So, after suffering through a couple of weeks of really lousy coffee at our temporary apartment, we went out and bought an automatic coffee maker, one that grinds the beans and brews anywhere from an espresso to a full sized cup of coffee. (We looked at Nespresso machines, but were told that a more expensive machine would be far cheaper in the long run, due to the cost of the coffee.) Now we have to figure out where to get the best beans for it. So far, all the beans we have found have purported to be espresso beans, but they look dry and are a medium brown color, not the nice, oily near-black coffee beans that we had bought back in the states (albeit not so roasted as Starbucks, which always tastes scorched to me). We tend to brew both larger cups of coffee as well as espresso. Anyone have a favorite bean or source to suggest?

The trouble is, the Swiss, at least the Zurich variety of Swiss, do not (know|appreciate|care about) good coffee. Any warm, brownish liquid will do.

I bring back mine from London.

I'd be interested to know as well if its possible to buy anything decent locally.

hmmm there's a thread right there things the swiss dont appreciate or have a perspective on

Couldn't agree more.
For the best beans in Zurich head downstairs in Globus, to the right, it's almost like coffee world. Lots of brands you've never heard of.
The dark oily type bean is what I like as well. If you can't find Quarta Cafe, which comes from Lecce Italy, then try Cafe Ferrari. From Naples.

This may sound odd but the fair trade Max Havelar coffee beans that you can buy at Migros (ground or unground) are actually really nice! Fair trade AND good taste! That's all I use now. I'm not sure if it's suitable for espresso though.

If you can be bothered with mail order then Paradise Roasters do the best coffee, anywhere.....

www.paradiseroasters.com

They ship here.....

For undoubtedly the best coffee beans in Zürich, go to Schwarzenbach:

Schwarzenbach
Kolonialwaren & Kaffeerösterei
Münstergasse 19
8001 Zürich

http://www.schwarzenbach.ch

They roast the beans every Thursday. It is worthwhile walking past the shop on a Thursday for the smell alone!

For a list of the coffee beans they sell, check out: http://www.schwarzenbach.ch/g3.cfm/s.../s_level/10170

If you like, they grind the beans for you. They know the grinder settings for the most popular coffee machines, however I recommend you get a proper grinder and grind the beans shortly before brewing. It makes such a difference!

I brought a can of Illa beans back to Philippines with me, and my wife and I find it makes good espresso. I got mine in a Coop store in Baden train station. Just read the tin can and it says it's from Italy.

Merkur also sells some nice coffee beans from all over the world too....
I tasted espresso from a small bar here in bern and they serve La perla nera...hmmmm just heavenly...don't think they sell retail though

illy caffé and lavazza are also ok....

It's the machine first, then the coffee.

So long as your beans are kept away from the heat (freezer's are good) and ground seconds before use, most coffee's nowadays are up to scratch. High pressure machines (17 bar+) are necessary to get that crema oohmph...

Try http://www.cafe-noir.ch/ if you're in Zurich (near Langstrasse): excellent cafe with roaster right next to you. Only three tables, elbows touch. Fab.

Coffee? 'El Punto Negro' available from http://www.franzfricker.ch/

Lots of good ideas here. We are trying Schwartzenbach first--picked up some small bags of two different blends that the very kind woman (she didn't even laugh at my attempts at German!) were recommended for the fully automatic machines. I have high hopes that one of them will work out.

now I have to check out Uncle Max's on-line source....

Just a word for the Nespresso capsule system.

We had an automatic machine that would stop working when it felt it needed cleaning or desacalling. This was usually just when a coffee was urgently required. Then after 3 years use it started leaking water. Out of guarantee, the retailer told us that was a common problem and repairs were usually fr300 ish.

The Nespresso system supplies totally fresh and consistent coffee at about fr0.50/cup including the write-off of the machine. Which turns out to be about the same as the 3 years' use we had from the fr900 fully automatic machine.

I was just about to ask exactly the questions you have kindly answered. I am always a bit reluctant to buy anything with proprietary supplies. Who makes the coffee capsules. Is it just one company ?

dave

Nespresso makes Nespresso capsules. The coffee-snob of the house rates them.

Do be aware that the machines which work with beans also need a good clean every now and again otherwise the coffee starts to become bitter because of the residues left - and the beans should not become heated when they're being ground.

Nestles make one system and Migro another. As you might expect, Migros' is cheaper. They are not compatible.

We order the Nestlé ones online...

There is a thread about Nespresso capsules here.

The basic chf200- machine has performed incredibly well over the last seven months, doing about 20 cups of coffee per day in a small office. So even if it failed today it would be replaced with a new same machine, with a cost of about 7rp per cup so far. Buying the capsules mail order at 40rp has been painless for users and the simplicity and cleanliness is a winner. Coffee is amazingly good as well.

...except Nespresso has no aroma.

Bit like a rose with no scent.

Functional, I guess, but a tasteless rip-off in my *very* humble opinion. Take the Pepsi challenge with freshly ground and the alu-pods. And where's the aesthetic? As with other activities, if you're not getting a little dirty, you ain't doing it right...

I was not aware of this, and it is the deciding factor as for me the aroma during preparation is 50% of the attraction of real coffee. Back to the grind...

dave

Actually Nestle makes two systems Nespresso and Nespresso pro. Needless to say they both make good coffee just the pro system makes it hotter and can handle more. The capsules are suprise suprise not interchangeable...