The 10 Best Coffee Beans of 2020
Your morning cup of coffee requires a variety of factors and techniques to make it the best cup. The type of coffee machine you use, the way you harvest, roast, and package the beans makes a difference in how the end product tastes in the end. Buying the best coffee beans is a place to start improving your morning cup or cups of coffee, but buying the best beans requires you to figuring out what you like best in your coffee beans and how those beans make it into your home.
Our Top 3 Picks
Death Wish Organic USDA Certified Whole Bean Coffee
Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC, Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee
Java Planet – Organic Coffee Beans
What is the Best Type of Bean?
There are many things to consider when selecting the best beans and how you like them to taste. There are different types of beans you should know about, and most of them start with flavor.
Arabica Beans
Arabica beans provide top quality flavor because of the time it takes them to develop the flavor. The Arabica bean requires a lot of moisture and sun to grow its full flavor. It also requires higher elevations, which makes them subject to more chances for failure.
The careful handling of the Arabic beans makes them more difficult to grow and harvest without damage, but the process pays off. The full, rich, and sweet taste from the beans helps create one of the most sought after experiences. They are also more acidic.
Robusta Beans
The Robusta beans are not as sensitive as the Arabica beans and are easy to grow to produce in larger quantities. They are less resistant to pests, and this makes them less expensive to grow and maintain. They can grow in lower elevations and have higher caffeine that the Arabica coffee.
Robusta beans have more caffeine, but less flavor than the Arabica beans. The Robusta beans have a more neutral taste that comes with a bite. That bite is tangy that is smooth when made into a cup of coffee.
Bends
Arabica beans are harder to grow and more expensive than Robusta. Many growers and manufacturers use both beans to create unique flavor combinations as well as reduce the costs associated with using the more expensive Arabica beans.
What to look for in the best Coffee Beans?
When you are looking at different brands and types of coffee, you should look to consider several things that will adjust the flavor of your coffee.
Type of Bean
The type of bean you buy comes as either the whole bean or ground beans. The ground beans are not as good as the whole beans as they lose flavor after you ground them, and if you do not consume them shortly, it continues to drop.
Whole beans
Whole beans always have the best flavor, and you should have a grinder ready to transfer them to your coffee pot from the moment the grinding is complete. The shell of the whole bean helps protect it from oxygen, keeping it fresher, longer, and more flavorful.
Ground beans
Ground beans lose flavor as exposure to oxygen depletes their flavor. Oxidation of the bean, after removal from the shell, occurs quickly, so there should be as little time between grinding and use as possible.
Who the Roaster is
Knowing who did the roasting of your beans is important to understand the process your beans go through. Local roasters want to give you the best bean so you will buy it. You will also know the process the beans go through.
The amount of roasting your beans go through for light, medium, and dark roasting, the type of spices mixed in, and how the roasting takes place all effects the flavor. Knowing how your beans became the best is crucial for picking the best coffee beans.
Date of Roasting
Like any fresh food item, it will slowly go bad over time. The age of your beans begins to change after the roasting is complete, and the carbon dioxide starts to drop. The coffee bean oils start to diminish in flavor through oxidation. The best beans have a roast date of up to two weeks after roasting.
Certain types of coffee taste better right after the roasting date, and you should prepare them within the first week after roasting. Consuming it right after roasting would be best in this case. Older beans make a good cold brew, so you should purchase with an eye to how you like to enjoy your coffee.
Origin of the Beans
Where your beans come from will change the flavor and the process they go through to get to your coffee cup. You should purchase based on your tastes.
Brazil
Coffee beans of Brazil produce a full flavor because of the wide variety of settings for the beans to grow in. Brazil has a lot of altitudes that can make beans Arabica or Robusta depending on the planting location.
Colombia
A bean grown in Colombia helps produce a balanced flavor that is a combination of sweet, acidic, and nutty. They can grow in a multitude of places, and, with proper care, they produce a rich flavor that can stand alone or mix well with several different types of coffee.
Ethiopia
The variety of coffee bean types and styles for growth are many with Ethiopian coffee beans producing strong, fruity taste that lingers. The environments of Ethiopia helps to create a wide selection of flavors that can make your coffee wild and strong.
