What is the best ground coffee for brewing in a cup?

There are many ways to brew ground coffee. Some of them are complex procedures, with strict adherence to certain rules, while others are quite simple and quick. The latter options include the rather popular method of brewing coffee in a cup.

Interestingly, brewing ground coffee in a cup has many variations. But before considering them, it is worth knowing the general rules for this method.

Basic rules for brewing ground coffee in a cup

Any method of preparing a coffee drink to make it tasty and aromatic requires that the product must be of high quality. Even the most original method of preparing a drink will not save you if you use low-quality coffee beans. The best storage option for roasted coffee beans should be one to five weeks. After five weeks of storage, the grains lose some of their qualities, which in turn affects the quality of the prepared drink.
To brew in a cup, you need to take coarsely ground coffee powder. It imparts both taste and aroma characteristics into the drink more effectively.
The cup must be warmed up before preparing the drink. Pour hot water into it and hold for 1-2 minutes.
It is better if the beans are ground in a coffee shop, right at the time of purchase. Well, ideally, connoisseurs of a real coffee drink grind the beans in their own coffee grinder.
The water that is poured into a cup with ground grain should be 90-92 C. Boiled water does not give the full flavor and aromatic bouquet.
For brewing, clean filtered water or non-carbonated mineral water is suitable.

Now let’s get acquainted with how coffee is brewed in a cup, according to national traditions.

TOP 11 best brands of ground coffee by taste

The rating contains 11 of the best brands represented on the Russian market. They are of high quality, have excellent customer reviews, and are in greatest demand according to statistical studies.

Jardin Espresso di Milano

Inexpensive ground coffee, which is a mixture of Arabica and Robusta varieties. Arabica gives a sour taste, while robusta has a bitter, thick taste, and it also contains more caffeine. The dark roast blend is quite strong.

The medium grind category is suitable for making espresso in a home coffee machine or French press. The grains are brought from Guatemala, the blend is packaged in the form of a vacuum briquette.

ground coffee Jardin Espresso di Milano

Bright taste.
No bitterness.
Profitable price.

Not suitable for cooking in a Turk.

Tchibo Exclusive

Delicious ground coffee made from 100% Arabica coffee from a German brand has a distinct, pronounced aroma and a hint of light sourness. Medium roasting of the beans makes the taste more intense without any bitterness. Fine grinding of grains is suitable for cooking in a Turk.

The drink is not too strong, so you can drink it both in the first and second half of the day. Available in vacuum, airtight packaging to preserve the aroma of Arabica coffee for as long as possible.

Tchibo Exclusive ground coffee

You can drink it in the afternoon.
Suitable for brewing in a Turk.
The aroma of Arabica is pronounced and preserved.

Not suitable for those who like strong coffee.

Jockey Eastern style

Good ground coffee from a Russian producer is not inferior in taste and quality to European producers. The blend is a mixture of Arabica bean varieties from Indian, African, and South American plantations.

The blend is dark roasted, which means the drink is quite strong with the typical Arabica taste and aroma. The grind is fine, so it is better to cook it in a Turk.

ground coffee Jockey Oriental

The espresso is rich and strong.
A mixture of Arabica varieties from different parts of the world makes the drink more aromatic.
Fine grinding conveys flavor well during cooking.

The aroma does not last long after opening the package.

Paulig Classic

This coffee is produced in Finland and contains a mixture of Arabica and Robusta. The concentration of robusta predominates, so the drink turns out to be stronger, tart, and invigorating, since robusta contains more caffeine. Arabica beans grown in coffee fields in Central America imbue the blend with a nutty aroma.

The blend is roasted to medium, the grind is also medium, which means it can be brewed either in a coffee machine, in a French press, or by another method. Available in vacuum packaging.

Paulig Classic ground coffee

Excellent invigorating due to the concentration of robusta.
Nutty notes in the aroma and aftertaste.
Can be brewed in different ways.

It is advisable to drink in the morning or afternoon.

