# In Search of Beans Similar to COSTA



## johnb80 (Mar 25, 2020)

I'm a newbie here so please be gentle with me. Im about to retire and have bought myself a Sage Barista Express following reading a few reviews.

I like the taste of COSTA Latte's and thats my aim, can anyone recommend suitable beans to get close to this flavour?

Many thanks in anticipation, any advice greatly appreciated.

J


----------



## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Costa possibly! I am sure they sell them, if they are still open. You will find a big difference between recently roasted beans (as in days) and the stuff Costa sell which may have been roasted months earlier. If you roast a bean, allow it to settle for a few days to degass then open the bag and store it correctly in a vacuum cylinder or similar, it will taste fresh for several weeks, but, if it is already 3 months old when you open it.....it may take you 2 weeks to use 250 gms, it takes then 5 minutes


----------



## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

Evening and welcome, Costa Latte's are like hot milk no coffee required so your golden. I would try getting some beans from a Supermarket like Union and a few others knocking around.


----------



## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

Take coffee scoop,

Go to back garden,

Scoop approximately 18 grams of dirt,

Put dirt in portafilter,

Make sure espresso runs through in less than 15 seconds,

Add so much milk you can only get the faintest taste of dirt in the back of your mouth,

And there you have it, Costa latte!

Seriously though, are costa still using robusta blend? If so any Italian roast is probably going to be similar.


----------



## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

I do use Costa if I am left with no choice that is Rare these days.


----------



## Gavin (Mar 30, 2014)

johnb80 said:


> I'm a newbie here so please be gentle with me. Im about to retire and have bought myself a Sage Barista Express following reading a few reviews.
> I like the taste of COSTA Latte's and thats my aim, can anyone recommend suitable beans to get close to this flavour?
> 
> Many thanks in anticipation, any advice greatly appreciated.
> ...


Hi john. And welcome!

This might not the response you were looking for as I've got no idea about Costa's beans but.... maybe try some of the blends at Rave Coffee Roastery (signature blend) and Coffee Compass (jam pit).

They've got some great stuff and the blends in brackets above are easy to work with. They might blow your Costa out of the water too.

all the best with your coffee journey


----------



## grumble (Mar 16, 2020)

Maybe controversial here but I don't mind Lavazza's ground coffee. By the time you've added loads of milk I'm not sure you can that much pick apart different Italian style dark roasts. ?


----------



## winterlight (Feb 27, 2016)

Union beans are pretty decent for a beginner and, as someone else said, they're available in supermarkets (Sainsbury's and Waitrose for certain). Make sure you check the roast date on the back of the packet, you can sometimes find packets which have only been roasted 3 - 4 weeks before. Others can be a few months old.

Also, I recently had a flat white in a cafe which used Rave's Colombia Suarez Project beans and they would certainly suit a latte.


----------



## Fez (Dec 31, 2018)

Hi and welcome @johnb80

I think what people are trying to say is that you can do a whole lot better than Costa. I recommend you try out a few blends from reputable roasters over the next few weeks/months and you'll soon realise that Costa is terrible in comparison


----------



## Huckster (May 16, 2016)

Hi John,

I'm not ashamed to admit that if am on the road and in need of a break I will stop for a cortado from Costa in the motorway services, it may not be gourmet coffee but it beats anything else on offer from the likes of Greggs etc.

As others have said you won't be able to recreate your favourite drink at home with the pre-packed beans they sell but you could always try and bribe your local store into letting you have some fresh ones? Otherwise a quick search shows plenty of people selling them on e-bay...

I also second the recommendation for Rave's Signature Blend or maybe their Italian Job blend both of which will knock spots off Costa, although there are plenty of other espresso blends out there to try.

Good luck and don't be out off by the negative comments.

A


----------



## Batian (Oct 23, 2017)

Seek out blends of mainly Brazilian with some Ethiopian (arabicas) along with Vietnamese robusta at the cheaper end of the market, and you will not be to far away from the Costa blend.

Best advice, as above, explore and enjoy.


----------



## johnb80 (Mar 25, 2020)

dfk41 said:


> Costa possibly! I am sure they sell them, if they are still open. You will find a big difference between recently roasted beans (as in days) and the stuff Costa sell which may have been roasted months earlier. If you roast a bean, allow it to settle for a few days to degass then open the bag and store it correctly in a vacuum cylinder or similar, it will taste fresh for several weeks, but, if it is already 3 months old when you open it.....it may take you 2 weeks to use 250 gms, it takes then 5 minutes


 I understood Costa no longer sell their beans.

Regards - J


----------



## johnb80 (Mar 25, 2020)

Jony said:


> Evening and welcome, Costa Latte's are like hot milk no coffee required so your golden. I would try getting some beans from a Supermarket like Union and a few others knocking around.


 LOL, I know Im maybe a lightweight in the coffee world, I do enjoy Costa though, usually when I'm on a journey, it's good to keep me awake.

