The 10 Best Coffee Beans In the World (whole bean coffee)

There arethousands of choiceswhen it comes to choosing good coffee beans. But if you make the wrong choice your coffee is doomed and your money wasted!

In this guide I’ll show you the3 simple questionsthat you should ask yourself when choosing coffee beans. It will make choosing the perfect coffee beans easy, and your coffee will taste so much better. I’ll also reveal thecommon ‘choosing beans’ mistakethat most coffee lovers make when ordering online. I made this mistake for years.

Finally, I’ve put together a list of some of best coffee beans as rated by coffee experts and connoisseurs. Read on with us as we travel the globe and answer the question: what are the best coffee beansfor you?

WhereDo You Buy The Best Coffee Beans?

The best coffee comes from people who care about coffee. And stop for a moment and ask yourself: who cares about coffee MORE than you do?

The FIRST answer islocal roasters.当你买咖啡直接从当地r(好)oaster; you’re buying a high-quality, fresh roasted product from someone who cares. Your first step in buying great coffee is to start exploring any roasters nearby and trying their coffee.

Using a ‘coffee of the month’ club is a great way to sample some of the nations best local roasters, without having to do hours of research.These are our favorite coffee subscriptionsright now.

Still, if you’re wanting to sample some of the best North American Roasters (without leaving your kitchen) we’d recommend checking outBean Box.

Don’t have access to a great local roaster? Or can’t be bothered spending a weekend finding one? The next best thing is ordering from anonline roaster.What’s important is that you choose a company who clearly says that they only roast coffee AFTER it’s ordered. You don’t want them roasting coffee months in advance of shipping it. This is why we loveVolcanica coffee:

和来了biggest mistakewhen choosing coffee online. There are a few places that you should definitelynotbuy coffee from. Avoid the temptation to buy from:

• The Grocery store (often sell low-quality beans with a long shelf life…the exception here is Whole Foods and other artisan stores)
• Amazon – Yes, thats right. It’s a question of freshness.Itis often roasted ahead of time so it could be packaged, shipped and stocked in the warehouse. Just do your research.

Even if the Amazon listing says “Fresh Roasted,” it might be 6 months old, as that is fresh in comparison with many of the other store-bought beans. Yikes!

好了,现在那t we the “do not buy” list out of the way, lets jump into a few simple questions you can ask yourself to make choosing easier.

How to Choose Good Whole Bean Coffee (a fool proof method)

Ok so you know where to buy great coffee; now its time to learn how to choose between the options. Earlier, I mentioned that there were thousand of options online when trying to choose the best coffee beans.

By asking yourselfoneof thesethreesimple questions (and answering them), it will become obvious as to which beans you should choose, and your decision will be much easier.

Whattypeof coffee maker/brewer are you using?

This is a simple, yet overlooked fact about choosing coffee beans. Whichcoffee brewing methodare you going to use? This will greatly influence which beans you can choose.

You should get familiar with your coffee brewing style of choice, and learn which beans are the best match. Here are some places to start:

• Brewing with afrench press? Look for something medium to dark roast for a full bodied brew. We have a list of thebest coffee beans for french press here.
• Whipping up some冷冲咖啡? light roasted, higher-acidity beans single origin beans are gold class here. Here’s a great article about thebest coffee for cold brew.
• 如果you’re brewing withan espresso machine, you need to be extra careful in the beans you choose. Some, likeItalian coffee, will taste great, others will taste terrible! Here are thebest espresso beans.
• Pour over coffee lover?Since you won’t be adding milk, look for a nice, exotic single origin bean with flavor notes that excite you. This list of thebest pour over coffee beansis a great place to start.
• Are you an Aeropress fan? Here’s our list of thebest coffee for Aeropress.
• Love the convenience ofK-cup coffee makers? Here’s where we listed thebest tasting K cup flavors.

What口味are you seeking?

The second question you should ask is an obvious one:what do you want? Some coffee lovers seek wine-like floral-y filtercoffee flavor profiles, while others want a full-bodied, earthy and strong ‘coffee that tastes like coffee’ with which they can add milk to.

