Ground coffee: which one is better to choose, rating of the best brands. The benefits and harms of drinking coffee

How much does natural ground coffee cost (average price per 1 kg.)?

Moscow and Moscow region

For the first time, natural ground coffee, which was packed in cans, was released in 1878 in America. And about 3 decades later, Hill Brothers patented this type of vacuum-packed.

There are more than a thousand varieties of coffee currently on the market. Natural coffee lovers can be divided into 2 categories: those who buy ground coffee, and those who prefer roasted beans. The ground product is significantly cheaper than beans and can be a mixture of coffees from different countries.

Depending on several factors, natural ground coffee can be classified into: caffeinated or decaffeinated, flavored or unflavoured. Interestingly, some varieties are aromatized, you can say "by themselves". Take, for example, a variety of coffee called "Blue Mountain" - it can "boast" of its unique taste due to the fact that it is transported in rum barrels.

The preparation of natural ground coffee requires certain costs, unlike instant coffee, for which you only need to have boiling water, a cup and a spoon on hand. Coffee lovers know that they brew this aromatic drink in a cezve (Turk) or in a coffee maker. It remains only to find out which coffee grind is ideal for your coffee maker, since the brewing method is also selected based on the degree of grinding. There is even a certain rule: the shorter the drink preparation cycle, the finer the coffee grind. Undoubtedly, coffee beans can also be used, only they need to be ground before cooking.

So, there are 3 main types of coffee grinding and 3 additional ones. Coarse or coarse grinds are ideal for French presses (piston coffee makers) when the optimal brew time is 7 minutes. For drip coffee makers and for many other brewing methods, it is advised to choose medium-ground natural coffee. Here, the preparation time of the drink is reduced by a couple of minutes. Fine or fine or ground coffee is required for use in coffee makers with cone-shaped filters. Just 1-4 minutes and the fragrant drink is ready.

This information concerned, so to speak, the main or basic types of grinding. In addition, there are 3 more options that are familiar to true connoisseurs of coffee: fine espresso grinding, medium fine (coarse) grinding and powdered, ultra-fine grinding. Natural ground coffee of the last type is very similar in structure to flour and is used exclusively for brewing a real Turkish drink in a cezve.

Some professionals who really understand all the intricacies of coffee grinding believe that even the level of humidity in the air plays an important role here. However, it is certainly too complicated for home cooking. It is quite enough to determine which natural ground coffee is suitable for your coffee maker in order for the prepared drink to suit you.

Calorie content of natural ground coffee 200.6 kcal

Energy value of natural ground coffee (Proportion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates - bju):

: 13.9 g (~56 kcal)
: 14.4 g. (~130 kcal)
: 4.1 g (~16 kcal)

Energy ratio (b|g|y): 28%|65%|8%

Coffee is the most popular drink in the world. There are many varieties and brands of it, so the buyer often faces a difficult choice: which coffee is the best?

In Russia, in terms of popularity, ground coffee loses to instant coffee. But for its lovers, there are many well-known brands on the market with their own lines of varieties.

So how do you choose the perfect coffee for you?

We talked about how to properly brew ground coffee in a cup.

Which ground coffee is better

The taste of coffee beans is determined by several parameters: the conditions for the ripening of the plant, the climate in which it grows, weather conditions, and even the composition of the soil.

Producing country

  1. Coffee from India is considered strong and has spicy, bitter and sweet flavors. Sourness, which is considered a sign of Arabica, Indian coffee is completely devoid of.
  2. Kenyan and Yemeni varieties are famous for their high caffeine content and low acidity. Higher acidity - in Colombian and Brazilian coffee. Alpine varieties are distinguished by a delicate taste and rich aroma. The bitterness characteristic of coffee is practically not felt in them.
  3. Ethiopian coffee is of impeccable quality. From its grains, a high-quality, strong and deep drink is obtained, in the taste of which chocolate notes are distinguishable and there are light fruit shades.
  4. Coffee from Brazil often has an unpleasant pharmacy taste. The reason for this is the high content of quinine in the soil. Its grains are rarely used in their pure form. As a rule, they are part of blends and mixtures.
  5. Cuban coffee is exported in the form of blends. They go on sale under the brand name "qubit".
  6. The best monosorts of coffee are sold in the form of grains. Specialty coffee shops often provide an additional free bean grinding service right at the point of purchase.