Hawaii
Kona coffee grows on the largest Hawaiian island, and the rich flavors attract coffee lovers everywhere. Kona coffee grows with a lot of sunlight and rain that lets the flavors build in intensity.
Indonesia
One of the top brands in the coffee market is Sumatran coffee, which grows in Indonesia. Java coffee does as well. The country offers a wide selection of coffees that are deep body and full when brewed. They offer a lower acidic cup of coffee that many people love to add to their shelves.
Kenya
Kenya produces some of the most savory coffee on the market. Kenyan coffee grows in almost pure sunlight, and the harvesting of the beans offers several methods for smoothing out the taste and for extending the flavor.
Fair Trade Certified
If your coffee is fair trade certified, this means it comes from an area of disadvantaged producers. The trade helps extremely poor producers have a chance to compete with the global coffee markets. You do not have to be poor to be part of their mission to help promote sustainable commerce.
There are third-party nonprofit parties’ checks every step the beans take from growing to your kitchen shelves. These third parties ensure the quality of the beans grown and how the harvest goes. The standards the parties involved need to maintain are rigorous, and failure to adhere can cause expulsion from the group and loss of certification.
You can look up the different fair trade labels so you can match your values with your coffee. The organization you trust the most should match your coffee.
USDA Organic Labeling
Having an organic label will mean a higher price, and the coffee producer has to follow the rules set by the USDA for organic coffee. The organic grows to swear to do the following:
- The growers will use traditional farming methods to promote the health of the soil, prevent pests and weeds.
- The methods the growers use will not pollute the environment in any way.
- The growers will not use materials that include sewage or synthetic products.
- The growers will also enhance the land while maintaining biodiversity.
- The growers will also work to make their farms part of the natural environment without hurting it.
USDA Organic labels indicate that the company that grew the coffee beans is doing everything it can to help promote the environment while keeping it healthy and sustainable. You will need to be careful when you read organic labels because not everything labeled “organic” is organic and chemicals if used, meet the USDA levels of quality and environmental sustainability.
The DON’Ts of Buying Coffee
While looking to purchase the best quality of coffee beans possible, there are several things you should avoid when reading labels and checking facts.
Don’t buy Coffee Labeled 100% Pure
Ground coffee is handy when you are in a hurry, but it is Saturday or Sunday morning, and you don’t need to go to work, you should enjoy the good stuff. You will also get a better taste as the coffee starts to lose flavor after it is ground.
Don’t Buy Self-Serve Coffee Beans
The coffee beans sitting in plastic bins might seem like a good way to get high-quality beans and not waste them, but because of exposure to the air and resting in a plastic bin, which exposes them to the light, they will not be as good as the beans you keep in a dark, sealed container.
Don’t Buy in Bulk
Unless you drink upwards of ten cups of coffee a day, you should not buy large amounts of beans at any one time. As noted above, after harvesting from the shell, the beans to lose their flavor. You are better off buying a smaller bag more frequently and replenishing your supplies after maybe a week or two. The beans will taste better, and you will get better cups or cup of coffee.
Don’t Buy Self-Serve Coffee Beans
The coffee beans sitting in plastic bins might seem like a good way to get high-quality beans and not waste them, but because of exposure to the air and resting in a plastic bin, which exposes them to the light, they will not be as good as the beans you keep in a dark, sealed container.
Don’t Buy Coffee with a Use-Buy Date
A use buy dating is a guideline for when the coffee will not taste good at all. You should not let your specialty coffee sit around to meet this date. The quality you are looking for will be lost over time.
What Roasts can you buy?
Every roaster will give the coffee you buy its name, but the categories of the roast will not change. There are differences in each type of roast and reasons for you to buy it.
Light Roast Coffee
A light roast is the most caffeinated of all the roasts, and it roasts for a shorter time allow for most of the caffeine to remain inside the beans. The coffee is light brown, and the name associated with it is usually light in name as well.
Medium Roast Coffee
A medium roast, called American roast, because it is the most common type of coffee consumed in the United States of America, is a darker brown color and a stronger flavor. The surface of the beans is not oily, and it gets names similar to its designation, such as breakfast and city coffee.
