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How to Brew with Coffee Bags

We live in an era of choice, not least of all when it comes to how we brew coffee. While many of us remember the bygone days drinking a bitter instant coffee, today we are presented with multiple options.

Fancy brewing a cafetiere to last you all morning? No problem. What about a V60 pour-over coffee? Don’t worry about it! Perhaps you’d rather do away with the fuss completely and invest in a capsules machine? There are plenty of capsules to choose from.

But some of us just don’t have the time or equipment to prepare a coffee with a machine or a cafetiere on a daily basis.

That’s where coffee bags come in.

What is a Coffee Bag?

Imagine a teabag, but with freshly ground coffee inside. It’s as simple as that! Our fresh coffee is packaged in a home compostable webbing, and then sealed in an air tight, recyclable foil. Quite a few companies produce coffee bags with a combination of ground and instant coffee – if you’ve tried one before that tastes burnt or bitter, look out for 100% fresh coffee bags instead.

How to Brew with Coffee Bags

Remove the bag from the foil, and place it in your mug. While the coffee has sat in the bag, it has ‘gassed off’, and you will be struck by the aroma of the coffee as soon as you open the foil (one of my favourite parts of the process).
Add boiling water to the bag (or water at 93°C for best results), and leave to brew for up to five minutes. The longer you brew, the stronger the coffee – don’t be afraid to give the bag a squeeze for an extra kick.
Remove the bag, and place in your home composting or the normal bin. It will biodegrade either way, so no need to worry about wastage. Remember to recycle the foil wrapper too.
Add milk to taste (or leave black) and you’re good to go.

Cuba Escambray Mountains Coffee Bags (20’s)

Famous Blue Mountain Blend Coffee Bags (20’s)

Where is the coffee grown?

For a lot of brands, it’s hard to say. Coffee bags often contain instant coffee to pad them out, or aren’t produced using Fairtrade certified beans. We keep things simple with our coffee bags, using 8g of 100% fresh arabica in each bag.

Our Famous Blue Mountain Blend is a blend of 5 Fairtrade coffees, while our Cuban coffee is grown in the Altura region. It’s not possible to source Fairtrade coffee from Cuba, though we source from cooperatives which are helping to rebuild the Cuban economy.

The origin and roasting process contribute to the flavour profiles of each coffee bag. Our Blue Mountain Blend is sweet and nutty with a fruity acidity and notes of caramel, peanut and hazelnut. Cuba is rich and rounded, a stronger and well balanced coffee.

Brewing with coffee bags

We have been producing coffee bags for almost four years, and over that time we have seen them surge in popularity. Many of our customers have said that coffee bags offered a route into the (often confusing) world of coffee, while others have praised them for their convenience in the morning.

This year, we are looking to develop our range and introduce decaf bags. While coffee bags become more and more popular, we think it’s important that consumers have the option to choose Fairtrade and cooperative coffee, however they decide how to brew with coffee bags.

Revolver's Environmental Commitments

Our commitment to environmental responsibility is reflected in our decision to produce compostable coffee bags in recyclable packaging. We realise the scarcity of resources and the physical limits of the planet we live on, and prioritise the triple line of ‘people and plant, then profit’. Our commitment to sustainability is highlighted through our deadline of being net carbon neutral by 2030.

Environmental protection also goes hand in hand with our commitment to the Fairtrade movement. To sell Fairtrade products, farmers have to improve soil and water quality, manage pests, avoid using harmful chemicals, manage waste, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and protect biodiversity.

Did you find our guide about how to brew with coffee bags useful? Check out the rest of our blog!