Today, the freeze-dry drink is gaining popularity, or what are its main differences from soluble - read the article at the link.

We recommend the most delicious mochachino recipe at: all the aroma of a quality Arabica variety is in your cup.

Varieties

Roast degree

The brightly colored boxes we see in stores usually contain heavily roasted coffee. Russian and European companies, when buying grains from manufacturers, most often roast the mixture on their own, using Italian roasting technology. This approach to the product is easy to explain. Lightly roasted ground coffee cannot be stored for a long time, even if it is packaged in vacuum bags.

Those who are used to buying grains by weight need to know that the strength of the finished drink depends on the degree of roasting.

For ground coffee, strong and medium roasts are considered optimal. After all, only she is able to reveal the flavor bouquet of coffee beans.

Grinding levels

The classification of grinding degrees is quite simple and understandable even for those who are not professionals in the coffee industry. It includes 5 main steps.

Rating of the best brands of ground coffee

Trademarks of coffee are widely represented on the shelves of supermarkets and are able to satisfy the most demanding and demanding taste. Of course, if possible, it is better to buy single varieties, not mixtures.

The most delicious coffees

Varieties from Central America, Kenya and Ethiopia are highly valued. Professional experts prefer Blue Mountain from Jamaica, Panamanian Geisha and Kopi Luwak (Indonesia). But buyers in different countries of the world have their own preferences regarding the choice of goods.

Natural ground coffee is the most popular non-alcoholic drink, enjoyed by almost everyone who has tasted it at least once. What could be better than a cup of aromatic coffee in the morning before work or at lunchtime? The invigorating drink has many fans around the world due to its unique aroma, which cannot be confused with anything.

It is not known for certain when people learned to make coffee as a drink. There is an opinion that the miraculous properties of the dark fruits of the coffee tree were first discovered by an ordinary shepherd, who noticed that his goats were extremely active after eating these fruits. The shepherd shared his observations with the abbot of the monastery, who, having checked the veracity of the young man’s words, began to use a drink from these grains in order to give them to the monks, since they had a habit of falling asleep during protracted prayers. This drink not only relieved drowsiness, but also returned strength, and also helped to concentrate.

Initially, coffee beans were used raw. The Arabs invented roasting them for making coffee. They were the first to decide to add aromatic additives like ginger and cinnamon to the resulting liquid, as well as mix coffee with milk.

Only in the 18th century, the method of preparing a fragrant drink and the news of its miraculous properties spread around the world. The first coffee houses and coffee factories began to appear, and the popularity of coffee only grew. To date, there are many varieties of natural ground coffee, which we will discuss in our article.

Varieties of natural ground coffee

Among the varieties of natural ground coffee, there are two main ones: Arabica and Robusta. They have cardinal differences, as well as their fans and opponents. Let's look at these varieties of natural coffee in more detail.

Arabica is the most popular type of coffee, as it is characterized by a particularly rich soft aroma and delicate taste.

The Arabian coffee tree, from which the fruits are harvested, is a very whimsical culture. Favorable conditions for growing Arabica are mountain tropics with high humidity and an average air temperature of fifteen to twenty-five degrees Celsius. The tree is not frost-resistant, so it may die at the first frost.

During the entire life cycle of a coffee tree, the soil under it must certainly be fertilized.

To date, up to forty varieties of Arabian wood are used to make natural ground coffee. Plants bear fruit twice a year.

Robusta is a less popular variety of natural ground coffee. In its pure form, Robusta grains are almost never used, as they have a bitter taste. Most often, this type of coffee is used to create drinks in combination with Arabica. In addition, Robusta beans contain more caffeine than other types of coffee.

The Kanefora Robusta tree, from which coffee fruits are obtained, is less whimsical than the Arabian. The best conditions for its cultivation are the humid tropics with an average temperature of 25-28 degrees Celsius and regular rainfall.

