is it just me, or are Monday’s getting harder and harder to face each week? I’m thinking the real cause is that our work weeks are becoming more involved and a little more intense that come the weekend, we are cramming as much as we can into those two days - be it recreation, working around the house or tending to family duties, that when Monday rolls around, it’s a case of “hang on, here we go again”!

I’m certain it was easier for our parents and their parents. Not in a physical way - we’ve got more comfortable cars, better safety equipment, air conditioning, socially aware everything - but they didn’t have mobile phones that ring on a Saturday morning, work emails that bing at 8pm, mortgages that really do take 30 years to payoff, internet bills, it goes on and on.

What do you think?

Science and coffee are life long partners!

It’s also ist like a laboratory experiment, the way we weigh, measure and test every aspect of the coffee making process. It takes exactly 14grams of coffee prepares in a double basket portafilter, the coffee is ground to a precise and repeatable grind, and extracted under a perfect 9 bars of water pressure at the predetermined 91 degrees Celsius.


Only them do we achieve the magic 60mls of deliciously smooth espresso base.

It goes without saying that we are a little obsessive and like to control the outcome of our coffee making experience, for the benefit of the perfect coffee shot.

It is for that reason a preheated cup is important. Without it, we are relying on a cup that is colder than the. Coffee it will be coming into contact with and therefore affecting the temperature of the coffee in the cup. That temperature change will affect the flavour of your coffee.

I store my ceramic coffee cups on top of my espresso machine, but for the times that I forget, I’ll just rinse the cup with some warm or hot water and that will do pretty much the same job.

Do you enjoy your coffee on the sweet side, but want to avoid adding sugar to your coffee? There is a natural trick to making your coffee sweet with out adding sugar.

The coffee extraction process is a little complex, with the most bitter part of the coffee oils being extracted in the second half of the extraction process, while the sweeter oils are extracted in the first half. If you prefer a sweeter coffee, try discarding the second part of your extraction and retaining the first. The added benefit is the most flavoursome part of your coffee is retained. ​

I used to be the guy that would add two sugars to my coffee, and I thought nothing of it. I tried a few times dropping down to one sugar, and that was kind of acceptable, but no sugar? awful! It was bitter and tart, I just couldn't do it. 

I didn't realise there was as a simple reason why I needed sugar in my coffee; the coffee I was using was not fresh, and that made it bitter. Supermarket coffee and coffee roasted at a roaster that is stored on a shelf (IE: not roasted fresh on demand) will be more bitter and require sugar compared roasted on demand fresh roasted coffee beans. 

If you find that your coffee is still not naturally sweet enough for your taste preferences, there is one simple trick you can use to make your coffee even more naturally sweet; when you are extracting your coffee, cut your extraction short, so instead of a 25 or 30 second extraction, aim for a 15 second extraction. If you want a stronger coffee, just add a second shot! No bitter aftertaste, and no sugar.

Aeropress is similar to a plunger or drip filter, but with a little more refinement to the process. You are left with a very crisp and clean tasting coffee in the cup, so long as you are able to use the right beans for Aeropress.  Ideally, aim for a coffee that is equally light and fresh, with some fruitiness; Daily Blend or Fairtrade are perfect choices, but my favorite is Mocha - all varieties are roasted fresh on the day you place your order and express delivered to you anywhere in Australia. 

Grinding for Aeropress is quite a bit different to grinding for Espresso Machine - instead of the very fine grind used in cafes for their machines, you're looking for a grind that is similar in texture to crushed rock salt - its going to be gritty if you rub it between your fingers. 

Someone in the team is responsible for organising the coffees, which almost needs its own project manager.. Steve wants a skinny Flat White, Mary is after a cappuccino, extra froth, get mike his usual long black and I'll have a hot chocolate, else i'd be on my fifth coffee for today!

I'm going to suggest we get a coffee machine at the office, use our own coffee beans and save ourselves from the insanity of the endless coffee run!

Time is up for assignment one. Off for a coffee!

You've decided its time you got some great tasting coffee out of your Nespresso coffee machine and you'd like to save some money too? No problems, I've got you covered. 

This latest generation of Nespresso Compatable coffee capusles is tested on all of the Nespresso coffee machines including those manufactured by Delonghi and Mielle. These capsules are hemetically sealed so do not require an outer wrapper and will retain their roasted fresheness even when displayed on your countertop. Save some money too and benefit further with free delivery anywhere in Australia. 

Christmas is here and it is almost time to reflect on 2016 and to plan for everything 2017. Thank you for your support and allowing me to continue providing excellent coffee beans and the one on one customer service experience I strive for. Merry Christmas, in a very Australian way!

