Switching from French vanilla to whole bean coffee: where to start

Start with one bag of No. 1 Common Sense, brewed in whatever machine you already own at 60 g of coffee per litre, and add the milk or sugar you always add. It is a medium roast with cocoa, red apple and brown sugar on the label, so it fills the same job as a French vanilla cup, a familiar everyday coffee, without a flavoring on top. Here is what changes, and the recipe for the first week.

Is there anything wrong with French vanilla coffee?

No. People drink it because they like the smell and the sweetness, and that is a good reason. Most flavored coffee gets its taste from flavoring added to the beans, so the cup tastes like vanilla every time. Single origin coffee is the other way around: the flavor comes from the coffee itself, and it is quieter. The first few cups can taste plain, and that is normal. Your palate needs a few days to pick up the cocoa and the apple.

What changes when you move to whole bean single origin?

• The flavor is in the bean. Notes on our bags are what the roaster declares for that coffee, such as cocoa, red apple and brown sugar, and not an added flavor.
• You grind it yourself. Whole beans keep better than pre-ground coffee, and a grinder is the one new tool you need. Our whole bean vs ground coffee post covers it, and burr vs blade grinder helps with the choice. If you do not want a grinder yet, we sell ground as well, at the same $28.
• You can still add what you like. Milk, cream or a little sugar all work. Common Sense is labeled as taking milk without falling apart.
• Your grinder may hold on to the flavor of whatever you ground before. If you used the same one for flavored coffee, run a few beans through and throw them away first.

Which coffee should you buy first?

Common Sense. Our label describes it as the cup you make every morning without thinking about it. It is a fully washed coffee from Huila and Medellin-Antioquia, Colombia, and it works in drip and French press, which are the two machines most people already have.

What if you want to keep a flavored cup?

Our flavored coffee is No. 5 Canela, a medium roast with cinnamon roll as the note. It is the closest we have to a flavored habit, and some people make it their second bag while they get used to the rest. We do not claim it tastes like French vanilla, because it does not. It is its own flavor.

What do you try second?

Once Common Sense feels normal, change one thing at a time.

• No. 7 Praxis (Antigua, Guatemala, medium) if you liked the sweetness and want more going on: dark chocolate, bright fruit and butterscotch.
• No. 6 Hegemony (Parana and Sao Paulo, Brazil, medium) if you want it smooth and heavy: cocoa notes, low acidity, and the pot everyone in the house drinks without complaining.

You can look at all ten coffees any time, and can you switch coffees in a subscription? answers the next question once you set one up.

What is the recipe for the first week?

1. Weigh 21 g of whole bean Common Sense, about 4 level tablespoons if you scoop it. That is 60 g per litre for a 12 oz mug.
2. Grind it medium for a drip machine, or coarse for a French press.
3. Use water just off the boil, around 200°F (93°C), and 12 oz (355 ml) for the mug.
4. Brew, then add milk or sugar the way you always do. Taste it plain once, so you know what is in it.
5. Next day, add a little less sugar, or none, and see if you notice the cocoa.

For the measurements by pot size, see how much coffee per cup. A subscription makes the switch easy to keep going: it is 11% off, with skip or cancel in one click.

Give it a week and you will know whether the habit changed or only the bag did.