5 winter coffee serves for a moment of calm
Barista Celeste Wong brings you a selection of cosy coffee recipes to get cosy this winter, from spiced gingerbread latte to a calming pour over
I'm a barista, and whether in the cafe or at home, as winter settles in, it brings with it that fast-paced, slightly panicked feeling that gives the affectionate “silly season” its name. It’s unavoidable at times, with the pressure of gift buying, end-of-year work deadlines, and family commitments, but I’ve been thinking lately how important it is not to lose the good habits, conscious thinking, or sense of self we’ve been building throughout the year (and if not, there’s no better time to start). Taking even a short moment for yourself has never been more important. Whether it’s a slower morning after the school drop-off, a longer evening once the partner or kids are asleep, or an extra ten-minute walk around the block – a comforting cup of coffee pairs perfectly with it all. As the temperature drops and the daylight shortens, our coffee routine deserves to mirror that feeling of warmth and intention. This season, whether you’re brewing slow and steady, layering in a little seasonal spice, or treating a guest to something cosy and creative, the right coffee serve becomes more than a drink, it’s a moment. Your moment. With my updated guide to the best beans for 2025 and a focus on slow-brew precision, these five recipes offer a winter wardrobe of cups: from gently spiced mugs by the fire to refined brews that reward a slower pour. When the time comes, I've highlighted some festive coffee ideas here too. 5 winter coffee serves Gingerbread latte Baileys coffee Pour over coffee Festive G&T Iced coffee Even in winter, an iced serve can surprise you especially when it’s slow-brewed and served with warming notes. Try a cold brew steeped overnight with a hint of cinnamon or orange peel, then pour over ice and finish with milk or cream. It’s refreshingly unexpected but still perfectly seasonal.
Best coffee beans to buy in 2025, tried and tested by experts
Looking for top of the range coffee beans to grind? We've gathered the best coffee beans from our favourite producers to help you pick
Whether you favour an espresso or bean-to-cup machine for your morning brew, or opt for a manual method like using a cafetiere or moka pot, your choice of coffee bean has a huge impact on flavour. Buying whole beans and grinding them yourself is the best way to ensure freshness, and it's important to look at the date they were roasted. For the best results, look for beans that have been roasted in the last 30 days. Read on for tried and tested recommendations on the best coffee beans to buy from our coffee expert Celeste Wong. Looking for top-of-the-range coffee beans to grind? Great coffee starts with great coffee beans. If your beans are good, then half the battle is won already. Get expert advice from olive's coffee expert, Celeste Wong. She has tried and tested all the below coffee beans to bring your her top picks. Make sure you use the best coffee grinder for your beans and find the right machine to brew the best cup with the biggest coffee machine deals available right now. Jump to section: Best coffee beans at a glance The best coffee beans to buy 2025 Why buy whole coffee beans? What type of coffee beans should I buy? What does coffee roast mean? Best coffee beans to buy at a glance Best for variety of coffee beans: Rave Coffee Roasters, from £6.98 Best for a large selection of coffee beans: Pact Coffee, from £9.95 Best no-frills coffee beans: Grind, from £8.95 Best high-quality coffee beans: Assembly Coffee, from £10 Best carbon negative coffee beans: Kiss The Hippo, from £11.50 Best balanced coffee: Redemption Coffee Roasters, from £8.90 Most versatile coffee beans: Origin Coffee, from £8.50 Best coffee beans for long-time quality: Climpson & Sons, from £11 Best coffee beans for filter coffee: PLOT roasting, from £9 Best coffee beans for community spirit: Dear Green, from £10.70 Best coffee beans for playful blends: Perky Blenders, from £8.90 Best for café-quality brunch vibes at home: Ozone Coffee Roasters, from £10 Best for Colombian coffee: Hermanos, from £13.50 Best coffee beans for reliable espresso: Code 194, from £11 Best coffee beans with sweet notes: Volcano Coffee Works, from £7.50 The best coffee beans to buy 2025 Rave Coffee Roasters Available from Rave (from £6.98), Amazon (from £11.59) Best for variety of coffee beans Based in the Cotswolds, Rave has built a loyal following since 2011 and continues to offer one of the most varied selections around. I’ve been drinking their coffee for years – especially their single origins, which now number over 20. There’s also a tidy little rare coffee range for those feeling curious, plus decaf options that use the Swiss-Water method - a natural, chemical-free way of decaffeinating while keeping its flavour (I’ve used it in a few coffee cocktails recently and it’s great). I like that they keep things accessible while championing sustainability: they support Fair Trade pricing, World Coffee Research and are part of 1% for the Planet. One standout detail? They also sell small quantities of green beans, which I don’t see often. It’s handy if you're experimenting with roasting at home which I suspect might become more of a trend in the future. Quick delivery, a wide range of blends and gifts, and solid value make Rave one of my reliable go-tos. At the moment, I’m drinking their Colombian el Carmen no 50 as espresso, and their Guatemala Bosques de San Francisco no 52 as my filter. Available from: Rave (from £6.98) Amazon (from £11.59) Pact Coffee Available from Pact Coffee (from £7.96) Best for a large selection Pact Coffee has always placed an importance on working closely with suppliers and pioneering direct trade early on. While still being specialty, many of the coffees I've had in the past have employed a darker roast style than some of the other specialty coffees on the market. This was my first time trying the 'coffee select' range, which offers 13 different rotating coffees, from multiple different origins and at five different grind levels. I was pleasantly surprised by the Bourbon Cream Espresso, a Brazilian and El Salvadorean blend with (unsurprisingly!) notes of bourbon cream biscuits. I also tried the Brazilian Zaroca. This was roasted similarly to the Bourbon coffee, and easily drinkable. It had a thinner mouth feel and less body, with an apple-like acidity so I would drink this as a filter coffee. Both had a good amount of sweetness, low bitterness and mild acidity. Available from: Pact Coffee (from £7.96) Grind Available from Grind (£8 for 227g) Best no-frills coffee beans In 2011, Grind first opened shop in the heart of Shoreditch. Now with multiple sites across London, and supplying a range of coffee shops, it boasts its own roastery and a successful online subscription service. Its house coffee blend is affordable (£8 per 227g bag) and neatly packaged in long, skinny postable shapes in its recognisable pink colour. Unfortunately, it doesn't disclose the origin of the coffee beans. This isn't easy to find on the site, either. But, it does disclose that the beans are specialty grade (which means they must score 80-100 points, set by SCA cupping standards) and ethically sourced. So, this coffee is more for the drinker who wants a nice standard coffee at home, and isn't too bothered about having much more information. You can choose from the house blend, light, dark and decaf roasts, plus its ‘edition’ beans from Peru (which I assume changes, depending on seasons and buying). Grind's eco-footprint has improved over the years, using compostable packaging and products like coffee tins to refill your supply, minimising packaging waste. I found the house blend pleasant and enjoyed drinking it as a flat white with oat milk. The decaf is nice, too. Both coffees aren’t over-roasted or too dark, which is a good thing when using specialty coffee. The coffee is bold enough for milk to cut through, but it’s not overpowering and has some level of depth. Available from: Grind (£8 for 227g) Assembly Coffee Available from Assembly Coffee (from £10) Best high-quality coffee beans Assembly Coffee, roasted in Brixton, is known for its high-quality coffee and artistically painted designs that represent the flavours and characteristics of the coffee. Everything about Assembly is chic and well thought out, like much of its coffee. First I tried the House Espresso, a washed Colombian bean. I found this rich, clean, sweet and balanced with or without milk. Next I tried the Villamaria from Columbia, a naturally processed bean. I got a strawberries and cream hit at the beginning for an enjoyable bright and fresh cup, with a highly perfumed aroma. Roaster's toasting notes: Villamaria: hazelnut, strawberry, complex House Espresso: plum, brown sugar, refreshing Available from: Assembly Coffee (from £10) Kiss The Hippo Available from Kiss The Hippo (from £10.50), Amazon (from £12.50) Best carbon negative coffee beans Kiss The Hippo stands out for being carbon negative – going beyond carbon neutral. The brand calculated its carbon emissions and planned out ways in which it could reduce them, then made a plan with reforestation charity On A Mission to offset its remaining emissions with verified or certified sustainable reforestation projects. I tested out the Los Vascos Colombian coffee. This drop is lightly roasted and has a lovely light body to it. I found it had sweetness and a bright acidity like that of green apple. Roaster's tasting notes: caramel, honey, green apple Available from: Kiss The Hippo (from £10.50) Amazon (from £12.50) Redemption Coffee Roasters Available from Redemption Roasters (from £8.90) Best balanced coffee Redemption Coffee Roasters is the world's first prison-based coffee company, on a mission to reduce reoffending rates through coffee. It runs barista training academies in several prisons across the UK and on release, helps graduates find work in its own coffee shops or within its network. ⁠The Aylesbury Blend espresso is its all-rounder espresso, and I've been really enjoying it as a long black and a flat white. It is really balanced, with low bitterness and low acidity. The Mount Blend, a coffee from Colombia and Ethiopia, had berry and floral notes. The next coffee I tried was the filter coffee, El Meridiano from Colombia. This is a bright and aromatic coffee. I really enjoyed this. The acidity is higher in this which I liked, and the pineapple flavour notes came through well. Roaster's tasting notes: Aylesbury Blend: marzipan, dried apricot, biscuit The Mount Blend: raspberry, blackcurrant, tea rose El Meridiano: pineapple, lime, green apple Available from: Redemption Roasters (from £8.90) Origin Coffee Available from Origin Coffee (from £8.50) Most versatile coffee beans Origin Coffee is a very successful and reputable roastery that started 15 years ago, based in Cornwall. Origin’s San Fermin beans have been a trusty staple for many cafes around the UK, as it is omni-roasted. This means it is developed enough for espressos and yet still light enough to brew as a filter coffee, making it highly versatile. This coffee goes well in a flat white and makes a satisfying morning brew as a filter. Roaster's notes: orange sherbet, caramel, berries Available from: Origin Coffee (from £8.50) Climpson & Sons Available from Climpson & Sons (from £11) Best coffee beans for long-time quality Climpson & Sons has been part of the East London coffee scene since the early 2000s – first as a market stall, and now as a roastery, café and brand known for its consistent quality and creativity. They’re B Corp certified, and their focus on sustainability, quality and community has been part of their DNA from the beginning. I love that they keep a strong core range of blends and dependable single origins while offering more boutique-style options, like their Midnight Oil coffee liqueur and concentrates for easy cocktails – great for espresso martinis. Climpson is one of those roasters that have stayed true to their ethos while growing thoughtfully. I’ve followed their journey closely over the years, and their coffee continues to deliver every time. You might also be interested in the charitable cycling and ocean conservation initiatives they run. At the moment I’m drinking The Baron as espresso, a Brazilian pulped natural with dark chocolate, hazelnut and marzipan notes and their Sirinya single origin from Thailand. I haven’t had much coffee from Thailand, and this is a lovely naturally processed coffee, perfect for filter, with raspberry, mango and vanilla notes. Their coffee info cards are really effective and help guide you on which brew method to use, depending on what you prefer or have at home. Their decaf is lovely too, for both espresso and filter methods. Available from: Climpson & Sons (from £11) Plot Roasting Available from PLOT roasting (from £9) Best coffee beans for filter coffee Plot burst onto the scene a few years ago and has been the name on every barista’s lips since. At recent London Coffee Festivals, where I host MC Coffee Masters, their stand is always my first stop for a morning cup. They specialise in unusual, experimental processing – think an 84-hour yeast-anoxic natural or a honey-processed Geisha, which makes each brew a real talking point. For the past year I’ve subscribed to their ICON Series: 100-150g of a genuinely rare coffee delivered monthly for £20. It’s a brilliant, affordable way to taste beans that are normally impossible to source in small amounts; a few cups is often all you need to appreciate something extraordinary before returning to your daily blend. Whether you’re an experienced coffee nerd or just want to dip a toe outside your usual filter, Plot is the place. And if rarity isn’t your thing, they still offer everyday crowd-pleasers. Available from: PLOT roasting (from £9) Dear Green Available from Dear Green (from £10.70) Best coffee beans for community spirit I’ve been a fan of this Glasgow-based roaster for years. Founded in 2011 by Lisa Lawson, an inspiring figure in the industry and long-time champion of women in coffee (myself included) – Dear Green is a values-led B Corp with an impressively high recertification score of 117.6, and a pledge to reach net-zero by 2030. Transparency runs deep: sourcing is traceable, with organic, decaf, espresso and filter options, plus a dedicated ‘women producer’ range and showcase coffees for something extra special. I’m currently sipping the “Dear Green City Blend” - a Peru-Colombia mix with chocolate, caramel and bright cherry notes. Great as espresso, or as a summer cold brew. £1 from each bag goes to Greenheart Growers and Wash House Garden. From travelling barista to founder of the Glasgow Coffee Festival, Lisa’s passion shows in every cup. With barista training, community projects, and fair-living wages baked into the business, Dear Green is more than a roastery, it’s a movement. No surprise they were named Micro Roaster of the Year by Roast Magazine. Available from: Dear Green (from £10.70) Perky Blenders Available from Perky Blenders (from £8.90) Best coffee beans for playful blends I first came across Perky Blenders thanks to my semi-pro cyclist friends, who swore by their deliveries to fuel long rides. Based in East London (with a new café just opened), they roast sustainably with compostable packaging and a focus on traceability. The bright branding and coffee names make things feel playful and accessible. “I’m So Curious” is their coffee-of-the-month pick, while “I’m So Nutty” (Forest Blend) is rich and chocolatey, and “I’m So Jammy” brings fruity funk with notes of blackberry, pineapple and coconut. Their selection boxes are great for gifting or discovering your favourites, and their personalised bags for birthdays and holidays add a thoughtful twist. Right now I’m sipping their Burundi Rugembe Hill and Jazzy Max – both tropical and vibrant. I’m even tempted to blend a shot into a smoothie for a little extra zing. Available from: Perky Blenders (from £8.90) Ozone Coffee Roasters Available from Ozone Coffee (from £10) Best for café-quality brunch vibes at home Since landing in London in 2012, Ozone has earned a stellar reputation for top-tier coffee paired with that unmistakable Antipodean flair for food, helping to shape the UK’s brunch culture as we know it. Founded in New Zealand, their B Corp status reflects a strong company ethos rooted in sustainability, quality, and community. They now have several café locations across London, so you can enjoy their brews (and brilliant brunches) in person too. Their home coffee range covers origins like Bolivia, Colombia and Guatemala, thanks to