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Best coffee bean seekers rejoice!

I know you have thousands of choices, but your wrong choice can doom your coffee and waste your money!

Here’re the best beans out there.

And this is the best coffee bean comparison guide out there.

Seriously.

I have worked in the coffee industry for more than 4 decades testing quality coffee beans, including Brazilian beans, Colombian beans, Indonesian beans, Honduras beans, Vietnam beans, Ethiopian beans, best Peruvian beans, Indian beans, best Tanzania Coffee beans, best Guatemalan beans, best Colombian beans, best Hawaiian Kona coffee beans, best Geisha beans, and best Espresso beans.

I started roasting my own beans 42 years ago on an Oak-wood fire in my home roastery when my grandfather let me brew coffee for him. I did the legwork to compare all coffee brands— darker roasts like Death Wish Coffee — medium Roast like Starbucks Whole Bean Coffee — and light Roasts like Lavazza Organic Whole Bean Coffee — cold brew coffee like Javy Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate and French Press coffee like Lavazza Super Crema Whole Bean Coffee — pre-ground coffee like Maxwell House Breakfast Blend Light Roast Ground Coffee and whole bean coffee like Lavazza Qualita Oro – Whole Bean Coffee — expensive like Black Ivory Coffee which is better than Kopi Luwak and the cheapest like Verena Street Coffee — single-origin like Hawaiin Kona Coffee — and blends like Starbucks Flavored Ground Coffee — so you can easily find the right one for you.

This guide is broken into 13 sections:

  1. Coffee Aim’s Top Pick: 3 of the best coffee beans (plus 10 more quick picks)
  2. What are The Best Coffee Beans?
  3. What are The Best Coffee Beans for Your Cup of Coffee?
  4. 10 Best Coffee Beans In The World of Coffee (Whole Bean Coffee)
  5. Buying Guide: Choosing Coffee Beans (a foolproof method)
  6. How We Test the Coffee Beans?
  7. Buying Guide: 5 tips when choosing coffee beans
  8. 6 Tips How To Choose Good Whole Bean Coffee 
  9. Best Beans By Taste and Characteristics
  10. Other Best Coffee Brands We Tested 
  11. Where To Buy The Best Coffee Beans?
  12. A Rapid and Intense Course In Coffee Bean Terminology
  13. Final Thoughts: Which are the Best Coffee Beans?

Are you ready?

Let’s dive in.

Coffee Aim’s Top Picks

Best Dark Roast coffee: Death Wish Coffee

Valhalla Java coffee beans, Fair Trade and USDA Organic Certified.

Notable for its power, the world’s strongest coffee blend of Arabica and Robusta beans, Death Wish Coffee is one of the dark roast coffees that transform your basic cup of joe into a delicious, bold, and dark coffee that will revolutionize your morning. One delicious sip of Death Wish dark roasts will have you saying goodbye to store-bought forever. Enjoy quality coffee with high energy and artisanal flavor with every cup and every sip with double the caffeine of your average coffee.

Best Medium Roast: Starbucks Whole Bean Coffee 

Starbucks - Breakfast Blend - 100% Arabica Medium Roast Whole Bean Coffee - 6 Bags (12 oz each)

Quality Coffee— Starbucks delivers a better coffee cup after cup with this 12-ounce bag of Breakfast Blend medium roast whole bean coffee— The perfect everyday cup is easy to enjoy in an instant—whether it’s at the start of a new day or end of a long one or as a reward. 

Best Light Roast:  Lavazza Certified Organic Whole Bean Coffee

Lavazza Organic Whole Bean Coffee Blend, Light Roast, 2.2 lbs (packaging may vary), 100% Premium Arabica, USDA Organic, Canada, UTZ Certified and Euro Leaf Organic; 100% sustainably farmed

Light Roast, 100% Premium Arabica, Lavazza Organic Whole Beans are organically grown coffee beans from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified organic, Canada certified organic, and UTZ & Euro Leaf certified organic.

How We Test the Coffee Beans?

When we test coffee beans, we round up the best beans on the market and narrow down the field before evaluating their airtight storage, freshness, blending power, taste, sheerness, accuracy, and value for money. In our most recent test, our testers rounded up well over more than 40 best coffee brands in the Lab, brewing over 105 cups of espresso, cold brew, French Press, and espresso-based drinks like latte macchiato, latte macchiato, flat white, and other milk recipes. We tested these coffee beans with both skim and oat milk.

