OzBargain's Coffee Bean of Choice

homelessguy on 04/02/2023 - 10:15
Last edited 04/02/2023 - 11:56 by 1 other user

Hi all, I was recently gifted a Delonghi automatic coffee machine with all the bells and whistles. Prior to this I used good ol' Nescafe Blend 43 or if I felt a little fancy the Nespresso pods.

Due to our eagerness to use the machine, I purchased a big bag of Kirkland Signature Columbia (which I quite enjoy actually) which we are nearing the end. On average my partner and I have ~4-5 coffees a day between the two of us and found we were able to get through the 1.3kg bag in slightly over a month. We normally just make an espresso and add warm frothed oat milk and are by no means coffee aficionados.

Anyways, I would like to know what majority of the OzBargain community uses in terms of brand/types of beans etc.

Thanks for your time :)

Poll Options

  • 70
    Airjo
  • 170
    Aldi
  • 13
    Harris Smooth Coffee beans
  • 31
    Inglewood
  • 8
    International Roast
  • 5
    Kirkland Signature Columbian beans
  • 75
    Lime Blue Coffee
  • 7
    St. Ali
Food & Grocery Coffee Coffee Beans

Comments

  • kiitos on 04/02/2023 - 23:54

    Which variety of Aldi coffees do people like? I tried the Brazilian single origin a while ago and looked it, trying it again now and finding it seems milder than I remember.

    • exceladdict on 05/02/2023 - 11:39
      +1

      I tend to use whatever single origin one is on rotation. Brazil and Peru have been my preferred. Agree it tends to be a bit milder but I'm a fan.

    • randysal on 05/02/2023 - 11:48
      +2

      I have tried that and it is ok for my taste, but a bit mild. I now just stick to their Lazzio dark beans.

      I wish they came in smaller bags though. That way I could be more committed to trying different ones.

      They had Vittoria high mountain grown or some such on sale once and these were quite good too.

      • exceladdict on 08/02/2023 - 09:45

        I think there was a four pack of smaller, different varieties at some stage last year. Maybe keep an eye out in the food zone of the special buys!

  • RichardRides on 05/02/2023 - 07:18
    +1

    Zentveldts - Australian grown (Byron hinterland) beans are very good, and always fresh.

    • kiitos on 05/02/2023 - 21:38

      Didn't know Australian grown beans were a thing!

      • RichardRides on 06/02/2023 - 07:14

        There’s a few other Australian growers in the Cairns hinterland region as well. Worth checking them out.
        Prices compare well with OS beans.

  • payless69 on 05/02/2023 - 08:57
    +1

    Clooney capsules, because that is what they have in heaven….

  • Grunntt on 05/02/2023 - 09:09
    +3

    At the moment we have settled on Goodness Galileo from Coffee Alchemy.

  • Schikitar on 05/02/2023 - 09:10

    I've really enjoyed the freshly roasted single origins from Lime Blue, not to mention the service is outstanding and you can schedule your ship dates etc., I also use a local roaster but that's more expensive compared to the regular deals LB usually have (I just set an OzBargain alert if they have a deal pop up).

    Anyway, like most things, just try a variety of things and see what sticks for you!

  • anthony t on 05/02/2023 - 09:12

    I have the luxury of enough spare time to roast my own beans, but it is time-consuming.
    I often blend them with shop beans, and used to use $40 a kilo specialty roaster beans which are generally very good.
    However, I recently tried Lavazza Barista Intenso Perfetto (9/10 strength). Whole Beans.
    These are frequently on sale at Colesworth for $18 a kilo - best coffee bargain of 2023. They are even good on their own.
    As to UBD, somehow this is often 2 years from my buy date. Before anyone scoffs, they make an espresso like they were roasted in the last 14-45 days.

  • Nebargains on 05/02/2023 - 09:42
    +2

    Personally I go for the Seasonal Blend from Axil. I reckon it's a good compromise between price and quality at $16 for 250g.

    • djsweet on 05/02/2023 - 23:30

      I expect $64/kg is going to be unpalatable to most here. I occasionally treat myself to a locally roasted single origin, but I’m only paying that a couple of times a year.

