When selecting a source online to get your coffee bean direct, be sure that they are located near you. My favorite online source for coffee beans is located only a day away via UPS. That means if I place an order for my favorite coffee on Monday, I will receive it on Tuesday. Nothing beats fast service, and if you love your coffee as much as I do, you’ll do pretty much anything to get those coffee beans in your coffee cup as soon as possible. It is not a good idea to choose a coffee roaster that is located far from you unless you like paying high of overnight shipping charges. There are exceptions to this rule of course. I usually get peaberry coffee from Hawaii each month and it is worth every penny to have it shipped overnight to me.

Obviously, buying coffee online has many advantages. The primary advantage is having your coffee freshly roasted for you and getting it at a discount. You can expect to pay about half of what you do at the supermarket unless you are buying coffee that tastes more like saw dust than gourmet coffee beans. Another distinct advantage of buying coffee directly from a coffee roaster is the far greater selection. You can get regular coffee, gourmet coffee, Costa Rican coffee, Brazillian coffee, dark Sumatran coffee, there is a plethora to choose from. So, as you can obviously see, you really can’t go wrong when you get your coffee bean direct from a reputable coffee roaster.

If you are going to go through the expense of having Kona coffee delivered to you, you might as well do it right. First off, buy the beans, don’t buy the coffee already ground. Grind only as much coffee as you will consume in a day. I have measured how much it takes to fill my coffee press and I only grind one press full at a time. Oh, by the way, I don’t use a coffee maker. I use a coffee press. Basically, a coffee press is a glass jar with a top piece that is attached to a plunger with a screen attached to it. You put the coffee in the bottom, pour hot water into the jar, let it brew for at least 4 minutes and then push down on the plunger which strains the coffee and keeps the coffee grounds on the bottom. This method of making coffee blows away my $200 Capresso coffee maker. Really, this $30 device makes the best coffee I’ve ever tasted.

Enough with the coffee brewing lesson already. If you buy Kona coffee, make sure it is 100% Kona coffee. Do not buy a blend. Usually blends will have as much as 90% cheap coffee mixed in and you should not pay a premium for that. I would recommend you try the smallest size available, usually an 8oz. bag of coffee to start. If you like it, by all means, save money by ordering several pounds of coffee beans at a time. Personally, I like to buy my coffee beans fresh every month despite the higher cost. For me, freshness is the top consideration.

As anyone will tell you, organic products can be found more and more on your supermarket shelves, and in other places. Organic milk products, organic meats and eggs, etc. should all be a part of your diet. Anything you can do to lower your intake of chemicals and pesticides should be considered. Organic coffee beans should also play a part in your organic lifestyle. If you think that going organic will be expensive, guess what, you would be wrong. There are many places online that sell organic coffee for about the same price as coffee grown with pesticides and other chemicals. Some growers go the extra mile and their coffees are grown under rain forest-preserving shade trees and are hosts to diverse bird life.

Even if you don’t care about rain forests, endangered birds, fragile ecosystems, etc., you should still consider buying organic coffee beans because they are good for you and taste great. After all, most companies don’t charge a premium and the coffee is not overly expensive anyway. There are plenty of exotic coffees which are much more expensive. Contamination of the planet and destruction of our fragile ecosystems is something that we should discourage. The fact that it won’t cost us an arm and a leg is only one more reason to do so. Make sure that the company you get the coffee from is certified organic by a third party certification company.

OK, if you think that there are only a few flavors of gourmet coffee then you’re sadly mistaken. One of my favorite online stores has the following flavors: almond, amaretto, butter cream, butter rum, chocolate Irish cream, butter scotch cream, cherry bomb, cherry cobbler, chocolate cherry, chocolate almond, chocolate, chocolate marshmallow, chocolate mint, chocolate raspberry, cinnamon hazelnut, orange, pumpkin spice, vanilla almond, vanilla nut, etc. A quality gourmet flavored coffee begins with a solid base such as Colombian Supremo, meticulously selected and then pure flavorings are added without sugar or any other additives. The end result is a very flavorful coffee experience. Flavored coffees can be addictive and there are so many to choose from. Personally, I switch back and forth from favoring added flavors to preferring coffee without any added flavoring.

Any type of coffee you choose will taste better if you take the time to prepare it correctly. Always keep your coffee press, coffee maker, etc. as clean as you can. Residues left from coffees, especially flavored ones can make the next batch taste a little off. I always clean everything every time I make coffee immediately after making the coffee. This may seem a little obsessive, but when I go somewhere and see a brown glass carafe, I know I shouldn’t be drinking coffee there, especially if it’s gourmet flavored coffee. Water is important too, so always use cold, filtered water so that your water does not add any of its own flavor to the final product. I also recommend that you buy your coffee in bean form rather than already ground. It will last longer and the flavor will remain more consistent. Measure out just the right amount of coffee and grind only what you need. Freshly roasted, freshly ground coffee is simply out of this world.

I would say that I am definitely an enthusiastic coffee lover. In fact, what better way is there to enhance your enjoyment of coffee than by buying a good coffee espresso machine? There are so many different models to choose from that it makes choosing one very difficult. Basically we can divide the various espresso machines into three main categories. First is what you could call the fully automatic version. The fully automatic espresso machine essentially does everything for you. You load it with coffee, water, etc. and then just push the button. The second category is semi-automatic. This machine requires some intervention on your part and only some of the process is automated. The main benefit to the semi-automatic machine is that it allows you to have more control over how you want the coffee extraction to go. Last, but not least is the manual machine. The manual espresso machine is probably my favorite. Personally I don’t really need any automation, just give me a machine with a handle press and I’m ready to go!

You may be wondering who makes a good coffee espresso machine? Well, there are quite a few specialty manufacturers with machines on the market and prices can reach into the thousands of dollars. However, even the more well known coffee machine makers have product lines that are reasonably priced. Krups, Bosch, Capresso and others make very good coffee machines. What attributes should you be looking for in an espresso machine? Well, if you are looking at a fully automatic machine, it should definitely have an integrated burr grinder, high-capacity bean hopper, high-wattage heater, high-pressure pump and automated cleaning cycles. It should probably also have an integrated frother for lattes. If you would prefer a semi-automatic model, then look for high-quality components such as large boilers, stainless steel components, high-quality portafilters, etc. If you prefer simplicity and quality like myself then try to choose a manual model with stainless steel or chrome plated parts for durability and minimal interaction with the coffee and water. I just don’t like plastic components coming in contact with very hot water or coffee. Plastic parts really should be avoided if you are a true espresso coffee lover.

If you are coffee fanatic and only the very best will do for you, then you really should give careful consideration to buying the best coffee espresso machine that you can fit into your budget. The investment will be well worth it in the long run because you’ll enjoy the very best espresso coffee for many years to come.