Santa's helpers want to know, do you have enough coffee beans for Christmas 2016? Coffee Bean Shop is fresh roasting coffee beans for cafes, business and homes EVERYDAY these holidays, except 2016 and 2017 Public Holidays. Grab a bag or two of your favorite coffee beans to get you through the Christmas and New Year period, or grab a last minute gift for the coffee lover in your life.   ​

They say its OK to not wash your coffee cup, but I ain't buying into it! 

​Infectious disease expert Jeffrey Starke, a paediatrics professor at Baylor College of Medicine, tells The Wall Street Journal that even though there might technically be germs in an unwashed coffee cup, it's fine because they are yours. These germs, even if you're sick, won't hurt you again if you drink out of the same mug. "Very few viruses can exist for more than an hour on an inert object" Starke said. 

Right. 

The only time I would take that advice is if the only option available to you was to use a shared dirty sponge from the office kitchen and the water was luke warm - in that case, doing nothing would have to be better. 

Pro Tip: make use of the microwave to boil the water and rinse your cup. Maybe boil that sponge too!

Have you been looking for coffee beans made in Australia? Most of the world's coffee is produced in the equatorial countries such as Brazil, Guatemala, Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Costa Rica and while we aren't famous for growing coffee (our climate is not ideal for coffee bean trees), we do have a great number of master roasters. 

We are very fortunate in Australia to have access to some of the highest grade coffee's in the world - roasting is our final touch that delivers freshness and value. Coffee Bean Shop is proud to be one of the leading coffee houses in Australia and our customer service is world class!

I've owned more travel coffee mugs than I care to admit - most of them have ended up in the bin, which is ironic, since that is exactly why I bought a travel mug in the first place. My search for a great travel companion coffee mug has ended, and I am happy, very happy. It just works!

The Contigo West Loop v2 coffee travel mug is perfect. It does all of the following;

1. Does not leak. Ever. 
2. Keeps my coffee hot for hours
3. is very easy to clean
4. is strong and robust
5. looks good. 

​You'll pay about $30 in Australia for one of these, but that is great value when you consider the cost of all those travel mugs that don't perform. Pro-tip: get the stainless steel finish and not a coloured model if you'd prefer low maintenance - they are 100% dishwasher safe, where as the painted / coloured finish requires hand washing only. 

It wasnt long before I realised that while the 35cl 350ml jug was perfect for single coffees, I'd need something bigger for making two coffees at a time. That is when I bought a 500ml cl50 Matt Black teflon coated Motta. It looked wonderful when I first bought it, but after almost two years of daily use and abuse, the matt black exterior coating started to degrade (the inside teflon was still fine). 

It was the perfect excuse to upgrade, again, this time opting for a bright orange 750ml 75cl Motta. I'd say its too big for everyday use, unless you are making 20 ounce drinks (large mugs), otherwise the cl50 (500ml) is just perfect. 

Why even bother tamping? Well, mechanically, the tamp is important in the coffee extraction process. Without tamping, the water under pressure from your espresso machine will find the weakest path through the coffee grinds, resulting in a very weak and under extracted coffee.

To tamp correctly, hold the tamp level with the bottom of the portafilter and apply between 10 and 15kg of downward force. The result will be a very even and level coffee puck surface so that when your machine shower screen is activated, the water will be dispersed evenly through your coffee. 

Be sure to get your eye level down to basket level so you can check that your tamp is level.  

1984 was a great year for Australia. It was the year of Back to the Future, Medicare was introduced, the One Dollar coin was introduced and the Nespresso Capsule system was developed. 

The Nespresso system has increased in popularity over the last ten years, though their popularity is dwindling on Hamburg Germany, where the council has banned the use of the Nespresso Capsule system, along with some other individual serve pre-packaged products. With the total product weighing 8 grams, 3 of those grams are product packaging and 5 grams is the actual coffee product - that's a high packaging to product ratio, and especially concerning since the Nespresso capsules are not easily recyclable. ​

I really don't like using the term 'snobbery' in the coffee industry, even though that can be the perception. Rather than snobbery, it is more to do with exploring to a deeper level than is required in every-day life to enjoy a great cup of coffee. Without the experts and the terms used to describe coffee flavours and profiles, coffee, just like wine, would be flat and boring. We don't all need to use these terms at all, but it is an insight into the words and terms used in the coffee industry to describe coffee beans. 