long-standing relationships with producers. I also love that they offer a “half caff” option – perfect if you’re caffeine-sensitive but still want a little buzz. You can shop by flavour notes like citrus, floral, nutty or cocoa, which makes picking your perfect brew feel intuitive and fun. Packaging is beautifully designed and fully recyclable, and deliveries are quick and well-packed. Their reserve tasting packs are a great way to explore higher-end lots, and I rate their special edition “Pride” coffee from Fazenda Inglaterra, which supports the LGBTQ+ youth charity akt. I’d recommend trying one of their Bolivians or Kenyans for something vibrant and delicious. Available from: Ozone Coffee (from £10) Hermanos Available from Hermanos (from £13.50) Best for Colombian coffee Hermanos works with Colombian coffee farmers and has had some unique coffees recently that I’ve really enjoyed. The La Aldea is the latest. I’ve been drinking this as an espresso with milk, where the assam tea and dark chocolate flavour notes come in to balance out the milk. I’ve also been drinking it as a black filter coffee, and the plum and apricot sweetness shines through. At a slightly higher price point, this is maybe one to splash out on. Roaster's notes: black plum, assam tea, dark chocolate Available from: Hermanos (from £13.50) Santiago and Victor Gamboa, founders of Colombian coffee roasters Hermanos, share their favourite food and drinks from their homeland. Code 194 Available from Code 194 (from £11) Best coffee beans for reliable espresso This new roastery may be the new kid on the block, but its roaster is not! With many years of experience in roasting for top roasteries in England over many years, this new south London roastery offers a solid range of delicious and reliable coffees that you can purchase online. Having tried many of the specialty coffees from its range, I'd recommend the espresso blend, which changes seasonally but keeps to a similar flavour profile. As an espresso, it's bold enough for the milk to cut through, which is important if you drink coffee with milk. The Papua New Guinea coffee has fruity and milk chocolate flavour notes. Both are very reasonably priced, and come in bags of 250g. Roaster's notes: cocoa, candied citrus Available from: Code 194 (from £11) Volcano Coffee Works Available from Volcano Coffee Works (from £7.50) Best coffee beans with sweet notes Volcano Coffee Works is one of London’s early artisan coffee roasters, founded by Kurt Stewart, an experienced New Zealand roaster. It made its mark supplying top-notch restaurants and today still does, as well as specialty cafés. I tested out the espresso roast – the Mount Blend, from El Salvador and Brazil. I found this coffee nice and sweet but bold, with good body and medium acidity. A nice drop with milk. Roaster's tasting notes: Caramel, red grapes, milk chocolate. Available from: Volcano Coffee Works (from £7.50) Why buy whole coffee beans? Beans stay fresher for longer, and so your coffee should taste better, too. As soon as green coffee beans are roasted, they start to release CO2, which affects the taste. They will oxidise and slowly start to go 'stale' and have a flat taste after a while. When coffee is ground, there is a higher surface area which is exposed to oxygen and that will cause them to lose their freshness faster, so it's best to keep coffee beans whole as close to brewing as possible. Treat your coffee beans similarly to potatoes: store them in a dark, dry place. It's best they are kept in a container or the bag they come in to stop oxygen and moisture getting in. What type of coffee beans should I buy? There are generally two types of beans: robusta and arabica. Arabica: Produced by the specialty coffee industry, this is harder to grow. Arabica beans have less caffeine than robusta, but more varied complex characteristics in taste and acidity levels because it is usually grown at higher altitudes, and better quality, nutrient-rich soil. Robusta: Robusta beans are hardy and usually used for commodity products such as cheaper instant coffee. What does coffee roast mean? Coffee roasts are generally described as light, medium and dark. Dark roasts can be described as more bold and strong tasting. Espresso can usually be roasted a little darker, as the coffee is extracted through machines with high pressure and temperature, so the flavour still comes through. However, medium to lighter roasts keep a lot of the bean's flavour characteristics. When you roast a bean, think of it like taking the moisture out of it: the equivalent to slow or quick cooking a cut of meat. There is also an art to roasting coffee beans, in the fact that different beans from different origins hold different moisture content and density, and therefore need to be roasted appropriately to optimise flavour and quality. Want to learn more about becoming an expert at-home barista? Read our guides here: Celeste Wong's guide to becoming an overnight coffee expert Celeste Wong's guide on how to make iced coffee Celeste Wong's guide on sustainable coffee Celeste Wong's best moka pots Celeste Wong's best coffee grinders Celeste Wong's best decaf coffee to try Celeste Wong's best reusable and compostable espresso pods Celeste Wong's best gooseneck kettles to try More reviews Best coffee subscriptions to try Best Sage coffee machines Best coffee pod machines Best bean-to-cup coffee machines Best espresso machines Best matcha tea Best greens powders to buy
Our expert barista, Celeste Wong, gives her lowdown on how to make the perfect iced coffee, along with some exciting recipe twists and insider tips
Want to know how to make iced coffee? Read expert barista Celeste Wong's guide here, then check out our iced latte recipe, how to make cold brew coffee and summer coffee serves. For coffee shopping inspiration, read Celeste's expert tried-and-tested reviews of the best eco-friendly coffee pods and the best coffee beans to buy. Coffee on its own has come a long way over the past 10-15 years and iced coffee has become very popular in the UK and Europe. So, too, has cold brew. Iced coffee and cold brew are mostly popular in the sunnier climates but have rightly found a place in many homes because of their versatility and refreshing taste, no matter what the weather. Plus, iced coffee is a very Instagrammable drink and easy to make. But there are ways of brewing it properly, which make all the difference, and here’s how to do it. How to make iced coffee... step-by-step video View Green Video on the source website What’s the difference between iced coffee and cold brew? With iced coffee, the coffee is usually prepared with hot water first and then cooled. When you make coffee using hot water, it oxidises and degrades much more and does it faster. Cold Brew uses cold or room-temperature water to brew the coffee, which gives a different quality to the flavour because it’s less soluble than brewing it in hot water. This means it's a slower process than iced coffee but by increasing the time at which you're ‘extracting’ or ‘brewing’, you maximise the solubility of the coffee grounds. So a proper ‘cold brew’ coffee can take a little longer to prepare but it’s worth it. When using a cold brew method, you’ll often find the acidity and bitterness of the coffee is lower. This is one of the reasons I love drinking strong, straight-up cold brew over ice to dilute. Both cold brew and hot coffee cooled down can be used to make iced coffee. Making cold brew at home is very simple and just requires a little prep the day or night before you want to drink it. Here are some good products to help with this process. Iced coffee makers Hario Cold Coffee Maker Bodum Cold Coffee Maker Or a simple cafetière (here are my tried-and-tested picks of the best cafetières to buy) How to make iced coffee Iced coffee recipe Add a generous amount of ice to a glass. Pour 30-50ml hot double espresso over the ice – espresso from an espresso machine or a capsule espresso works well, too. Top with your choice of milk or plant-based alternative (see below for recommendations). Made with cooled-down filter coffee Make a strong 250-300ml pour over/filter coffee (use 25g coffee instead of 18g – it will dilute slightly with the ice). Let it cool to room temperature or put it in the refrigerator. Once cool, add a generous amount of ice to a glass. Add the strong filtered coffee. Drink it black or add 2-4 tbsp milk or plant-based alternative. If you like it sweet, add some simple syrup. Melitta UK do a great, affordable pour over set and accessories. How to make cold brew iced coffee I like to make my cold brew a little stronger (double the recipe if you want a larger quantity – 80-100g coffee per 1 litre water). Put 40g medium to coarse ground fresh coffee in a cafetière or mason jar. Add 500ml cold or room temperature water (filtered if possible). Cover and leave in the refrigerator overnight or for 12-24 hours. The next day, filter the coffee. If you’re using a cafetière, press the filter down slowly. Or pass the coffee through a paper filter to make it really clean. Put a generous handful of ice in a glass. Pour your cold brew coffee over the ice. To drink it black Add a generous handful of ice to a glass. Pour in your desired amount of cold brew coffee. If it’s too strong, give it a few stirs and let the ice dilute the coffee, or add some cold water to the glass. If you like some milk, add 2tsp to take the edge off and to create a beautiful marbled effect. To make it milky Add a generous amount of ice to a glass. Add 50ml strong cold brew coffee. Add 200ml of your choice of milk or plant-based alternative. How to make vegan iced coffee Coffee is vegan, so rest assured that with these plant-based alternatives you won’t miss out on that great milky iced latte again. The brands below are specifically for barista-style coffees, so they’re a little thicker and creamier to steam up but they taste great cold, too. Oat milk – this is my preferred dairy-free alternative to drink with coffee. I recommend Oatly’s oat milk or Minor Figures oat milk. Oatly has quite a thick, full-mouth feel, it’s a little heavier in viscosity, while Minor Figures is slightly lighter and brighter – it’s also made here in the UK. It depends on your preference. Minor Figures Oat goes really well with darker coffee roasts but I love both. Spelt milk – Sharpham Park Organic Spelt Barista Drink. This is new on the market and is high in fibre and protein. Coconut milk – Alpro barista. I like the flavour of coffee with coconut milk. It’s a little softer, nutty without the nuts and combines nicely with coffee. Pea-protein milk – Sproud Barista pea-protein milk. This is a good alternative for those looking for a low-carb, diary-free option. Baileys iced coffee Baileys goes so well with coffee and milk and is a winner at any dinner or party. The coffee balances out the sweetness of the Baileys and it’s great served hot or cold. You may want to try the recipe below shaken in a cocktail shaker if you like it really cold, strained into a cocktail glass or just build it up as I’ve done. Building a Baileys iced coffee is super easy and looks great. Baileys also has a vegan version, so if you use your favourite plant-based milk, you’ll be able to enjoy a completely vegan drink. Ingredients: ice 150-200ml strong filter coffee or cold brew (see above recipe) 50ml Baileys Irish Cream liqueur 50ml milk or plant-based alternative (optional) Method: Fill a glass with ice. Pour the cold, strong filter coffee or cold brew coffee into the glass. Add 50ml Baileys Irish Cream liqueur. Stir and enjoy (or add 30-50ml milk, if you like). Indulgent iced mocha coffee Mocha combines coffee and chocolate, usually served hot with latte-style milk, and is a great gateway into the world of coffee. It was definitely my entry into coffee when I was a teen. I love how a mocha coffee can be dressed up with cream, and how the chocolate and coffee balance out each other almost perfectly. It’s a classic combination. When I first started working in a café in New Zealand many years ago, my bosses called the mochaccino a ‘Borgia’ on the menu. They told me that it meant ‘to poison’… to poison a coffee with chocolate… Today I still love and laugh (with fondness) at their purist attitude. This recipe, however, is going to take it one step further, not only making it iced but even more decadent with ice cream! Ingredients: 30ml chocolate sauce (the sauce can be made by dissolving 3-4 tsp chocolate powder and mixing into 30ml boiled water. Alternatively, you can use shop-bought chocolate sauce or slightly water down chocolate or hazelnut spread with boiled water.) a small handful of ice 30ml strong espresso 1 generous scoop of chocolate or espresso ice cream (optional) 150-200ml milk or plant-based alternative Method: Add the chocolate sauce to a glass and also smear it around the sides. Add ice (don’t fill it – add just enough to cover the bottom and cool the drink). Pour the espresso over the ice to flash cool. Add a scoop of chocolate or espresso ice cream, if you like. Slowly add your choice of milk or dairy-free alternative to fill to the top of the glass. Stir with a spoon and enjoy. Iced matcha latte Matcha is made by grinding down young green tea leaves into a fine powder and it’s said to have many health benefits, making matcha tea very popular. Combining it with the antioxidants and energy- boosting strength of coffee creates a super power drink! I find having milk mixed with matcha and coffee softens any acidity and takes the edge off any overpowering flavours. It’s a great drink to make at home. Ingredients: 1 tsp matcha powder, dissolved and mixed with a third of a cup of hot water a large handful of ice 150-200ml milk or plant-based alternative 30ml strong espresso Method: Prepare the matcha. Once cooled, add it to a glass. Add the ice (swirl it around in the glass a little to cool the matcha). Add the milk or plant-based alternative on top – use the back of a spoon to layer it on top of the matcha. Top with the espresso. You should have something that resembles a traffic light. For more delicious iced coffee drinks, try these… Caramel iced coffee Iced chai latte Iced latte
Expert barista Celeste Wong shares a selection of iced coffees and cool cocktails to sip through summer
Read our summer coffee guide from coffee expert Celeste Wong, then check out Celeste's tried-and-tested list of the best coffee beans and coffee serves from around the world. Summer is finally here. OK, so the UK can be a little patchy, but when the sun’s out, you don’t want to be caught out – especially when it comes to coffee. Once upon a time, cold coffee in any form was frowned upon by baristas and coffee connoisseurs. But over the past decade, those same purists have been rethinking things. Cold brew, flash brew, iced, shaken or blended – cooler methods unlock different flavour profiles, offer a smooth, less acidic sip, and lend themselves to endless creativity. Coffee with ice cream? Yes. Coffee cocktails? Absolutely. In fact, recent studies show that nearly one in four UK coffee drinkers now prefer their coffee cold, especially during warmer months. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never give up the ritual of a hot morning brew. But having a few delicious summer-ready options up your sleeve keeps things fresh, fun and energising. Nothing says “summer holiday” more than a little ice cream decadence in your coffee! So, whether you're basking in a heatwave or just pretending we’re in one, here are five of my go-to recipes to keep your summer sipping sorted. From iced caramel to a frozen espresso martini. Chill, blend, shake... and enjoy. 5 summer coffee serves Classic iced coffee I drink iced coffee and cold brew all summer long, I love using this classic recipe as a base and experimenting with serves such as iced matcha latte, iced chai latte and more. Caramel iced coffee Add some extra sweetness to your coffee with caramel. I like to use a caramel sauce because I like to see it lined on the glass, but a caramel syrup also works well. Iced mocha For those with a sweeter tooth, a mocha is a great gateway into enjoying coffee. I make it iced and even more decadent a scoop of ice cream for a super summery serve. Cold brew iced affo-latte Not only does cold brew taste great, but steeping it overnight also saves you time in the morning. Add ice cream and Baileys for an indulgent summer coffee drink. Frozen espresso martini This summery coffee cocktail is so simple and so refreshing, and something a little more exciting to serve on a hot day. You can still have that coffee flavour hit or, if it's a balmy night and you don't want the caffeine, try making it with decaf coffee instead.