Certain flavor preferences call for certain types of coffee beans. Here are some pointers to get you started:

• 如果you crave the ‘wine like’,fruity, floral-y exotic flavorstypically associated with pour over coffee,light roastsingle origin coffee beans are great choices (and don’t add milk!)
• 如果你想要的东西full-bodiedthat taste very ‘coffee like’ go for a dark roast coffee. Here’s a list of thebestdark roastcoffee beans(adding milk is fine)
• Craving somecrazy flavor? If you’re the type to drink coffee from Starbucks, you’ll probably enjoyed some ofthese flavored coffee options.

如果you wanna know why does coffee taste sour, watch our fun video:

Your unique circumstance may affect your choice

The 3rd and final question is for you if you certain coffee drinking habits or desires. You probably already know exactly what you want, but here are a few links to help prompt some ideas:

• No coffee grinder?No worries. Most roasters will actually grind for you, so go back and choose based on one of the above questions. If you’re really impatient however, we researched and put together a list of thebest ground coffeebrands. But we’d strongly recommend getting a grinder and buying whole bean coffee.
• Sensitive to caffeine?We put together a list of thebest decaf coffee here(low on caffeine yet high on flavor). Here’s an article onwhat caffeine isif you want to understand how it affects your body.
• Need extra caffeine?There are a super high caffeinated coffee beans worth considering, but tread with caution. Here are theworlds strongest coffee brands.
• Looking for coffee that is easy on your stomach?,we’d recommend checking out this guide: thebest low acid coffee brands.
• Looking for something fast?如果you’re always on the move, and just need a quick coffee, you’ve probably turned to instant coffee. While we don’t recommend it, there are a few brands we are keeping our eyes on. Here’s thebest instant coffeeto consider.
• Interest in biohacking?here’s alist of interesting Nootropic coffee’s(smart coffee) that we’re keeping a close eye on.
• Do you want that caffeine-fix but want also want to relax? Here’ssome CBD coffeesthat work.

Watch our vdeo review of some nootropic coffees:

the Best Coffee Beans in the World

Kona is the largest Hawaiian island and is the best for growing high-quality coffee. The best coffee in America in fact, voted by Forbes (4). With an excellent micro-climate, the perfect blend of rain and sun, and fertile, volcanic soil, the slopes on the big island just happen to be perfect for growing coffee.

Kona is just a growing region in Hawaii; there are other beans available from the Hawaiian chain of island. Here is a detailedoverview of Hawaiian coffee, but if you’d like to try some Kona here are thebest Kona Coffee Brands.

To get your hands on high-quality Kona coffee, you will have to pay a premium. Not only is coffee from here limited in production and highly sought after, but it’s also grown in the United States where farmers are paid much more than the average farmer in a traditional coffee-growing country.

A high-quality Kona coffee is worth the money as long as you buy the real thing. Avoid Kona blends only 10% of the blend could be true Kona. Always buy Extra Fancy (the grade) as that is the highest quality. With a medium body, low acidity, and rich, smooth taste, this coffee will be an excellent addition to your auto-drip or pour over routine. Koa coffee offers medium roast or dark roast depending on how you’re brewing.

如果you’re looking for a great all-round tasting coffee but are concerned with some of the health implications associated with Coffee, Lifeboost coffee is a brand worth considering.

The mission and visionbehind the company revolves around providing healthy, organic coffee that benefits the farmers, the drinkers and the environment. and it tastes great too! We recently reviewed a few bags ourselves:

They offer a whole range of coffees,but this organic medium roastis where you should stard. It has an impressive number ofcertificationsclaims (USDA certified organic, mountain shade grown, spring water washed and 3rd party tested for Mycotoxins) and taste great when brewed with most brew styles.

Jamaica produces a relatively small amount of coffee each year, and not all of it comes from the Blue Mountain. But the coffee that does grow here is grown at a very high elevation.

It’s extremely limited in productionand about 80% of each year’s crop goes to Japan. Plus, these beans are extremely labor-intensive to produce, needing to be handpicked from the mountain slopes. The high elevation, cool temperatures, and volcanic soil helps result in a harvest that takes nearly 10 months, which is much longer than that of other coffee growing regions.

