Question: I come from a land of tea-drinkers and have only recently taken a fancy to coffee. I just ordered [this](http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B00H34OA7U?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00) coffee-maker for myself, which is the first that I'll ever own. 

I am a bit perplexed as to what *type* of coffee is used in a coffee-maker. It gets all the more confusing since I couldn't get my hands on all the types on the internet.

Until now, I had been making coffee with the help of this Nescafe.

[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/IFWNE.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/IFWNE.jpg)

Is this instant or ground coffee? What is the difference between the two? Can they be used in my coffee-maker?

Along with the coffee-maker, I also ordered myself a bottle of **Grandos Espresso Instant Coffee**. Would I be able to make it with the help of my coffee-maker?

Answer: 
Ground coffee is just the roasted coffee beans ground up to a fine powder. In order to make the beverage coffee, you need to combine this with hot water to extract the flavour (there are many different ways to do this). Typically, there is a filter that makes sure that the water can pass through the ground coffee but none of the ground ends up in your drink. 

Instant coffee is dried brewed coffee - they grind up the coffee beans, brew the coffee and then remove the water.

A coffee machine or coffee maker is used for brewing coffee from ground coffee, not instant coffee. Instant coffee powder just needs to be rehydrated, so adding hot water is enough. It will completely dissolve in the water, which the ground in a coffee maker will not.

The machine you bought seems to be an espresso machine (it puts the water with high pressure through the ground coffee). This requires a relatively fine ground. Preground espresso will probably work, or you can also buy a grinder and grind the beans yourself. It also seems to have a pressurized filter basket, which means it will be quite forgiving and therefore easy to use.
That is instant coffee(you only need hot water to make it). Like Niko said ground coffee are coffee beans ground to small bits.

Looks like you've bought a good espresso coffee maker. You need to find espresso coffee for that machine. My favorites are Lavazza <http://www.lavazza.com/> and <http://shop.meinl.com/default> .
I usualy buy whole grain coffee and grind it at my home. 
You can also make espresso coffee using espresso coffee pods (E.S.E. easy serving espresso). Pods are basicaly grounded espresso coffee put in small pods, so you don't have to ground it at home.

If you want to make good coffee with that machine **buy some good quality espresso coffee**. Read the manual for your machine to make good coffee. 

Edit: **Don't make espresso** with Grandos Espresso Instant Coffee(*don't ever make espresso with that machine if you don't have espresso coffee!*), until you buy real espresso coffee you can make instant (put one or two tea spoons in your mug and sip boiled or near boiled water over it)/