Medium-Dark Roast Coffee
A medium-dark roast coffee bean is a little oily and a couple of shades darker than the American roasts. The taste is a bit bitterer, and the coffee you brew from it a bit sharper.
Dark Roast Coffee
For a bitter cup of coffee, the dark roast meets the needs. The beans of the dark roast are oily and dark from the amount of roasting they go through. The coffee you brew from them is also dark brown to black, depending on the bean. The names reflect the type of beans used and their dark roast status.
Where do you Buy Top-Quality Coffee?
Locally Grown
If you live near a local grower, your coffee is more likely to be fresh and recently harvested. The local grower will want to make a name for themselves in the community so they will have the incentive to produce high-quality beans. They will also help you to ensure the coffee is fresh and close to harvest for you to have an amazing cup of coffee.
Online
Buying online can be riskier when it comes to expiration dates. If you are buying through the grower’s website, you are more likely to receive coffee beans closer to harvest. They, like the local growers, are more likely to want to give you the best of their stock and make sure you have the best experience.
Buying online is an excellent way to expand the different kinds of coffee you can try from around the world. It is also a way to end up with coffee from a second-party or third-party vendor who has let it sit too long. The best way to go is to order through the grower themselves or directly from the main website and to avoid second or third-party vendors unless you can work with them directly.
How Much Coffee Should you Buy at Once?
Buying coffee is something you can enjoy in multiple ways. You can derive pleasure from receiving good-quality coffee, and even the purchasing is something you can enjoy.
In-person Purchasing
If you are lucky enough to live near a high-quality vendor, you can control how much and when you buy your coffee. You can purchase your coffee in smaller amounts and regularly through these small local vendors. They should sell you smaller bags you can enjoy for a select time before you need to buy more.
Online Purchasing
Purchasing online is riskier than buying from your local grower or distributor. You will be able to select the amount you will want and need for a shorter duration. The problems you will encounter through buying online depend on where you are buying the coffee and the method of shipping.
When you are dealing with shipping, anything can happen. Most online vendors will give you an option of shipping promptly and is more likely to get to you quickly and with recent harvest dates. Second and third-party vendors will not necessarily give you the best shipping and will be more likely to take time to get to your door.
If you are buying through a third party, you should select a larger amount for your order because of the shipping time it will take to get your next shipment. The vendor will let you know their shipping times, and you can gage your coffee requirements through your coffee consumption and your future needs.
How to Store Your Top-Quality Coffee
Tight Sealed Container
Most high-quality coffee beans will come in a tightly sealed dark, plastic or paper bag or tin. If the tin has a tight lid or seal, you can reuse it, but for the paper or plastic bags of beans, you should put the beans into a dark container that is plastic, ceramic, or glass. Whichever you choose to use should be dark with a tight lid. Having a container that has a tight lid and is dark in color will help keep your beans fresh for longer and slow the process of oxidation.
Cool Place
There is an old myth about putting coffee in the freezer to make it last longer and keep it fresher. This is a myth. In modern refrigerators, the coffee beans will dry out and become less enjoyable to consume.
The best place to put your sealed container is in a cool place like a lower shelf away from heaters and ovens that can cause the air around the container to increase. You also do not want to put them on a high self as heat rises, which can cause the beans to age more quickly.
Dry Place
You should keep the container of beans in a place that is dry and well away from a source of moisture. The sealed container helps to keep the beans dry, but high, humid temperatures can cause the beans to age faster.
Dark Place
A dark place is also required to help the beans fresh. The container, being completely dark in color, will help, but reducing the amount of light you expose your beans to will help increase the flavor of the beans when you are ready to make your coffee.
What are the 10 Best Coffee Beans of 2020?
The best beans for you are the ones that will match your coffee preferences. They will come fresh and ready to use and will come from a reputable grower.
1. Death Wish Organic USDA Certified Whole Bean Coffee
The Death Wish Organic USDA Certified Whole Bean Coffee has the claim to be the strongest coffee in the World. The way you brew it will help you stay awake through the double dose of caffeine in every cup you prepare.
