Gourmet Coffee Corner

Yesterday we highlighted the best beans to buy, but how you purchase them is also important. Always purchase whole beans—always. As soon as the beans are ground, they begin to lose there flavor. And who knows how long those grounds have been sitting on the store shelf?

Grinding your own coffee may seem like a hassle, but it’s really not that difficult and the results are palpable. When you grind your own coffee, you also have the opportunity to combine different varieties and roasts of beans to create a blend catered to your palate. Either you can grind all of your coffee on one day — it’s Sunday in my house— or you can keep a mini-grinder on the counter and prepare the beans right before brewing each cup in your espresso machine.