How to Get Better Coffee from Your Bean to Cup Machine

Post Views: 5

You know that sound. The grinder whirs, the pump starts, a glossy shot pours into the cup… and then the first sip is just… fine. Not terrible. Not amazing. Just “okay”.
Most people think the answer is to upgrade the machine. In reality, most bean-to-cup machines are better than the coffee they’re given. A few small changes in beans, settings and cleaning can move you from “okay” to “this is actually really good”.

This guide is for that everyday De’Longhi / Siemens / Sage machine from Currys, not a £2,000 café setup.

What a bean to cup machine is good at (and what it isn’t)

First, set expectations.

Good at:

  • Convenience – grind, brew, milk at one button.
  • Consistency – once dialled in, it repeats the same shot all week.
  • Everyday milk drinks – flat whites, lattes, cappuccinos.

Not great at:

  • Super dense, competition level espresso.
  • Handling very dark, oily beans without clogging.
  • Fixing bad beans, bad water or a filthy machine.

So our job is simple: give the machine an easier life – the right beans, grind, ratio and cleaning and it will pay you back every morning.

1. Choose the right beans for automatic machines

Bean to cup machines are a bit picky. They like medium roast, fairly dry beans. They hate very dark, shiny, oily beans. Those look good in photos but can clog the grinder and brew unit.

For automatics, you want beans that are:

  • medium to medium dark roast
  • naturally sweet and chocolatey
  • low on surface oil

In the Avventura range, that means:

  • Brazil Fazenda Pinhal 250g – smooth chocolate and hazelnut, made for milk drinks and “comfort coffee”.
  • Classico Blend 250g – balanced blend sitting between Brazil’s comfort and brighter origins, perfect as “house coffee” in an automatic.
  • Brazil Decaf 250g – for evenings when you want the ritual without the caffeine buzz.

Once you find a bean that works, stick with it for a while. Your machine will thank you.

2. Dial in the grind once – then stop touching it

Most people change the grind setting on their machine every week. That’s the quickest way to get random coffee.

Better approach:

  1. Pick one bean (for example Brazil Fazenda Pinhal).
  2. Set the grind to the middle of the dial.
  3. Brew a shot and look at:
    • time: around 20-30 seconds for an espresso-size shot,
    • taste: not sour, not empty, not harsh.

Then adjust:

  • Too sour / sharp, shot runs very fast → grind finer (one small step).
  • Too bitter, heavy, almost burnt, shot very slow → grind coarser (one small step).

Do this on a half empty hopper, while the grinder is running (most manufacturers recommend that), and then leave it alone for a few days.
This is the one rule you really can’t break if you want your machine to last.
And one more thing a lot of people miss:

Don’t fill the hopper right to the top if you’re not going to drink it all in two days – keep the rest sealed in the bag so it stays fresh.

Your goal is not perfection. Your goal is:

“I’d happily drink this every morning without thinking about it.”

3. Use simple ratios, even with an automatic

Even if the machine decides the volume, you still control strength with two things:

  • the “coffee strength” or “aroma” button – usually adds or removes a gram or two of coffee,
  • drink size – the amount of water running through the coffee.

Easy starting points:

  • For a small espresso / cortado style: single shot ≈ 8-10 g coffee → 25-35 ml liquid
  • For a regular “long black” in your favourite mug: Use the espresso button into the cup, then add hot water from the machine or kettle. Don’t just press “long coffee” and let it run forever through the puck. That’s how you get bitter, hollow coffee.

If you ever feel your drink is weak and watery, don’t immediately blame the beans. First: make the drink size smaller or increase the strength setting by one step.

4. Water and temperature. Small tweaks, big difference

Bean to cup machines usually brew a bit cooler than a manual espresso machine. That’s fine. As long as you:

  • Use fresh, filtered tap water if your area is hard water. It protects the boiler and keeps flavours clean.
  • Avoid using flavoured or high mineral bottled water. It can throw the flavours off completely.

Many machines have a temperature setting hidden in the menu. Medium or high is usually safer for coffee; low often tastes flat. You don’t need to obsess over exact degrees – just don’t leave it on the coldest option.

5. Cleaning. The unsexy part that ruins the most coffee

This is where most home machines slowly die. Old oils, stale coffee and milk residue are flavour killers. You cannot get sweet, gentle coffee out of a dirty machine, no matter how good the beans are.

Daily 1-minute routine:

  • Empty the spent puck tray.
  • Rinse the drip tray.
  • Run hot water through the coffee spouts once (without coffee).
  • If you use milk, run the cleaning programme or at least flush the milk line.

Weekly routine (10-15 minutes):

  • Run the manufacturer’s cleaning tablet programme.
  • If the brew group is removable, take it out, rinse under warm water, leave to dry overnight.
  • Wipe around the grinder and hopper – gently, without water near the burrs.

Yes, it’s boring. But so is drinking stale, slightly sour coffee every morning because last week’s oils are still sitting inside the machine.

6. Which Avventura coffees to try in your automatic

If you want a simple starting point for your machine, start here:

Brazil Fazenda Pinhal 250g
Smooth, chocolatey, medium body.

  • Fantastic as espresso, flat white or latte in a bean to cup machine.
  • Very forgiving if your grind or ratio isn’t perfect.

Classico Blend 250g
Balanced, crowd-pleasing blend, sitting between Brazil’s comfort and brighter origins.

  • Great “house coffee” for families or guests. Works with milk and without.

Brazil Decaf 250g
Dark Chocolate, smooth, gentle sweetness, without the caffeine.

  • Ideal for evening cappuccinos from your automatic, when you still want the ritual of making coffee.

Where to go next on your coffee journey

If you want to push your machine a bit further, these guides will help: