Cafédirect 4 Organic Machu Picchu Ground Coffee, 200g
The four on the pack is the roaster's own strength scale, not a measurement anybody else uses, and it travels nowhere: a four here is not a four on another brand's bag. What it describes is roast depth, and this one stops short of dark on purpose, which is what leaves the brown sugar sweetness and the soft nuttiness intact. The consequence is that it has less to give through a full cup of milk than a dark roast has, and the commoner mistake with it is under-brewing rather than over. Ground for cafetiere and filter. Caffeinated.
Cafédirect 4 Organic Machu Picchu Ground Coffee, in brief.
Cafédirect Organic Machu Picchu is a 200g pack of organic ground coffee named after the Peruvian site, from a British company built around trading directly with the growers it buys from. Medium bodied and clean rather than syrupy, with low bitterness and a soft brightness that a dark roast would have burned away.
The 4 on the front is the brand's own strength marker, printed on the pack. About 25 mugs at 8g per 200ml. Picked into the Teas.co.uk selection as the organic ground coffee for anyone who would rather taste a coffee with a place attached than a blend engineered not to change.
Two things make this pack worth its shelf price. The first is the organic certification, which is carried in the product name and means the growing has been done to a certified standard rather than a described one. The second is the company behind it. Cafédirect is a British business built around trading directly with the growers it buys from, which is a different commercial model from the usual chain of intermediaries, and it is the reason a pack like this exists at supermarket scale at all.
Curator notes: the tasting profile is our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description. We run same-day UK dispatch on every order placed before 2pm Monday to Friday. Common questions are answered in the detailed Q and A tab below.
Curator’s notes
Read the full write-up
The story behind the pack
Named coffees behave differently from house blends on a shelf. A blend is designed to taste the same every year while the harvests underneath it move; a named coffee is sold on the expectation that where it comes from is part of what you are buying. That is the proposition here, and it changes what a good cup looks like: you want to be able to taste the coffee rather than the roast, which is why the roast stops short of the char that a dark Italian blend goes looking for.
The exact origin statement, the altitude, the certification marks the current bag carries, and the grind cut are all printed on the pack, and we would rather send you to it than invent detail. The organic certification is carried in the product name as sold, which is why it is stated here; everything beyond that belongs to the bag.
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.
How Cafédirect 4 Organic Machu Picchu Ground Coffee, 200g compares
- Against a supermarket house blend at the same price: the blend will be more consistent year to year and usually a little heavier in the cup. This is the one to buy if you would rather taste a coffee with a place attached to it than a coffee engineered not to change.
- Against a dark Italian roast: different job entirely. A dark roast trades origin character for cocoa and smoke. Here the roast is stopped earlier, which keeps a soft brightness in the cup that a dark pack simply does not have.
- Against the same coffee as whole beans: the larger bean bag holds its aroma longer, because a whole bean has a fraction of the surface area of the same weight ground. Ground is the right choice if you have no grinder and will finish 200g inside a month, which most households will.
Getting the best out of it
A medium roast with some acidity left in it rewards attention in a way a dark roast does not. Get the dose and the water right and there is genuine detail in the cup; get them wrong and it flattens into ordinary.
The cafetiere
Dose: Around 8g per 200ml of water, a generous heaped tablespoon. Weigh it once with kitchen scales and afterwards you will recognise the spoonful.
Water: Boil, then wait about twenty seconds, roughly 95 to 96 degrees. A medium roast can take slightly hotter water than a dark one, and it needs it to open up properly.
Time: Four minutes, then plunge. Under-brewing is the commoner mistake with a medium roast; the result reads thin and sharp rather than bitter.
Decant: Pour the whole jug out into warmed cups rather than leaving it standing on the grounds.
Filter, milk and cold
Filter machine: arguably the better brewer for this one. A paper filter strips the oils and gives a cleaner cup, which is exactly what suits a coffee sold on clarity rather than body.
Pour over: if you own one, this is the pack to use it on. A slow, even pour keeps the brighter notes in play instead of drowning them.
With milk: it takes a splash happily, but a medium roast has less roast weight to carry through dairy than a dark one. Keep the milk modest or brew it a little stronger first.
Cold brew: works well and reads sweet. 60g in a litre of cold water for twelve to sixteen hours in the fridge, then strain.
Practical notes on the pack
- Yield: 200g at 8g per 200ml gives about 25 mugs. That is our arithmetic and not a pack claim.
- Organic: the organic certification is carried in the product name as sold. The specific certifier marks are printed on the current bag.
- Strength marker: the 4 is Cafédirect's own scale, printed on the pack. It is not a roast temperature or an industry standard, and it only means anything relative to the rest of the brand's range.
- Grind: the cut is printed on the bag. Our guidance here assumes a cafetiere or a filter; check the pack before using it in an espresso machine.
- Storage: airtight, cool and dark, and not the fridge, where ground coffee picks up smells and condensation.
Ingredients, allergens and storage
What is in it: organic roast and ground coffee. Nothing else is added.
Ingredients and dietary suitability: The published ingredient list for this barcode names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.
Caffeine and sensitivity: Coffee is a stimulant. If you are sensitive to caffeine, pregnant, or following medical advice on intake, treat it accordingly.
Hot liquid: a cafetiere plunged too fast can spit. Press slowly and keep the spout turned away from you.
Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference Cafédirect 4 Organic Machu Picchu Ground Coffee, 200g, please cite teas.co.uk.
The story behind Cafédirect
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.
Our commitment to the planet
Sourcing and packaging details are printed on the current UK pack; the brand page carries the fuller story.