What are The Best Coffee Beans for Your Cup of Coffee?

We’ve reviewed and rated more than 40 coffee brands to give you an overall ranking of the best coffee beans rated by coffee experts and connoisseurs.

But, as is usually the case, what are the best coffee beans for me may not be best for you. Let’s expand upon the Top Picks above and highlight a few more of the best coffee beans by taste and characteristics:

10 Best Coffee Beans In The World of Coffee (Whole Bean Coffee)

Listed below are 10 coffees that our experts have chosen after comparing them with coffees from all over the world. We found these coffees to be better than all the coffees in the world. Let’s have a look at them!

  1. Best Dark Roast Coffee: Death Wish Coffee Beans
  2. Best Organic Coffee: Organic Medium Roast Coffee By LifeBoost Coffee
  3. Best Single Origin Coffee: Koa Coffee – Hawaiian Kona Coffee Beans (Hawaii)
  4. Best Jamaican Coffee: Blue Mountain Coffee From Jamaica
  5. Best Peaberry Coffee: Peaberry Beans From Tanzania
  6. Best Kenyan Coffee: Volcanica Coffee Kenyan AA Coffee Beans
  7. Best Indomesian Coffee: Indonesian Sulawesi Toraja Coffee Beans
  8. Best Full Body and Low Acidity Coffee: Sumatra Mandheling Beans From Indonesia
  9. Best Ethiopian Coffee: Yirgacheffe Beans From Ethiopia
  10. Best Coffee from Central America: Central American Geisha Coffee Beans

Not sure which is right for you? The following section should help.

Buying Guide: Choosing Coffee Beans (a foolproof method)

6 simple questions that you should ask yourself when choosing coffee beans:

  1. How to choose good whole bean coffee?
  2. Have you distinguished good reputed coffee brands from bad brands?
  3. Where to buy the best coffee beans: Do you know?
  4. What type of coffee maker/brewer or espresso machine are you using?
  5. What flavors are you seeking?
  6. Your unique circumstance may affect your choice.

Let’s deep dive!

6 Tips How To Choose Good Whole Bean Coffee 

 Here are a few tips When Choosing Coffee Beans. These tips help you be able to pick out the best whole bean coffee from your local grocery store or artisan stores like Whole Foods. These tips make choosing the perfect coffee beans easy, and your coffee will taste so much better. 

  1. Buy green beans if you have a Coffee Roaster Machine for Home Use and you are an expert coffee roaster.
  2. Buy coffee beans packaged in one-way valves bags; they allow freshly roasted beans to degas but disable oxygen from entering the coffee bag, resulting in your coffee beans remaining fresh for a long time.
  3. Buy single-origin Arabica and Robusta beans and make a blend of a ratio of 40% Robusta and 60% Arabica, resulting in a thick crema on the top of your espresso. 
  4. Grind whole beans by yourself with a burr grinder; buy ground coffee if you don’t have a grinder or even time for grinding your beans.
  5. Here’s the primary rule of thumb: You should search for the bags covered with the exact date when the coffee was roasted. A “best buy” date reveals that the roaster is trying to make the beans last as long as possible on the shelf to maximize profits. Excellent coffee roasters will produce a great coffee that never has to sit on the shelf longer than a couple of days. Buy fresh roasted coffee beans.
  6. Always buy a coffee bag that tells the exact roast date of the coffee beans. Avoid buying beans that have been roasted for more than a month. Great coffee roasters don’t put coffee beans on the shelf for more than a day or two. Fresh roasted beans make a fragrant and tasty cup of coffee.

Best Coffee Beans By Taste and Characteristics

Have you distinguished good reputed coffee brands from bad brands? Here is the answer! We Rounded Up Well Over best flavorful coffee beans brands; let’s have a look!

  1. Best Coffee for Light Roast Espresso Blends: Lavazza Organic Whole Bean Coffee
Lavazza Organic Whole Bean Coffee Blend, Light Roast, 2.2 lbs (packaging may vary), 100% Premium Arabica, USDA Organic, Canada, UTZ Certified and Euro Leaf Organic; 100% sustainably farmed

Light Roast, 100% Premium Arabica, Lavazza Organic Whole Beans are organically grown coffee beans USDA certified organic, Canada certified organic, and UTZ & Euro Leaf certified organic.

