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How to choose ground coffee
With pre-ground coffee the grind is already set, so the most important choice is a coffee ground for the way you brew. After that, choose by roast, flavour and whether you want caffeine.
Match the grind to your brewer
The longer water stays in contact with the coffee, the coarser the grind should be. Espresso brews in seconds and needs a fine grind, about like table salt. A plunger steeps for minutes and needs a coarse grind, closer to rock salt. Coffee ground too fine for your method tends to taste bitter. Coffee ground too coarse tastes flat or watery.
- Moka pot: Bialetti designed the grind of its Perfetto Moka range specifically for the moka pot. Choose from Classico, Intenso and Decaf, or the hazelnut, vanilla, chocolate and caramel varieties.
- Espresso machine: A manual machine with a portafilter needs a fine espresso grind. illy sells separate espresso, moka and drip grinds, so check the can before you buy.
- Plunger or filter: Most of this range is ground for moka and espresso, which is finer than a plunger needs. Lavazza lists filter, French press and moka as suitable methods for its decaf. If you use a plunger every day, whole beans and a grinder set to coarse will give a better cup.
Choose a roast and flavour
- illy Medium Roast: illy's 100% Arabica blend of nine Arabica coffees. illy describes it as smooth, with notes of caramel, orange blossom and jasmine.
- illy Intenso Dark Roast: the same Arabica blend roasted darker, with cocoa and dried fruit notes and a fuller body. For more dark roasts, see our dark roast beans.
- Dolce & Gabbana Bialetti Irresistibile: 80% Arabica and 20% Robusta. Bialetti describes floral and fruity notes with hazelnut and cocoa.
- Flavoured Perfetto Moka: Hazelnut, Vanilla, Chocolate and Caramello, all ground for the moka pot.
Decaf ground coffee
The range has three decaf options. The illy Decaf uses illy's Arabica blend at a medium roast, with caramel, chocolate and toasted bread notes. The Lavazza Caffè Decaffeinato is a gentle medium-roast blend of Arabica and Robusta with dried fruit notes. The Bialetti Perfetto Moka Decaf is ground for the moka pot.
Gift tins
The Irresistibile and Autentico Dolce & Gabbana blends both come in a version with a gift tin. So does the Bialetti Magico Ricordo. They make an easy present for anyone with a moka pot.
Ground coffee or whole beans?
Ground coffee is convenient. You don't need a grinder, and each pack is ready for one brewing method. Whole beans let you grind fresh just before brewing, which gives the most aroma, and you can adjust the grind to suit any brewer. If you're weighing up the two, start with our coffee beans and coffee grinders.
Keeping ground coffee fresh
illy packs its ground coffee in pressurised cans filled with inert gas, which illy says preserves the aroma for up to two years while sealed. Once you open a pack, move the coffee into an airtight, opaque container and keep it somewhere cool and dark, away from the oven and the sun. Aim to use it within one to two weeks.
FAQs
Can I use ground coffee in an espresso machine?
Yes, if the machine has a portafilter. Most manual espresso machines are made to take ground coffee. Use coffee ground fine for espresso, about like table salt, and tamp it firmly. Coarser moka or filter grinds run through too fast and taste weak. Bean-to-cup machines are built around their own grinder, so check whether yours has a pre-ground chute before you buy ground coffee for it.
What grind should I use for a moka pot?
Use a grind made for the moka pot. It is finer than plunger or filter coffee but should not be powdery. Bialetti, who invented the Moka Express, grinds its Perfetto Moka range specifically for the moka pot, so it is the simplest choice. Fill the basket level without tamping. If the coffee tastes bitter, take the pot off the heat as soon as it starts to gurgle.
Can I use ground coffee in a French press or plunger?
You can, but most pre-ground coffee is ground for espresso or moka, and that is finer than a plunger needs. A plunger steeps for about four minutes, so a fine grind tends to over-extract and taste bitter, and fine particles slip past the mesh. Lavazza lists French press as a suitable method for its decaf. If you plunge every day, buy whole beans and grind them coarse.
How long does ground coffee stay fresh?
Unopened, ground coffee keeps until its best-before date. illy says its pressurised cans keep the aroma for up to two years. Once opened, the National Coffee Association suggests using it within one to two weeks. Store it in an airtight, opaque container somewhere cool and dark. It doesn't go off quickly, but it loses aroma and flavour the longer it sits.
Is ground coffee or whole bean coffee better?
Whole beans give you fresher flavour, because you grind just before brewing and can set the grind for any method. Ground coffee is more convenient: you don't need a grinder, and each pack is ready for one brewing method. If you mainly make moka or espresso and use a pack within a couple of weeks, ground coffee works well. Otherwise, see our coffee beans and grinders.
Do you sell decaf ground coffee?
Yes, we have three. The illy Decaf is a 100% Arabica medium roast with caramel and chocolate notes. The Lavazza Caffè Decaffeinato is a mild Arabica and Robusta blend with dried fruit notes. The Bialetti Perfetto Moka Decaf is ground for the moka pot. Choose by the way you brew.