The resulting cup of coffee will be well balanced with a full-body, medium acidity with a mildly sweet taste. Some say blue mountain coffee is thesmoothest brew they’ve ever enjoyed.

So getting these quality beans in the States will cost you a pretty penny.值得吗?Anyone that has tasted Blue Mountain Coffee will say: F-yes. But like Kona, Blue Mountain is one of those coffees thatneeds to be purchased wisely.We put together aguide on choosing blue mountain coffee here.

Many brands will mislead you into buying their coffee, claiming the Jamaican Blue Mountain name. Avoid blends and any Jamaican coffee priced less than $20/lb. To call a coffee Jamaican Blue Mountain Blend, only a very small amount of the coffee actually needs to be Blue Mountain.

The profile of this coffee will make for an excellent drip coffee, whether pour-over or automatic. Drink it black and enjoy one of the most sought after coffees in the world.

Kenya coffee beans are among the finest in the world.The effort that farmers go through cleaning and processing these beans is unmatched.

Perhaps one of the greatest contributors to the quality of Kenyan coffee is the fact that the farmers are rewarded for better coffee. The government runs an auction in which all the coffee in Kenya is sold. Higher quality coffees sell for a higher price, giving farmers an incentive to improve their crop (5).

‘AA’is the largest-sized bean, followed by ‘AB’. In Kenya, the bigger the better.Always look for ‘AA’.These coffees are characterized by sweet fruit notes, a winey acidity, and a syrupy body. Due to the processing, these coffees are among the cleanest-tasting in the world.

As you’ll see in our guide toKenyan coffee, they make for excellent drip coffee, pour-over or automatic. The medium-full body and bright fruit notes are sure to leave you smiling with each cup.

APeaberry coffeeis a single, round coffee bean inside the coffee cherry. A normal coffee cherry holds 2 beans, side by side, each with a flat side. The peaberry is alone inside the cherry and shaped differently.

Because of the round shape and the fact that these beans are denser than most coffee beans, they roast more uniformly (6). Only about 5% of all best coffee beans in a given crop are considered peaberry. In order to get a lot of strictly peaberry beans, rigorous hand sorting is required to separate them from their half-bean counterparts. This added labor increases cost.

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Peaberry is available from many regions but Peaberry beans from Tanzania are popular as they tend to have a brighter acidity, medium body, and notes of brown sugar and subtle fruitiness. Delicious coffee for a manual pour over or an automatic dripper.

This coffee is named after the Mandheling people who once farmed the coffee in northern Sumatra. Coffees from this area tend to have lower acidity with a sweet, smooth body. The coffee can vary in taste from cocoa and tobacco to earthy and herbaceous. Many people choose to dark roast Sumatra coffees to enhance sweetness and its almost spicy flavor. If you like these flavors, visit our guide todark roast coffee beans here.

Coffees from Sumatraas a whole are typically processed with a hybrid method, akin to wet-hulling. This processing method is perhaps the largest factor in the outcome of the coffee. These beans aregreat for your Moka pot.

Due to its full body and low acidity this coffee does very well in a french press or pressure style brewing method.

Sulawesi, formerly known as Celebes, is an Indonesian island to the east of Borneo. “Toraja” is the name of the group of people who grow and harvest the coffee in the northern highlands of the island.

Coffee is a family business on this island. Families grow coffee on their property as a means of adding some income to their household but is often not a priority. Therefore, the coffee infrastructure isn’t very strong.This may be the reason these beans aren’t very common.

Coffee beans are partially processed by the family before being sold to a middleman at the local markets. These middlemen then go to the larger processing mills where the beans are completely dried and the work is finished.

The best coffees from Sulawesiwill be very sweet and complex, with low acidity, full-body, and some earthy and herbal notes to it. This coffee will make for a great medium-dark roast, highlighting the sweetness and full body present in the coffee (7).

Brew up a french press or pull a shot with this solid, unique coffee.

Geisha coffee beansare among the most unique in the world.

Though they can, in theory, grow anywhere, they have a special reputation when grown in Panama and Costa Rica. The most famous farm is Hacienda La Esmeralda. The Geisha bean was originally discovered in Ethiopia, near the town of Geisha. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that this bean varietal made it to Panama.

