CoffeeForums Coffee Facts

Q: I have a coffee maker, and brew my coffee every morning. For Christmas, I was given an Espresso maker, but I have 3 or 4 big containers of regular ground coffee. Do I have to buy special coffee for my Espresso, or can I use what I have or grind the grounds that are more finer or something? Help!!

A: It tastes best if you use Italian or Espresso roast. You can drink it with the regular coffee though, - it won't blow up or anything. Pre-ground canned coffee would probably be too coarse and make weak Espresso. You could get a grinder and grind your old coffee, but it won't be as good as fresh beans, roasted for Espresso, freshly ground for your Espresso maker. You will LOVE having an Espresso maker. It's fantastic - Probably not. You would have to use ALOT of regular coffee grounds to get anywhere near the taste of an Espresso. Besides, you wouldn't want to drink it in the morning anyway. Cappucino is just an Espresso made with milk. If you want to experiment for awhile, buy a small bag of Espresso beans and grind them at the grocery store. Put your other coffee in the freezer or if the cans are unopened just leave them in the pantry. You can, but you will not get the level of flavor that you get from Espresso grounds. Espresso grounds are much finer than regular coffee grounds, making it easier to extract the flavor and oils from the bean. If you don't have a grinder, buy one, and do an experiment to see the difference...Regular grind will not work in an Espresso maker. The grind is too big to make an effective cup of Espresso. You need to either buy whole beans and grind them yourself, or buy Espresso grind coffee. The difference is huge...and once you have Espresso, you won't ever want that coffee in your house again.

Al said:

A TERRIBLE answer. All the lady wanted to know is if she can use the rest of her regular grind in an espresso machine, ... yes or no? ... Your answer is nothing but wordy fluff that everyone knows and is totally irrelevant to the simple question.

Alan said:

I thought the answer was very helpful.

Jo said:

Horrible answer. Answer: YES, you can use coffee beans. You can't make an espresso tho, but you can make a "filter" or alternative "americano" with regular beans.

Derek said:

Yes, the original reply was a terrible answer, and both "Jo" and "Al" answered it perfectly. The question did not ask whether one can brew an "espresso" cup using regular ground coffee.

Jon Norris said:

Blimey! Give the guy a break. Of course she asked if she could make espresso coffee from ordinary grounds and he gave a full answer. Not the mindless bickering you lot gave! You need a coffee!

Edie said:

I thought the answer was very helpful. Thanks! Oh and I agree w/ Jon Norris..lol.. get some coffee in ya!

Kathy said:

I agree! I wanted to know the same thing, and the original answer was great! Some people love to complain!!

mary said:

great answer thank you very much, very informative to someone who doesnt know already!!!

Liliya said:

Thanks a lot ! Marry Christmas.!!!

James said:

The answer went in depth and was very helpful. The lot of you need to relax. That's not fluff, that's information. There's no harm in specifying and in my opinion it was not too lengthy or off-topic.

Raerae said:

VERY informative answer! One I would have preferred, as I'm also knew to the espresso makers... Thank you for the outstanding detail given in this answer. :)

shawna said:

thanks for the informative answer as I had no idea what the results would be by using the last of my regular can of coffee in my new machine....off to buy coffebeans!!!

SANDRA said:

WOWOW. HOW COME THOSE PEOPLE CAN COMPLAINT OF A FULL INFORMATIVE ANSWER??!!. IT IS TRUE, MINDLESS BICKERINGS!!!. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT INFORMATION WITH US.

Coffeegrl said:

I thought it was a great answer. I googled the same question and this response really helped me understand the entire concept of regular beans vs espresso beans.

Rakesh said:

Thats the best explanation every.. Totally Informative Answer..!! Cleared all my doubts :)