It seems all the real coffee I buy for brewing is extremely bitter, could it have chicory in it? I’m at my wits end - not really 
OH had same problem. After taste testing dozens when we first came here, finally settled on Velours Noir - 100% arabica
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A sign you are drinking too much coffee? 
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They advertise Maxwell House on French TV but we use Carte Noire Expresso No 8 pods and find it quite acceptable.
Thanks so much. I’ll try the Velours Noir. I never had this problem in Spain 
Lavazza. Can’t go wrong with Italian coffee.
Have you got a roastery (torrefacteur) near you? We have settled on a Honduras organic bean, which we love. But since it is expensive we alternate with whatever beans are on special offer at the supermarket…the velours ones are ok. And then when we go back to the Hondurus bean we get excited all over again.
A lot of the time it is as much how you make the coffee that makes the difference as it is the actual coffee. When we got our proper coffee machine we really realised how much having the right size grind for the method of making coffee could affect things.
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There does appear to be a Brûlerie close by, my mind is opening to all these new things now…thanks so much
I wonder are they open? They must be! It is an essential.
Our local torréfacteur in Le Dorat 87 has remained open throughout. The coffee is very much better than anything I’ve ever bought in a supermarket.
(Edited to correct location)
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This is OK by me. I grind about 1/3 the pack at a time.
It maybe not at the level of those Indonesian beans that have passed thru’ the gut of an ocelot[some small wild feline, anyway] but very acceptable.
I found a half-used tin of this in the stash Air BnBists’ leavings. No idea how long it had been there - use by 21/10/21 - but I’ll defo have a go with a fresh tin. It was good.
There’s already a thread on bitter coffee, but I can’t seem to add the link 
Grains d’aromes is excellent, Kirstea.
Martial, the proprietor, is passionate about coffee. He has a range of about 6 blends (including my favourite, Malabar moussone) which can be bought as beans or ground to your preferred size.
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We love La Maison du Café for filter. Easily available.
We used to use this when we used ready ground coffee and thought it was the best balance of taste, price and ethical consumerism…Haven’t seen it in beans…
Are ‘Fairtrade’ goods sold in France?
Yes loads. We buy fairtrade Rooibos tea for example
That Malongo tin has the Fair Tradelogo on it. And so does the Carre4 pack of beans.