Often customers who are used to purchasing supermarket coffee beans look for an oily bean as this tends to have the most flavour. This is true of mass-produced coffee beans, as what little flavour is left in the bean has matured into surface oils that will be available during brewing. Some industrial scale roasters actually add oil to give the impression of quality. Fresh CoffeeBeanShop coffee that has been optimally slow roasted may show a small amount of surface sheen over time, but generally... [More]

There are 2 main ways of roasting coffee. The large commercial roasters (who supply the supermarkets and bulk branded coffee bean products) will invariably use the more cost-effective 'flash roasting' process. Flash roasting is where the coffee beans are roasted from the outside-in, in a 60-90 second process inside factory-sized roasters. In order to be eligible for 'flash roasting' a bean variety will need to be hard and uniform, and available in very large quantities (these roasters can roast... [More]

At CoffeeBeanShop, we are happy to supply ground coffee to our customers. but wherever possible we try to encourage coffee lovers to grind their own coffee at the point that they use it. Freshly roasted coffee beans kept as whole beans in an airtight container will remain fresh for approximately 3-4 weeks, but will still be drinkable for up to a year. However, ground coffee becomes stale within a matter of hours after being ground, even if kept in your CoffeeBeanShop 'flavour lock' sealed bag.... [More]

At CoffeeBeanShop.co.uk we roast all of our coffees to order. When coffee is just-roasted, it gives off tiny amounts of CO2 gas (this process is called ‘de-gassing’). The de-gassing process will diminish over time, and finishes about 3 weeks after the roast. Once the de-gassing is complete the organic structure of the bean begins to deteriorate, and the process of becoming stale begins. If your postman is particularly keen, you may receive your coffee within 24 hours of the roast. Sometimes (p... [More]

A lot of our customers call us up and discuss with us how they can achieve a perfect espresso shot from their home espresso equipment. Although achieving a 'god shot' (term used to describe the elusive 'perfect shot') is far easier on commercial equipment, experience tells us that such perfect espresso shots are possible on domestic machines - you just need to apply a little more care and thought to the process. The perfect shot - a technical definition A professional barista will describe the... [More]

Many of our customers prefer a longer and more delicate cup of coffee, than that available via an espresso shot. Most of our freshly roasted coffee beans can be used with any brewing technique, so the great flavour of freshly roasted coffee is available to all. The most popular non-espresso method used by our customers to enjoy their coffee beans is the French Press (Cafetiere) method. Firstly, you need to grind your coffee beans just right. A little experimentation is required here, but typ... [More]