While using words like bitter, sweet, sour are all perfectly fine, the industry experts must used detailed descriptions like cinnamonm clovem nutmeg or anise to describe spice flavours or vanilla, black tea, sweet aromatics to further describe sweet. Using these words and understanding their presence in different coffee beans allows us to obtain, roast and deliver the best coffee beans we can. 

Tamping coffee correctly is not nearly as difficult or technical as it has been made out to be. Here are some simple tips that will improve the quality of your coffee every single time;

1.use a tamp that fits your basket as close as possible without being too tight - your tamp should not bind on the endges of your coffee basket. 
2. when tamping, be aware of the pressure you are applying sideways - try to maintain a level surface
3. apply around 15kg of downward force (you can tamp on to a set of scales to get a feel for the pressure required. 
4. be careful not to bump the coffee basket after grinding - that includes knocking it with the tamp of the grouphead. 

So, although the perfect coffee is a science of sorts, knowing the tricks will really help you make a great coffee. The best advice I can give you is to be consistent.  

Coffee Bean Shop was created specifically to serve the needs of our Australian cafe customers looking for delicious fresh roasted coffee beans to serve their customers, but word has gotten out and Coffee Bean Shop has been supplying coffee beans to homes and office customers all over Australia daily since 2006! Since our customers have been so social, I thought it time Coffee Bean Shop also got social - check out our facebook page here http://www.facebook.com/coffeebeanshopAU

Christmas 2014 and New Year brings with it fun and relaxation. Bay Beans will be roasting and delivering great coffee right up until Tuesday December 23 and will resume again on January 2nd. Orders placed during this period will be prepared on January 2nd for delivery to you. 

Have a well deserved break!

James Axisa.

The Nespresso system relies heavily on the coffee capsule and the quality and construction of the capsule to ensure a great tasting coffee  and a coffee machine that is extremely low in purchase price and maintenance when compared to commercial and domestic espresso machines. 

It is for this reason that you should not take risks with cheap or low quality aftermarket Nespresso compatable capsules. Coffee Bean Shop specialises in coffee only, so it makes perfect sense that we also provide the highest quality Nespresso compatible capsules, guaranteeing 100% compatibility and reliability with all of the current Nespresso coffee machines including the Latissima and Inissia. 

Try Coffee Bean Shop Nespresso compatible coffee capsules as a variety pack, so you can sample all of the popular flavours before deciding on your favorite. 

Its been said before that the west coast of Australia has its own economy, mostly due to the mining and the resources sector, but one thing is for certain, Western Australia leads the way in demanding great tasting coffee. 

Coffee Bean Shop supplies companies, businesses, cafes and homes with great tasting coffee beans in around 4 days from ordering. Your coffee beans are roasted fresh after your order is placed, lodged for delivery by courier or Australia Post and will be at your doors step within the week. You can even benefit from buying your coffee beans in bulk, by the carton, but don't worry, each carton contains ten individual 1kg bags of delicious coffee beans,

Some Coffee Bean Shop customers are FiFo (fly-in fly-out) operations supporting FiFo workers and it's not uncommon to have your coffee beans delivered to your charter service at the airport, ready for fast delivery to your facility for your staff and employees to enjoy the best coffee in Australia. 

If you're not sure where to start, give James a call and he will discuss the different flavours and options, or try a sample pack, or if your anything like me, jump right in and purchase a carton of coffee beans now and benefit from Free delivery to Western Australia. 

Finding a coffee capsule that will work with 100% of the Nespresso coffee machines including the Lattissima and Inissia is proving difficult for some. The 2014 and 2015 model range of machines from Nespresso use a new generation capsule system that requires a new generation capsule.  Using a capsule designed for the older generation machines will cause extraction issues,  in short,  non compatible capsules will not work.

Coffee Bean Shop Nespresso Compatible Capsules are 100% compatible with the latest generation of Nespresso coffee machines Latissima and Inissia. The new capsules are also hermetically sealed meaning greater freshness and aroma.

Coffee has become a ritual - lets not deny it. Gone are the days when the only enjoyment you get from a cup of coffee is the actual drink. My ritual starts from the moment I open the bag - a burst of aroma from my fresh roasted coffee beans and continues through the grinding where I get a second hint into how flavorsome my coffee will be. 

Watching the extraction and the pour into the cup is met with anticipation as I steam my milk to a creamy texture and pour the milk into the cup. Sure, my technique has room for improvement, but thats the journey - each and every cup is a part of me and the result is a more enjoyable coffee, this time a flat white. 

When I sit down to enjoy my coffee, I seem to forget my surroundings, everything falls silent as I draw my first sip.  yum!