Expert barista Celeste Wong brings you a selection of light and bright coffee ideas to embrace the spring season, from floral serves to on-trend flavours
Read our spring coffee guide from coffee expert Celeste Wong below, then check out Celeste's tried-and-tested list of the best coffee beans and coffee serves from around the world. Looking for the perfect present for the coffee lover in your life? Take a look at our best coffee gifts. Check out some of our spring recipes for a treat and plan ahead with our summer coffee serves. Spring is a season of freshness, both in the air and in the mind. It’s a time of growth, renewal and the promise of warmer days ahead, much like the comfort of a great cup of coffee. Spring trends include floral aromas, delicate sweetness and vibrant flavours which aren’t just found in blooming gardens but also in our coffee. Lighter filter brews are the perfect way to highlight these nuances. Unlike espresso, which tends to emphasise body and intensity, filter brewing methods bring out a coffee's more intricate, delicate flavours. Think cold brew infused with honey, a jasmine-steeped filter coffee or a floral lavender pour over, offering a refined and bright way to welcome in the new season. But spring isn’t all about lightness, especially in the UK. Cosy coffees with a splash of Irish cream, maple and cardamom pour over made buttery with oat milk or a spiced dirty chai can really hit the spot, too. Spring can be a time for new habits, including movement, so make sure you're prepared with good coffee beans at home and a blender (my avocado iced smoothie is perfect for pre- or post-gym workouts). And for a taste of spring in a glass, there’s a special margarita sunset in my book Coffee Creations that perfectly captures the season’s essence with the lightness of tequila, sweetness of agave and subtlety of coffee that floats on top of the drink like the sun. Plus, it's adorned with flowers to give a spring vibe. I've noticed lavender and matcha are two ingredients that are really vibing this spring, while brewing with cascara (the outer shell of the coffee cherry) makes a tea-like drink that is deliciously sweet and aromatic as seen here. Happy brewing! 5 spring coffee serves Lavender espresso tonic If you’re feeling adventurous, try a lavender espresso tonic with a twist: freeze a lavender sprig into ice cubes for a stunning effect. Pour over This season, lighter, effervescent flavours take centre stage, with subtle traces of winter’s spices lingering in the background. It’s the perfect time to explore specialty beans through a pour-over, bringing out the intricate floral and fruity nuances in every cup. Avo iced smoothie Movement and wellbeing are always in season for me, so this avocado iced smoothie remains a staple. Iced matcha latte Supercharge your morning with the health benefits of matcha combined with a shot of espresso for an extra caffeinated and delicious creamy iced latte. Spiced dirty chai On cooler days, a spiced apple dirty chai variation still hits the spot.
Best coffee grinders to buy in 2025, tried, tested and reviewed by experts
Choose the best grinder to use at home with coffee expert Celeste Wong’s tried-and-tested advice
Along with top-quality coffee, an excellent coffee grinder can transform your at-home coffee making, boosting the taste and quality of your finished cup. A good grinder not only gets the most out of your coffee, but should be functional, easy to use, clean and nice to look at. For the best coffee results, grinds should be consistent and grinders should be versatile for multiple styles of brewing. Coffee beans stay fresher for longer than ground coffee, and so your coffee should taste better too. As soon as green coffee beans are roasted, they start to release CO2, which affects the taste. They will oxidise and slowly start to go 'stale' and have a flat taste. When coffee is ground, there is a higher surface area which is exposed to oxygen and that will cause them to lose their freshness faster, so it's best to keep coffee in its whole form as close to drinking it as possible. Make sure you get the best coffee beans to grind at home, with Celeste's pick here. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Jump to: Best coffee grinders at a glance Best coffee grinders to buy 2025 What type of coffee grinders are there? What to look for in a coffee grinder? Which coffee grind is best for different brew methods How we test coffee grinders Best coffee grinders at a glance Best overall grinder: Fellow Opus coffee grinder, £209.95 Best for quick results: De'Longhi Dedica Style KG521.M coffee grinder, £179.99 Best mid-range coffee grinder: ProCook burr coffee grinder, £79 Best for precision grinding: KitchenAid Coffee Grinder 5KCG8433, £199 Best manual grinder: Kilner hand grinder, £28.56 Best uncomplicated blade grinder: Duronic coffee grinder CG250, £19.99 Best for different brewing methods: Melitta Calibra grinder, £89.99 Best for large amount of coffee beans: Cuisinart professional burr mill, £63.95 Best for easy use: Smeg coffee grinder, £164.95 Best investment grinder: Fiorenzato All Ground, £790 Best coffee grinders to buy 2025 Fellow Opus coffee grinder undefined Best overall coffee grinder Star rating: 5/5 This sleek, compact coffee grinder impressed us as soon as it was out of the box, with its matte black design and textured accents. It boasts an impressive 41 grind settings, with capacity for 200g of ground coffee, or about 12 cups. To adjust the grind size, there's a dial that turns with a satisfying click. The grinding itself is measured in seconds rather than weight, so it's important to weigh your coffee beans before using them. While this can be a bit fiddly, it's the best method to be completely precise about your brewing method, and we found the dosing measurements on the lid a big help. The settings allow you to be precise with the grind size, and we found a fine grind produced the texture of sand, while a course grind was noticeably different, with a grittiness that we would expect. This is a great all-rounder and would make a welcome addition to any morning brewing routine. undefined De'Longhi Dedica Style KG521.M coffee grinder undefined Best for quick results Star rating: 5/5 If you're regularly in a hurry for your morning caffeine fix, but you still want the choice of grinding your own beans, this model from De'Longhi is a great option. On test, we were impressed by how quickly this grinder worked, producing 19g of coarsely ground coffee (enough for two cups) in just five seconds. This is much quicker than other models we've tested, but it's worth bearing in mind that despite this, the grinder is fairly noisy. The clear and bright LCD display is a welcome feature, as is the airtight seal on the container that keeps the beans fresher for longer. There are 18 grind sizes to choose from, with a helpful guide on which texture to choose for different brewing methods written above the dial. The machine is intuitive to use – once you've chosen your grind size, you can play with the dose and strength before simply pressing the play button to activate the grinder. undefined ProCook burr coffee grinder Available from ProCook (£79) Best mid-range coffee grinder Star rating: 4.5/5 We were seriously impressed by this coffee grinder, especially given the price point when compared to many other electrical grinders in this list. Straight out of the box it looks beautiful with curved lines, a brushed stainless steel finish and a circular control panel. There are 30 grind settings on offer, which we found ample for our needs, especially if you're using freshly roasted coffee beans. Grind sizes are labelled to guide you for the brewing method, for example a larger grind for pour over all the way to the finer grinds for espresso. You can opt to grind by time, or by the volume that you need and we found the results to be consistent and the machine not too noisy. undefined KitchenAid Coffee Grinder 5KCG8433 Available from Lakeland (£119), Harts of Stur (£119.24), KitchenAid (£119.40) Best for precision grinding Star rating: 4.5/5 As we have come to expect from KitchenAid products, this coffee grinder is a stunning-looking, solidly built piece of kit. We loved the shiny black casing, stainless steel accents, bright digital screen and commercial-grade conical burrs. This grinder will delight the serious coffee fan on account of its spectacular 70-grind settings. From the coarse, heavy grind needed for a cold brew to a thick, rich coffee which drips from the espresso machine like black honey with a resulting velvety crema, KitchenAid has it covered. Plus, it can grind into the included storage box or straight into your portafilter. For those less au-fait, finding the balance between the grind size, texture and timing can be a little muddling. But the KitchenAid manual takes you steadily through it step by step. And, if you’re prepared to play with a bag of coffee beans to figure it all out, you will be well rewarded. Once you discover your favourite settings, they can be saved for next time and the KitchenAid will deliver them automatically. This grinder is at the top price-wise, but given it is almost as good as a professional machine with its wealth of settings, it’s sure to delight true coffee lovers. Latest Deals Kilner hand grinder Latest Deals Best manual grinder Star rating: 4.5/5 For a hands-on approach to making coffee, a manual grinder lets you get fully involved in the process. This Kilner model has a very simple, almost old-school look and feel to it, with the rustic mason jar-like base. Having a metal grind body is sensible because it’s often separated from the glass jar base to get the coffee out, so if it drops or rolls off the table it won’t break. This manual grinder has a small footprint (making storage easy), but still has a generous 500ml jar storage, which comes with an extra lid so you can grind more than you need and store the ground coffee. The mason jar base is sturdy, although you will need to be careful with the glass elements. Despite being fully manual, this is a very easy and intuitive-to-use grinder. To change the grind setting, you need to undo the top bolt to take off the handle and bracket. Turning the cog up and down the thread allows the burrs to move closer (for a finer grind) or further apart (for more coarse grinds). It’s worth noting this is the quietest of all the grinders we tested – it’s almost therapeutic listening to the beans go through the burrs! The texture of the grinds were good, with the ceramic burrs operating well for both very coarse and fine grinds. For easy cleaning, this manual model can be just rinsed under the tap. The burrs are white ceramic so they do get marked with coffee colour quickly, but a scrub with a kitchen brush removes most of this. Latest Deals Duronic Coffee Grinder CG250 Latest Deals Best uncomplicated blade grinder Star rating: 4/5 There’s no fancy packaging with the Duronic, just a simple cardboard box; no images to tease its content and even the opening gives little away. This grinder is no style icon, just a simple black, rigid plastic motor housing, a stainless-steel inner cup and a transparent grinder cover that controls the single-handed on-off switch. At just over 21cm tall assembled and a whisper under 1kg, it will sit quietly on any worktop and neither impress nor embarrass. The Duronic springs to life when used and is so simple. First, load the beans and decide what brew you’re aiming for – from the coarse grind for a cafetière to the fine, powdery grind for a full-flavoured espresso with a good crema. Then, press the plastic cover firmly in short bursts because, as we realised on testing, continuous pressing heats the blade as well as the ground coffee which spoils the finished drink. A blade grinder will never cut as evenly as a burr grinder, but we were more than happy with the finish from the Duronic. Latest Deals Melitta Calibra grinder Latest Deals Best for different brewing methods This tall grinder may not be the smallest, but its streamlined shape means it still feels compact, especially considering its large 375g coffee bean capacity. The black and chrome design is a smart addition to a kitchen, with some plastic elements due to the lower price point of this grinder. The main functions that make this quite different to other grinders in this list is that it has a built-in digital scale with an LCD control panel and you can control the grind dose by weight, cups or time. You can also take the container out and grind directly into any pour-over cone (there’s a good height to it) or a portafilter, which is very convenient. The hopper also has helpful and accurate guides for where to set the grinder for different brew types. This grinder has steel conical burrs which generally allow the grinder to be a little quieter over flat burrs, and also produce less heat which means it’s less likely to clog up. There are a vast 39 grind settings to choose from, and there is a satisfying click when adjusting the hopper to select each one. Lots of domestic grinders claim to produce fine coffee for espresso, but reality doesn’t always match up: not the case with this Melitta. There is a huge, noticeable difference between the coarsest setting and the finest, producing grinds for all brew methods from French press to espresso. The grinder is also easy to clean, with the hopper being easy to remove and a small brush included to clean the removable burrs. If you’re into your coffee and like to experiment with different brew methods, then this is the most reasonably priced grinder: it’s convenient, versatile and offers barista-style processes that deliver accurate, quality results for many brewing methods. Latest Deals Cuisinart professional burr mill Latest Deals Best for large amount of coffee beans There’s no wasting time with this grinder: it is ready assembled in the box, with the hopper attached and ready to go. The user manual was the best we saw, with a clear layout and helpful diagrams and tips. The grinder has a very boxy look and seems to command some space on the countertop. It is short and square – useful for kitchens with low cupboards. The mill has a sliding button to turn it on and is measured in four to 18 cups – essentially meaning it is grinding for longer to grind more coffee. The hopper has a generous 250g capacity. There are 18 grind settings: I wouldn’t recommend using this for espresso, as the finest setting is best used for a pour-over or Chemex coffee. The medium and coarser settings would be suitable for French press and cafetière coffee. To adjust the grind you just turn the hopper left or right, assisted by a twist handle on the lid. The grinds were not super uniform, although the finer settings were more consistent than coarse. The grinder was definitely noisy compared to others, which added to the feeling that it took quite a long time to grind. Latest Deals Smeg coffee grinder CF01 Latest Deals Best for easy use Smeg is known for it’s retro 1950s aesthetic, and this grinder is no exception. Along with the distinctive design, the materials themselves stood out, feeling high quality and sturdy. It’s certainly a solid model, so definitely a countertop staple rather than a grinder to be moved in and out of storage. The Smeg was incredibly easy to use: all the functions are very intuitive. The on/off button is obvious, and it can be set to manual where it will keep grinding until you tell it to stop, or you can choose cup numbers, which goes up in increments of time to grind more coffee and stop grinding on its own. There is a handle to twist and change the grind size, where you can take your pick from 30 grind options. In comparing the finest setting to medium to the coarsest setting, there was a noticeable difference and all grind levels produced consistent results and was not too loud in use. Despite the many options, I didn't find this ground quite fine enough for espresso, so this is best suited for pour-overs, filter coffees or French press coffee. There is also the ability to remove the grind container and place a portafilter underneath. As an extra useful addition, the coffee container has a small rubber patch that seals the container if you want to pre-grind your coffee and store. This grinder is really easy to clean. Everything slides out or twist and clicks smoothly. The Smeg has steel conical burrs which are easily detached to be cleaned with the brush provided. Overall if you’re a fan of classic Smeg design, the results of this grinder won’t let it down: substance matches style. Latest Deals Fiorenzato All Ground coffee grinder Available from Speciality Cafetiere (£790) Best investment coffee grinder If you’re looking to invest in a coffee grinder, this Fiorenzato is a luxurious semi-professional grade model. The design is really sleek and comes in a large assortment of colours to suit many kitchen aesthetics. The design and functionality are so similar to the professional version of this grinder, but this is more compact and simplified in all the right ways. You won’t want to be shifting this grinder much as it's very heavy and sturdy (9kg), supporting a powerful inner motor. This grinder