Lavazza Qualita Oro

The Italian coffee brand is known all over the world and is approved by the most picky connoisseurs of this drink. This ground coffee is made from Arabica varieties from Latin American and Brazilian coffee plantations.

It has a rich taste, slightly sweet with spicy sourness, as well as a soft floral aftertaste. The aroma contains fruity notes, as well as malt and honey, despite the fact that it contains only natural Arabica coffee beans. The drink turns out like in a real Italian coffee shop - with airy foam.

Grinding and degree of roasting are medium. The manufacturer indicates that it is best brewed in a Turk, a geyser coffee maker and a French press. The mixture will make delicious espresso, Americano, cappuccino.

ground coffee Lavazza Qualita Oro

You can brew espresso, Americano, cappuccino.
Multifaceted shades of aftertaste and aroma.
The drink comes with foam.

Not suitable for coffee machine.

Lobadin Coffee Roasters

Specialty coffee (i.e., the highest quality) from the brand of Russian roasters Lobadin Coffee Roasters wins the love of drink connoisseurs and those who strive to become one. The company is run by members of the same family - “coffee alchemist” Daniil Lobadin and his brother Tikhon.

The grain is supplied to them by the largest importer of green coffee in Russia for specialty roasters. It has an even roast - it is roasted on the best and most technologically advanced roaster today, Loring (USA), manufactured in 2022 and costing 30 million rubles.

For each customer, Lobadin selects a drink individually, taking into account taste preferences and method of preparation. For example, for lovers with sweet notes, they can offer Ethiopia Bale Mountain with a rich berry-spicy aftertaste.

The quality of the grain and unique taste justifies its price (from 400 rubles for 200 grams). You can also choose one of the sets for cupping, which is now fashionable (tasting sets).

High quality beans and roasting.
Variety of tastes.
Individual approach.

It costs more than coffee from the mass market.

Julius Meinl President

The brand is the most famous producer of premium ground coffee in Austria. It consists of 90% Arabica and 10% Robusta, grown on South American plantations. Thanks to light roasting, which is not so common, it has a balanced, slightly sweet taste with a hint of dark Belgian chocolate, adding a drop of bitterness, and an enveloping chocolate aroma due to the concentration of Arabica in the best traditions of Viennese coffee.

Robusta adds a boost of energy due to its increased caffeine content. You can brew with any method suitable for medium roasting.

ground coffee Julius Meinl President

The sweetness in taste is balanced by a slight bitterness.
Aroma with notes of Belgian chocolate.
Optimal ratio of Arabica and Robusta concentrations.

It takes a long time to brew.

Carte Noire Original

Excellent ground coffee made in Russia from 100% Arabica beans brought from South American and Asian plantations. Medium roasting is achieved using a special technology. When the grains acquire a golden brown hue, they are sharply cooled. Thanks to this, the drink gets a velvety taste without unnecessary bitterness. This method was called “Fire and Ice”.

A medium roast blend will make a delicious Americano. You can brew using any method suitable for medium grinding.

ground coffee Carte Noire Original

Complies with GOST requirements.
A special technology is used to roast the beans to achieve a milder taste.
Can be used to make Americano.

Soft packaging does not retain the aroma of the product well.

Movenpick Der Himmlische

The blends are made in Germany according to Swiss recipes. At all stages of production, constant control is carried out, which allows maintaining the high quality of the final product.

Arabica beans for this coffee are grown on South American, Indian, African plantations in the mountains at an altitude of more than 1000m above sea level. In high mountain conditions, due to the rarefied crystal clear air, the grains are saturated with oxygen, acquiring a special aroma and taste.

Medium degree of roasting and grinding, suitable for different cooking methods. The drink is soft and rich with velvety foam.

ground coffee Movenpick Der Himmlische

Mild taste and aroma without pronounced accents.
High quality product based on Swiss recipes and constant production control at all levels.
Natural composition.

High price.