Rich bodied Italian Roast, Lavazza Organic Whole Bean Coffee Blend is one of the low acid coffee brands, Light Roast, 100% Premium Arabica beans, USDA certified organic, Canada certified organic, UTZ & Euro Leaf certified organic;100% sustainably grown coffee with tasting notes of honey, malt, and chocolate.

  1. The World’s Strongest Coffee with Fair Trade: Dark Roast Death Wish Coffee
Valhalla Java coffee beans, Fair Trade and USDA Organic Certified.

Notable for its power, the world’s strongest coffee blend of Arabica and Robusta beans, Death Wish Coffee is one of the dark roast coffees that transform your basic cup of joe into a delicious, bold, and dark coffee that will revolutionize your morning. One delicious sip of Death Wish dark roast coffee beans will have you saying goodbye to store-bought forever. Enjoy quality coffee high energy and artisanal tasting notes with every cup and every sip with double the caffeine of your average coffee.

  1. Best Breakfast Blend: New England Coffee
New England Coffee Medium Roast Ground Coffee, Blueberry Fruit Tart

Famous for their signature wake-me-up blend. Medium Roast, Gluten-Free, and Certified Kosher, prepared with the finest 100% Arabica beans from Africa, Central, and South America, New England Coffee has promised roasting coffee the same time-tested way, so you can count on a consistently great-tasting cup of coffee every time to satisfy your taste buds.

  1. Best Flavor Notes of Citrus and Dark Chocolate: Stumptown Coffee
Stumptown Cafe

If you drink your coffee black, go with this bag of Stumptown Coffee.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters Hair Bender is our most popular coffee with good reason. It may prove your day-maker; however you brew your cup with it. It is Indonesia’s rich textures balanced by the classic flavors of Latin America and Africa. 100% Arabica coffee with citrus tasting notes and a bittersweet aroma of dark chocolate.

  1. Best Arabica Beans: Tanzania Peaberry Coffee
Tanzania Peaberry Coffee

Pouring smooth and full body in your cup (though Arabica is considered a medium body coffee). You will find two seeds inside every coffee cherry, except Peaberry coffee with only one seed.

Tanzanian Peaberry coffee is a rare coffee variety with tasting notes of peach, lemon, brown sugar in black coffee. Sustainably sourced and proudly light roasted, blended, and packaged in the USA.

  1. The Finest and Best Coffee Beans in the World: Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

Volcanica Coffee is a 100% Pure Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee certified by the Jamaica Agricultural Department for your morning cup’s pure, authentic taste. Sophisticated with a silky, smooth, and complex taste, amazing full-body, and very well balanced, one of the best coffee brands, Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, is freshly roasted then immediately packed and sealed to assure freshness to coffee lovers. 

  1. The Best Tasting Option in the Tier of Household Name Brands: Maxwell House Coffee
Maxwell House Coffee

A good cup of your morning brew, like Maxwell House Coffee, can do wonders. The medium roast premium Arabica beans ground coffee for cold brew or pour-over brewing. One of the best coffee brands for coffee lovers. Try brewing these beans in a coffee maker like percolator, french press, Aeropress, Moka pot, or espresso machine of any type, whether manual or automatic. 

  1. Best Variety Coffee: Green Mountain Coffee 
Green Mountain Coffee 

One of the well-reputed coffee brands, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, offers light roast ground coffee for your morning cup of joe. These 100% Arabica beans provide crisp espresso blends with balanced sweetness, dark chocolate, nutty-tasting notes, and a clean, silky mouthfeel when you brew it in your coffee maker like French press, pour-over, or pour over the espresso machine.

  1. Best Flavored Coffee: New England Blueberry Cobbler Coffee
New England Blueberry Cobbler Coffee

Blueberry Cobbler is another brand from the vast and varied coffee world to fill your cup. If you’re the type to drink coffee medium roasted, you’ll probably enjoy this flavored coffee option. New England coffee company offers coffee’s natural flavor and a complexity of floral notes in the aroma. If you’re a coffee-lover, you can count on deliciously consistent flavor cup after cup, sip after sip, because the brand has roasted our premium coffee the same time tested way right in New England.  

  1. The first Fair Trade and Organic Coffee: Santa Cruz Coffee 
Santa Cruz Coffee 

Want a Fair Trade coffee bean? Quality beans of Santa Cruz Coffee are your good to go.