  • SydneygirlJ on 05/02/2023 - 10:00

    I read that coffee sprayed a lot so I only buy organic beans from Woolies and wait until it's on sale. It's cheaper than ordering from suppliers. However I do like Arjo it's also organic and they have 40% off sometimes

  • tulip99 on 05/02/2023 - 10:14
    +1

    After spending $$$$$ on "freshly roasted" beans over the last 3 years bought online, 500g at a time as I only drink 1-2 coffees per day so I didn't want them to get stale if I bought 1kg instead, I've come to the conclusion that most of them weren't any better than supermarket beans. In fact, Gloria Jeans 1kg from Woolies that I used to be able to buy 5-7 weeks past the roast date was superior to a lot of these online beans.

    My favourite online beans are Pablo and Rusty's Christmas Blend, and Porter Street, and Airjo's Saratoga, and Pegasus. But now I'll be sticking mostly to the supermarket brands.

    • pufffdragon on 06/02/2023 - 00:54

      This comment will upset the coffee snobs in this thread.

  • LlamaFace on 05/02/2023 - 11:17
    +2

    The Lazzio range from Aldi is excellent value - 1kg bag for around $15. For an espresso machine I recommend the medium roast.

    • LlamaFace on 05/02/2023 - 14:50

      ALDI’s Lazzio Coffee awarded the 2022 Golden Bean for fourth consecutive year
      https://www.foodmag.com.au/?p=120073

      • Pythagoras on 05/02/2023 - 17:10

        I bought the 1kg medium roast from lazzio based on the recommendations on ozb. Not a big fan as i found it too light for my liking. Not sure if i should try the dark roast or stick with airjo?

        • drprox on 05/02/2023 - 18:22

          the dark roast from Aldi is my go to, it's excellent and properly dark which I've always found hard to get my hands on.
          I used to also like "The Darkness" from DC which is sold at Coles.

        • Tehcookiemonsta on 06/02/2023 - 21:56

          If you don't mind me asking what do you mean by too light? Not much taste to it?

          Tried the Brazil beans and i can't get a good shot out of them, all the shots I've extracted are bitter.

  • Oppressa on 05/02/2023 - 11:24
    +3

    Five Senses

  • ForkSnorter on 05/02/2023 - 11:50

    Some of the Airjo beans taste really good to me, whereas some taste indistinguishable from supermarket beans. I guess it depends on your taste preference, luck, and technique.

  • Wasgood on 05/02/2023 - 12:40
    +1

    Recently experienced a bag of Cuban coffee called Cubita. It is single handly the best coffee I'd ever had and it was through a pretty terrible espresso machine.
    I wish I could get my hands on more.

    • Cheapsize on 05/02/2023 - 22:25
      +1

      https://www.cubita.co.nz/contact/
      I believe you can order directly as they say they service New Zealand and Australia in the description on the webpage.
      Very basic page but maybe email or text them?

  • wallet72 on 05/02/2023 - 12:40

    Killer coffee used to my choice, but unless you can get it on sale their prices are a bit too high now

  • ColtNoir on 05/02/2023 - 14:29
    -1

    Prior to winning an Inglewood comp and getting free coffee I liked Airjo as they have frequent sales. I found them better than Inglewood and that had the bonus flavour enhancer of being free.

    The best coffee is the one you can get freshly roasted.

    Do you have a local roaster? Fresh beans makes all the difference.

  • mungas on 05/02/2023 - 15:02

    Little Marionette, I’m not sure if they supply to Melb but they’re my go to beans for my home setup. Not as cheap probably as other brands, but I like to support the smaller roasters, especially when their Sanchez blend tastes great (to me).

  • turk182 on 05/02/2023 - 15:38

    I always order from driectcoffee. I tend to get bored drinking the same coffee and like to mix it up so I'll often get 4 different types of 250g bags, only downside is they only ship once a week
    https://www.directcoffee.com.au/pages/bundle-deals

  • lightcn on 05/02/2023 - 15:48

    I don't personally drink coffee but I do order coffee beans from Undercover Roasters. Wife loves the Single Origins and the Dark coffee beans.

  • Panama on 05/02/2023 - 16:11

    Been loving Airjo but seems Aldi is quite popular. Hope it’s genuinely good and not just because of price?

