How to choose coffee for your brew method

Start with how you make coffee, not with the label. The same beans behave differently in an espresso machine, a moka pot and a cafetière, and the format you buy (whole bean, ground or capsule) should follow the method. Here is where to begin for each.

Espresso machine

An espresso machine wants freshly ground coffee under pressure. If you have a grinder, buy beans and grind just before you brew. If you do not, several of our 250 g packs come ground for espresso. Check the brew guidance on the product page, because several of the tins are ground for other methods, the 100% Arabica MOKA tin among them. The Caffè Vergnano bar blends (Espresso, Antica Bottega, Gran Aroma, and the 1 kg ladder from Espresso Classico 600 up to Mille 1000) are made for this. A conventional starting dose is 7 g for a single and 16 g for a double; adjust by taste. Beans need a grinder of your own, because we do not grind to order. The numbered 1 kg blends are explained in The Vergnano ladder, and the dose ranges, 6 g to 9 g for a single and 14 g to 18 g for a double, are in How much coffee to use.

Moka pot

The moka pot takes ground coffee, and the grind matters: coarser than espresso, finer than cafetière, because very fine grounds can restrict the flow. The Caffè Vergnano 100% Arabica MOKA tin is ground for the moka pot; the Gran Aroma ground pack and the Women In Coffee tin also list the moka pot among their uses on their product pages. As a guide, allow about 15 g for a three-cup pot and about 30 g for a six-cup pot, the basket filled level and not pressed down. Start on a low to medium heat and, as the flow turns to a gurgle, take a conventional pot off the heat; where the maker’s instructions differ, follow them. The whole routine, from the water level to cleaning, is in How to make coffee with a moka pot.

Filter and pour-over

Filter coffee shows the coffee’s character without the intensity of espresso. As a guide, allow about 15 g per 250 ml cup, which is 60 g per litre of water; try 14 g to 16 g per cup and change one thing at a time. The grind is medium, coarser than the grind made for espresso. Rinse the paper filter with hot water and discard that water; add the coffee, then pour water just off the boil in stages. For a drip machine, use the same coffee-to-water ratio. Beans you grind yourself give the best result; we do not grind to order, so without a grinder choose a coffee whose product page lists filter among its uses. Among the beans whose product pages list filter or the cafetière are the Riserva Torino 100% Arabica and Nobile, the Mille 1000 and Kimbo’s Aroma Gold. The routine is in Filter and cafetière: where to start.

Cafetière

A cafetière is the simplest method in the kitchen: coffee, hot water, four minutes, press. It rewards a fuller, rounder coffee. As a guide, allow the same 15 g per 250 ml as filter and try 14 g to 17 g per cup; for a 1-litre cafetière, about 60 g. The grind is coarse; the fine grind made for espresso suits neither the cafetière nor filter. Steep for about four minutes as a starting point, then press slowly; if the plunger resists, do not force it, and check the grind before the next brew. Among the ground coffees, the Vergnano Original tin and the 100% Arabica MOKA tin list the cafetière among their uses. The routine, from warming the jug to the press, is in Filter and cafetière: where to start.

Bean-to-cup machine

Bean-to-cup machines grind and brew in one go, so they take whole beans: beans only in the hopper, and if your machine has a compartment for ground coffee, follow its manual. The dose is the machine’s setting. As a guide, allow 7 g to 12 g per cup: about 7 g on a mild setting, 9 g on a standard one and 12 g on a strong one. At 9 g a cup, a 1 kg bag makes about 110 cups. An estimate at a typical dose. Your machine, grind and recipe will move it. Choose beans whose product page lists bean-to-cup among their uses and check the manual for any restriction; the Vergnano ladder lets you pick how full-bodied you want the cup to be. The hopper is not a storage jar: load what you will use in a few days and keep the rest of the bag sealed. More in Coffee for a bean-to-cup machine.

Capsule machine

For a domestic Nespresso Original machine, choose the capsules sold as Nespresso-compatible: Caffè Vergnano Oro, Cremoso, Intenso and Napoli, ten to a box; they are not for Vertuo or professional machines. If your machine takes FAP capsules, the Classico and Decaffeinato come in boxes of 100. If you are not sure which system you have, send us the make and model before you order. The two systems are not interchangeable: Nespresso-compatible capsules do not fit FAP machines, and FAP capsules do not fit Nespresso-type machines. Allow one capsule per cup; the dose is fixed by the capsule. The Nespresso-compatible shells are compostable where local facilities accept them; check with your council. The one decaf in capsules is the FAP Decaffeinato; we do not stock a Nespresso-compatible decaf. Which capsule fits your machine? explains the two systems, and Choosing decaf sets out the three decaf formats.

Still not sure?

The Coffee Finder asks how you brew and what you like, and narrows the range to a few coffees. Every product page carries tasting notes, a strength scale and a line saying what the coffee is best for. The whole bean, ground and capsule ranges are each a click away.

Comparing the blends of one roaster? See Which Lucaffè coffee beans? and Which Passalacqua coffee?

Reviewed 8 September 2026.