Australian organic food enthusiast Varun Venaik, who runs an organic food blogging website, loves the taste of freshly made coffee in the morning. Australia is a nation that thrives on coffee, with the vast majority of Australians reaching for coffee as their morning beverage. Australia is fortunate in that it has a vibrant variety of coffee beans as well as an extremely diverse landscape of cafes, both in metropolitan cities as well as smaller regional towns. In Australia, almost 95% of coffee shops are independent. This sets Australia apart from many other large nations like the United States and the United Kingdom, where a number of large conglomerates (for example Starbucks) tend to dominate the café scene.
During the covid pandemic, many Australians who were unable to buy a coffee from their favorite café decided to bring the coffee-making facilities to their home by buying an espresso machine. Those who own such an appliance know that the decision-making doesn’t end with the purchase of a machine. Consideration then needs to be given to whether to buy ground beans or whole beans and which coffee beans to buy.
Varun’s view is that it is always better to buy whole coffee beans, and grind them yourself, rather than buying pre-ground beans. Now, those who prefer convenience over everything else may raise objections to this, but the freshness of the coffee you can make with whole beans cannot be matched by coffee made with pre-ground beans. One of the reasons why this is the case is because, given the small size of coffee beans, oxygen infuses into the coffee very soon after it is ground, causing ground coffee to lose a significant amount of flavor rapidly (usually in less than an hour). By buying ground beans, you are effectively consuming coffee that has lost a substantial amount of flavor before it even goes into your coffee machine. While grinding your own coffee requires you to purchase a coffee grinder (for those who don’t already have one as part of their machine), it is well worth the investment.
In terms of Varun’s favorite coffee beans, he is a big fan of Campos coffee beans which is a perfect option for those who are looking for a coffee bean that is robust, full-bodied, and sweet, but still accessible and able to be purchased at grocery stores like Woolworths. Campos coffee beans taste wonderful no matter your coffee preference – whether you prefer a milky flat white or a long black, and no matter what type of milk you use (whether it’s oat milk, dairy milk, fat-free milk, or soy milk). At $45/kilo at Woolworths, Campos coffee beans are slightly more affordable than some of the more premium beans that are only available at cafes.
Another one of Varun’s favorite beans is Will & Co. Will & Co coffee beans are used across many cafes in Australia and over the last decade, have gained significant popularity amongst new coffee enthusiasts and seasoned coffee connoisseurs alike. Like Campos, Will & Co Coffee beans are conveniently sold at Woolworths, making it easy for you to buy your supplies without going out of your way. Will & Co’s natural coffee beans are a wonderfully developed rich-dark flavor that has sweet-tasting notes of chocolate and caramel. Will & Co beans are perfect for making a flat white or a cappuccino, as the flavors in this bean are elevated with milk-based coffees.
Last but certainly not least, Varun Venaik is also a big fan of Padre coffee beans, which are a Melbourne-based coffee roaster. Although these beans do not appear to be available at supermarkets or grocery stores yet, they are easily able to be purchased online. Padre coffee beans have sweet chocolatey notes that make an extremely smooth-tasting coffee no matter whether you like your coffee black or with milk.
Stuck in the organic food-choosing process? Check out Varun Venaik’s blog on the same here!
