Have you been buying coffee beans from Woolworths or Coles?

So, have you been buying your coffee beans from Woolworths or Coles? Don't worry, I am not going to be a snob about it - I used to do exactly the same. I remember when Coles and Woolworths had coffee grinders bolted to the racks in the coffee isle and it always intrigued me - these were serious machines that mums and dads (every grown up was a mum or dad to me then!) would walk up to the machine, dump the coffee beans in the top and collect them in the same bag at the bottom as grounds. The smell was devine!

Have you been buying coffee beans from Woolworths or Coles?

I can completely understand why those coffee grinding machines have been removed, it makes perfect sense to me. They were industrial machines and in this age of litigation and insurance premiums, they were a liability. Add to that the cost of maintaining them, plus the mess, then the change of popularity from Drip Filter machines that would work just fine on coarsley ground coffee, to Espresso Machines that require a very uniform and relatively fine grind - the reasons to get rid of these things just added up. 

Today, supermarkets like Coles, Woolworths and Aldi are stocked with pre-packaged whole bean coffee and pre-ground coffee. the biggest problem here is the freshness, which is especially important to the flavour and crema of your coffee. You are forgoing fresh roasted coffee (roasted on the day you order) for pre-packaged coffee that needs to be manufactured, packaged, warehoused, transported, stocked and then eventually making its way into your trolley, your coffee can be anywhere from 3 months to 12 months old, and that's just not a good idea today, especially when you pay a similar price for coffee from the supermarket compared to fresh roasted coffee delivered to you door (with free delivery)!

Give it a try, and you'll really appreciate the difference to your daily coffee.