  • RoweDizzle on 05/02/2023 - 16:47

    Local: Coffee Barun Adelaide

    Online: Ona Raspberry Candy

  • drprox on 05/02/2023 - 18:21

    Aldi alllll day. Shame everyone has figured this out (as confirmed by this poll), I haven't seen any on the shelf for over a week now..

  • BargainCowboy on 05/02/2023 - 18:24

    Wouldn't it be better if we could vote for multiple options?

  • Hawi on 05/02/2023 - 19:01

    Reuben Hills easy

  • TightAssDude on 05/02/2023 - 19:53

    Turkish Coffee shop on Somertom Road in Roxy.

  • Lastchancetosee on 05/02/2023 - 20:00
    +1

    The Grind in SA. Excellent range with plenty of fairtrade coffees. Coffee addict partner swears by them.

  • portard on 05/02/2023 - 20:11

    I'll get Airjo if there's nothing better to get, I prefer Inglewood but their sales are not as frequent. My favourite is actually Normcore's DGB, they have sales sometimes. These 3 are my usual rotation, occasionally might splurge on Supreme or try new beans

  • Pudina Chutney on 05/02/2023 - 22:27

    Little Marionette.

  • MakkhiChoos on 05/02/2023 - 22:34

    Like Blue’s and my pallet matches and I love their coffee beans.

    Supermarket: Daly Street at Coles.

  • FlyingMiffy on 05/02/2023 - 23:17

    Tried a few of the Airjos but switched to Lime recently. The Sao Paulo single origin is so good!

  • Hugh G Rection on 05/02/2023 - 23:35
    +1

    Campos

    if not, any local fresh roasted beans from a local roaster that is on sale on ozbargain.

  • Save Medicare on 06/02/2023 - 06:46

    Five Senses Compton Road
    Not often on sale so not loved here on ozbargain but really quite good

  • AsSeenOnTv on 06/02/2023 - 07:55

    I like ONA beans but don't want to pay that much so the Vittoria Mountain grown or organic beans from Coles/woolies which are half price every month are the next best option. The Costco Columbia beans are ok too but the price has gone up a lot lately.

    • fitti on 04/04/2023 - 16:12

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  • rx8geek on 06/02/2023 - 07:59

    Discovered manna beans when I got my coffee machine (Silvia) from a timely Ozbargain deal:
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/deals/mannabeans.com.au

    I've had a monthly 1kg random subscription with them since about 2012.

  • curryblender on 06/02/2023 - 09:45

    Aldi's Lazzio Dark, good taste and economical.

  • bradstud92 on 06/02/2023 - 09:48

    Ona - Aspen or Maple
    Worth every penny

  • ribze1 on 06/02/2023 - 10:36

    My local coffee roaster

  • Colombian on 06/02/2023 - 11:33
    +2

    It is COLOMBIA not COLUMBIA

    COLOMBIA: Country in South America.
    COLUMBIA: One of the States of The United States of America

    • hectiq on 06/02/2023 - 15:09
      +3

      Username checks out

    • kiitos on 06/02/2023 - 22:01

      Not a state.

  • Nkl on 06/02/2023 - 11:37

    Inglewood on sale.

  • ShortyX on 06/02/2023 - 11:52
    +4

    My vote was for Aldi for decent freshness and good pricing.

    The roasting date is listed on the packs (up the top, on the side) so I normally shuffle through and find the latest roasting date.

    My latest pack had

    BEST BEFORE
    17 APR 2024
    B 230117 19:26

    It was roasted on 17th Jan and I bought it on 27th Jan, so it was less than 2 weeks old from roasting.

    • BargainCowboy on 06/02/2023 - 13:52

      Yep, I'm in Melbourne, and had the same experience. 11 days from roasting day.

    • DingoBlue on 06/02/2023 - 18:08
      +3

      Correct. I’m willing to hear any description of why someone doesn’t like Aldi beans but to simply say they’re not fresh enough is dumb af. You’re not even supposed to use beans in the first week.

      • Tehcookiemonsta on 07/02/2023 - 22:59
        +1

        Purchased Lazzio brazil beans and i can't pull a good shot from them they are 6 weeks old though, Not hating on Aldi just not sure why i can't get a good shot everything is bitter.