Usually of a pleasant tartness and sweet taste, Santa Cruz Coffees have a lower acid content than other popular drinks. The feedback from our readers that are regular coffee drinkers (not coffee snobs) indicates that it’s a good cup of coffee that doesn’t fall on the mild side with subtleties, most appreciated for a daily drinker.

  1. Best Costa Rica Fresh Roasted Coffee: Costa Rican Tarrazu
Costa Rican Tarrazu

Costa Rica coffee has a natural tea-like body with sparkling tasting notes like citrus, mango, peach, jasmine, honey, and chocolate. But the coffee doesn’t lack any flavor and produces an incredibly satisfying cup! Costa Rica coffee beans are a bright Arabica coffee with a medium body and delightful fruit-toned acidity.

  1. Best Single-origin Big Island Coffee: Blue Horse 100% Hawaiin Kona Coffee from Hawaii
Blue Horse 100% Hawaiin Kona Coffee from Hawaii

Blue Horse is the Best low acid Kona coffee brand that produces low acid coffee beans cultivated in rich volcanic soil on the mountainsides of the Kona coffee region, a district in Hawaii.

The slopes on the big island with the excellent micro-climate and the fertile, perfect blend of rain and sun happen to be perfect for growing coffee beans. Always buy Extra Fancy beans ( the grade ) as that is the highest quality. 

 The brand uses the Extra Fancy ( the grade ) as that is the highest quality beans also compatible for their K-cups. The same beans they use for their whole bean packages. The slightly darker medium roast profile is their most popular classic Roast and the most common roast level within the Kona Coffee Belt. We recommend brewing coffee in a French Press, Pour-Over, or Drip Coffee maker.

  1. Best Ethiopian Coffee, Yirgacheffe Beans: Yirgacheffe Region, Ethiopian Coffee
Yirgacheffe Region, Ethiopian Coffee

Ethiopian soils are formed from volcanic material, so coffee trees are ideal for growing and prospering. Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Beans are typically wet-processed, producing a medium to light body coffee with bright acidity, almost tea-like, with complex floral and fruit notes aroma. It is best to brew in a Drip or Pour Over coffee maker to produce a natural flavor. 

  1. Best Mocha Java Coffee Beans: San Francisco Bay Moka Java Coffee Whole Beans
San Francisco Bay Moka Java Coffee Whole Beans

Spicy, fragrant, and heavy-bodied Moka Java is a classic mix of beans from Indonesia and Africa. These aromatic, medium-light roast beans are flavorful with a naturally sweet and balanced finish. These are 100% Arabica coffee grown in southern Ethiopia at elevations from 4,500 and 6,300 feet above sea level and certified Kosher. This coffee brand offers a wide selection of sustainably grown, sourced, and packaged coffee from whole bean to ground, flavored to decaf, and more.

  1. Best Instant Coffee: Folgers Classic Roast Instant Coffee Crystals
 Folgers Classic Roast Instant Coffee Crystals

Are you looking for a fast coffee? Brew a cup of coffee with Folger’s instant coffee crystals, and you’re good to go. We know instant coffee doesn’t have the best reputation, but for your ease, we’ve brought one of the Best Instant Coffee Brands, Folgers Instant Coffee, that offers a vast array of tasting notes. No coffee maker or espresso machine is required for Folgers medium roast instant coffee because it is ready in seconds.

  1. Best Budget Coffee: Atlas Coffee Club
 Atlas Coffee Club

Atlas Coffee Club encompasses premium quality beans, with their multi-award-winning freshly roasted small-batches. Atlas Coffee Club exceptionally sources all the coffees from around the world and freshly roasts these beans in Austin and Texas. You can brew these beans either with a simple brewer or a manual or automatic coffee machine. Come and connect you to the world’s best coffee and explore the world one cup at a time!

  1. Best Medium Dark Roast Coffee: Kicking Horse Coffee
Kicking Horse Coffee

Being smooth, savory, and seductive with sweet tobacco, stone fruit, and cocoa flavors, Kicking Horse Coffee offers rich flavors without being bitter or heavy-handed, unlike some dark roasts.

Earthy flavor with citrus and stone fruits meet hints of creamy nougat and caramel in this blend, making these quality beans great for sipping alone or with creamer. Grind the whole beans in a burr coffee grinder and brew with a simple pour-over coffee maker or espresso machine, add a touch of cream to your cup, and you’re good to go for the morning.

