Which Coffee Beans Should You Choose? A Guide to Espresso, Filter and French Press

Choosing coffee beans gets easier when you start with two questions: How do you brew, and what do you actually enjoy tasting? You don't need a particular origin or an expensive bag to make good coffee. You need beans that suit your preferences, a sensible grind, and a recipe you can repeat.

This guide covers espresso, filter, V60, AeroPress and French press, with practical starting recipes and a few pointers for adjusting the taste. The quantities below are starting points, not rules. Every coffee and grinder behaves a little differently.

First, choose the flavour you like

Rather than starting with a country name or roast colour, think about the coffee you would happily drink every morning:

• Chocolate, nuts, caramel and plenty of body: start with a medium or darker roast, often a blend.
• Fruit, florals and a brighter cup: explore lighter-roasted single origins, especially for filter brewing.
• Something balanced and versatile: a medium roast is a useful starting point for both espresso and filter.

When coffee is described as having acidity, that usually means the pleasant brightness you also find in fruit, not necessarily an unpleasant sourness. A coffee that tastes sharply sour may simply need a different grind or extraction. Likewise, dark roast describes the roast character, not automatically the quality or strength of the brew.

Which beans for espresso?

Espresso is concentrated, so small changes in the coffee and recipe are easy to notice. If you want a classic, fuller espresso, or mostly drink cappuccinos and flat whites, begin with a blend that has sweetness and some roast character. Portofino is our darker espresso blend; Amokka Crema is a medium-roasted alternative that also works without milk.

If you prefer fruit and a lighter texture, try a single origin as espresso. It may take more adjustment to find the balance you like, but espresso does not have to be dark roasted.

A simple espresso starting recipe

• Use 18 g of ground coffee in the basket and aim for roughly 36 g of espresso in the cup.
• Start around 25–35 seconds from pump activation, then adjust based on the taste rather than the stopwatch alone.
• If the shot is thin and sharply sour, try grinding a little finer or increasing the yield. If it is harsh and drying, try a slightly coarser grind or a shorter yield.

These numbers assume a conventional double espresso basket. Use the basket's recommended dose if it differs, and change one variable at a time. Explore our espresso coffees.

Which beans for V60 and filter coffee?

Filter brewing gives you more room to notice origin character, delicate aromas and changes in sweetness. A light roast can be a good choice when you enjoy fruit or floral notes. A medium roast may suit you better if you prefer a rounder cup with less pronounced brightness. Neither is automatically better for filter.

For a V60, try a washed single origin such as Ethiopia Chelchele, or explore our current light roasts. A coffee's processing method can matter as much as its roast: washed coffees often show more clarity, while natural processing can bring different fruit and body characteristics. These are tendencies, not guarantees.

A simple V60 starting recipe

• 18 g coffee to 300 g water, roughly a 1:16.7 ratio.
• Start with a medium-fine grind and water around 92–96°C.
• Wet the grounds with about 40–50 g of water, allow a short bloom, then pour the remaining water steadily.
• A total brew time around 2½–3½ minutes is a reasonable starting point, but taste matters more than matching a number.

Follow our V60 brewing guide and recipe calculator if you want to experiment with your setup.

Which beans for French press?

French press uses immersion: the grounds sit in the water rather than having water pass through a paper filter. The result often has more texture because coffee oils and fine particles remain in the cup. You can use light, medium or dark roasts. A medium roast is a good starting point if you want sweetness and body; choose dark roast if you prefer a stronger roast character.

A simple French press starting recipe

• Try 30 g of coffee with 500 g water (1:16.7).
• Use a medium-coarse grind, add the water and make sure all the grounds are wet.
• Leave to steep around 4–6 minutes. Press gently and pour into cups or a separate server rather than leaving the brewed coffee on the grounds.

Adjust the grind and steep time to your own preference. See the French press brewing guide.

And for AeroPress?

AeroPress is flexible: it can make a short, concentrated cup or a longer, filter-style drink. Most of our coffees will work. As a starting point, try 15 g coffee to 240 g water, a medium-fine grind and about 2 minutes of steeping before pressing. From there, change the ratio or grind to suit the coffee. Our AeroPress guide has more detail.

Single origin or blend?

A single origin comes from a defined place, which might be a farm, cooperative, washing station or region. These coffees can change noticeably between harvests. A blend combines coffees to build a particular flavour profile and help keep it consistent over the seasons.

Single origin is not automatically higher quality, and blends are not just for espresso. Choose based on the result in your cup. We buy from farms, cooperatives and origin-based exporters and roast the coffees ourselves, so we can decide how to use each lot.

What about organic and decaf?

Organic certification relates to production practices, not a specific flavour. Our organic coffee collection includes both blends and single origins. If you're avoiding caffeine, Amokka Decaf is an option. Decaffeination methods and origins can vary, so check the current product description for details.

Whole beans, grinding and freshness

Whole beans give you more control over the grind. Espresso generally needs a finer grind than V60, and French press usually needs a coarser one. The labels “fine” and “coarse” are only guides: two grinders can behave differently at the same setting. If you buy pre-ground coffee, select the grind for your brewing method.

Freshly roasted coffee does not always taste best immediately after roasting. The beans release carbon dioxide as they rest, and espresso in particular can be difficult to control when coffee is very fresh. Resting time depends on roast and brewing method. Read our guide to resting and degassing coffee.

For everyday storage, keep the bag tightly closed in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. If you need to store coffee much longer, freezing well-sealed portions can work, provided you avoid moisture and repeated condensation.

If the coffee doesn't taste right

• Sharp or sour? Try a slightly finer grind, a longer extraction or hotter water, where your brewer allows.
• Bitter, harsh or drying? Try grinding a little coarser, shortening the extraction or adjusting the ratio.
• Weak or watery? Increase the coffee dose slightly, or adjust the grind so that more flavour is extracted.
• Still not your style? It may be the beans rather than the recipe. Try a different roast level or flavour profile.

Make one change at a time, and keep a note of what improved. You will learn more from comparing two cups than from chasing a “perfect” recipe.

Where to begin

If you drink espresso with milk, start with Crema or Portofino. If you mainly brew V60 or filter and enjoy brighter flavours, explore single origins. For everyday French press, a medium roast is a useful reference point. You can always move lighter or darker from there.

See all Amokka coffees or ask us for a recommendation if you're choosing beans for a particular machine or grinder.