Nothing comes close to enjoying the perfect cup of coffee in the morning, you probably have your own favorite, whether you get a grande skimmed latte from Starbucks or a tall Cuppucino from Greco or perhaps you’re always in a hurry and you get your double espresso from on the run, or even you are the kind of person who orders in Americao from Costa Coffee in the afternoon.

No matter which coffee person you are, it comes with a cost. Your perfect cup of coffee costs on average 20 LE, that’s over 400 LE a month if you order a coffee everyday, and 800 LE if you order two. Is there a way you would still enjoy a coffee with the same or near quality to your favorite cup and pay fractions of what you usually pay? Absolutely, if you have an espresso machine with foam capabilities, with some practice and many trials you can become an ok barista. The first step to become one is choosing the right kind of espresso ground coffee.

Here is the top picks of ground coffee you can find in Egyptian supermarkets / coffee shops:

NUMBER (1): Greco – French Roast – Perfection

Greco imports the best quality coffee beans from all over the world, and he sells the beans as well, if you are a hardcore espresso drinker and love strong coffee then you will definitely like their french roast. Although not the same blend they use to make their own coffee, it is the closest one. 225 gm costs 70 LE and is probably enough to cover your espresso carving for a couple of weeks.

Learn more about Cafe Greco and see the map here

Here is also one of the reviews that you can find on Dalili.com.eg that tells you more about Greco:

I love coffee, really, really good coffee, this is why, while I’m in Cairo, my day starts at Cafe Greco.
The coffee there is so good it will make you forget the lack of parking spaces on 9th Street and the high decibel of the noise once you get inside. The beans they use are brought in from the major coffee-growing countries of the world then roasted to bring out their distinctive flavour; from mellow, to medium, to knock you out of your sandals strong.
Once you have made your choice the friendly and knowledgeable staff will whip up your favourite concoction, whether it is a latte, an espresso, a cappuccino, an Americano or whatever.

NUMBER (2): DAVIDOFF – Espresso 57 – The premium choice

Davidoff are not just well known for their perfumes and cigarettes, they also make amazing coffee. Davioff is definitely the premium ground coffee and one of the best quality coffee you can buy from a local supermarket. Espresso 57 is my favorite, note sure what the number means but it has a smooth flavor and a nice aroma. It is packed under pressure, so when you open it the coffee small spreads all over the place. My wife swears that she smelled the coffee coming up the stairs until she came to my office after i unpacked it. Surprisingly, you can buy Davidoff coffee 250 gm for only 50 LE.

NUMBER (3): ILLY Medium Roast – All About Aroma

That is the very standard espresso that you would get in most places like coffee shops or restaurants. With ILLY you can never go wrong, the coffee is always rich, smooth and has a very special delicious aroma. One shot is not enough, you would always carve for double espresso shots. I would actually recommend this coffee to everyone, for me it is the “standard” coffee, how coffee should feel and taste. Ever heard someone saying that On The Run makes better coffee than Costa? don’t be surprise, this is because they use ILLY coffee. 125 gm costs 40 LE, 250 gm costs 80 LE. Pretty expensive but it also have the best packaging.

NUMBER (4): ILLY Dark Roast – Just about the same but stronger

If you like ILLY but you want stronger coffee, just for for ILLY black, not my thing though. I prefer strong coffee but ILLY dark roast does not have the same delicious aroma of ILLY medium roast. Not even close. 125 gm costs 40 LE, 250 gm costs 80 LE.

NUMBER (5): Segafredo – OK Coffee

You probably noticed that there are no more Segafredo branches in Egypt. They have out of business in the local market. One of the reasons is that they don’t make good coffee. If they can’t get it right in their cafes you can never get it right with your espresso machine at home. Generally, the coffee is OK, not bad. However, it is not available in the market anymore, just like the coffee shop itself.

NUMBER (6): Lavazza – Bad Coffee

Ever went to a nice looking coffee shop and order a late or an espresso and the coffee looked good but tasted like shit? This is probably due to the fact that they used Lavazza coffee. If you see their logo in a cafe, they i would definitely recommend that you order tea, forget about coffee. The name sounds good, and the brand looks OK but the coffee is really bad, no taste, no aroma, weak smell. I do not recommend this coffee to anyone. Price is the cheapest as well, around 40 LE for 250 gm. They say it is suitable for all coffee makers, so you can used it as Espresso, or as filtered coffee, all in one! This doesn’t sound right. Does it?