The yield of Robusta can reach fifteen times a year, if the plant is provided with optimal conditions for existence.

There are also other varieties of natural ground coffee, but they are much less popular than Arabica and Robusta. They are extremely rare on store shelves, but if you are a true connoisseur of coffee, you can go to countries where these trees are cultivated and try other types of aromatic drink.

Benefit and harm

The benefits and harms of natural ground coffee are a constant topic of heated debate. It is no secret that any product has both positive and negative qualities, and coffee is no exception. Let's take a closer look at the benefits and harms that drinking natural coffee can bring.

To begin with, I want to talk about the negative qualities of the drink. First of all, you should know that coffee has diuretic properties, as well as a dehydrating effect. If you take it in small quantities, then you will not have to feel these negative qualities, so it is not recommended to abuse this drink. In addition, natural ground coffee can increase blood pressure, from which we can conclude that people with hypertension should not use it in any quantities. Also, the drink can be addictive and put a lot of stress on the heart, which is another good reason to carefully control the amount of coffee you drink. Doctors do not recommend giving this drink to children under 14 years of age, as it can disrupt the child's sleep pattern.

And now we can move on to the positive properties of natural ground coffee. A small amount of the drink per day can have effects such as:

  • improving concentration and attention;
  • removal of fatigue;
  • help in dealing with stressful situations and depression;
  • increased brain and muscle activity;
  • stimulation of the lungs and reduction of asthma attacks;
  • beneficial effect on the immune system;
  • improvement of the digestion process.

Natural coffee beans are a source of antioxidants and organic acids, thanks to which it is possible to prevent the development and occurrence of cancer cells in the body. But the benefits of natural ground coffee can only appear if you drink no more than two cups a day. A larger amount can harm the body and knock down your sleep pattern. It should also be remembered that the calorie content of one cup of the drink is 200 kilocalories.

How to brew natural ground coffee?

You need to brew natural ground coffee correctly, otherwise you risk getting not a fragrant invigorating drink, but a tasteless liquid. It should be clarified that natural ground coffee can be soluble and insoluble. The first variety can be easily and quickly brewed directly in a mug, but you will have to tinker with insoluble coffee. In our article, we will talk in detail about how to properly and tasty prepare fragrant natural coffee at home.

Brewing in a cup

Brewing natural ground instant coffee in a cup is as easy as shelling pears. To taste, such a drink is somewhat inferior to coffee brewed in a Turk, but remains the same fragrant. The process of making such coffee in a cup is as follows::

  1. First, rinse the cup in which you will brew coffee with strong boiling water. This will allow the drink to stay hot longer.
  2. Next, pour coffee powder into the container, based on the calculation: two small spoons per one hundred and fifty milliliters of water.
  3. The water that needs to be filled with coffee must necessarily have a temperature not higher than 97 degrees Celsius, since strong boiling water can destroy most of the aromatic particles, which is why the taste and aroma of coffee will not be as saturated.
  4. Fill the powder with water, cover the mug with a small saucer and leave the drink to infuse for about two minutes.

When ready, you can drink natural coffee, if desired, adding cinnamon, ginger, chocolate or milk. If you have 100% Arabica at your disposal, then it is better not to spoil such a drink with various impurities, limiting yourself only to sugar.

How to make natural ground coffee in Turkish?

Preparing natural roasted ground coffee in a Turk is somewhat more difficult than just brewing it in a mug. To do this, you will need a Turk, which can be bought at coffee shops. The material from which it is made does not really matter, but brass Turks are considered to be of better quality.