is super easy and intuitive to use. You don’t need to have too much knowledge of coffee or grinding. It really takes the stress out of coffee making for you. There is a main on/off dial on the side. As you turn the dial to change the grind, you can hear clicks to indicate a change, which is also shown on the digital touch screen. There is a shutter in the grinder to stop beans from entering the chamber if you want to change beans conveniently, and the container that catches the coffee seals well around the chute, but also comes with a lid if you want to pre-grind some extra coffee. When you take it away your portafilter will sit under the chute perfectly unaided to catch the coffee, which leaves you hands-free. The three main settings from most coarse to fine are Filter, Moka, Espresso. Within these three sections are many options to grind. The most coarse setting in the Filter section is where you’d grind for cafetiere or cold brew. The micro changes in espresso are fantastic to get very accurate, smooth results. What I love most about this grinder though, is that nothing requires strength or muscle of any kind, which you might expect from such a robust piece of machinery. When you engage in grinding within the Filter section, it will grind until you command it to stop. Within the Espresso section you have three options: single cup, double cup or manual grind. Single and double cup can be set to your preference. It is incredibly easy to switch between different grinds straight away. For such a sophisticated grinder, it’s also very quiet in use. This grinder is surprisingly easy to clean, for a semi-professional grade grinder. You just take the hopper off, press a button to release the revolving ring nut and twist it off. The burrs are made of M340 steel, 64mm diameter and are coated in titanium which make them really easy to clean and very robust. Overall, if you’re looking for a grinder that can truly do it all, while producing consistently strong results, your investment will pay off in this model. Available from: Speciality Cafetière (£790) Fiorenzato Home (£790) What type of coffee grinders are there? There are two main types of grinders – electric and manual. It’s also important to look at the difference between the functionality: grinders can be blade or burr operated. Burrs, whether conical or flat, are usually steel or ceramic. Blade grinders tend to chop the coffee with less uniformity or consistency which will affect the taste of your coffee, through a more uneven extraction. But they are more affordable, so if you're on a budget then this is definitely still an option. Burr grinders either have flat burrs or conical burrs. Flat burrs are often what is used in commercial cafe grinders. They have "teeth" that lay on top of each other and grind the coffee between them to produce more consistent, even grinds. Though if grinding through a lot of coffee, it can cause heat which can also affect the taste of coffee. That's why you might hear an internal fan in some grinders. This partly contributes to these type of flat burr grinders being more expensive than conical burr grinders. Conical burrs are where two cone-shaped burrs are placed one inside of the other to grind the coffee. This uses gravity to pull the coffee through as well as grinding more quietly. Conical burrs may be less consistent, but are usually cheaper. Ceramic burrs are often found in domestic grinders because they don't conduct heat as much and don't blunt easily, so therefore last quite well. Steel burrs are more hardy than ceramic, and start out very sharp and so will give more consistent grinds. What to look for in a coffee grinder? There are several factors to consider when buying a coffee grinder: Price – how much are you willing to spend? Size – do you want a countertop staple, or a model you can move in and out the cupboard? Coffee style – some models are best for espresso, whereas others producer coarser grinders best for French press or pour-over brewing. Design – materials should feel high quality, sturdy and safe to use, as well as aesthetically pleasing. Grind style – as mentioned above, consider the style of grinder best suited to your coffee preferences and budget, whether you want a hands-on manual experience or sleek electric model. Which coffee grind is best for different brew methods Extra fine - Turkish (consistency of cocoa powder or cornstarch) Fine - Espresso/moka pot (finer than table salt, fine sand) Fine to medium - Aeropress/manual pour-overs/V60 etc (similar consistency to table salt) Medium - pour-over/siphon/most auto & drip coffee makers (normal sand) Coarse - French press/cold brew (like sea salt) Extra coarse - can be used for cold brew steeping for many hours, though I would still probably opt for medium to coarse personally (with a texture like peppercorns) How we test coffee grinders We reviewed the coffee grinders based on a range of criteria, including product design, the quality of coffee produced and ease-of-use factors likely to affect the experience of domestic users. Criteria included: design and aesthetics, how large is it's footprint, how noisy is it in use, how many grind settings are there, the range between different grind settings, quality of the finished results and value for money. Want to learn more about becoming an expert at-home barista? Read our guides here: Celeste Wong's guide to becoming an overnight coffee expert Celeste Wong's guide on how to make iced coffee Celeste Wong's best moka pots Celeste Wong's best gooseneck kettles Celeste Wong's best decaf coffee to try Celeste Wong's best reusable and compostable espresso pods Celeste Wong's best coffee beans to try Celeste Wong's best cafetières to buy Celeste Wong's best coffee bags Related reviews: Best coffee scales Best Sage coffee machines Best coffee subscriptions to try Best coffee pod machines Best bean-to-cup coffee machines Best espresso machines Best Nespresso machines Best Nutribullet
10 ways to improve your morning coffee routine
From the moment we get out of bed to when and how we drink a coffee, small morning choices shape our mood, concentration and overall wellbeing – discover how to improve your habits
I’m not a morning person – or at least, I didn’t use to be. Over the last few years, I’ve been on a personal health journey, building morning habits that feel natural and make life more vibrant and enjoyable. Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman claims it only takes three days to start resetting your body’s natural clock, and I’ve found that a grounding morning routine has made me far more efficient – and more flexible as a result. Coffee plays a big part in my mornings, but there are other small habits that maximise my focus and productivity. I’m excited to share a few of my go-to hacks with you, in the hope that they’ll inspire some fresh ideas for your own routine. Coffee has long been my personal and professional staple. My journey in the specialty coffee industry began behind the bar as a barista, but over time, I’ve become just as fascinated by the rituals surrounding coffee, especially since working from home and on the move. Research shows that habits, rituals, and coffee itself can improve cognitive function and productivity. From the moment we get out of bed and check our phones to how we brew and drink coffee, these small choices shape our mood, concentration, and overall wellbeing. The way you approach your morning coffee can evolve – and simple tweaks can optimise your day, putting you in the best mindset for work, parenting, training, or anything else life throws your way. Here are 10 techniques that have transformed my mornings – and I hope they’ll do the same for you. For more like this, check out our expert guides on what to do when you can't sleep and 8 natural energy boosters to try. 1. Give yourself time to wake up Give yourself time to wake up and space to complete your morning routine, so you’re not rushing around and resist the urge to reach for your phone. Research shows that exposure to stressful content upon waking can trigger a stress response, affecting your mood for the rest of the day. The aim is to limit cortisol (the stress hormone) and anxiety as much as possible first thing in the morning. One simple but effective habit I start with is making my bed – it’s done in seconds, and there’s something so calming about pulling back those fresh covers later, ready for a restful night’s sleep. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1398719890-a5b37fb.jpg" width="2121" height="1414" alt="Wooden furniture, eco-friendly materials. Hanging handmade wicker lamp. Macrame on wall. Textile linen. Background with copy space and no people. Trendy interior design." title="Evening romantic mood in bedroom. Stylish room with handmade design elements in boho style. Beautiful light in Cozy home." /> 2. Expose yourself to light Our internal body clock, or circadian rhythm, is highly dependent on sunlight. Waking up to natural light helps us feel energised and sets our body clock for the day. Light exposure can also alleviate symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – especially in the UK’s long, dark winters. So, open your curtains wide, or if you’re working an early shift, switch on your house lights to start the day bright. 3. Drink a glass of water Hydration is key, especially after a night’s sleep. Water helps transport nutrients, supports circulation, improves skin health, and regulates body temperature. Staying hydrated has even been linked to better cognitive performance and mood – Cambridge University found that good hydration positively affects both. I’ll be honest, I’m one of those people who often forgets to drink water during the day, so starting with a glass first thing gives me a head start. (And no, we still haven’t had coffee yet… but it’s coming, I promise!). 4. Start your day with a good cup of coffee Even if I skip all else, as a coffee expert, this is my non-negotiable daily habit. That said, if you’ve followed my first few tips, hopefully 30 to 90 minutes have passed since waking. Some experts suggest that delaying caffeine slightly can help prevent that afternoon “caffeine crash” and support more stable energy levels. The theory is that waiting allows hormones like cortisol and adenosine to naturally regulate before adding caffeine into the mix. It’s a simple tweak that might just make your coffee work even harder for you. Check out our recipes for a classic cappuccino or how to make a flat white to master the basics. 5. Brew with your favourite coffee beans Take the time to explore different coffee beans from your local café or roaster. Knowing what you like and the story behind how it’s sourced, processed, and roasted by a reputable specialty roaster can make your first cup even more exciting. If you love variety, this simple ritual of anticipation can literally “perk” you up before you’ve even had a sip. Personally, just thinking about the rich aroma of fresh coffee is an instant mood booster for me in the morning. See our guide to the best coffee beans to buy for inspiration. 6. Add MCT oil This is something I’ve started doing recently. Adding a teaspoon of MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) oil to my coffee has helped me with hunger management and steadier caffeine absorption. I recommend a flavourless, odourless version. When paired with a low-carb diet, MCT oil can provide a sustained energy boost by converting into ketones, which your body can burn for fuel, although its efficacy still needs more research. And if you’re sensitive to caffeine but still love coffee, good quality decaf is a great option. Specialty roasters are increasingly transparent about their decaf processes, and there are some great decaf coffees available out there so you don’t have to miss out on coffee’s many health benefits. 7. Be prepared Whether you use an automatic filter coffee maker, espresso machine, pour-over, cafetière, moka pot or AeroPress, having everything ready makes a difference. Keep your beans stocked, equipment clean, and water filtered. There’s nothing worse than reaching for your coffee only to realise something needs washing or you’ve run out of essentials. A little preparation the night before can set you up for a smooth, stress-free start. 8. Move your body A refreshing shower, meditation, or even a brisk walk can set a positive tone for the day. Personally, I find my daily coffee walk non-negotiable – it’s my form of meditation and a chance to clear my head. Even a short stroll can boost mental clarity, reduce stress and improve focus. Studies show that morning exercise between 7 and 9am can lower BMI and waist measurements. Dr Rangan Chatterjee advocates 20-30 minutes of walking daily for better gut health and overall happiness. If you’re short on time, get off a stop early or take a quick loop around the block. 9. Queue up music or podcasts What you listen to while making coffee or commuting can shape your mindset. Choose music that energises or soothes you, or dive into a podcast that sparks curiosity or fresh ideas. Sometimes we need a break from daily worries whether it’s family, work, or finances, and hearing an inspiring speaker or engaging story can be the mental reset you need. The beauty of audio? You can enjoy it hands-free while drinking coffee with breakfast or riding the tube. 10. Connect with others (or pets!) According to Arthur C. Brooks, happiness comes from people and memory. Pleasure alone won’t bring fulfilment – it creates fleeting moments, not lasting joy. So, take a moment to cuddle your pet, chat with your partner, or say hello to your local barista. Even a quick coffee outing can build small connections that brighten your day. Don’t have a pet? Admire someone else’s dog on your walk, you might even sneak in a pat like I try to do! Research has shown, playing with a pet can reduce stress, increase oxytocin (a bonding hormone), lower blood pressure and heart rate while increasing serotonin and dopamine (the hormones that make us feel good). The goal is to find small, intentional moments of human (or furry) connection to reduce stress and increase happiness. I really believe in the power of building these new habits. Even if you can incorporate one or two of these that you don’t already, I think you’ll find that your days start calmer, happier and stronger. You’ll also discover that you’re more motivated and productive and less stressed than ever before. And remember to always take the time to appreciate and savour your cup of coffee. More coffee guides and reviews Celeste Wong's guide to becoming an overnight coffee expert Celeste Wong's guide on how to make iced coffee Celeste Wong's guide on sustainable coffee Celeste Wong's best moka pots Celeste Wong's best coffee grinders Celeste Wong's best decaf coffee to try Celeste Wong's best reusable and compostable espresso pods Celeste Wong's best gooseneck kettles to try Best coffee subscriptions to try Best Sage coffee machines Best coffee pod machines Best bean-to-cup coffee machines Best espresso machines Best matcha tea Best greens powders to buy
Best eco-friendly and compostable coffee pods 2025, tried and tested
Coffee expert Celeste Wong has tried and tested the best compostable coffee pods and capsules to help you pick your eco-friendly coffee choice
