Coffee For A Cafetiere (Tom’s Tips and Guide)
I love cafetiere coffee.
It’s one of the best for many reasons, it’s simple to make, absolutely delicious, as healthy as coffee gets (providing you’re not adding anything to it) and personally I find a cafetiere super nostalgic.
However, the majority of people who brew their coffee in these legendary coffee makers are using (pardon my French) crap coffee.
And it really doesn’t have to be crap!
There are so many incredible coffees for cafetieres out there today that will 10x your morning brew.
So, rather than me giving you a whole spiel about my history with cafetiere coffee and how I brew it, let’s crack on with what you’re here for… The best coffee for a cafetiere.
| Catagory | Coffee Brand |
|---|---|
| Best Overall Coffee For a Cafetiere | Batch Coffee Club |
| Best Medium Roast Coffee For Cafetiere | Foundation Coffee Roasters |
| Best Light Roast Coffee For Cafetiere | Assembly |
| Best Decaf Coffee For Cafetiere | Balance |
Why trust us?
I’m Tom and I have been working in the coffee industry for over 10 years, starting my journey as a barista in Australia, working on coffee farms in South America and roasting coffee in The UK. Today I review and write about speciality coffee. I am the founder of Batch Coffee Club, which showcases the very best coffee from around the world.
Checkout our award-winning coffee subscription.
Find below our 9 best coffee beans for cafetiere (and 1 to avoid).
Top 9 Coffees For Cafetieres
If you have any recommendations for cafetiere coffee please leave a comment below.
1. Batch Coffee Club
Coffee Menu - Coffee Club, Decaf Club, Espresso Blend
Volume - 2x200g
Packaging - Organic, Compostable.
Shipping - UK
Value - ★★★★★★★★★☆
If you are looking to up your cafetiere game and want to dive into the wonders of speciality coffee then Batch Coffee Club could be a perfect solution.
I’m obviously quite precautious being the one to recommend Batch.
However, if you are looking to experience different cafetiere coffee and try many of the coffee roasters listed below then Batch Coffee Club could be a great option.
We are a team of industry professionals that taste and review hundreds of coffees.
Receive 2 different coffees in each box that both offer something different and are perfect for your cafetiere.
Join some of our current coffee club customers that brew coffee in a cafetiere…
Learn more about Batch Coffee.
Pssssst. There’s a secret discount for 50% off your first box at the bottom of this article.
2. Foundation Coffee Roasters
Coffee Menu - 3 Blends, 8 Single Origins, 1 Decaf
Volume - 330 or 1kg.
Packaging - Home Compostable.
Shipping - UK
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.
3. Volcano Coffee Works
Coffee Menu - 6 Blends, 4 Single Origins, 1 Decaf
Volume - 200g or 1kg.
Packaging - Plastic, recyclable.
Shipping - Worldwide
Value - ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Volcano showcase some of the best coffee for cafetiere’s in the UK.
Their seasonal menu will entice newbie coffee drinkers through to seasoned coffee slurpers.
Kurt grew up in coffee-mad New Zealand and created Volcano to bring the great tasting coffee he had grown up with to the UK.
He did this while supporting the livelihoods of the communities who grow and produce it.
Volcano started life as a coffee cart that graced the streets of West Norwood but has now grown to a team of 30 passionate coffee people that operate out of their state of the art coffee roastery in Brixton.
The first batch of the day is always roasted by Kurt who is still the beating heart of the coffee business.
Volcano consistently produce some of the best coffee available in the UK at such a high volume.
Volcano Coffee Works believes in complete Supply Transparency, which means they insist on knowing where their coffee is from and visiting many of their farmers annually.
Read the full review here - Volcano Coffee Works Review
Does Volcano Coffee Works tick your cafetiere coffee box? Visit Volcano’s Online Shop.
4. Balance
Coffee Menu - 3 Blends, 2 Single Origins, 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 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.
Otherwise if you think this best ground coffee for your cafetiere - Visit Balance’s online store.
5. Origin Coffee Roasters
Coffee Menu - 4 Blends, 9 Single Origins, 1 Decaf
Volume - 250g or 1kg.
Grind Size - Cafetière, Filter or Espresso
Shipping - Worldwide
Rating - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Origin coffee was founded over 15 years ago by Tom Sobey and roast their coffee in Cornwall.
Having worked closely with his fathers coffee business growing up, he has always been involved in the industry.
After a trip to Australia in the early 2000’s where coffee culture reigns, Origin was born.
Since then Origin coffee has evolved into a full team of industry professionals, a world class coffee program, 6 coffee shops and an ever evolving product range.
Read the full Origin Coffee Review.
If Carnival Coffee sound like the ground coffee for you Visit Origin’s Online Shop Here.
6. Assembly Coffee Roasters
Coffee Menu - 2 Blends, 6 Single Origins, 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 ground coffee from these guys; Visit Assembly’s Online Shop.
Also check out the full Batch coffee review of Assembly Roasters.
7. Pact
Coffee Menu - 4 Blends, 10 Single Origins, 2Decaf
Volume - 250g
Packaging - Paper and Aluminium, recyclable.
Shipping - Worldwide
Value - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Pact have been changing peoples minds about coffee for a while...
Ever since and rather be classed in the same bracket as wine than cupboard staples such as flour as it is so often seen in the UK.