    • Chazzozz on 06/02/2023 - 18:38
      +1

      LOL @ShortyX. I remember you spruiking the benefits of Aldi beans in the office and I never believed you, but it seems the OzB community agrees!

      I personally am liking the Lime Blue Coffee beans at the moment, especially the Brazil Sao Paolo.. Mrs. C is also a fan of their decaf, it's got a nice flavour profile that isn't weak & wimpy.

      • ShortyX on 06/02/2023 - 19:57

        Gees, that long ago?! 🙂 I must have been buying Aldi beans for a while now!

    • garage sale on 08/02/2023 - 21:44

      i rang vittoria and asked about how long until beans are on supermarket shelf’s ….leaves their factory within 2 days of roasting ….in coles and woolies shelves in under 2 weeks ….

  • ChaseAus on 06/02/2023 - 12:50

    Ethiopian Guji was the best coffee I have ever had. The aroma was amazing.

  • CowFrogHorse on 06/02/2023 - 14:21
    -3

    The best choice is not to drink coffee so you dont have to pay the coffee tax. It will give you hours every week back to do something worthwhile.

    5 coffees a day, lets pretend each costs you 5 mins each, to walk to the machine, prepare, then drink, then wash. Thats 3 1/2 hours a week for nothing.

    • pufffdragon on 06/02/2023 - 14:51
      +1

      Blasphemy!

    • cybapete on 07/02/2023 - 07:13

      you can still do other stuff while you're drinking the coffee
      sip

      • CowFrogHorse on 07/02/2023 - 09:24
        -1

        Will you remember sipping a coffee when you are 80 and old or will you remember teaching your kids to ride a bike, swim etc.

        I ask you again what is "real" ?

        • cybapete on 17/02/2023 - 07:59

          i don't have any kids so probably the coffee sip

    • CrowReally on 07/02/2023 - 15:18
      -1

      Now apply that maths to your own plentiful OzBargain posting history.

      Are you going to remember making these sorts of comments when you're 80 and old?

      Better stop doing it then, I guess.

      • CowFrogHorse on 08/02/2023 - 18:17
        -2

        Thats true.

        But heres a little challenge for you…

        How much time did i spend driving around the city to buy OzB post tickets last month VS the time to BUY coffee ?

        At most i spend 1 - 2 min posting ever other day, i dont spend 3 - 4 hours a week buying, searching, preparing and drinking coffee.

        • CrowReally on 08/02/2023 - 18:25

          True to form, another incomprehensible reply.

          If you click on your username it lists the number of times you've replied in a thread and the date of the thread. Try it for yourself right now.

          Are you sure you want to tell yourself you're reading comments and making that # of responses in "1 - 2 minutes every other day"?

          Seriously, do the maths, but properly this time. THEN think of the 80 year old you. THEN delete your account on here and leave.

          • CowFrogHorse on 22/02/2023 - 21:20

            @CrowReally: Still walked at the beach today, i didnt lose that opportunity because i had to drive to get my coffee machine fixed or buy more bags of beans.

            Cant you comprehend that ?

            • CrowReally on 23/02/2023 - 09:14

              @CowFrogHorse: Speaking of people who can't comprehend simple concepts, have you figured out why nearly everything you say on here about people's lifestyles (cars, coffee, fitness watches etc) is filled with negative votes and people telling you you're broken and wrong?

              If you haven't, I can tell you the answer: you're broken and wrong.

              • CowFrogHorse on 23/02/2023 - 09:35

                @CrowReally: The majority is not always right.

                Do i really need to tell you that we are outnumbered by all the muslims or other religions of the world ?

                Other countries also think our food is wrong - again we are outnumbered by China, India and manh other places that have a diff culture and food lifestyle.

                THe problem is most people cant accept how negative the rat race, they cant accept the way it limits their lifestyle and the cost of living in the rat race where everything means traffic, lines, and wasted time.

                Are you going to tell me, you enjoy sitting in traffic or spending hours just so you can goto the beach ?

                Do you enjoy the fact that kids cant play cricket or netball at lunch time because their school playgrouns are gone or full of other kids because of overpopulation ?

                • CrowReally on 23/02/2023 - 09:42

                  @CowFrogHorse: The majority isn't always right. But on cultural matters (and especially here on the forum, when people look at your rubbish and say "that's rubbish"), it is.