Coffee pods or capsules are sealed small containers filled with ground coffee. When used in a coffee pod machine, heated water is pumped into the capsule under high pressure until the capsule bursts, releasing rich, crema-topped espresso. A filter inside the capsule ensures that no coffee grounds get into your cup of coffee. Although convenient, the environmental impact of lots of individual pods can quickly add up, especially if you're having multiple coffees a day. Whilst most coffee pods were originally plastic or aluminium (not always easy to recycle), there are now a range of eco-friendly pods that are compostable, biodegradable and easier to recycle. You can still enjoy a wide range of different coffees – including rare, single-origin and decaf coffee blends – whilst being a little kinder on the environment. Our coffee expert Celeste Wong tested a range of eco-friendly pods to find the best on the market – these are her top 10 picks. Discover our picks of the best coffee pod machines in which to use them, along with the biggest coffee machine deals available right now. Prefer to grind your own coffee? Check out Celeste's pick of the best coffee beans and best coffee grinders. More of a tea person? We've also taste tested the best herbal teas to buy. Jump to: Best eco-friendly coffee pods at a glance Best eco-friendly coffee pods to buy 2025 How Celeste Wong tested the coffee pods Are coffee pods really eco-friendly? Best eco-friendly coffee pods at a glance Best coffee pods with sweeter notes: Pact Coffee, from £8.95/14 pods Best GMO-free coffee pods: Volcano Coffee Works, from £4.50/10 pods Best straight forward coffee pods: Grind, £9.95/20 pods Best selection pack of coffee pods: Caravan, £6/10 pods Best carbon negative coffee pods: Kiss The Hippo, from £20.50/30 pods Best coffee pods for information: Hermanos, from £7/10 pods Best coffee pods for espresso: Penningtons Coffee Roasters, from £4.50/10 pods Best for rare ranges of coffee: Colonna Coffee, from £6/10 pods Best easy compostable option: Lost Sheep Coffee, from £16.50 for a pack of 30 Best eco-friendly coffee pods to buy 2025 Pact Coffee Available from Waitrose & Partners (£5.50/14 pods), Pact Coffee (from £8.95/14 pods), Amazon (£8.95/14 pods) Best coffee pods with sweeter notes Pact Coffee has a range of pods to choose from: browse by roast, origin or flavour profile to find one that suits your taste. The colourful packaging is a welcome delivery and the mixed box selection of 40 pods contains all four origins of coffee capsules to give you some variety. Pods are 100% recyclable, and a ‘pods and recycler bundle’ is available containing an Ecofriendly Pod Recycler to ensure the pods are accurately disposed of. There are detailed, accurate tasting notes on the box. My two favourites were the Rwanda and Honduras: the Rwanda pod is described as ‘raspberries and cream’ and this coffee certainly had a raspberry-style acidity and a creamy mouthfeel. The Honduras was bright and fruity, great as an espresso. The Brazil and Columbian pods would suit people who enjoy the more chocolatey, nutty and rich notes from an espresso. Available from: Waitrose & Partners (£5.50/14 pods) Pact Coffee (from £8.95) Amazon (£8.95/14 pods) Volcano Coffee Works Available from Volcano Coffee Works (from £4.50/10 pods), Selfridges (from £6.49/10 pods) Best GMO-free coffee pods Volcano Coffee Works offers four pod choices, including decaf. All are ethically sourced, biodegradable and vegan-friendly. Pods are made from 100% compostable, GMO-free, bio-based material derived from sugarcane. There is a multi-pack of 200 capsules for £100 which is a good option for offices, studios or the multiple times a day espresso drinker. You can also sign up for subscriptions with many variations of frequency, starting with a 40 pack or more and free delivery. I tried Volcano's Balanced pods, which also have the Great Taste 2019 seal of approval. The espresso is strikingly balanced, and while there is no recommendation whether to drink the coffee best as an espresso or lungo, the lungo was equally enjoyable. The words ‘biodegradable & compostable’ are printed on the pods, which adds a helpful reminder when using. Volcano reassures you that the pods will be biodegraded in about 90 days – it feels really good to know a time limit on when compostable pods are actually decomposed by. Available from: Volcano Coffee Works (from £4.50/10 pods) Selfridges (from £6.49/10 pods) Grind Available from Amazon (£25.50 for 60 pods), Grind (from £9.95 for 20 pods) Best straightforward coffee pods Grind offers house, light, dark or decaf pods, all of which come in a refillable (and recyclable), chic Grind branded tin. When you subscribe to the pods, you get a free tin, 20% off and free shipping. All your pods after that come in letter-box friendly boxes. Grind coffee is certified organic, ethically sourced and plastic-free. The compostable coffee pods are made from biodegradable bioplastic, while the lid is made of PLA and paper – Grind specifies the pods will break down within six weeks in industrial compost. What I like about the offering is that it feels really simple. I tried out the House blend capsules, which is the same blend used in the Grind cafés. There’s limited information on the packaging, and they don’t actually disclose the origins of the beans anywhere easily that I can see. If you like milky coffees, I would definitely recommend drinking this capsule with milk, which I preferred over drinking it black. If you are strictly a black coffee drinker, I’d suggest trying the light or dark capsules. Available from: Amazon (£25.50 for 60 pods) Grind (from £9.95 for 20 pods) Caravan Available from Waitrose (£5/10 pods), Caravan (£15/30 pods) Best selection pack of coffee pods Caravan has gained popularity thanks to its day-to-night dining in London, and boasts great food menus to accompany their reputable coffee. It's recently launched three types of compostable coffee pods: The Daily (an all day blend), The Market (organic house blend) and Decaf (anytime blend). It’s not stated where the beans are from, other than that they are arabica beans. Each box holds 10 capsules, and when ordering direct online, you have four option packs: 30, 50, 100 or a bulk buy of 200, which is quite affordable for small offices or households that drink pod coffee regularly. You can purchase one of each type in a combo pack if you want to try all three. I like the bright colours of the compact packaging, and my favourite is the Market organic house blend, which has good base notes and light sweetness. Available from: Caravan (£15/30 pods) Waitrose (£5/10 pods) Kiss the Hippo Available from Amazon (£18/30 pods), Kiss the Hippo (from £6/10 pods) Best carbon negative coffee pods Kiss the Hippo offers three different coffee pods: Organic House Blend (sweet and strong), Organic Classic Blend (darker and more intense in flavour) and Organic Decaf. All are organic-certified, ethically sourced, 100% compostable, plastic-free and completely carbon negative – a huge eco-friendly asset, going beyond just carbon-neutral. Pods are available in packs of 20 or 30, plus you can subscribe to packs of 30 and save 15%. For every subscription, Kiss the Hippo plant a tree in partnership with On a Mission. Packaging is minimal, clean and neat. The House Blend was my favourite: the coffee was bright and very sweet tasting, with a little acidity to lighten the espresso. The Organic Classic blend from the Americas tastes bolder than the house blend and produced a solid lungo. The decaf was really pleasant: the espresso is sweet, light in body and mouth feel, and doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste. An excellent option for decaf drinkers – and even handy for impromptu espresso martinis! Overall, really enjoyable and drinkable. Available from: Kiss the Hippo (from £6/10pods) Amazon (from £18/30 pods) Hermanos Available from Hermanos (£7/10 pods) Best coffee pods for information At the end of 2023, Hermanos Colombian Coffee Roasters released its new coffee capsule range. There are three capsules to choose from: Maria Torres, Hacienda El Calapo and El Condor Decaf (which I've also tried as beans). I also recommend keeping decaf pods on hand for those spontaneous espresso martini nights, too. I tried the Maria Torres and Hacienda capsules, and both were really lovely. Hermanos takes pride in championing the farms it works with. The pods come in long, narrow boxes with a small blurb on the farmer's story, which gives a little insight into how the beans are grown, and you can see the level of body, acidity and sweetness of the different pods. My favourite is the Maria Torres, which has some caramel sweetness and soft acidity. And, even though it's marked on the box as level ¼ for body, I thought it was good and not too low. Online, there's ample information about the coffee process, location, production, drying method, varietals and roast. Compared to some other pods, these work out to be approximately 10-20p more per pod than some others on the list, but these are high-quality. Available from: Hermanos (£7/10 pods) Santiago and Victor Gamboa, founders of Colombian coffee roasters Hermanos, share their favourite food and drinks from their homeland. Penningtons Coffee Roasters and Tea Merchants Available from Penningtons Coffee (from £5.40/10) Best coffee pods for espresso Penningtons, based in the Lake District, has multiple eco-friendly claims: they use power exclusively from renewable sources, recycled packing materials for deliveries and recycle the majority of any waste. Its range of 100% compostable pods is available in a Brazil Espresso roast and a decaffeinated option, plus there are subscription options for regular deliveries. We tested the Brazil Cerrado, an espresso roast, with caramel, dark chocolate and nutty notes. They come in a simple brown box and in two compostable bags holding five pods each, flushed with nitrogen for maximum freshness. This was a nice drinkable subtle espresso, and I would recommend drinking this as an espresso because it might lose its flavour if too much milk is added. A smooth, sweet and nutty drop. Available from: Penningtons Coffee (from £5.40/10 pods) Colonna Coffee capsules Available from Colonna Coffee (£6/10 pods) Best for rare ranges of coffee Colonna Coffee, roasted in Bath, is renowned for its rare and interesting origins of coffee beans and has been able to transfer this ethos to its pod selection seamlessly. This was one of the largest ranges of specialty compostable and eco-capsules I’ve seen, all of which are Nespresso-compatible. Almost everything offered in traditional bean is available in something similar or of the same quality but as a capsule. Compostable capsules are split into three categories: Africa, Americas, and ‘limited release’, while decaf capsules are made of aluminium to be recycled. I tried out the compostable limited release Rare Columbian Gesha. I was excited to try this and the results didn’t disappoint. The intoxicating aroma is distinctively bold cherry, with blackberry and floral qualities. Colonna’s recommendation is to drink this as an 80g lungo. The information on the box highlights that the capsules are nitrogen flushed for optimum freshness. This range is the most expensive of the pods, but it really is something special, so if you’re looking for something exquisite to try I would highly recommend this. If you are a strictly black coffee drinker and appreciate trying different flavours of espresso, then Colonna is a range you’ll want to look into. Available from: Colonna Coffee (£6/10 pods) Lost Sheep Coffee Available from Lost Sheep Coffee (from £15/30 pods) Best easy compostable option Lost Sheep, based in Whitstable, produces small-batch, hand-roasted capsules. It offers two main coffee origins, and a decaf offering, or you can go for the taster pack which offers a selection of pods on offer. Pods are available in packs of 10, 60 or a ‘mega box’ of 100, and there are subscription options for the 60 and 100 packs. Pods are home compostable and free from oil-based plastics. Comparatively, branded Nespresso pods are inconvenient to recycle where there are different options to have them recycled. Pods come in a range of flavours – I tested the Smooth Journey capsules. These do what they say: it’s smooth but strong at the same time. The pack itself is packed with information including details about the roastery and where the coffee is from. It also gives a recommendation as to which button to use on your machine, for this one it suggests espresso over lungo. Even as a lungo the coffee doesn’t taste over-extracted, and if you do want to take the edge off a straight up espresso, the lungo is nice. But they are right, as an espresso it is vibrant and punchy, but smooth. Available from: Lost Sheep Coffee (from £15/30 pods) How Celeste Wong tested the coffee pods All pods reviewed are Nespresso compatible: I tested using a Nespresso Inissa Pod machine. I tried all pods as a short espresso (approx. 30ml) and a lungo (80-110ml). Although coffee can be extracted longer, I personally wouldn’t recommend it as each pod only contains around 5-8grams of coffee, so you run the risk of over-extracting and that's when flavour is dulled and the bitterness can creep in. Some pods specifically say how they are to be brewed, which I followed. I rinsed my mouth between each pod tasting. Are coffee pods really eco-friendly? Coffee pods featured in this list are compostable, biodegradable and easier to recycle, making them more eco-friendly than their aluminium counterparts. Coffee pods are thought to be more eco-friendly than some other brewing methods such as using a filter coffee machine. This is because the production phase of growing coffee beans produces the most greenhouse gases, and since with a coffee pod you are using a very small amount of ground coffee beans per cup of coffee, it equates to less. Want to learn more about becoming an expert at-home barista? Read our guides here: Celeste Wong's guide to becoming an overnight coffee expert Celeste Wong's guide on how to make iced coffee Celeste Wong's guide on sustainable coffee Celeste Wong's best moka pots Celeste Wong's best coffee grinders Celeste Wong's best decaf coffee to try Celeste Wong's best gooseneck kettles to try Celeste Wong's best coffee beans to try Celeste Wong's best cafetières to buy Celeste Wong's best coffee bags Related reviews: Best coffee subscriptions to try Best coffee pod machines Best bean-to-cup coffee machines Best espresso machines Best Nespresso machines Best filter coffee machines 12 best London Coffee Shops Best coffee table books Best small air-fryers Gozney vs Ooni - which pizza oven is best for you? Best Ninja air fryers Nespresso offers Best Sage coffee machines Best greens powders to buy.
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Looking for a top-of-the-range French press to buy? Our expert barista Celeste Wong has tried and tested the best cafetières to help you pick
Along with coffee expert Celeste Wong, we've tried and tested the best cafetières to find the perfect model for you, whether you're after a stylish investment for the breakfast table, a unique design or a practical model for travelling. Read our guide below for the full verdict, then check out how to use an AeroPress, how to make pour-over coffee, and how to use a moka pot for more coffee inspiration. Looking for artisan beans? Try Celeste's tried-and-tested list of the best coffee beans. Jump to: Best cafetières to buy at a glance Best cafetières to buy in 2024 What is a cafetière? Is it known by any other names? What different styles of cafetière are there? How do you use a cafetière? View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Best cafetières to buy at a glance Best cafetière: La Cafetière Pisa Cafetière, £27.99 Best everyday cafetière: La Cafetière Roma, £23 Best budget cafetière: Bodum Travel Press, £17.95 Best minimalist cafetière: Timemore French Press U, £22.95 Best blowout cafetière: Fellow Clara French Press, £99.95 Best cafetière for sustainability credentials: Grind French Press, £35 Best small cafetière: Bodum three-cup coffee maker, £24.95 Best stylish cafetière: Caffe Concetto 680ml Aki cafetière, £39 Best cafetière with a unique shape: Judge six-cup double-walled cafetière, £43.96 Best practical cafetière: Stellar 900ml double-walled cafetière, £68 Best travel cafetière: ProCook three-cup satin stainless steel double-walled cafetière, £21 Best clear cafetière: Barista & Co eight-cup Core coffee press, £34.99 Best cafetières to buy in 2024 La Cafetière Pisa Cafetière Available from Amazon (£15.63), Harts of Stur (£21.95), Lakeland (£27.99) Best cafetière Star rating: 5/5 With its eye-catching design, this cafetière is great for adding a pop of colour to your morning coffee routine. The beechwood handle gives a stylish overall effect and is different from many models in this list which favour a sleek, minimalist or monochrome look. On test we liked this model a lot. The 350ml size is perfect for a single large cup of coffee, although it does come in a larger size if you're brewing for a crowd. Plunging the coffee was easy, without any resistance, and we liked how smooth the pour from the lip was, with no hot coffee splashing on the counter. undefined La Cafetière Roma Available from Amazon (£23), Harts of Stur (£28.96), Robert Dyas (£29.99) Best everyday cafetière Star rating: 5/5 This cafetière ticked a lot of boxes for us on test, securing a five-star rating. It looks beautiful, is easy to use and produced delicious coffee. We really like that it's not only the user that has been considered in the design process but also the environmental impact. Included is a spare mesh filter to lengthen the model's longevity, backed up by the manufacturers 10-year guarantee. It also comes in fully recyclable packaging – sadly still a rarity in the world of kitchen gadgets. One thing worth noting is that we found the glass meant heat retention wasn't as strong as we'd like, but this is still a great piece of kit at a reasonable price. undefined Bodum Travel Press Available from Amazon (£15.95), Bodum (£17.95) Best budget cafetière Star rating: 4.5/5 Unlike many other models on this list, this cafetière is designed with portability in mind. Its simple design makes it intuitive to use and also durable for taking on the go, thanks to the fact that it doubles as a flask. During test we were impressed by how lightweight this model was. A silicone mesh filter stopped any sediment getting into our final drink, which was smooth and stayed hot thanks to the double-walled insulation. One area for improvement is the sustainability credentials — there was far too much plastic packaging for our liking. undefined Timemore French Press U Available from Origin Coffee (£22.95) Best minimalist cafetière Star rating: 4.5/5 Timemore is one of the well-known brands when it comes to specialist coffee and this French press boasts its signature style of minimalist chic. Compared to other cafetières