What makes the Geisha bean unique?It has a natural tea-like body with a ton of clear, bright, sparkling flavors such as citrus, mango, peach, and jasmine. You may also pick up on some bergamot or vanilla notes.

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This is a tough coffee to find for a few reasons. Few cafes serve it because it is anextremely expensive coffee作为一个过滤咖啡,这是最好的。咖啡馆serve mainly milk-based beverages, so it doesn’t make sense for many to serve a coffee that can only be taken black. You’ve likely never had a coffee like this before. It is truly unique. If you enjoy lighter, brighter coffees, this is one you need to try.

Mellow flavor lies within the Monsooned Malabar beans fromIndiagiven their name because of how the wind disperses them during the monsoon season. The beans expand with moisture and create a rich finish – sowe recommend trying themif you live in a humid environment to get the most out of the experience.

Try brewing these in a french press, Moka pot, or espresso machine of any type.

Yirgacheffe is regarded asholyamong the global coffee community.

Ethiopia itself is regarded as thebirthplace of coffeeand beans from Yirgacheffe are it’s pride and joy. Sidama is a region in Ethiopia that contains the microregion of Yirgacheffe. Within Yirgacheffe, however, are even smaller regions: Adado, Aricha, Kochere, Konga, and more.

Ethiopian coffeeis typically wet-processed, producing a coffee that is light in body, almost tea-like, with complex fruit and floral notes. Go into any specialty coffee shop and you are likely to find coffee from this region on the shelf. It’s easy to see why these coffees are known as the gateway to great coffee.

When roasted lightly, these coffees are excellent in an automatic drip or pour-over. They also make for a refreshing iced coffee or cold brew. Try a medium roast or something darker for a tasty shot of espresso.

Death wish coffee is one of the world’s strongest coffee’s that you’ve probably heard of due to great marketing. Simply put; these are USDA certifiedsustainable, organic, low acid, and (very) highly caffeinatedcoffee beans. If you’re in need of a huge energy hit but don’t want sacrifice quality these are for you. Here’s afull list of the world’s strongest coffee.These might not necessarily be the best coffee beans, but they are unique in their own way.

They offer a range of options; whole bean, pods, and ground. Plus, it is widely available online and always shows up as one of thetop rated coffees on Amazon. You can also sign up for the coffee subscription if you dare.

The common theme among Death Wish products: high-quality beans with a whopping 3-6 x more caffeine than a standard cup of coffee. The Death Wish Coffee Company offers so much more than just strong beans. I tried these and was pleasantly surprised by the bean quality and roast profile. Read our full review ofDeath Wish Coffee.

A Crash Course In Coffee Bean Terminology

Here is a 2-minute crash course in coffee bean terminology to help you choose confidently.

Sometimes coffee bags are covered in words that don’t mean anything to us. Let’s decipher some of those for you.

Arabica vs Robusta

Let’s spend a few seconds talking abouttypes of coffee beansso that you know where to start. Arabica beans arefar superiorto Robusta in terms of flavor, and quality (1). Often grown at higher elevations; giving the beans more time to develop their favor. Robusta beans containmore caffeinethan Arabica. They are also much more disease resistant and produce a higher yield. That is why farmers still like to grow Robusta, even though they sell for a much lower price.

Robusta is grown for companies that produce instant coffee and other lower quality, grocery store blends. You probably won’t see a roaster advertising their Robusta coffee, so stay away from it if you love great coffee.

Acidity vs Bitterness

Coffee is naturally acidicbut this isnot a bad thing. Acidity is good because It gives coffee its natural flavor. But different beans have different levels of acidity and some people are sensitive to these acids. The acidity present in coffee has more to do with taste as opposed to pH (2), though many claim acidity in coffee can cause digestive issues.

• Coffees from Africaare typically characterized by a higher acidity, with fruity or floral tasting notes.
• Coffees from places likeBrazil or Sumatratend to have a much lower acidity with cocoa and nutty notes.

Bitterness is the result of brewing.Overly bitter coffeeISbad.如果you extract too much out of the ground coffee, the result will be a harsh, bitter finish. This usually happens when your grind size is too fine, or if you over-brew your grounds. The particles are smaller, so the water can touch more of the coffee, and ultimately extract more of it.