All of Pact cafetiere coffee beans are sourced through the direct trade model.
This means they actually go out to the farms at origin to meet the producers and cut out the array of middle men that effectively take money away from coffee producers.
Pact offer a few blends and also a number of single origin coffees that are roasted towards the darker side of medium, so you have a free options to choose from.
Check out our Pact Coffee Review for more info.
Otherwise if these guys float your subscription box boat Visit Pacts’ Website Here.
8. Cafe Direct
Coffee Menu - 3 Blends, 7 Single Origins, 1 Decaf
Volume - 200g or 1kg.
Packaging - Plastic or Paper, recyclable.
Shipping - Worldwide
Value - ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Cafédirect are the well seasoned sustainable coffee roasters based in London.
Their London Fields roastery sits among a vibrant scene of local artisan breweries, bakeries and cafes, a stone’s throw away from the famous Broadway Market.
The team of three Q graders work at the Cafedirect Roastery and tirelessly cup all of the small batch roasted coffee. It’s pretty unique to have one Q grader working at a roastery let alone three.
To become one of the most elite coffee tasters in the world (there are only 5000 worldwide) you must complete a grueling course followed by 19 exams with an extremely low pass rate.
Q graders are then certified to grade and score coffees on a variety of characteristics.
Check out our Cafe Direct Review for more info.
Otherwise if this is the coffee subscription for you Buy Some Cafe Direct Coffee Here.
9. Carnval Coffee Roasters
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
One To Aviod - Cheap Commodity Grade Coffee
Now don’t get me wrong. I have consumed many many cups of cheap commodity grade coffee.
It was certainly a step on my coffee journey and to be honest there is absolutely nothing wrong with it if you enjoy it. After all what tastes good to one person to the next can be completely different.
However…
Like with many things in the food and drink industry you get what you pay for.
And generally speaking coffee you purchase in your local supermarket is normally a poor quality raw coffee bean which has then been roasted in a huge industrial style coffee roaster. This will result in a pretty standard flavour profile.
If you want to experience the wonders of specialty coffee in your cafetiere. Nip down to your local coffee roaster and buy a bag of their freshly roasted coffee and thank me later.
FAQs
What Is The Best Ground Coffee For Cafetiere?
Ground coffee can be purchased from the majority of independent coffee roasters (some actually only sell whole beans to preserve the freshness).
If you like the look of a coffee above then there should be an option for you to select the grind size.
How Do You Make Coffee In A Cafetière?
Depending on the size of your cafetiere and the amount of coffee you wish to make, weigh your coffee beans or coffee grounds. You will be aiming for around a 1:15 coffee:water, for example if you grind 50g of coffee you will pour over 750g of water, yielding around 650ml coffee.
Preheat the cafetiere and then empty the coffee ground into the bottom. Place on your coffee scales and tare to zero.
Start your timer and pour over double the weight of the coffee in hot water. Wait for around 30 to 40 seconds for the coffee grounds to bloom. This releases bitter tasting CO2, you will be able to see small bubbles of air breaking the surface of the soaked grounds.
Now pour over the rest of the brew water and slightly agitate the grounds that have started to settle on the top of the jug.
PLace the lid on top with the plunger still up and rest the filter on top of the water so all the grounds are fully submerged.
Wait for 3 minutes and then plunge the coffee.
Once plunged pour all of the coffee out of the cafetiere to stop the extraction (otherwise the brew will become increasingly bitter).
Lastly and most importantly, enjoy.
Can I Use Fresh Ground Coffee In A Cafetière?
Yes. Freshly ground coffee is best with any brew method.
The shorter the time between grinding the coffee and brewing the coffee in a french press will certainly make your cup of coffee taste better. As soon as the coffee is ground the air starts to oxidise certain compounds and the flavour profile starts to deteriorate.
The roast date is slightly different when we talk about fresh coffee though. Once the coffee is roasted it should be rested for about a week, the coffee degasses and the complexities balance. The best time to consume coffee in your cafetiere is 7 - 28 days after the roast date.
The Best Origin Of Coffee For A Cafetiere?
South American coffees such as Colombians and Brazilian coffees do lend their flavours a little more so, to a cafetiere. Having said that, coffee is about preference and taste is very subjective.
You can also find a range of flavours and profiles of coffee from every origin. The processing, varietal and roaster also play key roles in the end product.
The Best Roast Of Coffee For A Cafetiere?
If you are into rich, chocolate notes in your coffee and you are accustomed to a little bitterness then look at a medium to medium/dark roast.
Always make sure the beans are not shiny and burnt looking. This is a sign of poor coffee roasting and usually happens in commodity (supermarket) coffee.
The lowest grade raw coffee is roasted to such a degree that all you will taste is burnt, roasty notes. The oil on the outside of the beans show that the complex oils have escaped from the complex balance of soluble oils that make up a coffees taste profile.
If you like fruity and acidic coffee then look at a medium or medium/light roast. Some coffee is roasted light and is designed for use in a pour over method.
Brewing light coffee in a cafetiere may result in a slightly unbalanced coffee as the subtle complex notes that are highlighted when filtered through paper may be overpowered by oils or various other soluble compounds that carry through the mesh filter.
You made it all the way down! Use code ‘CAFETIERE50’ for 50% off your first box.