we've tested, it's clear this was designed with speciality coffee enthusiasts in mind due to the specific brewing instructions. It's recommended that you use 12-15g of grounds and 150-180ml of water at 92C and brew the coffee for three minutes. The compact size make it easily transportable and the absence of a handle makes it easy to put in your bag (if slightly tricky to pour from). If you're a coffee enthusiast or like a minimal look, this could be the one for you. undefined Fellow Clara French Press Available from Kiss the Hippo (£85), Origin Coffee (£99.95) Best blowout cafetière Star rating: 4.5/5 One of the larger cafetières we tested, with a 709ml capacity, this is perfect if you have a large family of coffee drinkers or like to host. It's full of features which make it easy to use, like ratio aid lines on the inside of the carafe, and a wooden 'agitation' stick to stir and infuse the grounds. You do need to apply quite a bit of pressure to the plunger for this model, but overall we liked the look and were impressed by the coffee produced. It's expensive, but for the user-friendly features and large capacity it's worth it. undefined Grind French Press Available from Grind (£35) Best cafetière for sustainability credentials Star rating: 4/5 You might have heard of Grind, with its pink brunch cafes or its well-known coffee pod machine and compostable pods. This cafetière has a sleek look, with a smooth, elegant finish and large capacity which makes it great for crowds. The double-walled insulation means your coffee stays warmer for longer so you can enjoy it all morning long. We really like that this French press comes in minimal, entirely recyclable packaging. There were no instructions included, which did mean less paper but meant we had to go online to find the recommendations for ratios and brewing time. Available from: Grind (£35) Bodum three-cup coffee maker Available from Bodum (£24.95) Best small french press This chic French press is in the classic Bodum Chambord design. The small size holds 350ml, which Bodum says equals three cups (we'd say that would be three very small cups). It's made of borosilicate glass, which is taste-neutral and heat-resistant, and has a stainless steel frame with a plastic handle. The stainless steel 'feet' on the bottom protect the glass, so it still feels relatively sturdy. The lid comes with a protective rim to stop splashing as you pour. The mesh appears slightly reinforced with a more solid metal weave, which should ensure it is durable. The small size makes this perfect for making one mug of coffee in the morning, and means it doesn’t take up much room in the kitchen or cupboard. There’s nothing worse than trying to make only one cup of coffee in a really large French press! If you’re serving more people then there are larger sizes available in the same design. undefined Cafe Concetto 680ml Aki Cafetière Available from Amazon (£39) Best stylish cafetière This Scandi/Japanese design from Cafe Concetto (who also make great thermal coffee cups for on-the-go) is beautiful. The rose-gold stainless steel, titanium-finished exterior gives it a unique elegant style, with a luxurious smooth walnut-wood handle. It is also double-walled insulated to keep the coffee warm for longer and this size is perfect for two large cups. This is the only French press tested that has a double mesh filter layer to brew an even cleaner coffee. The filter can be removed for cleaning. The coffee produced still has body, but it has a cleaner taste, making it stand out from all other models. It’s an investment cafetière, but this higher price feels reasonable for such a good-quality model. undefined Judge six-cup double-walled cafetière Latest Deals Best cafetière with a unique shape This striking double-walled polished stainless steel cafetière has a curved shape to its body which is unlike the other cafetières we tested. Not just elegant and sophisticated in design, this cafetière is practical too as it is handily dishwasher safe (although it is recommended to hand wash to extend the life). It also comes with an incredibly lengthy 25-year guarantee. This cafetière uses no plastic and the double-walled stainless steel retains heat well, which is aided by a clever angled design of the lid covering the non-spilling spout. It has an easy-grip hollow handle which prevents this large model becoming too heavy, while still feeling sturdy and secure. With most metal stainless steel cafetières, the plunging motion doesn’t feel as smooth in comparison to glass options. However, this has a relatively smooth motion, though the very small knob on the lid is slightly hard to grip when you want to pull it up to empty out. The coffee stays hot for longer due to both the double-walled insulation and the gap stop lid. Latest Deals Stellar 900ml double-walled cafetière undefined Best practical cafetière This extra-large cafetière feels pretty industrial in design, but would be good for modern, minimalist kitchens: it is simple and smooth, with a plain brushed stainless steel effect. A clear advantage of this cafetière is it being fully dishwasher safe. This is handy if you like just popping the whole thing in the dishwasher (compared to glass French presses which usually require handwashing). However, one disadvantage of pure metal cafetières is that it is hard to tell how much coffee is left without pulling up the lid and re-agitating the coffee, which is not recommended. The thick double-walled metal body feels super sturdy and retains heat really well. The coffee was good as the metal filter glides smoothly down the beaker to ensure minimal agitation. An added bonus to this model is a lifetime warranty for defects in material or workmanship. Latest Deals ProCook three-cup satin stainless steel double-walled cafetière Latest Deals Best travel cafetière On first look, we thought this would be a perfect travel cafetière due to its smaller size. It's a 350ml double-walled stainless steel model. It has a brushed satin stainless steel finish, is dishwasher safe and comes with a one-year guarantee. This affordable model feels very durable and sturdy. We really like that while the mesh filter is still sitting on the top, and you are waiting for the coffee to brew, you can turn the lid to cover the jug lip which will keep the heat in. This is a discrete but very handy feature! With smaller cafetières, you have to watch that you don’t overdose the jug, as it will take up a lot of the space in the cafetière. This makes strictly one cup so to make the most of the 350ml volume we'd start with a recipe of 15-20g of medium ground coffee and fill to the top. The coffee produced had good body and was pleasant to drink. Latest Deals Barista & Co eight-cup Core coffee press Available from Barista & Co (£34.99), Amazon (£32.22) Best clear cafetière This elegant but large-volume cafetière is minimalist and classy. It comes in a range of colours to suit your kitchen, from bright teal and copper to classic silver or black. This model is entirely plastic free: the body of the jug is borosilicate glass, plus an ergonomically designed glass handle that was comfortable to hold. Unfortunately though, you do need to be careful when placing the French press down as even though the base is made of stainless steel to protect the glass, it still sits flush with the glass and I managed to break it. We tested the one-litre size (there’s also a 350ml option). The coffee was smooth and had good body and satisfying mouth feel, due to the micron filter. We like that the design enables you to see how much coffee you have right from the start to finish, and the price is reasonable. undefined What is a cafetière? Is it known by any other names? A cafetière is often called a French press. Names can vary around the world – for example in New Zealand it’s often called a coffee plunger. Other descriptions for a cafetière depending where you’re from include: cafetière à piston, caffettiera a stantuffo, press pot or coffee press. What are the different parts of a cafetière? The main components of a cafetière are the base (like a regular jug), the lid, plunger and spiral plate with a filter plate and cross plate. Attached to the plunger is the metal filter that stops the coffee particles getting into your cup after extraction. It’s important that the mesh is nicely flush to the wall of the beaker so that the press is smooth and the ground coffee doesn't get through. There are different versions of materials used to make the base; glass, plastic, metal, ceramic. What type of coffee does a cafetière use? A cafetière uses ground coffee. The key with making coffee in a cafetière is to have the coffee ground not too fine and more on the coarser side of medium, so that it doesn’t all filter through the mesh. Unless you like a richer, stronger taste, don’t go for too dark a roast. What different styles of cafetière are there? Cafetières can be made from many different kinds of materials, and it mainly comes down to an aesthetic personal preference which will be best for you. Traditionally and commercially most cafetières are made from glass, usually borosilicate glass which is strong and heat retaining. You can see how much coffee you're making, plus glass is easy to clean, doesn’t stain and looks classically chic. However, glass cafetières are also easier to break than metal. Cafetières that are double walled, made of stainless steel or stoneware tend to keep the heat in much better and for longer. However, with metal and stoneware models you don’t get to see the actual coffee inside, so can’t see when your cafetière is getting empty. Cafetières come in many different sizes. The size really depends on how much coffee you want to drink in one sitting, or how many people you are serving. Usually one-litre cafetières are described as making five or eight cups (meaning small coffee cups, approximately three mugs) however there are also lots of smaller options available for individual coffee making. What is a double-walled cafetière? Double-walled refers to an extra layer of material (glass or metal), usually vacuumed, that acts as insulation to the hot coffee inside and keeps it warmer for longer. How do you use a cafetière? Cafetières are popular because they are so easy and convenient to use and you can make a small or large volume of coffee quickly. Follow these top tips to make the best cafetière coffee: The grind of your coffee should be medium to coarse: make sure it is not too fine because this can get through the mesh filter of the cafetière. Make sure your recipe or ratio of coffee to water is right. I usually use 30g of coffee with about 500ml of water, or 20g of coffee and 300-350ml of hot water for a large strong cup. As a general rule, a good coffee ratio to use for this method is 1:15 (one part coffee to 15 parts water). So to calculate, simply divide the volume of the cafetière (or of your desired end volume) by 15 to give you the coffee dose. For example, if you are using a large eight-cup French press that holds about 1 litre, use 67g coffee. Ideally you want your water to be just off the boil, around 93-96C. Using a thermometer or temperature-controlled kettle lets you set the temperature exactly, but if using a regular kettle, boil the water and open the lid for about 30 seconds to a minute to let it cool down before using. When you press the cafetière down, press it very slowly and gently so as not to agitate the coffee grounds. Don’t press right down to the bottom. When pressing the coffee, the resistance should be smooth. If it’s too high, your coffee might be too fine (and vice versa). Once your coffee has brewed for about four minutes, pour and drink straight away if you like it hot. Don’t leave the coffee to steep for too long beyond this, as this will make it bitter or too strong. Read our full guide on how to use a cafetière for more tips and tricks. Read more coffee guides here: Celeste Wong's guide to becoming an overnight coffee expert Celeste Wong's guide on how to make iced coffee Celeste Wong's best moka pots Celeste Wong's best coffee grinders Celeste Wong's best gooseneck kettles to try Celeste Wong's best decaf coffee to try Celeste Wong's best reusable and compostable espresso pods Celeste Wong's best coffee bags Related reviews: Best coffee scales Best coffee subscriptions to try Best coffee pod machines Best bean-to-cup coffee machines Best espresso machines Best Nespresso machines
Add sweet, caramelised biscuit flavour to your espresso with Biscoff spread. An easy and cosy drink to enjoy all autumn long
Try Celeste Wong's recipe for biscoffee, then try spiced apple dirty chai latte, pumpkin spice latte and discover more coffee recipes. Biscoffee recipe
Expert barista Celeste Wong brings you a selection of cosy coffee ideas to embrace the autumn season, from campfire coffee to a clever British twist on the pumpkin spice latte
Read our autumn coffee guide from coffee expert Celeste Wong below, then check out Celeste's tried-and-tested list of the best coffee beans and coffee serves from around the world. Looking for the perfect present for the coffee lover in your life? Take a look at our best coffee gifts. Autumn always feels like a gentle invitation to slow down and savour the shift in seasons. As the colours of nature deepen into warm hues (along with my wardrobe), my coffee creations tend to follow suit, filled with the rich flavours that autumn inspires. For me, this time of year turns coffee drinking at home into a more mindful ritual – filled with comforting spices that give a touch of indulgence on the senses, like cardamom, orange zest or even marshmallow! This autumn feels extra special, as I’m celebrating the release of my first book, Coffee Creations (£18.99, Octopus Books), filled with 90 recipes to elevate your coffee moments. One of my seasonal favourites is the tiramisu latte – perfect for cozy evenings after dinner (and I could even use a quality decaf in this one, check out my decaf recommendations here). If I’m lucky enough to be near a fireplace, my go-to is “s’mores please!” from my ‘nights’ chapter, which brings the campfire coffee indoors. And for a playful twist, I can’t resist the cinnamon toast crunch coffee, with nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla, straight from my ‘unicorn’ chapter – ideal for those who like something a little fun and different with their autumn flavours. 5 autumn coffee ideas Spiced apple dirty chai latte Pumpkin step aside, here’s my new autumnal take on the PSL (pumpkin spiced latte) – a spiced apple dirty chai latte. It might be a mouthful to say, but it’s a delicious one, I promise. Apple is becoming the hot favourite this autumn with cafés introducing the new flavour into their coffee serves. Try this one at home and enjoy the lighter, slightly sweeter variation on the classic autumnal seasonal serve. Use a pre-made chai mix or chai syrup. You can steep chai in hot water to make a strong concentrate. For the apple purée, make your own using canned apples or even organic apple baby purée – just ensure it is blended well into a purée, similar to the pumpkin spice latte. View Green Video on the source website Pumpkin spice latte Here's my step-by-step guide to making the perfect version of this comforting, autumnal coffee. Pumpkin spice latte is definitely a popular October and November drink. You can either buy a flavoured pumpkin spice syrup at your supermarket or there are plenty online. But also, you can use a simple syrup or vanilla syrup too. If you want to make your own vanilla syrup, I've got a quick and easy recipe and method. Cinnamon toast crunch coffee There are many different variations of this drink, so feel free to get your creative hat on and add your own touch. The cereal most popularly used in this drink is Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but you can use any cereal you like. However, make sure it has a distinct flavour such as cinnamon or chocolate otherwise it won’t really enhance the overall taste of the drink. I’ve seen this drink made hot or cold. This is my hot version, but if you feel like trying it cold for breakfast, just follow the same recipe but use cold coffee instead and add ice. French press coffee The French press is effortless and perfect for making more than one cup, inviting you to slow down and savour the ritual. As the coffee brews, you can snuggle into the couch with a cosy blanket, a good book, or with loved ones. When it's ready, each pour brings a little more comfort to the moment, adding that sweet coffee aroma to the autumn air. S'mores coffee Autumnal nights conjure thoughts of sitting by a cosy fire (much more appealing than setting up a tent) or your favourite candles. Who can resist a perfectly toasted marshmallow and what could be more luxurious than having one with a beautiful cup of coffee? The perfect luxe pairing. All you need are a few simple tools. Grab a kitchen blow torch or just use the gas flame on your stove top. But remember, play it safe. Don’t let those marshmallows catch fire and always be cautious around open flames. Use store-bought caramel sauce or make your own. Let the indoor camping (and caffeinated s’mores) adventures begin!
Transform your favourite cereal into a warming autumnal drink with filter coffee, spices and topped with cream - you can even try it cold, too
Try Celeste Wong's recipe for cinnamon toast crunch coffee, then try her spiced apple dirty chai latte, pumpkin spice latte and discover more coffee recipes. Recipe extracted from Coffee Creations: 90 delicious recipes for the perfect cup by Celeste Wong (£18.99, Octopus Books). Photography by Steve Ryan and Jake Green. Celeste says: "There are many different variations of this drink, so feel free to get your creative hat on and add your own touch! The cereal most popularly used in this drink is Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but you can use any cereal you like. However, make sure it has a distinct flavour such as cinnamon or chocolate otherwise it won’t really enhance the overall taste of the drink. I’ve seen this drink made hot or cold. This is my hot version, but if you feel like trying it cold for breakfast, just follow the same recipe but use cold coffee instead and add ice." Cinnamon toast crunch coffee recipe
Enjoy toasted marshmallow atop a caramel sauce-spiked espresso for a cosy and luxurious warming drink for chillier days
Try Celeste Wong's recipe for s'mores coffee then try her spiced apple dirty chai latte, pumpkin spice latte and discover more coffee recipes and camping recipes. Recipe extracted from Coffee Creations: 90 delicious recipes for the perfect cup by Celeste Wong (£18.99, Octopus Books). Photography by Steve Ryan and Jake Green. Celeste says, "Winter nights conjure thoughts of camping or, in my case, sitting by a cozy fire (much more appealing than setting up a tent) or your favourite candles. S’mores are the epitome of fancy camping but who said you can’t just have them in the comfort of your own home? Who can resist a perfectly toasted marshmallow and what could be more luxurious than having one with a beautiful cup of coffee? The perfect luxe pairing. All you need are a few simple tools. Grab a kitchen blow torch or just use the gas flame on your stove top. But remember, play it safe. Don’t let those marshmallows catch fire and always be cautious around open flames. Use store-bought caramel sauce or make your own. Let the indoor camping (and caffeinated s’mores) adventures begin! S'mores coffee recipe
Enjoy the warming flavours of spice and apple in this cosy coffee drink perfect for the autumn season
Try Celeste Wong's apple dirty chai latte recipe, then try our pumpkin spice latte, chai latte and luxury hot chocolate. Check out our best chai recipes for more inspiration. Celeste says: "Use a pre-made chai mix or chai syrup. You can steep chai in hot water to make a strong concentrate. For the apple purée, make your own using canned apples or even organic apple baby purée – just ensure it is blended well into a purée, similar to the pumpkin spice latte." Spiced apple dirty chai latte recipe
Craving a refreshing cocktail to beat the heat? It doesn't get much cooler than Celeste Wong's frozen espresso martini
Try this frozen espresso martini recipe from expert barista Celeste Wong, then check out our caramel iced coffee, cold brew coffee step-by-step and complete guide to how to make iced coffee. Celeste says: "It's simple and so refreshing, and something a little more exciting to serve at home with friends on a hot day. You can still have that coffee flavour hit or, if it's a balmy night and you don't want the caffeine, try making it with decaf coffee instead. Share this recipe with another 'hottie' – and cheers to beating the heat!" Frozen espresso martini recipe
For those with a sweeter tooth, a mocha is a great gateway into enjoying coffee. Celeste Wong makes it iced with a scoop of ice cream for a super summery serve
Try this indulgent iced mocha recipe from expert barista Celeste Wong, then check out our caramel iced coffee, cold brew coffee step-by-step and the complete guide to how to make iced coffee. Celeste says: "Mocha combines coffee and chocolate, usually served hot with latte-style milk, and is a great gateway into the world of coffee. It was definitely my entry into coffee when I was a teen. I love how a mocha coffee can be dressed up with cream, and how the chocolate and coffee balance each other out almost perfectly. It’s a classic combination. When I first started working in a café in New Zealand many years ago, my bosses called the mochaccino a Borgia on the menu. They told me that it meant "to poison", to poison a coffee with chocolate. Today I still love and laugh (with fondness) at their purist attitude. This recipe, however, is going to take it one step further, not only making it iced but even more decadent with ice cream." Iced mocha recipe
Supercharge your morning with the health benefits of matcha combined with the a shot of espresso for an extra caffeinated and delicious creamy iced latte
Try this vibrant iced matcha latte recipe from expert barista Celeste Wong, then check out our caramel iced coffee, cold brew coffee step-by-step and the complete guide to how to make iced coffee. Discover more matcha recipes and the best places for it in London with our trend spotlight guide to matcha. Celeste says: "Matcha is made by grinding down young green tea leaves into a fine powder and it’s said to have many health benefits, making matcha tea very popular. Combining it with the antioxidants and energy-boosting strength of coffee creates a super power drink! I find having milk mixed with matcha and coffee softens any acidity and takes the edge off any overpowering flavours. It’s a great drink to make at home." Iced matcha latte recipe
Not only does cold brew taste great, but steeping it overnight also saves you time in the morning. Add ice cream and Baileys for an indulgent summer drink
Try Celeste's recipe for cold brew iced affo-latte with Baileys, then try our recipe for cold brew coffee, caramel iced coffee and no-churn Vietnamese coffee ice cream. Now, try more coffee recipes. Cold brew iced affo-latte with Baileys recipe
Upgrade your espresso and tonic with lavender to make this on-trend summer iced coffee serve. Make your own lavender syrup or swap out for elderflower
Try expert barista Celeste Wong's recipe for lavender espresso tonic, then try her caramel iced coffee, espresso and tonic and classic iced coffee. Now try our mocktail recipes and floral recipes. Celeste says, "Looking for summery coffee serves? It’s coming up to lavender season and it’s already trending. English lavender is a herb similar to thyme or rosemary, so it’s a perfect addition to the on-trend coffee serve, espresso tonic. It’s refreshing, floral and perfect for summer. Try elderflower syrup if you don’t have lavender or spike it with a little gin for an extra kick." How to make your own lavender syrup Dissolve 5 florets (1 tbsp) lavender into 1:1 water and sugar (e.g. 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar) in a saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes, cool, then strain. Lavender espresso tonic recipe
Looking for a top-of-the-range gooseneck kettle? Coffee expert Celeste Wong has tried and tested the best gooseneck kettles - here are her top picks and how to use them
Whether you're after the perfect morning brew or a drink to sip over an afternoon, gooseneck kettles are perfect for coffee and loose-leaf tea lovers. These kettles allow you to choose your brewing temperature, as well as have control over the flow for a precision pour. This is ideal for manual pour-over coffee-making methods, as well as some others, like an aeropress. Gooseneck kettles also work well for tea lovers who need to tailor the brewing temperature of their speciality teas. Read our guide from coffee expert Celeste Wong below to see her top picks of the best, plus what to look for when buying a gooseneck kettle and how to get the most out of it to make the perfect cup. For more coffee inspiration, check out Celeste's tried-and-tested list of the best coffee beans for unique new blends and flavours to try. To make the most of your coffee beans, read our guide to the best coffee grinders. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Jump to: Best gooseneck kettles at a glance The best gooseneck kettles to buy in 2024 What is a gooseneck kettle? What should you look for when purchasing a gooseneck kettle? What are the benefits of using a gooseneck kettle? Which coffee methods benefit from a gooseneck kettle? Best gooseneck kettles at a glance Best gooseneck kettle for versatility: KitchenAid Artisan Digital Precision gooseneck kettle, £134.10 Best all round kettle: Bodum Bistro gooseneck water kettle 1 litre, £45.94 Best value for money gooseneck kettle: Melitta gooseneck kettle, £23.46 Most stylish gooseneck kettle: Hario Buono drip kettle, £54.99 Best simple kettle: Dualit pour-over fast-boil electric kettle, £99.99 Best ergonomic gooseneck kettle: Brewista artisan 1-litre gooseneck variable kettle, £165 The best gooseneck kettles to buy 2024 KitchenAid Artisan Digital Precision gooseneck kettle undefined Best gooseneck kettle for versatility Star rating: 5/5 This sleek and elegant kettle from KitchenAid impressed us on test with its robust design and ergonomic handle which makes it comfortable to lift. Although it's fairly intuitive to use, the kettle also comes with an informative manual that includes brewing and steeping temperature suggestions for coffee and speciality teas. With this kettle you get a great deal of control. You can adjust the temperature, plus three settings for flow rate so you can be precise about how quickly the water is pouring onto your tea or coffee, and we found there to be a really noticeable difference between the different flow rates. On test we were also impressed by the safety features. If the kettle has less than the minimum amount of water (250ml) then it won't boil and the Add Water icon will light up. undefined Bodum Bistro gooseneck water kettle 1-litre Latest Deals Best all round kettle This a really good general purpose kettle. It’s elegant and modern. The gooseneck spout is long, but doesn’t take up too much space because it’s more vertical than wide, which is handy for storing. It isn’t temperature controlled, so it’s just one simple flip of the switch to turn it on. The handle has an ergonomic thumb rest. You can use this kettle for regular hot drinks, manual pour-over coffees or an aeropress. This is a good option if you are a beginner. Just wait until it comes to the boil and it will automatically switch off. Leave it for a minute and the temperature should drop approximately to the optimum level for your coffee (between 94-96C). Latest Deals Melitta gooseneck kettle Latest Deals Best value for money gooseneck kettle This is probably the best value for money for an entry level gooseneck kettle. It's compatible on any stovetop and very hardy – I’ve taken it away on many trips. I went without a regular kettle for a while and only used this gooseneck kettle on my gas stovetop and it was great. It has a nice angled handle with grooves for your fingers and pours smoothly. One downside is that after multiple uses, the flames from a gas stove can mark the outside of the kettle. It's so affordable, if you are wanting to try a gooseneck out, this is definitely a good option to look at. Latest Deals Hario Buono drip kettle Latest Prices Most stylish kettle This kettle was one of my very first gooseneck kettles. Hario is a very reputable Japanese brand that makes not only functional but beautifully simple and elegant home coffee gear – the copper Buono range stands out. The kettle comes in two sizes: 600ml or 800ml. The smaller kettle is a little stout, while the larger one is a bit more elegant-looking. However, it’s rare you would make an 800ml pour-over coffee; for two large mugs, you'd likely make 500-600ml of coffee. It's hard to brew large quantities without constantly heating the water to keep the temperature stable. So, if you go for the 800ml, you’re unlikely to fill that to the top, plus it’s heavier to lift and suspend the gooseneck. The 600ml is handily sized and a beautiful addition to any kitchen. Latest Prices Dualit pour-over fast-boil electric kettle Latest Deals Best simple gooseneck kettle This is a nice and simple temperature-controlled kettle. The temperature can be changed by 1C at a time (in both Celsius and Fahrenheit) and reaches up to 100C with a turn dial. The kettle has a smooth handle and is easy to operate. You can keep the water at a constant temperature for 5 minutes, which is good for interval pouring. The kettle beeps with key tones, but you can turn it to silent by holding down one button in case you’re up early and want to make your coffee in peace. The interface isn’t as elegant or sophisticated-looking as the others, but has a nice finish and is a reasonable price for a temperature-controlled gooseneck kettle. With its fast-boil functionality, it’s also highly energy efficient. Latest Deals Brewista artisan 1-litre gooseneck variable kettle Available from Amazon (£165) Best ergonomic kettle This gooseneck kettle comes in a variety of finishes, including a white and wooden design for a modern, minimalist kettle. The handle feels comfortable and ergonomic. The spout has quite an elongated ‘S’ bend, which helps restrict and slow water flow for extra control. I really like the stream of the water flow. There is also a flash-boil function and a ‘keep warm’ setting for interval pouring. Sometimes the LCD touchscreen on the base panel is sensitive to control, but if you like modern aesthetics and technology, this kettle will look great and serve as a very good quality gooseneck kettle for your morning brews. Available from: Amazon (£165) What is a gooseneck kettle? A gooseneck kettle has a long, narrow spout resembling a goose’s neck, hence the name. It's often used when making manual pour-over coffees because of the precise, even pouring and stream of water the spout allows, giving the coffee maker more control. What should you look for when purchasing a gooseneck kettle? There are a few key categories to consider: The material of the kettle Whether the kettle is to be used on a stovetop or if it's electric and/or temperature controlled The aesthetic appeal The angle of the gooseneck and shape of the spout, as this will help with precision and flow control, which is primarily the point of this particular design Price How often you make manual pour-over coffees. If it's often, I'd suggest buying a temperature-controlled kettle. If it's every other day, then a more affordable kettle will suffice What are the benefits of using a gooseneck kettle? Using a gooseneck kettle is more precise, because pouring hot water from the short spout of a normal kitchen kettle is not smooth or easy to do in a controlled manner. With a gooseneck kettle, you can control the flow rate and where you want your water to land in your bed of coffee. Which coffee methods benefit from a gooseneck kettle? A gooseneck kettle is most useful for making pour-over coffee, but you can use it for an aeropress, too. I also often water my hard-to-reach pot plants with mine! Want to learn more about becoming an expert at-home barista? Read our guides here: Celeste Wong's guide to becoming an overnight coffee expert Celeste Wong's guide on how to make iced coffee Celeste Wong's best moka pots Celeste Wong's best coffee grinders Celeste Wong's best decaf coffee to try Celeste Wong's best reusable and compostable espresso pods Celeste Wong's best coffee beans to try Celeste Wong's best cafetières to buy Celeste Wong's best coffee bags Related reviews Best coffee subscriptions to try Best coffee pod machines Best bean-to-cup coffee machines Best espresso machines Best Nespresso machines
Love coffee but don't want to buy expensive equipment? Coffee bags could be the answer. Expert barista Celeste Wong has tried and tested more than a dozen to bring you the best
Want a super-quick and easy coffee in the morning? Coffee bags are a good solution. Read expert barista Celeste Wong's guide to the best coffee bags to buy, then check out her tried-and-tested list of eco-friendly coffee pods and best cafetières to buy. We've also taste tested the best herbal teas to buy, when you need a break from the coffee. Read our guide to the best coffee bags from coffee expert Celeste Wong below. Jump to: Best coffee bags at a glance Best coffee bags to buy in 2024 What are coffee bags? What to look for when buying coffee bags How we tested the coffee bags Best coffee bags at a glance Best quality coffee bags: Raw Bean Coffee, £5.34 (10 bags) Best versatile coffee bags: Taylors of Harrogate, £9 (30 bags) Best decaf coffee bags: Paddy & Scott's Brew Bags, £18.99 (31 bags) Best for fast steeping time: New Kings Coffee, £8.99 (10 bags) Best for a wide range: Whittard Coffee, £5 (10 bags) Best dark coffee bags: Farrer's Coffee, £6.40 (10 bags) Best coffee bags to gift: The Little Coffee Bag Co., £30 (100 bags) Best affordable coffee bags: Lyons Coffee, £2.20 (10 bags) Best for large coffee bags: Faff Coffee, £24 (30 bags) Best light coffee: Artisan Coffee, from £14.49 (18 bags) Best coffee bags to buy in 2024 Raw Bean Bean Bags x 10 bags Available from Raw Bean (£4.49), Amazon (£5.14) Best quality coffee bags I like the name of these – 'coffee bags' can be ambiguous – and the bags immediately feel fancy, because they're attached to a dunking string and are pyramid shaped (which seems to help with drainage). The fabric of the bag feels soft. Each box holds 10 coffee bags (not individually wrapped), or you can buy larger boxes of 50 which are individually wrapped. I was pleased to see that the decaf bags use the certifiable Swiss Water® method. The freshness dates were short, which is good news in terms of coffee quality. The roast level was even, as were the coffee grounds, and the weight of ground coffee per bag was slightly heavier than most other options. There were some fines at the bottom of the cup, but this was the case for almost every coffee bag I tried. I enjoyed the Deliciously Dark blend of Brazilian and Nicaraguan coffee, while the Breakfast Blend was pleasant and sweet. The El Salvador bean bags were noticeably different – lighter, with fruity characteristics. Available from: Raw Bean (£4.99) Amazon (£5.14) undefined Taylors of Harrogate x 80 bags Latest Deals Best versatile coffee bags The range as a whole (there are three different blends to choose from, plus a decaf option) is very tidy, cute and stackable. Each coffee bag comes in its own sachet, which, with its distinctive corrugated edge, is easier to open than most other coffee bag sachets. That said, I did rip the actual coffee bag on first try – so try flicking your sachet first, to make sure it doesn't happen to you! The decaf bag I tried was smooth, mild and pleasant to drink. My favourite out of the Taylors range was the Rich Italian Roast 4 bags. The Hot Lava Java Roast 6 was quite strong, so if you like something heavier with milk, this is the coffee bag for you. Latest Deals Paddy & Scott's Brew Bags x 31 bags Available from Paddy & Scott's (£18.99) Best decaf coffee bag 'Brew Bags' is, I think, the best way to describe such a product. The Paddy and Scott's monochrome packaging has a fun vibe and both the caffeinated and decaffeinated bags are sold in a box of 31. It would be nice to have more information on the 'craft blend' used, though – I couldn't find any details on the box. The bags themselves are fully compostable. The dry aroma of both the caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees was pleasant and strong. The roast level is medium and it’s coarsely ground – definitely not as evenly ground as other brands, but