostalgic for tiffin, this tin - containing a medium-bodied fine coffee - makes a wonderful gift. The fine blend is not to be confused with the size of the grounds; this is a coarse ground coffee that's suitable for cafetières.

Customer review: "Beautifully rich, well-rounded flavour, not too strong or overpowering. Rich aroma with chocolatey undertones. I think I can say the best coffee I've tasted. Very good indeed. And - added bonus - the canister's great."

This is a smooth all-rounder with a pleasant nutty taste. Though this 1kg bag of coffee seems not to be the highest quality, it's a good option if you're on a budget and love a milky coffee. Plus, with every purchase, you're helping hundreds of farmers and their families worldwide. This is a whole bean product, which requires a grinder to prepare.

Customer review: "After trying many different brands, I am now regularly using this brand on a repeat subscription as I can't think of a day without this coffee. It has a very subtle sweetness, the coffee strength is absolutely stunning yet not too bitter, has a very strong coffee smell (the whole house gets filled with the smell) and tastes extremely great."

Grind's signature House Blend is described as having chocolate and hazelnut tasting notes that cuts through milk. It's roasted in Grind's London roastery and served in a number of their London-based cafes. Additionally, Grind sell compostable coffee pods, filled with Grind Organic coffee, that is compatible with Original-style Nespresso machines. Grind offer a no-fuss subscription service, where you receive a refillable tin and regular deliveries of whole bean, ground or coffee pods.

Tried and tasted by Natalie Knowles, Commercial Content Writer: "I received a sample of the House Blend, coarse ground coffee, through the post. The inside of the cardboard packaging was a lovely surprise because it was shell pink. Inside was a pleasing, soft pink paper packet of House Blend ground coffee from Grind, Shoreditch, London. It's minimalist packaging and design, but it's the colour that gives feel-good vibes and evokes memories of the EL&N café. Actually, I was pleased to discover that Grind has its own number of contemporary cafés in London that serve breakfast, brunch, dinner and cocktails.

"I cut the packet open with scissors (shame it's not resealable). It smelt absolutely amazing - like the coffee shop of your dreams. Coarse dark brown coffee grounds. The aroma is even more intense when you dig in with a spoon. I used four tablespoons in my eight-cup cafetière and gave it a stir, leaving it to brew for four minutes.

"On first taste, it's a lovely smooth coffee with bitter, acidic notes, woody - highly drinkable and not overly intense. Rich, sweet, rounded and full-bodied. I could easily kick back with a stack of travel magazines and a chilled playlist and work my way through a cafetière of Grind coffee... Maybe, I could invite my mum over for a cuppa, because I think this is a very accessible coffee that appeals to all tastes... but I kind of want to keep this one to myself!"

(The coffee I received was roasted on 16.01.23 and I received it on 24.01.23. Batch 110123.)

Starbucks' first coffee house is in Pike Place, Seattle. This medium roast coffee nods to the heritage of its roots and means you can enjoy a classic Starbucks blend in the comfort of your home. Please note, you will need a grinder to prepare this whole-bean coffee.

Customer review: "I've tried lots of different beans but these are at another level, amazing flavour and definitely value for money."

Here at A Modern Kitchen, we love a good pun, and the Daily Grind did make us smile, as coffee is the fuel that gets us through the day. CafePod offer a good range of strong, decaf and flavoured coffees that are available in pods, ground or whole bean. The brand gives information about the provenance without being too overwhelming. The Daily Grind is a blend that combines Central and South American and Ethiopian beans. It has nutty and fruity flavours and a caramel base. CafePod is an independent London-based coffee brand, its range of strong coffees are not for the faint-hearted… the Supercharger Espresso is 12 on the intensity scale.

Customer review: "We tried the Brunch Blend and the Daily Grind blend in the whole beans and both were really delicious. They were smooth, not bitter at all and the perfect strength. Great coffee."