J


----------



## johnb80 (Mar 25, 2020)

TomHughes said:


> Take coffee scoop,
> 
> Go to back garden,
> 
> ...


 Hehe, I had a similar advice given when we asked about the best way to cook river fish when on holiday.

J


----------



## johnb80 (Mar 25, 2020)

Gavin said:


> Hi john. And welcome!
> 
> This might not the response you were looking for as I've got no idea about Costa's beans but.... maybe try some of the blends at Rave Coffee Roastery (signature blend) and Coffee Compass (jam pit).
> 
> ...


 I'll give it a try thank you. So much to learn about the beans, the machine and the technique.

J


----------



## johnb80 (Mar 25, 2020)

Fez said:


> Hi and welcome @johnb80
> 
> I think what people are trying to say is that you can do a whole lot better than Costa. I recommend you try out a few blends from reputable roasters over the next few weeks/months and you'll soon realise that Costa is terrible in comparison


 Understood and it's this sort of advice I was seeking, I thank you all. Costa was my example, thats what I like but I'm sure there will be others. I'm going explore all the ones suggested and see where my journey takes me.

J


----------



## johnb80 (Mar 25, 2020)

Thank you everyone, I've placed an order for 3 different beans from Rave. Looking forward to learning to use my machine and the coffee.

Thank you all

J


----------



## HDAV (Dec 28, 2012)

johnb80 said:


> Thank you everyone, I've placed an order for 3 different beans from Rave. Looking forward to learning to use my machine and the coffee.
> 
> Thank you all
> 
> J


 How are you getting on? Rave are good beans and they make great coffee......

that machine looks like quite a set up


----------



## johnb80 (Mar 25, 2020)

I was getting on really well, the beans from Rave arrived, the signature blend was a perfect fit and all worked well. I have noticed that the taste changed, quite a subtle change but it had changed, more noticeable though was the grounds that remained in the filter. In the beginning the grounds came out of the filter dry and in a solid lump, now theyre a slimy mush. I have tried different pressures when I press it down, it makes no difference. I tried some new beans, it's not as bad but still not as it was. Any ideas, do I need to increase the temperature? the pressure is still good and it looks right coming out of the filter.

Thanks in advance - John


----------



## HDAV (Dec 28, 2012)

johnb80 said:


> I was getting on really well, the beans from Rave arrived, the signature blend was a perfect fit and all worked well. I have noticed that the taste changed, quite a subtle change but it had changed, more noticeable though was the grounds that remained in the filter. In the beginning the grounds came out of the filter dry and in a solid lump, now theyre a slimy mush. I have tried different pressures when I press it down, it makes no difference. I tried some new beans, it's not as bad but still not as it was. Any ideas, do I need to increase the temperature? the pressure is still good and it looks right coming out of the filter.
> 
> Thanks in advance - John


 Could be a number of things how are you storing the beans? More answers to be gained in the busier sections


----------



## allikat (Jan 27, 2020)

johnb80 said:


> I was getting on really well, the beans from Rave arrived, the signature blend was a perfect fit and all worked well. I have noticed that the taste changed, quite a subtle change but it had changed, more noticeable though was the grounds that remained in the filter. In the beginning the grounds came out of the filter dry and in a solid lump, now theyre a slimy mush. I have tried different pressures when I press it down, it makes no difference. I tried some new beans, it's not as bad but still not as it was. Any ideas, do I need to increase the temperature? the pressure is still good and it looks right coming out of the filter.
> 
> Thanks in advance - John


 The beans age, you may need to tweak your grind a little. Don't worry if it's wet, is the result in the cup still good?


----------



## johnb80 (Mar 25, 2020)

allikat said:


> The beans age, you may need to tweak your grind a little. Don't worry if it's wet, is the result in the cup still good?


 I had stored my beans in the pack they came in from Rave with the small corner cut off tightly folded over and clipped. I minimised the open time of the pack. I have ordered some more beans just to see if it makes the difference. I think the result isnt as good as it was but hard to tell until I get more beans.

In what way should the gring be adjusted as the beans age?

Thank you for the help & advice.


----------



## allikat (Jan 27, 2020)

You may find it beneficial to nudge the grind a little finer once the beans have been around for a few days. The aromatic compounds are those that have the easiest time evaporating. You need to go finer to extract those that are still trapped inside the beans.


----------



## johnb80 (Mar 25, 2020)

Thanks allikat, I'll give it a try, lots to learn!


----------



## johnb80 (Mar 25, 2020)

I made the grind finer, the taste definitely changed, the remains in the filter are still like sludge though. When I first got the machine after tweaking here and there and getting beans from Rave all was good. After dispensing the coffee the filter was dry and the remains came out as a solid tablet instead of the mess I have now. Ill order some more beans and see if it reverts back to how it was with new beans.

Thanks again for your help and advice.


----------



## HDAV (Dec 28, 2012)

Try leaving the portafilter in the machine until you have drunk the drink 😉


----------



## johnb80 (Mar 25, 2020)

Thank you, I'll try that.


----------