Illy Espresso medium roast

Italian ground coffee of a premium brand from 100% Arabica of elite varieties. This blend uses a medium roast of coffee beans, resulting in a drink with a slight chocolate flavor. Grinding is selected specifically for use in coffee machines for making espresso and Americano.

Produced in a convenient tin can, packaged using a special vacuum carbon dioxide preservation method, which allows you to preserve the aroma.

ground coffee Illy Espresso medium roast

Convenient packaging.
Low caffeine content (no more than 1.5%).
Ideal for espresso, as at high concentration there is no bitterness or sourness.

You can brew using your own method, but the full flavor is revealed when brewed in a coffee machine.

Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi

Delicious Turkish coffee prepared using a special method to achieve the finest grind possible while maintaining a medium roast. At home, it is impossible to achieve such grinding, since the grains are burned due to strong friction.

The 100% Arabica drink is ideal for preparing in Turkish style (in Turk). It turns out very dark, strong and aromatic. Available in a tin can.

ground coffee Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi

The packaging is convenient for use.
An ideal choice for Turkish cooking.
A special grinding technology allows the grains not to burn, but maintains a soft taste.

There is air in the packaging, which may affect the aroma.

How to brew coffee in a cup in Brazilian style

When brewing coffee in Brazilian style, there is always a professional approach, even if the drink is prepared at home. To prepare the ground powder, medium-light roasted grains are used, no older than two months in terms of shelf life. The grinding of the beans is medium. The water used to prepare the drink is purified, filtered, and heated to 92 degrees C.

Take 9 g of ground grains per 100 ml of water. The powder from them is placed in a ceramic or glass cup. Water is poured in in a thin stream so that all particles are moistened. The extraction continues for 4 minutes, after which the unsettled grounds are removed from the surface and the drink is ready for use.

How to brew it correctly?

You should start with the right choice of water. Brewing coffee in a cup eliminates the use of chlorinated tap water and boiled water. Ideal options would be spring or well water , but bottled water is also suitable, it is only important to carefully study the label and make sure that the degree of mineralization is in the range of 75-250 mg/l. If this is the “golden mean”, 150 mg/l, then you can’t ask for better water for making coffee.

Brewing methods may differ in details, but are the same in essence: ground grains are poured into a cup or mug, water is poured in and infused. In this case, you should never pour boiling water over coffee powder. It is best to use water at a temperature of 92-96°C. How to get it? Heat to the “white key” state - when the kettle just begins to make noise and the first bubbles begin to appear in the water. If you remove the kettle from the stove at this moment, then after a couple of minutes you can start brewing ground coffee.

You need thick-walled dishes, made of porcelain or ceramics - they retain heat longer. The contents in the mug should not be filled to the brim, since the grounds, swelling, will begin to provoke an increase in volume, and the coffee will begin to spill out. In addition, stirring it will be problematic, and this is one of the important stages of preparing the drink.

If you are counting on a 100 ml serving of coffee, the brewing container should have a capacity of 120-150 ml. Before brewing, warm up the cup by rinsing it with boiling water or placing it in the microwave for a few seconds.

And a few more recommendations. A mug of coffee must be covered with a lid or saucer - the drink will better reveal and retain its aromas. After completing the brewing process (after about 3-4 minutes), the contents of the cup are stirred, and then the sediment is allowed to sink to the bottom. Sometimes the drink is filtered before drinking. You can put sugar in it, pour cream, sweet syrup, or drink it without any additives to fully experience the taste of natural coffee.

Everyone also chooses the strength of the drink at their own discretion. The traditional norm is 6-7 g of ground beans per 100 ml cup.

We talked about the strongest coffee in the world in this article.

Coffee bags for brewing in a cup

The coffee market provides natural ground coffee in individual bags for quick brewing. This innovation has become very popular among office workers. And at home, this method of making coffee has found its fans. Is bagged coffee good, what are the pros and cons of this method of preparing natural coffee?