Properly brewing natural coffee in a Turk should be as follows:

  1. First, sugar is put into the Turk. For two hundred and fifty milliliters of water, one or two spoons are usually taken, but if you have a sweet tooth, you can add three spoons.
  2. Pour clean water into the container so that it reaches the neck of the Turk.
  3. Without mixing the ingredients, pour two tablespoons of ground coffee into the water and put the cezve on the stove.
  4. Turn on medium heat and watch the process of heating the water, still without stirring the ingredients in the cezve. If the water starts to boil, you haven't added enough coffee. In this case, it is better to start the process again, freeing the Turk.
  5. If you did everything correctly, a yellowish foam will begin to form on the surface of the liquid. When it reaches the very top of the Turks, the container must be removed from the stove, its contents mixed and returned to the fire. When the foam reaches the top again, remove the cezve from the heat again, stir the drink and return to the stove. In total, this must be repeated four times.
  6. When you remove the foam for the fourth time, turn off the fire and leave the cezve on the stove for half a minute, after which you can pour the finished aromatic coffee into cups.

It is very important to pour boiling water over the cups before pouring the drink into them. In this case, the coffee will remain hot longer, and will not lose its aroma and taste when in contact with a cold mug.

Enjoy natural ground coffee with pleasure and do not forget that you can drink no more than two cups of the drink per day!

Coffee is the second most popular beverage in the world after pure drinking water. And if yesterday the most popular was instant - fast, convenient and cheap, today the demand for natural coffee, in beans and ground is growing rapidly. With an unearthly aroma, indescribable bitterness, thick thick at the bottom of the cup and thus taste ...

An amazing fact - the first tin with ground coffee appeared in US stores in 1878, and already in 1908, Hill Brothers launched the vacuum-packed ground product on the market, which we still use today. In different parts of the world, several thousand varieties of aromatic drink are sold, for the most refined and fastidious taste and color. But a natural product can only be in two forms - grains and ground powder.

Ground in stores is bought much more often than grain, although the most fragrant drink is obtained from freshly ground grains. What is the reason?

Someone just doesn’t want to mess around and turn on the grinder every time when you need to brew a fragrant cup. After all, the ground drink is 100% natural, and few people can distinguish the nuances of taste and smell. Not all of us are such great coffee gourmets.

Someone is used to taking coffee powder to work and brewing it in a French press. Do not rattle the coffee grinder for the whole office? And someone looks at the price - the grain product is more expensive ...

Which is better - ground or grain?

Let's dive a little into the process of making coffee. Each grain is a kind of capsule filled with natural chemicals and essential oils and protected by a hard crust. When roasted, it is the oils that give the grains their unique chocolate hue and smell.

But as soon as the shell is destroyed (after grinding), essential oils instantly enter into a chemical reaction with air and oxidize. In a matter of minutes, the product loses its enchanting aroma and taste.

Coffee experts assure: ground coffee lives 15 minutes after leaving the coffee grinder. Then it's just a dead mixture. It loses its unique smell, becomes boring (different varieties can no longer be distinguished by smell after 15 minutes!), Rancid. Delicious, no doubt. But not the magic drink...

Don't believe? Do an experiment. Take two sheets of paper, pour a spoonful of freshly ground coffee on one, leave for 3-4 hours without closing. Then grind another portion, put it next to and smell both coffee slides. The difference is incredible! And if you repeat this experience with store-bought and homemade ground coffee, you will forever bypass the shelves with “aromatic” powder. Only grain!

Video: What is the difference between instant and ground coffee

And one moment. During roasting, carbon dioxide accumulates in the grains, so ground coffee is kept outdoors for several days before packaging. This process is called degassing. Without degassing, powder in vacuum packages cannot be transported - the package will either swell or simply explode. Thus, coffee gets into a pack, having already lost a good half of its aroma.

What are the other benefits of freshly ground coffee over store-bought coffee?

In addition to the bright taste, grinding coffee at home, immediately before brewing, is worth it for the following reasons.

  1. The manufacturer always seeks to reduce costs. Some in this business show real miracles of ingenuity, adding chicory or even ... acorns to ground coffee. This is not a joke at all, there are a lot of such examples in the harsh coffee market. In a dark powder, you may not notice impurities (fried acorn is invisible), only you will feel a strange aftertaste. And you certainly can't prove anything.
  2. A poor-quality product is another reason for a suspicious taste. In ground form, the cheapest coffee is indistinguishable from the elite, so manufacturers are constantly improving in the art of counterfeiting. Usually scammers or cunning firms dilute the smelly Arabica with cheaper varieties. More often robust, but sometimes also Liberica, which rarely goes for export, its place is in the confectionery industry. She has a very bitter taste.
  3. Each method of preparing a charming drink has its own grinding. For a French press - large, for a coffee machine - medium, for a home Turk or a geyser coffee maker - coffee dust. In your own coffee grinder, this is easy to follow, but the manufacturer does not always give you the choice of grinding.