The grower selects only the best beans for the bag of Death Wish Organic USDA Certified coffee and roasts the beans carefully for a bold, rich, and smooth cup of coffee that will make you want more. The coffee is a Fair Trade, USDA Certified Organic coffee that makes for a perfect, kosher dark roasted coffee.
Key Features
- Brand: Death Wish Coffee
- Beans: Blended Arabica and Robusta
- Place of Roasting: Upstate New York
- The flavor of the Beans: Smooth and Bold with a cherry, chocolate flavor.
- Best Way to Brew: French Press or premade pods
2. Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC, Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee
The Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC, Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee is a rich flavorful brew that produces a citrus taste with a lemony finish. The packages come in two and five-pound bags and packs of three twelve-ounce bags as you want. The coffee is a single-origin bean harvested roasted on raised beds in the Gedeo Zone in Ethiopia.
The beans are certified USDA Organic and Fair Trade Certified for sustainable growing and roasting. The beans blend and roast in a Loring Roaster to help reduce the environmental impact of the beans from start to finish producing a smooth medium roast loved by coffee lovers everywhere.
Key Features
- Brand: Fresh Roasted Coffee, LLC
- Place of Roasting: Gedeo Zone, Ethiopia
- Type of Roast: Medium Roast
- The flavor of the Beans: Citrus with a lemon finish
- Best Way to Brew: French press, Auto-drip, or Espresso
3. Java Planet – Organic Coffee Beans
The Java Planet – Organic Coffee Beans is a medium-dark roast that is smooth to drink and finish. Colombian beans produce a full-bodied cup of coffee that has an acidic taste that balances out the caffeine and flavor. The beans are one hundred percent Arabica coffee beans.
The bean growers roast in small batches to ensure a strong flavor and proper freshness. The beans are organic and have one hundred percent USDA Organic certification for being GMO-free, pesticide-free, and chemical-free. The beans come in one, two, and five-pound bags.
Key Features
- Brand: Java Planet
- Type of Roast: Medium-Dark
- Amount Roasted: 1,2 and 5-pound bags
- The flavor of the Beans: Full-bodied, balanced flavor and a mild acidity
- Certified: Fair Trade Certified and USDA organic
4. Café de Loja AWARD-WINNING Specialty Coffee Beans
The Café de Loja Award-Winning Specialty Coffee Beans Medium- Dark Roast is a complex flavor that is one hundred percent Arabica coffee beans. The flavor of the beans is a deep, smooth fruity flavor that is full in body with no bitter after taste.
The beans in the Café de Loja Medium-Dark Roast grow at a high elevation above six thousand, two-hundred thirty-three feet above sea level. The high elevation helps to produce a fresh, crisp taste and an acidic flavor. The beans come in an aluminum packaged bag that has three layers to keep the beans fresh from packaging to your kitchen.
Key Features
- Brand: Café de Loja
- Beans: 100% Arabica
- Sourcing: Single Origin
- Origin of Beans: Ecuador
- Type of Roasting: Medium-Dark Roasting
- The flavor of the Beans: Natural bean flavors, with no bitter after taste
- Best Way to Brew: cold brew, drip coffee, espresso machine, French press, and Turkish
5. Tiny Footprint Coffee – Fair Trade Organic Nicaragua Segovia Dark Roast
The Tiny Footprint Coffee – Fair Trade Organic Nicaragua Segovia Dark Roast Whole Bean Coffee is a bold dark roast that combines chocolate flavoring with a blend of spice, fig, and apricot. The beans use a ninety-kilo Probat drum roaster that is German manufacturing with a fuel-efficient ribbon that roasts the beans to perfection in a shade-grown location.
The beans originate in Nicaragua in a facility listed as 100% Fair Trade Organic. The Tiny Footprint coffee also donates a portion of the funds earned from their coffee growers to help replant the forests in Ecuador’s Mindo Cloud Forest. The entire process from growing the beans to the planting of the forest is a carbon-negative process.
