First Beans….

Baldrick

With the imminent arrival of my espresso setup I think i should put some thought to the stuff I’ll actually be putting into it.

So Hive mind. Please recommend me some beans!

Im guessing I should get a few bags, or one big bag, of the same coffee to give me a chance to learn my equipment?

Happy to be told to stop overthinking it and just go make some coffee if that’s the answer 😉

DavecUK

Baldrick A nice medium roast good quality Brazilian (e.g. a Daterra Microlot) is a good starter for 10. Should give you good results and versatile, tasting good as espresso, americano, or milk drinks.

MediumRoastSteam

I agree with @DavecUK . A good quality Brazilian 😉 is always a great choice to have around. I don’t know where you bought your machine from, but if you bought from Bella barista, they are likely to send you a bag of coffee or two.

But ultimately try and explore. There are a lot of roasters around.

hornbyben

There are lots of good roasters out there. If you want a specific bean I don’t think you can go wrong with Black Cat Coffee’s Chocolate Point blend, it’s pretty forgiving (https://www.blackcatcoffee.co.uk/products/chocolate-point-blend).

Part of the fun of having espresso at home is being able to play with different coffee’s, rather than the pretty generic taste that most nespresso capsules taste of. Make sure it’s fresh, don’t go super light roast to start (unless you know you like that style), and I’m sure you’ll get something you enjoy.

Good luck

LMSC

You may also try

Coffee by the Casuals - Ethiopian Mikari, Bom Jesus

Django Ethiopia Kabira

Crown and Canvas Guatemala Red De Mujeres

Coffee Compass - Rocko Mountain

ronsil

BTW - Coffee by the Casuals in Birmingham is one of the (very) few coffee shops using ‘Decent Espresso’ Machines in the UK.

Baldrick

Thanks for all the great responses and advice. I plan on trying as much coffee as I can both at home and out and about - Im in a different part of the uk every other day for work so i always research the local coffee places.
First attempts at making espresso myself, for sure needs a “forgiving” bean 😂
Will pick up a few of the above and let you know how I get on!