How to choose coffee — flavour, methods and your first order
Compare flavours, methods and coffee types. Start with the cup you enjoy, then choose a suitable bag.
By Baltissima · updated 18 October 2026
Your first coffee. Your own choice.
Think of the last cup you would happily drink again. Was it light or full? Black or with milk? Two words of your own help more than a random “strongest” label. Flavour intensity does not measure caffeine.
Check the method and grind before pack size. Without a grinder, choose an available grind for your device; “ground” alone does not establish compatibility. A large pack saves little if you use it too slowly. The calculator estimates consumption time, not guaranteed freshness.
Write down two associations you enjoy and one you dislike. Keep the method the same when comparing two coffees. Change the coffee, not the milk and recipe at the same time.
Do I have a grinder for this method?
How many servings do I drink each day?
Flavour has more than one dimension.
Body is the sensation of fullness and texture; finish is the impression after swallowing. Chocolate, honey and fruit notes are sensory associations, not proof of added ingredients. Check ingredients and allergens on the actual label. Taste again after the cup cools slightly: your perception may change.
Acidity, bitterness, concentration and caffeine are different axes. A sour cup may reflect the bean profile or preparation; it cannot establish one certain diagnosis. Milk changes the proportions and perception. Neither price nor a dark colour predicts your enjoyment or caffeine content.
Split one brew into two equal servings. Add measured milk or a plant drink to one. Note the difference in aroma, texture and finish; consider the ingredients of your chosen addition.
A note or an ingredient?
Bean profile or preparation?
What is worth exploring now?
Switch separates immersion from releasing the brew. No-bypass limits water travelling around the bed. These provide different controls, not automatic superiority over other brewers. Start with the device instructions and one recipe. You need not buy new equipment to make an interesting comparison.
Coffee’s future also depends on growing conditions, plant diversity and producers’ work. Kew and WCR research on species and resilience is a direction of inquiry, not a ready solution to climate change. It does not place a particular variety in our range. Read forecasts with their area, date and scenario.
Before changing a device, name one thing you want to control. Check whether your current equipment and a recorded recipe can investigate it.
A new method or a new way to use it?
Research or a sales promise?
Three Baltissima coffees in practice
Bursztynowa
Bursztynowa brings together beans from Brazil and India: Honey Desire 17/18 arabica and Parchment washed AB robusta. Its medium roast and walnut, chocolate, honey and caramel profile suggest a morning cup. Choose it if you enjoy coffee with milk and would also like to try a short espresso. Tasting notes describe sensory impressions; they do not mean that honey, chocolate or nuts have been added to the beans.
Espresso: 18 g coffee → 36 g beverage in 25–30 s.
Sztormowa
Sztormowa is a Brazilian arabica from Mogiana, described as Santa Barbara, variety Yellow Bourbon. Its medium roast and nut and cocoa notes offer a clear starting point for home brewing. Start with a French press: its metal filter lets through more fine particles than paper, giving a different texture from filter coffee. That difference comes partly from the method, not only the beans. Compare Sztormowa in both brewers using the same water.
French press: 30 g coffee / 500 ml water, 4 min, coarse grind.
Czarna Lufa
Czarna Lufa is an arabica from Kaffa in Ethiopia. The bean description lists Acaia and Yellow Catuai and an altitude of 1650–2000 metres. A medium roast accompanies citrus, floral and dark chocolate notes. Start with a paper-filter brew without milk to compare aroma and flavour as you drink. Try it again after a few minutes as it cools; avoid judging the whole cup from the first hot sip.
Filter: 15 g coffee / 250 ml water, 92–94 °C, 2:30–3:00 min.