Fine ground coffee in a portioned bag. It brews quickly, settles and is ready for use. But since the grind is very fine, the drink contains a lot of coffee suspension. It turns out that you have to drink along with the grounds.
Portioned coffee in filter bags is similar to tea, only in larger bags. They are brewed in a cup, left for 2-3 minutes, and then removed.
Coffee in drip bags. In such bags, a portion of ground coffee is brewed in a special drip bag, which is attached to the cup using paper handles. After securing the bag to the cup, hot water is slowly poured into it and left for 1-2 minutes for extraction. The bag is then removed and disposed of. A natural coffee drink without grounds remains in the cup.

The benefits and harms of ground coffee for the health of the body

Unlike instant coffee, the chemical composition of which does not fully correspond to the natural product, ground beans, which have not been boiled, retain all the beneficial properties that nature has endowed them with.

In addition to caffeine, the invigorating effect of which everyone knows, grains contain organic acids, lipids (natural fats and oils), vitamins (groups B, E, PP), minerals, tannins, carbohydrates, and proteins necessary for our health.

Thanks to such a rich composition, ground coffee is beneficial to humans, and its main “bonuses” are the following:

increasing physical endurance;
reducing the feeling of hunger (this property of coffee is used in weight loss diets);
burning fat cells;
the ability to enhance brain activity and concentrate on work more successfully;
obtaining additional protection against various diseases (for example, the risk of prostate cancer is reduced by 25%, Parkinson's disease is less likely to develop);
slowing down the aging process of the body;
improvement of a person’s moral and psychological state due to the substances included in the product that harmonize mood (for example, serotonin, dopamine).

Natural ground coffee can have a negative effect if the drink is abused. The consequences of this may be:

insomnia;
high blood pressure;
risk of heart attack;
headache;
for women – difficulties with conceiving a child and bearing it;
loss of calcium by the body (caffeine washes it out of the bones);
hearing impairment.

If we talk about the most severe consequences, you need to keep in mind that a dose of caffeine of 10-15 g is fatal. And although it is unrealistic to get this, since it is contained in 80 cups of coffee, you must always remember to be careful and not abuse your favorite drink.

Ground coffee from unscrupulous manufacturers who artificially “increase” the weight of an expensive product by adding various impurities can also pose a danger. Some of them sometimes contain toxic substances.

What is the best ground coffee for brewing in a cup?

In recent years, the coffee culture in the country has tended to increase the consumption of natural, high-quality drink. And although the share of consumption of granulated and instant coffee is still large, there is still a significant increase in the consumption of natural products. The most popular type of coffee beans is Arabica. In second place are the Robusta varieties. There is another variety - Liberica, but it is less popular due to its less pronounced taste and aroma characteristics. The brewing methods and variety of coffee drinks are amazing. After all, almost every nation has its own ways of brewing coffee. This article looked at ways to brew ground coffee in a cup. Which one is best for you? This can be solved experimentally. Try it!

Selecting the type and degree of grinding of coffee

Arabica coffee is best suited for brewing in a cup. It contains many aromatic and flavoring additives, bright sourness with pleasant notes.

Its quality depends on the growing conditions and location of the coffee plantations. Arabica contains 1-1.5% caffeine. This is one of the most expensive types of coffee. Its main supplier is Brazil.

In second place is the Robusta variety. Has a high caffeine content (more than 2%). Several times cheaper than Arabica. Its taste is rougher, without any frills, with a bitterness. Supplier – Vietnam.

Liberica, Excelsa, Eugenioides are coffee varieties that are not grown on an industrial scale due to their low quality.

Mixing (blending) Arabica and Robusta beans gives a new taste and aroma to the drink. Adding 10 to 30% robusta can cover the sourness and even out the taste characteristics, making the coffee mixture cheaper.

During the process of preparing coffee in a cup, a transfer of aromatic and taste qualities from the beans to the water occurs. The quality of the drink depends not only on the preparation method, but also on the size of the coffee powder granules.