  1. Best Smelling Beans: Seattle’s Best Coffee
 Seattle's Best Coffee

Many brands claim that they’re Seattle’s Best Coffee, but we know Post Alley Blend is steadfast in its claim.

Buy Seattle’s Best Coffee. Their Coffees are Ground & Whole Bean Coffees and K-Cup ® Pods. They have been blending and roasting great coffee for 45 years and are famous for their Best Smelling Beans.

  1. Best Instant Coffee: Mount Hagen Organic Fair Trade Freeze Dried Instant Coffee
 Mount Hagen Organic Fair Trade Freeze Dried Instant Coffee

Counterculture is widely regarded as one of the ethical coffee brands in the coffee world due to its direct trade standards and eco-friendly farming. Mount Hagen’s is also widely regarded as the best instant coffee brand available. Its coffee is organic, fair trade, and good enough to convert even the most staunch anti-instant folk. The annual sustainability reports you can find on Mount Hagen’s official website.

Other Best Coffee Brands We Tested 

  1. Best Espresso Beans: Lavazza Espresso Barista Gran Crema Whole Bean Coffee Blend, Medium Espresso Roast
  2. Best French Roast Coffee: Old Brooklyn Coffee 
  3. Best Medium Roast Coffee: Starbucks Whole Bean Coffee
  4. Best Medium-Dark Roast Organic Coffee: Subtle Earth Whole Bean Coffee
  5. Best Sustainable Coffee: Peace Coffee Twin Cities Blend
  6. Best Coffee for Nitro Cold Brew Coffee: Javy Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
  7. The Best Beans for a French Press Coffee: Lavazza Super Crema Whole Bean Coffee
  8. The World’s Unique Coffee: Kopi Luwak Coffee
  9. The World’s Most Expensive Coffee: Black Ivory Coffee 
  10. Best Whole Bean Coffee: Lavazza Qualita Oro – Whole Bean Coffee
  11. Best Cheapest Coffee: Verena Street Coffee
  12. Best Coffee Blends: Starbucks Flavored Ground Coffee
  13. Best Kenyan Coffee: Fresh Roasted Coffee, Kenya AA Coffee
  14. Best Sulawesi Coffee Beans: Sulawesi Toraja Buffalo Buck’s Coffee
  15. Best Sumatra Coffee Beans: Copper Moon Sumatra Blend, Dark Roast Coffee, Whole Bean
  16. Best Harrar Coffee Beans: RhoadsRoast Coffees from Ethiopian Queen City Harrar
  17. Best Brazilian Coffee Beans: Fresh Roasted Coffee, Dark Brazil Cerrado
  18. Best Guatemala Coffee Beans: Guatemalan Huehuetenango Medium Roast Whole Beans
  19. Best Colombian Coffee Beans: Eight O’Clock Coffee 100% Colombian Peaks, Medium Roast, Ground Coffee
  20. Best Honduran Coffee Beans: Cafe Oro Coffee From Honduras 16 oz Ground Coffee
  21. Best Panama Coffee Beans: Hayman Coffee, 100% Panama Geisha Coffee Beans
  22. Best Whole Bean Coffee: Peet’s Coffee

Where To Buy The Best Coffee Beans?

The best coffee can only be bought by those who care about coffee. I think who cares more about coffee than you.

Local rosters should be your first option—local rosters from which you can buy high-quality freshly roasted coffee directly – and who cares about coffee.

So go to your first step, find any roster nearby, and start trying their coffee.

If you want to sample some of the best rosters in North America (without leaving your kitchen), check out the BeanBox. 

If you don’t have access to a tremendous local roster or can’t afford to spend a weekend searching, the next best thing is to order from an online roster. But the biggest mistake when choosing coffee online is that people bought old coffee roasted months ago.

Beans can last for months, but just because they’ll “last” doesn’t mean they’ll taste good doing it. So choose a coffee company that claims to roast coffee only after placing an order. That’s why we do like Volcanica so much. Never choose a coffee company that will let the coffee lie on the shelf for months before sending you.

There are some places where you should not buy coffee. Avoid such places. These people are tempted to buy. You have to avoid this kind of temptation. Most grocery stores sell low-quality beans with a long shelf life, but I exclude whole foods and other artisan stores here.

Most people think of Amazon as roasting coffee beans prematurely and storing them in warehouses to be packaged and shipped. But this is wrong. Our research shows excellent rosters on Amazon that Roast and pack coffee after receiving an order. We’ve compiled a list of all such roasters so you can try them out.

