Löfbergs Organic 100% Arabica Ground Coffee: Reading the Label

Two words on the front of this pack do most of the explaining: organic, and Arabica with nothing else blended in. Löfbergs grinds this one for the everyday cafetière rather than for the espresso machine, and the label explains most of how it tastes.

Arabica only, and why that matters in a ground coffee

Arabica and robusta are two different species of coffee. Arabica is the gentler, sweeter species with more aroma; robusta brings weight and a rubbery, grippy edge that is often blamed on the cafetière. A pack labelled 100% Arabica has left robusta out entirely, which is why this cup drinks cleanly without sugar. In a ground coffee, bought to be used every day rather than fussed over, the species in the bag decides more than technique does.

The roast is medium and the style is the Swedish daily cup: round, gentle on acidity, with a dry close. Expect toasted hazelnut and warm cereal at the front, a gentle cocoa heaviness beneath that never turns into a sweet chocolate taste, and very little sharpness at the edges. It is built for mug after mug through a morning, drunk black, rather than for a single cup admired and set aside.

What the organic claim does and does not tell you

Organic is in the product's name, and the law requires an organic claim to be backed by a named certifying body, whose code appears on the pack. Read those from the bag you receive; they are the proof, not our description. Organic does not imply any other mark. Löfbergs lists Rainforest Alliance certification for its Brazil, Colombia and Espresso lines, but this pack's own certifications are whatever its label shows, so do not read Fairtrade or anything else into the word organic alone.

The claim has history behind it. Löfbergs imported the first organic coffee into Sweden in 1995 and is now one of the largest buyers of organic and Fairtrade coffee, still family-owned and still roasting in Karlstad. Among the Löfbergs lines we carry, this is the organic one, and it comes ground; anyone after organic whole beans will need to look beyond this bag.

Cafetière yes, espresso machine no

This is a filter grind. It suits a cafetière, a drip machine or a slow hand pour, and it will manage in a moka pot at a push. In an espresso machine it fails: the grounds are too coarse to resist the water, which rushes through and leaves a thin, sour shot. If you want espresso, buy whole beans and grind them fine; this bag is for the longer brews.

For a cafetière, use a kettle that has rested for a moment rather than water at a rolling boil, which scorches the aroma and pulls bitterness out of a coffee that has very little. Then buy in the size you will finish. Ground coffee fades far faster than beans, so a 250g pack emptied inside a few weeks tastes better at the end than a large bag slowly going stale.

The packs we stock

• Löfbergs Organic 100% Arabica Ground Coffee, 250g (barcode 7310050015156)

What to eat with it

• Border Dark Chocolate Ginger Organic Biscuits, 150g: An organic biscuit beside an organic coffee, with dark chocolate to match the soft cocoa weight and ginger to liven up a mild cup.
• McVitie's Hobnobs Milk Chocolate Biscuits, 262g: Oats and milk chocolate suit the toasted, cereal-like front of this coffee.
• Maryland Cookies Double Chocolate, 200g: For when you want the chocolate the coffee only hints at, in cookie form beside a black mug.

Elsewhere in the Löfbergs range

• Löfbergs Brazil Coffee Lovers Medium Roast Whole Bean, 400g
• Löfbergs Brazil Single Origin Ground Coffee, 250g
• Löfbergs Brazil Single Origin Whole Coffee Beans, 1kg
• Löfbergs Colombia Single Origin Ground Coffee, 250g
• Löfbergs Espresso Whole Coffee Beans, 1kg

The full range is on the Löfbergs brand page.

FAQ

What does 100% Arabica mean on a coffee pack? That the pack contains only the Arabica species of coffee, with no robusta blended in, which gives a softer, sweeter cup.

Can I use it in a moka pot? At a push, yes, though it is ground for filter and cafetière. The espresso machine is the one brewer it does not suit, because the water runs straight through.

Which organic certification does it carry? The pack itself names the certifying body and its code, as any organic claim must; read them from the bag in your hands.

How does it compare with the Löfbergs Brazil Single Origin Ground? Both are ground for filter and both are soft and low in acidity. The Brazil is a single-country coffee with a heavier, cocoa-led body; this is the organic choice, drier and cleaner on the finish.

Does it need sugar? Most people will not want any. Leaving robusta out removes the rubbery edge that sugar usually gets added to hide.

Curator's note: Put it in a cafetière, pour a big mug, drink it black and leave the espresso machine for something else. In the right pot it is a very easy morning coffee. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Löfbergs Organic 100% Arabica Ground Coffee: Reading the Label

More from the tea wiki

• Tea vs Coffee: Taste, Caffeine and Switching
• Caffeine in Tea
• Tea vs Coffee
• Tea for Coffee Drinkers: Where to Start
• Chai vs Coffee

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