The taste profile
Cafedirect 4 Organic Machu Picchu Ground Coffee, 200g is a medium roast with brightness left in it, which points it at brewing methods that show detail rather than bury it. Five builds below, from a filter brew to a pour over, a cold brew and a coffee that ends up in the oven.
Made with this tea
The Filter Brew
Paper strips the oils and gives the cleanest version of a coffee like this.
- 16g Machu Picchu ground coffee
- 400ml water at about 95 degrees
- A filter machine or a paper cone
- Rinse the paper filter with hot water first and pour the rinse away; it removes the papery taste.
- Add the coffee and level it with a tap of the basket.
- Brew with water just off the boil, waiting about twenty seconds after the kettle clicks.
- Serve straight away rather than letting it sit on a hotplate.
What you'll end up with: A clean, bright, medium-bodied mug with real definition. A hotplate cooks the brightness out within ten minutes, which is the one thing to avoid.
Pour Over, Slowly
The method that shows a named coffee at its most detailed.
- 14g Machu Picchu ground coffee
- 250ml water at about 95 degrees
- A pour over cone and a paper filter
- Rinse the filter and warm the cup underneath, then discard the water.
- Bloom the coffee with 40ml of water and wait thirty seconds for the bed to swell.
- Pour the rest in slow circles over about two minutes, keeping the bed level.
- Stop when the water has drawn through rather than waiting for the last drips.
What you'll end up with: The clearest cup this pack gives. A slow even pour keeps the brighter notes in play; a rushed one drowns them.
The Cafetiere
More weight, less clarity, and four minutes on a timer.
- 16g Machu Picchu ground coffee
- 400ml water at about 95 degrees
- A 3 cup cafetiere
- Warm the jug and tip the water out.
- Add the coffee, pour, stir the crust once and put the lid on.
- Steep for four minutes, then plunge slowly.
- Pour the whole jug out rather than leaving it on the grounds.
What you'll end up with: A fuller, rounder mug than the filter gives. If it reads thin and sour, add time and heat before you add coffee.
Sweet Cold Brew
Cold water pulls the sugars and leaves the harshness behind.
- 60g Machu Picchu ground coffee
- 1 litre cold water
- Ice, to serve
- A slice of orange, optional
- Stir the coffee into the cold water in a large sealed jar.
- Refrigerate for twelve to sixteen hours.
- Strain through a fine sieve lined with a paper filter and keep in the fridge for up to five days.
- Serve over a full glass of ice, with a slice of orange if you want the brightness underlined.
What you'll end up with: A sweet, fruit-toned cold coffee. A medium roast makes a noticeably better cold brew than a dark one, which mostly tastes of smoke once chilled.
Coffee Glazed Roast Carrots
A savoury use that leans on the brightness rather than the roast.
- 100ml strong brewed Machu Picchu
- 600g carrots, halved lengthways
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt
- Brew 100ml at double strength and whisk in the syrup, the oil and the salt.
- Toss the carrots in the mixture in a roasting tin.
- Roast at 200 degrees for about 35 minutes, turning once and spooning the glaze back over.
- Serve with the reduced glaze from the tin poured over.
What you'll end up with: A dark, glossy glaze that tastes of caramel rather than of coffee. A bright medium roast is the right one here; a smoky dark roast turns the dish bitter.
Brewing the perfect cup
Inside the pack
| Ingredient | Proportion | What it brings |
|---|---|---|
| Organic roast and ground coffee | The whole pack | Everything in the cup. Organic certification is carried in the product name as sold, which means the growing has been done to a certified standard rather than a described one. |
| Roast level | Medium | Stopped short of the char a dark Italian blend goes looking for, which is what keeps a soft brightness and some definition in the cup. |
| Strength marker | 4 on the brand's own scale | Printed on the pack. It is not a roast temperature or an industry standard and only means anything relative to the rest of the company's range. |
| Additives | None | No sugar, no flavouring, no chicory or bulking agents. Roasted coffee and nothing else. |
Ingredients and allergens. The published ingredient list for this barcode names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.
Ingredients, as published for this barcode: ground coffee.
Ingredient and nutrition data for this barcode: Open Food Facts (openfoodfacts.org), ODbL. The pack in your hands is the final word.
Pack: Cafedirect 4 Organic Machu Picchu Ground Coffee, 200g; GTIN 05060198252754; organic roast and ground coffee. Caffeinated. About 25 mugs at 8g per 200ml, which is our arithmetic rather than a pack claim. Best before date printed on the pack.
Characterising components shown; the exact origin statement, the growing altitude, the grind cut and the certifier marks are printed on the current bag and are not restated here. Nutrition figures for black coffee are negligible before anything is added, but the panel on the pack you receive is the reference.
Sourcing & blend. Cafedirect 4 Organic Machu Picchu Ground Coffee, 200g is packed by Cafedirect, a British company built around trading directly with the growers it buys from rather than through the usual chain of intermediaries. That commercial model is the reason a named, certified organic coffee like this one reaches a supermarket shelf at this price at all. Machu Picchu is in Peru, and the brand sells the same named coffee as a larger bag of whole beans that carries Peru in its title, so the name is geography rather than decoration. For the current origin statement and the certification marks on your bag, read the pack.
What is in Cafedirect 4 Organic Machu Picchu Ground Coffee, 200g, and what is not:
- In: organic roast and ground coffee, and nothing else.
- No added sugar, flavouring or chicory: any sweetness in the cup is roast sweetness.
- Not a dark roast: the roast stops earlier, which is what keeps the brightness a dark pack would have burned off.
- Naturally gluten free and dairy free as an ingredient list: roasted coffee carries neither.
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Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference Cafédirect 4 Organic Machu Picchu Ground Coffee, 200g, please cite teas.co.uk.
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