that makes more of a difference in espressos or pour-overs. Out of the two options, I particularly liked their decaf brew bag. It was smooth and rich. Available from: Paddy & Scott's (£18.99) New Kings Coffee x 10 bags Available from Amazon (£8.99), New Kings Coffee (£10.99) Best for fast steeping time Choose from dark roast, medium roast, light roast or decaf. All coffees are 100% Arabica, Fairtrade and organic. The square-shaped bags are made with biodegradable bioweb (an eco-friendly and plastic-free material). The sachet is recyclable, as is the brightly coloured cardboard box. The origins of each coffee are clearly stated and there's a distinct difference between their roast levels. If you like a very strong and rich-tasting coffee with a touch of bitterness, the Dark Roast from Sumatra, Indonesia is for you. The Medium Roast from Guatemala is milder, smooth and sweet (my favourite of the range) and the decaf bags are decaffeinated using the Swiss Water® process. In every case, the coffee is ground very fine – so expect a faster steeping time than average. New Kings Coffee also donates to the Grounds For Health charity, which focuses on cervical cancer prevention in the developing world. Available from: Amazon (£8.99) New Kings Coffee (£10.99) Whittard x 10 bags Available from Whittard (£5) Best for a wide range Whittard's coffee bags are 100% compostable and their individual sachets (which have a pleasant, tangible feel) are also recyclable. There are four kinds of Arabica coffees to choose from: two dark blends, medium-dark and medium. The website is really clear and has good descriptions of the coffee bean origins, as well as taste notes. I found their Monsoon Malabar Dark Roast too dark-roasted for my preference, but there is demand for that strong, full on, bitter coffee taste – especially first thing in the morning. Both the Bourbon Espresso and San Augustin Colombian blends boasted delicate flavours, and would be my personal preference. Available from: Whittard (£5) Farrer's x 15 bags Available from Farrer's Coffee (£6.40) Best dark coffee bags Farrer's offer two coffee bag varieties: caffeinated from Colombia and decaffeinated. There was sufficient information on their website to order the bags; but I couldn’t find the origin of the coffee beans used in the decaf option. The coffee in these bags was the finest ground of the bunch and I found it both pleasant and sweet. They're probably best drunk black, or with just a dash of milk, and are available in boxes of 15 bags or 100. Available from: Farrer's Coffee (£6.40) The Little Coffee Bag Co. x 10 Available from The Little Coffee Bag Co. (£6), Amazon (£30) 100 bags Best coffee bags to gift This is a beautifully packaged product, which comes in gift boxes and a wide range of volumes compared to other coffee bags. It felt like a treat to have at home. You can try small taster boxes, which make them slightly more expensive than the others. The bags are biodegradable and the foiled sachets are recyclable. They have three blends of coffee bags available. Blend 1 (their signature blend, from El Salvador, Rwanda and Sumatra) was a dark roast, strong and rich. I detected fruity, blackberry notes. Blend 3, from Papua New Guinea, Peru and Colombia, was smooth and sweet – my favourite. The final option, a decaf bag, is Peruvian and mild. Available from: The Little Coffee Bag Co. (£5.40) Amazon (£30) 100 bags Lyons Coffee x 10 bags Available from Ocado (£2.20), Amazon (£29.99, 150 bags) Best affordable coffee bags Lyons Coffee, founded in 1904, has designed eye-catching packaging for its coffee bags, which come in four distinct colours to represent the different varieties. Expect a theme for each one, such as the ‘dark and lively’ Rockadero – named as such because Lyons Coffee founder, Sir Joseph Lyons, built London Trocadero. The bags look similar to teabags: they’re circular and on the large side, admittedly a little clunky. The coffee itself is medium to dark roasted and coarsely ground, which may (along with the tightly woven bag) have explained the welcome lack of sediment at the bottom of my cup. Everything from the bag to the sachet and outer box is either recyclable, compostable or biodegradable. All four varieties have a tea-like mildness, although the Perkadilly was definitely the most intense and bitter option. These coffee bags are by far the least expensive option and would work well with milk. Available from: Ocado (£2.20) Amazon (£29.99, 150 bags) Faff Coffee bags x 30 bags Available from Faff Coffee (£24) Best for large coffee bags These 'no-faff' bags are sold in a resealable pouch that's designed to look like a pack of fresh coffee beans. The bags are compostable, but not individually wrapped, so less convenient if you want to take one or two away with you. The bags themselves hold twice as much coffee (15 grams) as the other bags recommended in this list, making them double the size. So your coffee will either be stronger or larger, depending on your preference. I was impressed by the strong taste and full flavour of the Guatemalan blend – definitely a good option for the coffee lover who wants strong, fresh coffee in the morning. Faff Coffee is currently working with Ecologi to plant a tree for every order made. Available from: Faff Coffee (£24) Artisan Coffee x 20 bags Available from Artisan Coffee (from £8.25) Best light coffee Artisan Coffee has a classy range of coffee bags that all have bold and evocative names (The Genius, The Smart Cookie and The Big Shot, for example) that refer to their taste profiles. The bags are filled with about 7.5g of ground coffee, making them a similar size to a teabag. They are priced similarly to fresh ground coffee at around £7-8 per box of 20. I found the taste to be similar in strength to tea – mild and pleasant. So it’s not a heavy cup of coffee which you might need in the morning, but a perfect light afternoon or evening cuppa. There is an extensive tasting collection if you want to try all the flavours, and they come individually wrapped, which makes them a convenient option to take on trips away. Available from: Artisan Coffee (from £8.25) What are coffee bags? Coffee bags follow the same principle as teabags – as with tea leaves, the ground coffee comes completely sealed inside a (sometimes recyclable) bag. They are a quick and no-fuss way to make an individual cup of coffee. Simply pour hot water over the coffee bag and leave to brew for 2-3 minutes. How are coffee bags made? One of the issues with both teabags and coffee bags is that microplastics are sometimes used in their production, meaning they won't be compostable or biodegradable. Environmentally friendly coffee bags usually use a mix of paper, cornstarch-based products and degradable spun-bound, non-woven, microweb fabric. Most coffee bags come in their own sachet (to keep the coffee fresh) and, on the whole, recyclable sachets were harder to tear open than their non-recyclable counterparts – I had to use scissors in most cases. A small price to pay, though, for the sake of the environment. What kind of coffee do coffee bags hold? Any kind of coffee can be used in a coffee bag, and even the quantity of coffee can range from 7.5g to 15g. When deciding on which bags to buy, consider the source/origin of the beans and whether it's a dark or light roast. What are the benefits of coffee bags? The main benefits of coffee bags is that they are quick and convenient. No grinding, weighing, pressing or extracting to worry about, and the whole process is usually done in no more than three minutes. Decaf options are available (perfect for your evening cup), and coffee bags are ideal if you’re going away and only have a kettle to hand. The coffee in coffee bags is likely to be of a better quality than instant coffee. What to look for when buying coffee bags Flavour and quality are paramount, the former of which will come down to personal preference. If you like milk in your coffee, go for the darker roasted options. How a coffee brand sources its beans is important too, although unlikely to be detailed on the packaging. The other factor to consider is whether the packaging is eco-friendly. Unlike teabags, each coffee bag usually comes in its own sachet, which may or may not be recyclable. There's also the bags themselves to consider, as well as the outer packaging. If the coffee bags are not individually wrapped, it’s best to store them in an airtight container (if they don’t already come in a sealed bag that lets CO2 out). How to use coffee bags Coffee bags can be used just like teabags. Put a bag in a cup or mug, then fill to the top with boiling water. Use a teaspoon to squeeze or dunk it (this lets the water in and the air out), completely saturating all the coffee grounds. Let it steep for 2-3 minutes or as desired, then when you’re ready and it’s done, give the bag another squeeze to release any excess water. Add milk and sugar, or drink black. How we tested the coffee bags Five key factors were considered: Smell/aroma – dry and wet, was it appealing? Flavour – fruity, sour, bitter Taste – aftertaste, mouthfeel Bag material – is it eco-friendly? Easy to use? Grind size and roast level – how coarse or fine was the grind? Want to learn more about becoming an expert at-home barista? Read our guides here: Celeste Wong's guide to becoming an overnight coffee expert Celeste Wong's guide on how to make iced coffee Celeste Wong's best moka pots Celeste Wong's best coffee grinders Celeste Wong's best gooseneck kettles to try Celeste Wong's best decaf coffee to try Celeste Wong's best reusable and compostable espresso pods Celeste Wong's best coffee beans to try Celeste Wong's best cafetières to buy Celeste Wong's best coffee bags Best coffee pod machines Best bean-to-cup coffee machines Best espresso machines Best Sage coffee machines For more reviews and gift guides, read on: Best coffee gifts Best coffee mugs Best coffee subscriptions Best coffee gadgets and accessories Best Nespresso machines Best matcha tea Best greens powders to buy
Looking for top of the range instant coffee? Our coffee expert Celeste Wong has taste tested the best instant coffee to bring you the top picks
Looking for a quick coffee fix? Instant coffee is your friend, and doesn't have to be the low-quality coffee that it often has the reputation for. I remember drinking bad instant coffee as a youngster with my family on holiday or when camping, but there always used to be something a little ironically romantic (and now nostalgic) about having a bad coffee in a cool spot. Since then, the whole instant coffee category has improved and there are now much better, high-quality options available. Even with specialty coffee more easily available, about 80% of UK households still stock instant coffee in their cupboards (according to the British Coffee Association). Brands are creating new innovations to lure us with variations such as the instant cappuccino sachet or the 'cafe-style' instant latte. Some brands are also quite rightly looking at more important factors like the quality of coffee beans used and the method of the drying process itself which heavily influences the overall quality of instant coffee. For more coffee inspiration, discover our picks of the best coffee beans and best coffee grinders, for when you do fancy grinding your own. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Jump to: Best instant coffee at a glance What is instant coffee? Best instant coffee to buy in 2024 Best instant coffee at a glance Best all-rounder instant coffee: Quokka Coffee Premium Colombian Fairtrade Coffee, from £9.99 Best naturally sweet instant coffee: TrueStart Coffee Barista Grade Instant Coffee, from £5.61 Best Italian instant coffee: Lavazza Prontissimo Americano Instant Coffee, from £5.45 Best instant coffee collaboration: Nescafe Azera Grindsmith Craft Instant Coffee, £9.42 Best flavoured instant coffee: Beanies Nutty Hazelnut Flavour Instant Coffee, £5.49 Best coffee bags selection: Artisan Coffee Co. Coffee Bags, from £11.99 Best large coffee bags: Faff Single Origin Coffee Bags, from £24 for 30 bags What is instant coffee? Instant coffee is dried-out coffee extract that is instantly re-dissolvable in hot water. It can either be freeze-dried or spray-dried. Overall, the freeze-dried process leads to better flavour and aroma and generally produces a higher quality instant coffee. Spray-dried instant coffee can often have a burnt flavour. Types of beans used in instant coffee can be either Arabica or Robusta or a blend of the two, but I would always recommend looking for coffee that uses Arabica, a much higher quality, better tasting bean. The main reasons to drink instant coffee are for time efficiency (it is very quick to make), plus it is usually cheaper than coffee beans or ground coffee. Instant coffee requires no barista skills or equipment and has a long shelf life. Nutritionally, instant coffee usually has less caffeine (due to the drying process) than traditionally made coffee but still holds a lot of coffee’s antioxidants. Best instant coffee to buy 2024 Quokka Coffee Premium Colombian Fairtrade Instant Coffee Available from Amazon (£9.99) Best all-rounder instant coffee Quokka uses Fairtrade and FNC-certified coffee, ensuring it is ethically and sustainably sourced. This 100% Colombian Arabica freeze-dried coffee comes in a simply designed but memorable red recyclable aluminium tin. The light-in-colour dry chunky granules have a subtle aroma. I was really surprised by my first sip as it was pleasant and didn’t have a strong astringent bitter taste often associated with instant coffee. The cup was clean with no crema, which I liked because it looked like a proper filter coffee. It has a nice aroma and is smooth to drink if you don’t use too many granules: I used 1.5 teaspoons. At £9.99 for 100g, it is more expensive than most of the supermarket brands, but worth the extra few pounds if you are supplementing your specialty coffee with the odd instant. There are also bulk-buy options for offices or higher volume drinkers. Available from: Amazon (£9.99) TrueStart Coffee Barista Grade Instant Coffee Available from Amazon (£6.99) Best naturally sweet instant coffee TrueStart Coffee is run by a husband and wife team who offer a range of products including instant coffee, cold brew cans, coffee bags and specialty coffee beans. This instant coffee is 100% Colombian Arabica coffee that was really pleasant to drink: naturally sweet, bold and not overpowering. The instant coffee comes in two sizes, 100g and 500g. They also do an office pack and a decaf instant coffee if you are so inclined. Available from: Amazon (£6.99) Lavazza Prontissimo Americano Instant Coffee Available from Lavazza (£5.20) Best Italian instant coffee Lavazza is one of the longest standing Italian-style coffee companies around (since 1895!) and has a huge range of coffees ranging from coffee beans to instant coffee and coffee capsules. The Prontissimo Americano is an extremely fine instant coffee, made by blending 5% roasted ground coffee with the instant powder. The result tastes just like an espresso americano you might find in cafés, and is an incredibly drinkable cup for those who like a rich black coffee, but one that doesn’t taste too strong. For a stronger coffee, increase the recommended amount of instant coffee powder until you find a ratio that suits you. Available from: Lavazza (£5.20) Nescafé Azera Grindsmith Craft Instant Coffee Available from Amazon (£9.79) Best instant coffee collaboration This is a surprising and unique collaboration between a large coffee company (Nescafé) and an independent specialty coffee roaster in Manchester (Grindsmith Coffee Roasters), whose coffee shops I can certainly recommend. Nescafé have had huge success with their Azera range already and claim that this is UK and Ireland’s first craft instant coffee. However, I would say others in this list (Notes and TrueStart, for example) have long been using specialty grade coffee to make their instant coffee too. The instant coffee itself uses a blend of Brazil and Colombian coffee. The powder is fine in texture and light in colour. If you like a strong and bold chocolaty coffee, with a slight bitter finish, then this is one for you. Available from: Amazon (£9.79) Beanies Nutty Hazelnut Flavour Instant Coffee Available from Ocado (£2.50), Amazon (£5.49) Best flavoured instant coffee If you are a fan of flavoured syrups or sugar in your coffee, then this is a great option. There are plenty of flamboyant flavours to choose between, from Apple Cinnamon to Sticky Toffee Pudding, Cookies and Cream, Chocolate Orange and many more! The coffee comes in small 50g glass jars holding chunky coffee granules that make about 25 coffees. I tried the Hazelnut Instant which has a very strong, sweet and hazelnut aroma. It tastes just how it smells: sweet and nutty! It’s personally a little sweet for me, although it is vegan as well as being sugar-, nut-, gluten-, wheat- and dairy-free. Different milk options would work well and add another dimension to this coffee. If you are a bit adventurous, a coffee newbie with a sweet tooth or want to experiment, have a look at the whole Beanies range. Available from: Ocado (£2.50) Amazon (£5.49) Artisan Coffee Co. Coffee Bags Available from Amazon (from £14.49), Artisan Coffee Co. (from £8.25) Best coffee bags selection Artisan Coffee has a classy range of coffee bags that all have bold and evocative names like 'The Genius', 'The Smart Cookie', 'The Big Shot', 'The Heroine' and more, that refer to their taste profiles. Whilst not strictly instant coffee, these are pretty much instant to brew and match instant coffee by needing no equipment. These coffee bags have ground coffee inside them, so work similarly to teabags and are also similar in size (about 7.5g), but with coffee inside. They are priced similarly to fresh ground coffee at around £7-8 per box of 20. I found the taste to be similar in strength to tea, mild and pleasant – so it’s not a heavy cup of coffee which you might need in the morning, but a perfect light afternoon or evening cuppa. There is an extensive tasting collection if you want to try all the flavours out, and they come individually wrapped, which makes them a convenient option to take camping or away on short trips. It would be great to see these in hotels and accommodation in addition to the vast teabag selections usually on offer. Available from: Artisan Coffee Co. (from £8.25) Amazon (from £14.49) Faff Coffee bags Available from Faff Coffee (from £24 for 30 bags) Best large coffee bags Faff coffee bags live up to the claim on the packet – #nofaff. The bags are large (double the size of most other coffee bags), holding about 15g of coffee each. A box comes with 15 bags packaged in a sealable coffee bag that visually looks like a bag of fresh coffee. The bags are compostable but not individually wrapped so it’s not convenient if you want to take one or two away with you. I was impressed by the strong taste and full flavour of the Guatemalan coffee brewed from the bag. The taste was the closest we tried to a filter coffee made with fresh ground beans, but without the equipment. This fun and bold brand is definitely a good option for the coffee lover who wants fresh coffee but not all the faff of making it in the morning. Available from: Faff Coffee (from £24 for 30 bags) Related reviews Best coffee gifts Best coffee mugs Best coffee beans Best coffee subscriptions Best compostable coffee pods Best coffee gadgets and accessories Best bean-to-cup coffee machines Best coffee pod machines Best espresso machines Best reusable coffee cups Best matcha tea Best greens powders to buy