                  If most of the people in a country like corn on the cob, corn on the cob becomes that country's specialty/national dish, etc.

                  The fact there's more Muslims in the world or more people in China has nothing to do with our current lifestyle. If Australia's landmass was joined to China and our population was mixed in with theirs and people had to decide what sorts of food shops to open, sure, there's be a lot more "Chinese food" places that we would be eating from.

                  But none of that is happening. And that's basically why all your views on this are irrelevant.

                  • CowFrogHorse on 23/02/2023 - 09:45

                    @CrowReally: crow: The majority isn't always right. But on cultural matters (and especially here on the forum, when people look at your rubbish and say "that's rubbish"), it is.

                    cow: Are you sure ?

                    Because there are far more muslims in this world that believe you are wrong because you dont believe..

                    Are you telling me that they are right or are you right because you dont believe ?

                    ~

                    crow: The fact there's more Muslims in the world or more people in China has nothing to do with our current lifestyle

                    cow: I never claimed their lifestyles affect ours, i simply said that the majority is not always right. So why fabricate ideas that i have not said.

                    For being an educated person as you claim - why is it you invent words that i never said. I clearly said the majority is not always right and nothing more.

                    Next time you claim something about me, QUOTE MY WORDS, dont invent , QUOTE THEM.

    • garage sale on 08/02/2023 - 21:51

      problem is getting 3-1/2 hours as one chunk vs 5 minutes between meetings while working from home ….very little to do between meetings , get coffee, go to toilet …. check on bargain ….. don’t drink much coffee on weekends as out and about M-F it’s meeting time when working from home ….if people,e are going 5 cups a day ….see a doctor ….3 max is about it for me, one in the morning , one in the afternoon and maybe lunch …..

      • CowFrogHorse on 09/02/2023 - 18:31

        Im sure many only drink coffee when they have nothing else to do, but many people, just read the comments, obviously do spend far more time.

        Just read the comments, there are many examples who do drinnk 5 cups a day, there are also others that drive around getting MORE bags of this or that coffee.

  • Cluster on 06/02/2023 - 14:47
    +1

    $12/kg Woolworths or Coles medium coffee beans. They're good enough.

  • MrKnowItAll on 06/02/2023 - 15:07
    +2

    I recently got into roasting coffee. Got a small coffee roasting machine from fb marketplace and buy a big batch of green beans from greenbeancoffee and roast it myself now.

    I have two main reasons for going this way.. firstly it's slightly cheaper with a big 5kg bag (6 months worth) of single origin ethiopian beans coming in at $107 + shipping.. their blends are fantastic too at ~ $95 / 5kg and secondly it's incredibly fun experimenting with different roasing times and temperatures to see how that affects the final flavour. I recently missed hearing the first crack and accidentally did a dark roast on a blend and it elevated the flavours quite nicely - you'd swear it was a different bean to the prior batch.

    • Debt Free on 07/02/2023 - 01:59

      why can’t you roast them in a normal oven?

      • MrKnowItAll on 07/02/2023 - 18:59
        +1

        You can, you can also do it in a frying pan as well. Frying pan generated a TON of smoke and forced everyone outside for a bit and the oven I found didn't roast very evenly so you'd frequently have to open the door to move it around which was annoying and delayed the process due to heat loss. The machine does a fantastic job of filtering the smoke so you don't need to use it outside, but I do anyway. The machine also has a grate that catches all the chaff so all you have to do is vaccum it out at the end as opposed to wiping down every single surface in the kitchen when using a pan / oven.

        You can also use a popcorn maker which I found worked well, but it only got through 200g of beans before dying. Unsurprisingly, the kids were not impressed with me after that.

        • Debt Free on 07/02/2023 - 19:18
          +1

          Thanks for all the Warnings you experienced first hand- priceless. In that case I would try it outside on an induction cooktop using a flat bottomed paella pan and domed lid. Maybe try resting the popcorn maker between daily small batches? But I was hoping raw green coffee beans would be more affordable in smaller quantities but Coffee is popular all around the world and poor man’s gold.

    • CowFrogHorse on 07/02/2023 - 11:33

      So much effort for what ?

  • Ricktheroller on 06/02/2023 - 16:59

    Airjo or Inglewood, depends who has the sale when I'm close to needing to restock.