What Type Of Brewer/Coffee Maker or Espresso Machine Are You Using?

It is a simple fact about choosing coffee beans, do not ignore it. Your brewer affects the beans you choose, so choose your beans with your brewer in mind.

If you are familiar with the style of your coffee drink, you can also know which beans are the best match. You need to be aware of your choice of coffee and find out which beans are the best match for your brewer.

Let’s get started!

  • If you’re looking for a coffee brew from a French press, look for medium to deep roast beans for the perfect body blend.
  • If you’re a fan of cold-brewed coffee, look beyond fresh roasted, highly acid beans like gold classic single original beans. Our great article, Best Coffee for Cold Brew, can help you immensely.
  • Espresso machine brewers need to be more careful with the beans they choose. If you are brewing with a manual or automatic espresso machine, you need to be extra cautious with your picked beans. Italian whole coffee beans are your best choice if you have a buff grinder. Otherwise, choose an espresso blend.
  •  Wouldn’t you use milk at all if you were one of the Pour-over coffee lovers? Find a friendly, exotic single-origin bean with notes that excite you. Kona coffee beans may be your best choice.
  • If you are a fan of Aeropress, Tanzanian beans are the best for you.
  • K-cup coffee makers are great facilitators. Blue horse coffee beans are the best coffee for them.

What Flavors And Tasting Notes Are You Seeking?

Some coffee lovers look for wine-like floral-y filter coffee flavor profiles, while others look for a full-bodied, strong, and earthy coffee, ‘coffee that tastes like coffee’ by which they can create latte art and other milk recipes.

But here, you ask yourself what kind of coffee are you looking for? Certain types of coffees point to specific taste preferences, which are explained below:

  • For those who crave ‘wine-like,’ fruity, floral, exotic flavors usually associated with pour-over coffee, a light roast single-origin coffee bean is the best choice (without milk). 
  • People who want something that tastes very ‘strong coffee-like should have dark roast coffee. (It is OK to add milk)
  • If you are craving crazy flavors like Starbucks, then Dark Roast is the best choice for you. Add milk and enjoy.
  • If you count yourself in the group of coffee liberals and light Roast does not meet your preferences while the dark Roast becomes more bitter, then medium Roast is an excellent choice for you.

What Things May Affect Your Choice? Your Unique Circumstance!

  • You probably know what your specific coffee habits or desires are. But here we can quickly promote some of your ideas:
  • If you do not have a coffee grinder, then no worries, you can choose a pre-ground of freshly ground coffee from our given list. But you should buy a grinder and buy whole bean coffee, grind it yourself, and grind only the beans that are sufficient for a one-time brew.
  • If you’re sensitive to caffeine, choose decaf from our given list. In this list, we have collected beans low in caffeine but high in taste. 
  • If you need extra caffeine, there are plenty of caffeinated coffee beans on our list, but be careful as we have listed the strongest coffee brands in the world here.
  • Drinking coffee causes acidity for you? We recommend checking out low-acid coffee from the list.
  • If you are looking for a coffee that meets your caffeine needs very quickly, then Instant Coffee is the best choice for you. The best instant coffee is here to consider. But we would recommend avoiding instant coffee.
  • Are you interested in a cold brew and want to make a cold brew concentrate and keep it in the fridge for a week? Here are the best cold brew beans to satisfy your cold brew passion.

A Rapid and Intense Course In Coffee Bean Terminology

Here is a 3-minute rapid and instance course in coffee bean terminology to help you choose confidently.

Sometimes coffee brands cover their coffee bags with words that don’t mean anything to newcomers. Let’s decipher some of those words.

What is a Coffee Bean?

A coffee bean is a seed found inside a cherry-like fruit called the coffee cherry, the fruit of a coffee plant. In1500, the first coffee plant was found in the mountains of Yemen. Then coffee plants were exported to other countries through the port of Mocha. The area around the equator between the Cancer and Tropics of Capricorn is called Bean Belt; most of the world’s coffee grows within this area. Coffee Bean Belt allows coffee plants to avoid too much direct sunlight, which can negatively impact the plant’s growth.

Before the bean is roasted, it has a beautiful green color; we call it a green coffee. All layers of green beans are carefully removed before the roasting process, and the green seed is extracted from the coffee cherry that you can finally begin to roast. Thanks to this coffee tree, we can enjoy our daily cup of joe!

