The Bean Counter

Whether you have a simple espresso machine, or one that does everything but wash your car, you still get to make the most significant choice of all: what kind of beans should you load into it?

These days, the humblest grocer has a wall of flavored coffee beans with expensive-sounding names. I'll make your first choice simple: get espresso beans.

Espresso beans are chosen and roasted to make a perfect espresso. It's hard to say no to "Amaretto Tryst" or "Peppermint Mocha," but many beans with injected flavors are meant for drip-coffee makers and taste bitter under the high pressure of a good espresso maker. Medium to dark roasts work best. Experiment, and follow your tongue. A coffee bean is perfectly edible. While you stand in front of that wall-o-beans, pop one in your mouth. They are intense and crunchy, and a little addictive. But respect them: more than a half-dozen whole beans and your brain will start to hum like a nuclear reactor.

After you've picked your (munch-munch) favorite beans, grind them. If a store sells beans, it probably has a grinder too. Set it to "espresso" or "fine." Purists will faint - they swear a bean must be ground fresh within a minute of brewing espresso.

Get a grinder and try it. Burr grinders are more expensive but require less guesswork. Beans go in, grind comes out. Blade grinders are like tiny food processors, chopping finer and finer until you stop. If the grounds are too coarse, your pressurized water will go around them instead of through them. Too fine, and the water can't get through at all. Don't fret, there's a whole world in between.

Ground or whole, store coffee at room temperature in a sealed container. Coffee is diminished over time by light, humidity, and air.

One day I couldn't find my favorite whole bean and was [gasp!] forced to buy pre-ground coffee. I hung my head in shame in the checkout line, but discovered at home that it was far less messy to deal with, and - uh oh - I didn't taste any difference.