So in summary:Bitterness in coffee is something you can avoid by brewing properly. Acidity in coffee is natural and cannot be avoided. But you can “cover” some of the acidity with a dark roast, or by choosing low-acid beans.

single origin vs blends?

Many coffee companies offersingle-origincoffees as well as blends.

Single-originsimply means un-blended. It’s a coffee fromonespecific region, such as an Ethiopia Yirgacheffe.A blend, therefore, means is different beans, blended into one packet. Duhhh. When should you use a blend vis a single origin? Well, as one expert coffee roaster says:

And we agree.You’d never want to ruin a beautiful single origin filter coffee from Ethiopia by adding milk to it. Don’t do it!

混合设计生产方面的平衡of flavor, body, and acidity. A roaster might blend a coffee with a full body with another coffee that has very bright tasting notes in order to get the best of both coffees in one cup.

This is what happens when a roaster knows what he/she is doing.

BUT If the roaster is inexperienced, they may blend to hide poorly roasted beans among normal beans. TLDR = Stick to roasters that have a good reputation. Beware of companies that blend for the wrong reasons. As Sweet Marias suggests (3), this might be common to stretch profits:

This practice is common in industry that sell expensive coffee beans. The more expensive the bean, the bigger the desire to stretch the profits. Sigh.

In summary – single origins are a great choice when you plan to drink your coffee black – the most common ‘case for’ being for pour over brewing. Blends are best for espresso brewing.

Related:

• Thebest coffee for pour over brewing(mostly single origins)
• Thebest espresso beansand blend.

How much does the Roast date matter?

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You know that freshly roasted coffee is better. But do you know theideal number of daysto consume after your beans have been roasted? There’s a lot of debate over this topic, but a safe range is anything between8-20 dayssince roasted is best.

The best roasters include a roast date for their coffee, which lets you know how long it’s been since it was roasted.

To make the most of the short time your coffee is at its freshest:

• Buy only what you know you can use in a few weeks
• Brew within 30 minutes of grinding.
• Keep your whole beans in a cool, dry place (a good storage container)

And yes – your coffee may actually betoo fresh.You should allow at least 4 days after roasting because a buildup of C02 (Carbon Dioxide) can negatively affect brewing.

Fair Trade Coffee

公平贸易咖啡已种植和生产certified standards, which are then upheld across the network of producers, organizations, consumers, and companies. These standards help provide a sustainable income for the farmers and workers who grow and harvest coffee, on an individual and community level. They also reduce the negative impact on the environment where coffee is grown.

Offering better trading conditions to coffee farmers, many of whom live in poor and marginalized parts of the world, helps provide better living conditions for farmers and their cities, towns, and villages.

In short:This is improving the lives of the people who grow, harvest, and process the coffee beans that we treasure. You can learn more about how it works inour article on Fair Trade coffee here.

USDA organic

Organic coffeemeans that it’s grown without pesticides, right?It’s a little more complicated than that.有增长,要求处理,一个d even packaging coffee to ensure that it meets the standards implied in the organic label. And the requirements vary among countries that certify coffee (or other products as organic).

The organic certification by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is representative of the kind of standards and qualifications that represent organic coffee. These include the use of natural rather than synthetic fertilizer,shade-grown coffee cropsthat rely on bird and animal life as natural pest control for the coffee trees, and even ensuring that coffee roasters have only been used to prepare organically grown coffee beans.

Other Good Coffee Regions You Should Explore

We’ve covered some of the major coffee-producing nations in the above list of recommended beans. But sometimes it’s easier, and more fun, to choose via location alone. Here is a list of coffee growing regions throughout the world, and a guide to buying and brewing from each.

Coffee from Asia and Oceania:

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

Coffee from the African Region:

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

Coffee from the Americas:

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

FINAL THOUGHTS

And that’s it for this list. There is no verdict because the ‘best beans’ is a totally subjective matter! By now you should have some beautiful arabica coffee. It’s time to brew it, and don’t forget to store it properly – use a storage canister and keep it out of direct light.

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