Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Here you'll find honest answers to the questions we're asked most often at the Coffee Coaching Club — we're a coffee roastery and equipment specialists with showrooms in Bern and Zürich. What you read here is our perspective, one of many in the coffee world. There's no ultimate opinion, no right and no wrong. Everyone has to find out for themselves what works. The only thing that matters: the coffee has to taste good to you.

Choose a topic or use our interactive advisory tool for a personalized recommendation.

Buying Advice: Machines and Grinders

Which machine matches your lifestyle? Which grinder brings you joy? What does your everyday life need? Here you'll find guidance that doesn't start with specifications, but with the question: what kind of coffee moment do you want to have? To Buying Advice

Brewing and Troubleshooting

There are no espresso laws. No right, no wrong. Just coffee that tastes good or doesn't. Here we share how we think about extraction: extraction chemistry, the biology of perception, and why no shot is ever replicable. Plus practical solutions for when your espresso doesn't quite taste the way you want it to. To Brewing and Troubleshooting

Sensory Science: Understanding Your Sense of Taste

We're scientists and we roast coffee every day, and at some point we started asking ourselves: why does it actually taste like that? Why does an espresso sometimes feel thin even though it has a lot of body? Why does sweetness suddenly appear when you just lower the bitterness? The answers lie in sensory research — and they've changed how we think about coffee. Here we share what we've learned. To Sensory 1×1

Interactive Simulators: Try It Yourself

Some things are easier to understand when you get hands-on with them. Both of our simulators are based on current sensory research and our own experience, letting you experience the connections between brewing parameters, grinder physics, and taste in real time. No video, no article — you move the sliders and see immediately what happens.

The Extraction Simulator — temperature, dose, ratio, grind size, and Puck Screen: how they change body, sweetness, aroma, bitterness, and acidity. Including product recommendations that adapt to your settings.

The Grinder Simulator — conical or flat? Classic or modern? How RPM, burr size, and alignment determine particle distribution and, with it, taste.

Brands and Products

Every brand in our range tells a different story. La Marzocco and Arkel stand for refined sensory experience. Flair Espresso for the deliberate ritual. Weber Workshops for design ambition. Comandante for the joy of craftsmanship. Here you'll find out why we carry them and what makes them special. To the Brand FAQs

Service, Shipping, and Showrooms

Delivery times, payment methods, financing, barista courses, and our showrooms in Bern and Zürich. Everything so you know what to expect from us, whether online or in person. To Service and Shipping

Comparisons and Guides

Want to go deeper? Our detailed comparisons, technical deep dives, and interactive tools help you truly understand the differences.

Single Boiler vs. Heat Exchanger vs. Dual Boiler — How the heating system affects your espresso

Brew Group Technology Compared — E61, saturated groups, hybrids explained

La Marzocco Micra vs. Mini vs. GS3 — Which one is yours?

Varia VS3 vs. VS4 vs. VS6 — Grinder comparison for every need

Weber EG-1 vs. Lagom P80 vs. Lagom 01 — The endgame of home barista grinders

Home Grind-by-Weight Grinders — Comparison of GBW grinders for home

Coffee Water Quality — Compose your own water for optimal extraction

Sensory 1×1 — Body, sweetness, aroma, and why they influence each other

Extraction Simulator — Explore brewing parameters and Puck Screen interactively

Grinder Simulator — Particle physics: conical vs. flat, bimodal vs. unimodal

Your question isn't here? Use our advisory tool or visit us at our showroom in Bern or Zürich.