The conclusion from this is the simplest: buy coffee exclusively in beans and grind it at home. Even the most unpretentious coffee grinder will provide you with a cup of aromatic delicious drink, which cannot be said about the package of store-bought ground coffee. It is better to buy it only for work, office or production, where a French press is waiting for you.

How to choose ground coffee?

If, nevertheless, it is not always possible to buy a product in beans, you need to learn how to choose ground coffee correctly. What to pay attention to?

1. Grinding.

First, decide where you will brew coffee, the degree of grinding depends on it. The “wrong” grinding powder can seriously ruin the result - so if you take coffee dust for an espresso machine, you will get an unintelligible and tasteless brew. All information about the degree of grinding is written on the label.

Video: Coffee grinding: 5 main types

And most importantly - regardless of the grinding (fine, large, medium), high-quality coffee must be homogeneous.

2. Sort.

Thousands of varieties of coffee differ significantly - in flavors (both berry and chocolate), astringency, bitterness, aroma ... But wherever all these coffee trees grow, most of them belong to two types - Arabica and Robusta. There is also Liberica and Excelsa, but they are grown little - to enhance the taste of elite coffee blends, and Liberica is also for confectionery production.

If you're lucky, the manufacturer will put only one variety in the package and be sure to sign: "100% Arabica". But most often in a coffee pack you will find a blend. If “espresso” is written on the package, it is definitely a mixture with robusta: in the proportion of 50/50, 60/40, 70/30.

Try to find coffee where this proportion is indicated - such information is very useful. Arabica has less caffeine, giving your morning energy drink a rich flavor and signature scent. Robusta is stronger, bitter and perfectly invigorating - it has the most caffeine.

If you value coffee precisely for its strength, then choose the one with more robusta. If your heart is playing tricks or your blood pressure is jumping, look for pure Arabica. Another option is decaffeinated coffee. It is just as tasty, but the caffeine was “pulled out” even before roasting, so the invigorating effect is minimal.

But the highest quality and tastiest coffee is still 100% wet-processed Arabica. And ideally - also assembled by hand.

3. Flavored or non-flavored.

Coffee with additives is now at the peak of popularity - cognac, almonds, amaretto, coconut ... But true connoisseurs of this drink still prefer the natural version: strong flavors drown out the taste of even the best Arabica. Not to mention that most additives are “identical to natural”, that is, absolute chemistry.

Definitely artificial additives are cognac and amaretto, almonds and hazelnuts, orange and chocolate. This also includes the most exotic "blends": dessert tiramisu, pina colada, royal cherry, orange with chocolate, banana shake, etc. Natural - only spices: cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg. The most elite and expensive varieties of coffee can also be flavored in a natural way, transported in rum barrels.

The Arabs were the first to flavor coffee. According to one version, they wanted to diversify their favorite drink, according to another, healthy spices reduced the harmfulness of strong espresso. In any case, if you want to experiment, buy spices yourself and add them to your favorite drink. Coffee's best friends are cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, and ginger.

4. Roasting.

The taste, strength and smell of the drink depend directly on roasting, so you need to carefully read the label. Weak, medium, strong or maximum? Although in fact there is no single classification, and different manufacturers can have a product of the same roast that differs markedly in taste.

There is only one way out - to try, although there are general trends. Stronger coffees tend to be more bitter, and if you're into softer flavors, opt for a lighter roast. And note: Italian coffee is usually a heavy roast!

5. Packing.

The first option is coffee in packs.

