Coffee at home is a comfortable tradition that is lost in the mists of time, especially in Italy. Now it has become something that goes beyond the common cup of coffee: semi-professional coffee machines have spread to many homes - thanks to lockdowns and pandemic restrictions - and increasingly aware consumers are showing off new skills.

This is the trend of the home bar: coffee - in all its many forms - made at home as professionals and to be enjoyed in peace at home with friends!

Obviously, the home bartender pays special attention to the packaging of coffee, which - as we have already mentioned - is very important to preserve and protect all the properties of this wonderful product!

But what exactly is a home bar?

Home Bar: the new trend of (professional) coffee at home

Many people during the lockdown have rediscovered coffee: a wonderful product that, with its thousands of possible flavors and shapes, can often make our days better. But coffee is also a product that needs to be known in depth to prepare and enjoy it at its best.

The home bar is the trend to enjoy a professional coffee at home. The home bar is also physically a corner of the house dedicated to this passion, with a professional machine, suitable tools and coffee - with its packaging - up to the situation.

As in many other sectors, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of coffee and have a great desire to experiment. Professional or semi-professional machines, once reserved only for bars, have spread to many homes and are replacing the moka. In short, the home barista is no longer just a market niche.

Here are some new industry insights: 

• New forms of coffee with which to experiment: American, corrected, aromatic, cold brew, nitro... for some time now, coffee is no longer simply mocha. A marked trend, for example, is towards cold brewing: with the cold brew technique, coffee is prepared thanks to a very long infusion - about 12 hours -, the result is an extremely aromatic coffee with low acidity. 
• Time and desire for a professional coffee, even at home: a survey carried out during the pandemic shows that 79% of Italians agree or very much agree on the possibility of spending a little more to enjoy a good coffee even at home, for almost 40% the home bar takes on a new role within the home environment, with more than half of these (over 20%) having created a corner dedicated to coffee and the remainder in the process of doing so.
• Professional machines: again according to a survey, 14% of Italians purchased an espresso machine during the pandemic period, while another 22% plan to purchase one. In 2020, the use of the moka coffee maker decreased (from 43% to 39%), in favor of espresso machines (from 54% to 58%).
• Coffee packaging is fundamental: coffee properties and aromas are definitely volatile. The home barista has therefore learned to know the right packaging: the one that allows to keep the product at its best and have a professional coffee, even at home. Flexible packaging is among the most suitable for this purpose.

Stand-up pouch: the right coffee packaging for the home barista

The Home Barista buys high quality coffee - in beans or ground - from roasters or from small and medium-sized companies that he has learned to know for their attention to the product. But how best to store it? Also with regard to packaging, consumers are more informed and demanding than in the past.

Packaging plays a fundamental role in preserving all the properties of a good coffee; something that represents a real challenge for packaging manufacturers - we've told it well here.

Each type of packaging is useful for certain situations. Certainly flexible packaging - such as stand-up pouches or doypacks - is the most suitable for the new home bar habit. This type of packaging is in fact the one usually associated with premium and high quality coffees, and not by chance: the different layers make the best use of the materials ensuring an excellent barrier against all the agents that volatilize coffee properties and aromas: oxygen, light and humidity.

Why flexible packaging is the most popular for the home bar

Here are some reasons that make flexible packaging - such as stand-up pouches - the most effective to use in your home coffee corner:

• It allows for optimal preservation: oxygen, humidity and light ruin coffee, i.e. they destroy the molecules that give each coffee its distinctive properties and aromas
• It has the right size: it allows to buy the right amount of coffee to be consumed before it loses its aromas and properties
• It is very convenient and practical, the resealable zipper allows you to store the coffee even after the first opening
• The degassing valve is a symbol of truly professional packaging: the coffee beans continue to generate gas inside the package. In order to prevent this gas from bursting the bag, the degassing valve is necessary. It lets the carbon dioxide out but does not let the oxygen in, thus preserving the aroma and freshness of the coffee.
• This type of coffee packaging tends to be more sustainable than others as less resources are used to produce flexible packaging and it allows for more efficient transportation due to its light weight [why flexible packaging is sustainable we explained here].

Happy coffee to all of you, coffee lovers!