The choice of grinding for each recipe is individual. Mostly small and medium (universal) are used. Finely ground coffee brews faster.

You can grind the beans when purchasing them at a coffee shop. If you prefer to make coffee powder at home, make sure that all the particles are the same size. When purchasing ground coffee in a store, information about the degree of grinding and roasting can be found on the packaging.

Preparing for brewing

Before brewing the drink, warm the cup well for a few seconds in the microwave or rinse with boiling water. In this case, the aroma will develop better and the temperature will remain longer.

If the recipe calls for hot liquid, bring it until the first bubbles appear (+92-96 °C), avoiding boiling. Coffee experts explain this by saying that when boiling water is added, the ground powder will not fully reveal its taste. And if you add milk, cream or their substitutes, the milk protein will coagulate into white flakes in hot water. The appearance and taste will deteriorate.

Interesting! Spices and seasonings for coffee

How to cook in Polish

For Polish coffee, you will need medium grind beans. Unlike the Brazilian one, it is less strong. The meal is prepared in several stages. First, half the dosage of hot water is poured into the powder and the composition is thoroughly mixed. After this, add the remaining liquid. Poles pour cardamom, cinnamon, and milk powder into a mug.

Interesting! How to brew coffee in the microwave

To brew the Warsaw version, use finely ground grains. This is an important nuance. Otherwise, you won’t get a flavorful drink because you won’t be able to strain it. Cold water is added to the powder and brought to a temperature of 80°C. Then add sugar and repeat the process. Warm baked milk is first added to the cup. Then pour in, filtering, the finished drink. The top of the treat is sprinkled with grated chocolate.

Express recipes

The ideal proportion is 1 g per 15-20 ml of water. 1 heaped teaspoon contains about 6 g. Based on this, for one cup of 200 ml you need 10-15 g (or 2-2.5 teaspoons) of ground coffee, depending on the strength you prefer.

In Polish

This drink is common in Poland, where it is drunk straight from the grounds, which is not everyone’s cup of tea. However, if you take medium-ground grains, the grounds will settle to the bottom:

pour ground coffee into a heated mug at the rate of 6-7 g per 100 ml, add sugar and spices (cinnamon, cardamom) to taste;
pour in a little liquid to make a paste, stir the mixture vigorously for a quarter of a minute;
add the remaining water;
leave for 3-4 minutes under a saucer.

In Brazilian

The Brazilian version perfectly reveals the taste characteristics of coffee varieties, so it is most correct to brew ground coffee in a cup in this way:

Pour 9 g (1.5 teaspoons) of ground coffee into a heated thick-walled mug and pour in 100 ml of water t 90-92 ° C;
Do not cover the container with anything, let it brew for 4 minutes. During this time, a dense layer of grounds forms on the surface, which must be removed with a spoon before use.

In Cuban

Cubans drink large portions of a strong, invigorating drink with the addition of rum and sugar. There is a slow way, when it is boiled over low heat with spices, and a fast one - in a glass:

pour 13-15 g of ground coffee and 20 g of granulated sugar into a glass glass with thick walls (it is better to take cane brown sugar);
stir the dry mixture, add 200 ml of hot water;
infusion time - from three minutes;
add a couple of teaspoons of rum for flavor.

This is interesting: Is it possible to mix alcohol with coffee?

In the microwave

You can prepare brewed ground coffee in a cup using a microwave. This method will be useful on a business trip or in the office for those who still prefer a natural portion of an invigorating drink:

Pour ground coffee into a large heat-resistant cup at the rate of 6-7 g per 100 ml, add granulated sugar and spices to taste;
Pour a small amount of cold water into the mixture to make a paste, mix vigorously;
pour in the remaining liquid, but so that 3-4 cm remains to the edge of the dish;
Boil in the microwave, carefully watching the process. As soon as the foam begins to rise, remove the mug;
cover with a saucer and let sit for 3-4 minutes;
It is better to carefully pour the prepared drink into a clean container.