Different Types of Coffee Beans

If you’re a newbie to the world of coffee, you might find the sheer volume of coffee varieties available on store shelves and coffee recipes in restaurant lists. They can be utterly overwhelming. Among the literally thousands of coffee varieties out there, how do you determine what’s what? And how do you choose good coffee beans to try for the first time?

Thumbs Up, Coffee, Coffee Beans, Roasted Coffee Beans

We’re going to give you a basic overview of the different types of coffee beans, so next time you’re in the coffee aisle, you won’t panic. There are two primary coffee plants that we consume: Arabica and Robusta.

Arabica Coffee Beans (Coffea arabica)

There are many sub-species of Arabica that are called varieties. These include Bourbon, Cattura, and Typica, for example.

Arabica coffee beans Caffeine Content 

Arabica has less caffeine content than its three counterparts, Robusta, Liberica, and Excelsa, which is 1.61 g/100 g and 

What do Arabica coffee beans taste like?

Most of the time, it is seen that high-quality coffee brands advertise that they use 100% Arabica beans. Why? It is because Arabica coffee beans are considered high-quality coffee beans. They are known worldwide for their smooth, complex taste, lovely acidity, multi-layered intricacy of flavors and aromas, and apparent lack of bitterness. 

Where do you find Arabica? 

When brewing this coffee at home, look for Arabica coffee for the best results. These beans are widely available in the market, but be careful not to be deceived. Check the label carefully to ensure it doesn’t contain Robusta beans, another type. 

If you want to avoid deception altogether, you should buy whole coffee beans instead of ground coffee because such cheating is less likely. Higher quality Arabica beans have a bright body, not completely round but oval.

Robusta Coffee Beans (Coffea Canephora)

When it comes to global production, the second most popular coffee bean is Robusta. The bean is most prevalent in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Robusta originated in sub-Saharan Africa and grown mainly in Africa and Indonesia. It is trendy in Vietnam.

Robusta Beans Price 

It is a less expensive variety, so it is a budget choice for coffee roasters. They often blended Robusta with coffee Arabica. A roaster might save up to 20% on the cost of raw beans by using 3 parts Arabica to 1 part Robusta in a given batch.

Robusta Beans Caffeine content

Robusta has two times more caffeine than its rival Arabica, 2.26 g/100 g. 

Robusta Beans Taste 

Robusta is not generally a popular coffee commodity, except where very strong coffee is a cultural norm. According to its name, it is known for its strong and often harsh flavor profile. It usually has a strong odor and some flat, bitter, and burning taste. 

Where can you get Robusta beans?

Robusta beans are larger and more rounded than other types. They are straightforward to find because they are common in the market. Some rosters offer unique Robusta blends.

Arabica Vs. Robusta

Here’s a list featuring 11 significant differences between the two coffee species:

  1. The Shape: Robusta beans are slightly smaller and rounder in shape, while Arabica coffee beans are more oval and flat in shape.
  2. Plant: Arabica leaves are smaller, with a glossy dark upper surface; on the other hand, Robusta leaves are often lighter in color, less waxy, larger, and slightly undulating.
  3. Maturity: After three years, Arabica reaches maturity and usually yields commercial crops. On the other hand, Robusta begins to deliver commercials after one year.
  4. Cultivation: Robusta coffee trees can grow up to 32 feet in height, which is twice the size of Arabia, and grow well in high humidity. After flowering, the berries take about a year to ripen. Robusta is high in caffeine and CGA, so it has a lower risk of pests and weather conditions. Robusta Region: Robusta is mainly grown in Vietnam, and it has become the world’s largest exporter of robusta coffee, though it is also grown in India, Indonesia, Africa, Uganda, and Brazil, where it is often called conilon.
  5. Arabica Region: is grown in Africa, Papua New Guinea, and Brazil, but the best-known Arabica coffee beans in the world are from Jamaican Blue Mountain, Colombian Supremo, Tarrazú, Costa Rica, Guatemalan Antigua, and Ethiopian Sidamo.
  6. Among all of the above coffee-producing countries, Brazil is still the most significant coffee producer globally, producing one-third of the world’s Arabica coffee.
  7. Market value: Arabic accounts for 60% of the world’s coffee production. On the other hand, Robusta coffee accounts for 40% of total consumption. And the difference in consumption of both coffees is gradually narrowing.
  8. Taste and favor: Arabica tastes fruity, zesty, sweet on the other hand, Robusta beans are typically considered hardier, stronger, bitter, and robust.
  9. Oil: Arabica generally contains more oils (15-17%) than Robusta. It helps Arabica make a sweeter cup with more complex aromas and a smooth and supple texture.
  10. Acidity: Arabica is much higher in acidity than its counterpart Robusta. And due to this high but excellent acidity, Arabica beans tend to have a sweeter, softer, and winey taste, with tones of sugar, fruit, and berries. On the other hand, Robusta has lower acidity levels than Arabica coffee, meaning it generally tastes much less sweet.
  11. Caffeine: Robusta has a far higher caffeine level than a cup prepared with Arabica coffee beans. 
  12. Chlorogenic Acids: The content of chlorogenic acids in dried green coffee beans of Arabica is 65 mg/g; on the other hand, Robusta has 140 mg/g of Chlorogenic Acids.

