Best Coffee Beans for Automatic Espresso Machines

As you probably already know, I’ve been testing and reviewing coffee makers for years. In all that time I searched high and low for the best coffee beans for automatic espresso machines.

I wanted beans that’d work as well in a Jura Z10 as they would in a Tchibo coffee machine. I have to say that my efforts were fruitless, so there was only one thing to do – develop my own coffee beans. 

With that in mind, I’m beyond excited to share my Coffeeness coffee beans with you, my North American readers. In this article I’ll talk about how super automatics make espresso and what kind of beans to use. I’ll also tell you why I believe I’ve developed the best coffee beans for super automatic espresso machines!

How Does a Fully Automatic Coffee Machine Make Espresso?

Before I can start talking about the best coffee beans for fully automatic coffee machines, it’s important to understand exactly how one of these things makes espresso.

Of course, coffee snobs and purists will claim that a bean to cup machine can’t actually make real espresso. They’ll say that “true” espresso requires the undivided attention of a knowledgeable and skilled barista. 

I’m not about to wade into a debate about what qualifies as espresso here. However, I will say that super automatics do have their limitations. I’ll also agree that while espresso at the push of a button is a wonderful idea, you simply don’t have the degree of control required to tease out the best from all coffee beans.

Take a look at my guide to the best fully automatic espresso machines 2024, and you’ll find a plethora of manufacturers jostling for your attention. Still, whether we’re talking about a Jura S8, DeLonghi Dinamica or Gaggia Babila, the machine works under the same principles and has to compromise during extraction. 

Put simply, a fully automatic can’t grind coffee beans fine enough without becoming clogged. That means the coffee puck won’t be compressed as tightly as when you’re using an espresso tamper and a portafilter. 

Consequently, the machine uses less pressure than a semi automatic during the extraction process. That’s why you might notice special nozzles on your machine’s dispensing spout – they’re there to create fake crema.

How To Choose Coffee Beans for a Super Automatic Espresso machine

As you might have guessed, cutting corners like this means you’ll need to be careful when selecting coffee beans. 

The current trend toward using light roasted single origins for bright, floral espresso is all very well if you’re using a semi automatic espresso machine. In that case, you’re able to really dial in your grind to help showcase the coffee’s delicate notes. 

However, if the grind is too coarse and there’s insufficient pressure during extraction, you’ll end up with mouth-puckeringly sour espresso. So, most people agree that the best coffee beans for automatic espresso machines have a dark roast profile and next to no acidity. By using beans like this, you won’t risk exposing the weaknesses of your automatic machine, and all will be right with the world. 

However, in my experience, a “strong” and dark roasted coffee with next to no acidity gets boring pretty darn quick. Sure, you might be seduced by a full-bodied and chocolatey espresso at first. Still, I think you’ll eventually be left wanting something more dynamic and complex.

Coffee for Fully Automatic Machines by Coffeeness

As I already mentioned, I’d been on a mission to find the ideal coffee beans for super automatics for quite some time. Not only that, from all the questions and comments you’d sent over the years, it seems like I wasn’t alone in my quest. 

With that in mind, I set about developing my own Coffeeness coffee beans. I wanted to provide you with beans that offer a middle ground between overly dark supermarket coffee and boutique third wave roast profiles. Above all, I wanted to offer the best coffee beans for automatic espresso machines from all manufacturers.

Needless to say, it was really important to me to focus on sourcing high quality coffee that’s been produced in a sustainable manner. I’ll talk more about how I sourced my coffee beans in a separate article. Further, I wanted Coffeeness beans to be affordable, approachable and crafted to the tastes of the Coffeeness community.

With the help of the Coffeeness team, I spent a year searching for the right coffee beans. We tweaked roast profiles, experimented with blends and consumed more espresso and cappuccino than you can imagine. The resulting Coffee for Fully Automatic Machines is something I’m truly proud of. 

Blended from 100 percent sustainably sourced Brazilian coffee beans, Coffee for Fully Automatic Machines by Coffeeness is slowly and carefully roasted by hand. I like to think that my coffee beans represent “realistic” specialty coffee without any hipster posturing. Here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect:

Whether you drink straight espresso, americanos or latte macchiatos, Coffee for Fully Automatic Machines by Coffeeness will make you happy. Like I’ve been saying since the beginning: 

Good coffee beans are not everything, but without good coffee beans everything is nothing.

Conclusion

My Coffeeness beans have been available in Europe for a while now. From the reaction I’ve seen here on the website and on Instagram, they’ve been a rip roaring success! That’s why I’m really pumped to be able to bring my coffee to your side of the Atlantic. 

I truly believe I’ve created the best coffee beans for super automatic espresso machines! If you’re interested in finding out more, fill out the form and I’ll keep you updated.