Best Kinds of Coffee: In this post, I’ll show you how to ask yourself three easy questions while selecting coffee beans. It will make selecting the ideal coffee beans much easier, and your coffee will taste much better as a result.
I’ll also expose the most common ‘bean-choosing’ error made by most coffee drinkers when ordering online. This was a mistake I made for years.
Finally, I’ve compiled a list of the top coffee beans according to coffee professionals and enthusiasts. Continue reading as we journey around the world in search of the greatest coffee beans for you.
What are the best places to get coffee beans?
People that are passionate about coffee make the best coffee. And then think about it: who cares about coffee more than you do?
Local roasters are the first response. You’re buying a high-quality, freshly roasted product from someone who cares when you buy coffee straight from a (good) local roaster. The first step in buying outstanding coffee is to visit nearby roasters and sample their offerings.
Using a “cafe of the month” club is a terrific way to try some of the greatest local roasters in the country without having to do hours of research. These are our current favorite cafe subscriptions.
How To Choose Good Whole Bean Coffee
Now that you know where to get amazing coffee, it’s time to figure out how to choose among the possibilities. When it came to choosing the best coffee beans, I said that there were thousands of possibilities available online.
It will become evident which means you should choose if you ask yourself one of these three simple questions (and answer them), and your decision will be a lot easier.
What kind of coffee maker or brewer do you have?
This is a basic yet important element to remember while selecting coffee beans. Which type of cafe brewing will you employ? This will have a significant impact on the beans you can select.
You should get to know your preferred cafe brewing method and which beans go best with it. Here are some starting points:
- Using a french press for brewing? For a full-bodied brew, look for a medium to dark roast. A list of the best coffee beans for french presses may be found here.
- Making a batch of cold brew cafes? higher-acidity beans, lightly roasted. Here, single-origin beans are gold. This article discusses the finest cafe for cold brew.
- If you’re using an espresso machine, you’ll want to be extremely picky about the beans you use. Some, like Italian cafes, will be delicious, while others will be disgusting! The best espresso beans are listed below.
- Are you a cafe drinker? Because you won’t be adding milk, go for a great, exotic single-origin bean with interesting flavor notes. This top pour-over coffee beans list is a terrific place to start.
- Are you a fan of Aeropress? Here is our selection of the top Aeropress coffees.
- Do you enjoy the ease of using K-cup cafe makers? The top-tasting K-cup flavors are listed here.
Are you looking for certain flavors?
The natural second question is, “What do you want?” Some cafe drinkers prefer wine-like floral-y filter cafe flavors, while others prefer a full-bodied, earthy, and robust ‘coffee that tastes like coffee’ that they can add milk to.
Specific coffee beans are required for specific flavor profiles. To get you started, consider the following suggestions:
- Light roast single-origin coffee beans are fantastic selections (and don’t add milk!) if you prefer the ‘wine-like’, fruity, floral-y exotic flavors often associated with pour-over cafes.
- Choose a dark roast coffee if you want something robust and distinctly “coffee-like.” The greatest dark roast coffee beans are listed here (adding milk is fine)
- Do you want to try something new? If you’re a Starbucks cafe drinker, you’ll probably love some of these flavored cafe alternatives.
A Quick Review of Coffee Bean Terminology
Here’s a 2-minute primer on coffee bean nomenclature to help you make an informed decision. Words that we don’t understand are sometimes written on cafe packets. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Robusta vs. Arabica
Let’s spend a few moments discussing different sorts of coffee beans, so you know where to begin. In terms of flavor and quality, Arabica beans outperform Robusta (1). Beans that are grown at higher elevations have more time to develop their flavor.
Robusta beans have a higher caffeine content than Arabica beans. They’re also more disease-resistant and yield more. That is why, despite the fact that Robusta sells for a significantly lesser price, producers continue to grow it.
Robusta is produced for the production of instant cafes and other low-quality grocery store mixes. If you adore quality cafes, you won’t see a roaster advertising their Robusta cafe. Therefore, steer away from it.