That’s the quick summary.

For more detail, check out our complete Arabica Vs. Robusta comparison.

Single Origin Beans Vs. Blends?

Great coffee companies offer single-origin coffees rather than blends. Single-origin is my favorite because I can trace my coffee back to specific coffee farms and know the farmers are being paid a living wage and well-treated.

Coffee beans with props

As the name goes, single-origin means unblended coffee from one origin, such as Tanzania, Ethiopia, and other Indonesia and Central America origins. On the other hand, different beans blended into one packet are Blended. You can use Blends for milk and Single sources for black coffee for best results. Some people ruin their beautiful single-origin filter coffee from Tanzania by adding milk to it. I know you’d never do it!

How Much Does The Roast Date Matter?

Undoubtedly freshly roasted coffee is better. The ideal number of days since roasted is between 8-20 days. The best roasters cover their coffee bags with a roast date for their coffee, so you know how long they have been since they were roasted.

You better know that freshly roasted and ground coffee is better for a good cup of coffee. But to know the ideal number of days to brew after your beans have been roasted and the ground is most necessary for you? There are a lot of ideas over this topic, but a safe range is anything between 8-20 days since roasted is best. We agree whole bean coffee retains its freshness between one week to one month after roasting.

Pro Tips:

Buy the quantity you know you can use in one week or two.

​Grind before 30 minutes of brewing.

Keep your whole beans in a suitable storage container and store them in a dry and cool place.

Related: Light Roast Vs. Dark Roast: Which is The Best?

Fair Trade Coffee

A non-profit organization called FairTrade USA has been formed to ensure that coffee meets a set of strict standards. The organization promotes environmental sustainability. It also ensures that those involved in coffee production are fully compensated and treated fairly. The organization also monitors chocolate, sugar, and other such items and coffee.

Featuring Grind Size & Coffee Ratio

Whichever way you brew coffee, it will profoundly affect your drink. Featured ground size & coffee ratio are significant. If you have the proper coffee to water ratio, you can enjoy the best flavors of coffee and espresso.

Other Good Coffee Regions You Should Explore

We’ve listed major coffee-producing nations in our recommended list of coffees. But if you want more fun, choose via location alone. The below list shows the regions throughout the world.

Coffee from Asia and Oceania:

  • China coffee
  • Australian coffee (unfortunately, not much good coffee originates from Australia; but they have great roasters)
  • Papua New Guinea coffee
  • Sulawesi coffee
  • Sumatra coffee

Coffee from the African Region:

  • Ethiopian coffee
  • Kenyan coffee
  • Rwanda coffee
  • Ugandan coffee
  • Yemen coffee

Coffee from the Americas:

  • Costa Rican coffee
  • Brazilian coffee
  • Colombian coffee
  • Guatemalan coffee
  • Puerto Rican coffee
  • Mexican coffee beans
  • Nicaragua coffee
  • Peruvian coffee
  • Haitian coffee
  • Dominican Republic Coffee
  • Galapagos Island Coffee
  • Honduran Coffee

Final Thoughts: Which are the Best Coffee Beans?

And that’s it for this list of the best coffees. The ‘best beans’ are your subjective matter! The verdict is totally upon you! As on our side, we should buy some beautiful 60% Arabica and 40% Robusta coffee. Blend and grind these coffees yourself. Grind your coffee and brew a better coffee instantly.

And Enjoy!

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