  • ddr0001 on 06/02/2023 - 17:17

    Padre Coffee
    Mornington Peninsula Roasters
    Campos Coffee

  • FocusRider on 06/02/2023 - 17:24
    +1

    Pablo’s & Rusty’s

    • charmed_tiger6 on 06/02/2023 - 17:36

      I have a Pablo & Rusty's Single Origin subscription which I started after an Amex offer. Not the cheapest in comparison to some of the poll options but I feel like I get more consistent, tasty beans through them. Unfortunately, you don't get to choose which Single Origin you get when you are on subscription though so it's only a good choice if you are adventurous with coffee! I also get beans from Aldi to help make it between deliveries so that I am not spending too much.

  • hnttiky on 06/02/2023 - 17:43

    Brown Bag Coffee is a pretty affordable coffee roaster and tastes good.

  • Tehcookiemonsta on 06/02/2023 - 17:59

    First time buying Aldi's coffee, (Brazil) roast date 6 weeks ago and literally can not get my machine to pull an optimal shot, anything close tastes extremely bitter. Using a Delonghi La Specialista Arte.

    Hoping next batch of coffee I can get has a closer roast date.

  • Jabewabe on 06/02/2023 - 19:22

    A local roaster is always a good way to go, if youre in Sydney's West, Blue Mountains Coffee Roasters and Morgans (zokoko) are really good, and if down south coast, Hyper Hyper Coffee in Nowra is excellent.

  • TerryJustTerry on 06/02/2023 - 20:01

    Local roaster near me has amazing stuff https://espressology.com/ - No association but their beans are amazing :D

  • KernelPanic on 06/02/2023 - 20:46

    I like my local coffee roaster but it's not that local and I can't be bothered going these days. Home delivery is like $10.
    I've settled for the ALDI single origin from Brasil. It's half the price, not half as bad and a lot more convenient.

  • TightLikeThisx on 06/02/2023 - 21:21

    Seriously… I love a nicely roasted 90 plus washed microlot pour over using a process I invented that is so complex even I get confused while trying to make it but….. since this is Ozbargain I think it is fair to say that at the moment with all this hot weather and inflation my favourite cup of coffee is (I kid you not) coles classic granulated coffee.

    Three heaped teaspoons dissolved into 30g of boiling water with 500g of coles brand lactose free milk (from the perishables section) tastes like a creamier Dare ice coffee that is not overly sweet with hints of dark chocolate.

  • Debt Free on 06/02/2023 - 23:20

    I just use Coffee Beans, and because I completely grind my beans to a super fine powder every morning, I can use any cheap coffee grinder, but I do own really good hand grinders too- I drink Middle Eastern/Turkish/ Greek/Gypsy Coffee. I add a pinch of sugar or a tad or more of milk, or more or less coffee, and mix my beans to adjust the taste to suit me so I can make every coffee perfect for me.

  • 1Kenobi on 07/02/2023 - 07:23

    Do you add milk? Then i can’t help

    Ristretto/espresso then try (bargains)
    Coles .. Daley st or darkness
    Woolworths .. northern beaches wood fired or republica (when on sale $)

  • yy193 on 07/02/2023 - 11:36

    I've tried a fair few as I try the beans when they on special but I believe everyone's preference is different.

    But if you like the taste of a particular bean and someone also likes it and mentions an alternative, give that a try.

    I too like Airjo and Sicilia Coffee but the one I love the best and my friends do too is Sensory Lab's Stellar.

    I am now trying St Ali's Italo Disco but much prefer the Stellar.

    So as I wait for Sensory Lab's Stellar to come on special again, I will go with which one go on special between Airjo and Sicilia.

    I have also bought High Voltage and Killer Coffee, They claim they are the strongest but when I drink that, my hand's shake. Though my friends love it and love the buzz it gives them and they drink it as espressos.

  • cyrax83 on 07/02/2023 - 13:33

    Started off with Woolworths Vittoria, then wen to Airjo but after their price hike found it too expensive. Now happy with Aldi beans

  • PlowKing on 07/02/2023 - 15:01

    Lay Day instant coffee has been my friend when I can't be bothered with beans or I'm away.

    https://laydaycoffee.com/

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