Breville BES920 Dual Boiler Coffee Machine - Need some help!

[rocket6]

Hi team,

I am new here. I apologise if I have posted this in the wrong place, more than happy if a mod/member wants to give me the heads up and I will move my post

I am new to the coffee scene - so please excuse my rookie questions.

Context: I have recently purchased myself a Breville BES920 Dual Boiler Coffee Machine - with a Smart Grinder Pro.

I am super excited to get started on my home coffee making career! However, I have a question. I am looking at getting some coffee beans. Would you recommend single origin coffee beans, or coffee blends? I understand this could be a very silly question, but I gotta start somewhere, I suppose

Any tips are welcome.

Thanks for your time!

[Javaphile]

A sample pack is a nice place to start: CoffeeSnobs - BeanBay - Roasted Coffee - Roasted Sample Pack


Java "" phile

[Magic_Matt]

G'day rocket6, congrats and welcome!

Personally I'd recommend starting with a blend intended for espresso as it will likely be a bit more forgiving and help you learn the ropes; particularly if you'll be drinking most of your coffee with milk. That's not to say single origins roasted for espresso aren't good - they can be fantastic - but tend to have a more distinctive flavour and can be more finicky, so it might be hard to tell whether your results are due to your technique.

There's variation within both types as well, so finding something that suits your taste is part of the adventure. Andy's (award winning) beans from beanbay are an excellent place to start!

[rocket6]

Hi guys,

Thank you so much! @Magic, you are right, I'll be using milk, so I will stick to a blend for time being until I learn the ropes.

How long do the beans generally stay quality for after the roast date?

[Magic_Matt]

Conventional wisdom says about 2 - 3 weeks; they generally hit their 'peak' between about 1 - 2 weeks IME.