Key Features
- Brand: Tiny Footprint Coffee
- Beans: 100% Arabica Coffee
- Sourcing: 100% Fair Trade with a carbon-negative process
- Origin of Beans: Nicaragua
- Type of Roasting: Dark Roast
- The flavor of the Beans: Chocolate with hints of apricot, fig, and spice
6. Lavazza Top Class Whole Bean Espresso
The Lavazza Top Class Whole Bean Espresso is a full-bodied, medium-roast coffee bean. The flavors you will enjoy including a dried fruit flavor mixed with bitter, rich chocolate. When brewed, you will also enjoy the smell of rich cooking chocolate mixed with fruity
Key Features
- Brand: Lavazza
- Beans: Blend of Arabica and Robusta Beans
- Sourcing: Blend
- Origin of Beans: Brazil, India, and Java Beans
- Type of Roasting: Medium-Roast
- The flavor of the Beans: Full-bodied Blend with a bitter cocoa aftertaste
- Best way to Brew: Espresso Machine
7. 1x Dark Roast Coffee
The 1x Dark Roast Coffee is rich and dark with a smooth, full-bodied coffee. The coffee is low-acid dark roast coffee that is a French or Italian roast grown in the shade of a Mountain in Nicaragua. The coffee beans are pesticide and chemical-free that dry in the sun after a hand washing process that ensures the purity of the coffee.
The beans are hand-selected for every bag, and the cleaning process includes a pH balance of seven for the water used to clean the beans. The pH balance of the coffee beans is six or higher for every bean used.
Key Features
- Brand: Life Boost Coffee
- Sourcing: Single-Origin
- Origin of Beans: Nicaragua
- Type of Roasting: Dark Roast
- The flavor of the Beans: Smooth and full-bodied with low-acid.
8. Peaberry Medium Roast Whole Bean
The Peaberry Medium Roast Whole Bean 100% Kona Coffee is a full-bodied, smooth coffee that comes with a hint of sharpness. The coffee is a sassy bean that will leave you enjoying this rare bean. The bean is in-demand for its unique flavor and careful roasting, which often requires buying beans from small neighboring farms.
The beans are coffee cherry beans. The beans are flat on one side with an oval on the other. The bean fits together with another flat-side bean making a cherry shape. The cherry shape gives the bean the Peaberry name. The beans originate in Hawaii, and from start to finish, receive careful attention.
GOOD
- Brand: Koa Coffee
- Sourcing: Single-Origin
- Origin of Beans: Hawaii
- Type of Roasting: Medium Roasting
- The flavor of the Beans: Full-bodied, smooth with a hint of sharpness
9. Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee
The Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee is exotic. The beans grow from wild coffee trees that have seen no chemicals or fertilizers in their growth. The beans grow with a floral and fruity flavor that is strong in a traditional Arabica flavoring. The beans receive dry processing to help bring forth a strong medium-bodied flavor.
The coffee brews up with an earthy smell with strawberry and cinnamon mixed in. The combination of tastes becomes a deep, complex taste that is sweet.
Key Features
- Brand: Volcanica Coffee Company
- Beans: 100% Arabica
- Sourcing: Single-Source
- Origin of Beans: In the Wilds of Ethiopia
- Type of Roasting: Medium Roasting
- The flavor of the Beans: A complex and deep fruit flavor that is sweet
10. Yemen Haraaz Coffee
Yemen Haraaz Coffee is one of the oldest coffees in the world. Its cultivation has consistently produced a full-bodied bean with a wine and chocolate taste that dominates each taste. The sweetness combines itself with a fruity tartness with hints of coriander and strawberry.
The beans grow four thousand, five hundred feet above the ground, and dry on raised beds. The beans wash in pure water with every bean following a path that you can trace from the tree it grew on through the roasters and supply chain.
Key Features
- Brand: Volcanica Coffee
- Sourcing: Single-Source
- Origin of Beans: Haraaz
- Type of Roasting: Medium Roast
- The flavor of the Beans: Fruity and sweet, with an acidic and smooth taste
Final Thoughts
Buying the best coffee beans means knowing what you like from your morning cup of coffee and looking for an ethical grower. The best way to find the right coffee for you is to start trying different brands that meet your flavor requirements and enjoy. Store it well out of the light and enjoy every type of coffee you try.