Ground grains are usually sold in vacuum packaging - hard or soft, the main volume is 250 gr. A soft pack must be chosen with a special degassing valve. Firstly, you can press on it and feel the aroma of coffee, this is how a fresh product is distinguished from an already unusable one. Secondly, the presence of a valve is proof that the coffee powder was packaged immediately after roasting and grinding. Soft-pack coffees are usually coarsely ground, made in the quickest (and cheapest) way.

Hard packaging noticeably wins in comparison with soft packaging - the drink in it retains both the coffee aroma and the special taste much better. It is very easy to recognize such a product - packs of coffee look like solid bricks. The main thing is to check whether the packaging is damaged in any place (in this case it becomes soft).

A big plus of such packaging is that it usually always indicates the degree of roasting, grinding option, in what way this drink is best prepared.

The second option is coffee in pods.

Pods (or monodoses) are disposable portions of ground coffee packed in a paper filter and foil packaging. They are intended for pod coffee machines, which are convenient to use at home, in the office, and in catering establishments. Such a drink is made according to the open standard Easy Serving Espresso (ESE pods), in translation - easily prepared espresso.

The third option is coffee capsules.

Coffee capsules are a trend of the last decades. Today, there are already more than three capsule coffee preparation systems, but there is one feature - for each coffee machine there are only their own special capsules. Therefore, when purchasing a capsule coffee maker, you are “doomed” to only one type of coffee. With the monotony of varieties and tastes, you can only hope for quality, so when buying a new box, be sure to open and smell it. A bright coffee aroma is a sign of a fresh and high-quality drink.

Video: Coffee machines - is capsule coffee good?

6. Production date.

Freshness for coffee - first of all. When buying a brand new package of your favorite drink, immediately look at the production date. Even last year's small pack has already lost its aroma - as if you opened a large package and left it like that for a month. The best option is to buy coffee beans in a specialized tea and coffee shop and ask them to grind it in front of you.

7. Brand and manufacturer.

A well-known manufacturer and well-known brand is a guarantee that ground coffee will be produced according to all standards and without suspicious impurities. Today, the main giants of ground coffee presenting their aromatic products in Russia are Jardin (Russia-Switzerland), Paulig (Finland), Jockey (Russia), Illy (Italy), Malongo (France), Lavazza (Italy), Zhivoy coffee" (Russia).

Natural coffee, ground rich in vitamins and minerals such as: vitamin B2 - 11.1%, vitamin PP - 96.5%, potassium - 64%, calcium - 14.7%, magnesium - 50%, phosphorus - 24.8%, iron - 29.4%

What is useful Coffee natural, ground

  • Vitamin B2 participates in redox reactions, increases the susceptibility of color by the visual analyzer and dark adaptation. Inadequate intake of vitamin B2 is accompanied by a violation of the condition of the skin, mucous membranes, impaired light and twilight vision.
  • Vitamin PP participates in redox reactions of energy metabolism. Inadequate vitamin intake is accompanied by a violation of the normal state of the skin, gastrointestinal tract and nervous system.
  • Potassium is the main intracellular ion involved in the regulation of water, acid and electrolyte balance, is involved in the processes of nerve impulses, pressure regulation.
  • Calcium is the main component of our bones, acts as a regulator of the nervous system, is involved in muscle contraction. Calcium deficiency leads to demineralization of the spine, pelvic bones and lower extremities, increases the risk of osteoporosis.
  • Magnesium participates in energy metabolism, synthesis of proteins, nucleic acids, has a stabilizing effect on membranes, is necessary to maintain homeostasis of calcium, potassium and sodium. Lack of magnesium leads to hypomagnesemia, increased risk of developing hypertension, heart disease.
  • Phosphorus takes part in many physiological processes, including energy metabolism, regulates acid-base balance, is part of phospholipids, nucleotides and nucleic acids, is necessary for the mineralization of bones and teeth. Deficiency leads to anorexia, anemia, rickets.
  • Iron is a part of proteins of various functions, including enzymes. Participates in the transport of electrons, oxygen, ensures the occurrence of redox reactions and activation of peroxidation. Insufficient intake leads to hypochromic anemia, myoglobin deficiency atony of skeletal muscles, increased fatigue, myocardiopathy, atrophic gastritis.
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