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Author:
Katie Fousel
When it comes to pulling the perfect espresso shot at home, it all starts with great coffee beans. Not just any old bag of coffee off the store shelves will do.
In this article, we’ll review 15 of the best espresso coffee beans available to buy this year. Then we’ll throw in a helpful buyer’s guide and frequently asked questions section at the end.
We’ll drop so much java knowledge in the following easy-to-read sections that if you weren’t already an espresso aficionado — welcome to the club! (And, if you were already in the club, it’s your turn to bring donuts.)
Chances are good that if you’ve ever enjoyed an after-dinner coffee at an Italian restaurant — it was Lavazza. These beans are blended and roasted in Italy.
The Super Crema is our best choice because it’s a unique and aromatic blend of coffee beans. As the name suggests, you’ll enjoy velvety crema in every shot.
With notes of hazelnut and brown sugar, what’s not to love?
For our premium pick, we had to go with Kicking Horse’s Cliff Hanger Espresso. It’s both silky and complex — a swoon-worthy blend.
Roasted in Canada, this medium roast gives off the rich aroma of blackcurrants, milk chocolate, and warm brown sugar. Then the super smooth espresso follows up with flavor notes of bright fruit and heavenly cocoa.
Bliss.
Sometimes life calls for a good budget-friendly espresso purchase. And that’s when our friends over at Eight O’Clock Coffee truly deliver.
Their dark Italian Espresso roast will have you and your wallet smiling. That’s why they get awarded “Best Value” on this list!
You won’t be disappointed by the strong aroma and flavor notes of caramel and chocolate.
If you’re looking for a rich body with a sweet and creamy complexity — call off the search party! Verena Street is ready to hook you up with the coffee beans of your dreams.Shot tower espresso is made from dark roasted Arabica beans. It’s smooth yet full in body and flavor with no shortage of crema.
This light roast will perk you up so much in the morning that you may be tempted to drop your friends a mischievous wink.
Enjoy this small-batch blonde roast with its vibrant citrus tones and playful hints of milk chocolate. The silky smoothness will have you light on your feet all day long.
This classic Italian espresso from Cafe Don Pablo is very special. The Arabica beans are a special blend of Colombian Supremo and Sumatra Mandheling. Resulting in an irresistibly deep, complex flavor — now that’s smooth!
Low acidity and no bitterness make this coffee good for sipping on at any time of day. Enjoy the flavor notes of dark chocolate with mild earthy tones throughout.
Another excellent option from the Lavazza coffee team, the Gran Crema is a rich-bodied medium roast. Their espresso roast is best suited to an espresso machine, but it’s also nice for Moka pot, drip coffee maker, or even French press.
However you choose to brew it, prepare your palate for velvety sips of dark chocolate and spices. The flavor of freshly-baked goods dripping with honey will tickle your tastebuds awake.
It’s called Pete’s espresso blend because it is indeed preferred by Pete the coffee buyer and CEO of San Francisco Bay Coffee! Try it and see if you agree with Pete’s preference for this dark medium roast.
Darker than their regular roast, but lighter than a French roast, these beans are a unique blend of Central and South American. Perfect for espresso or anyone who enjoys a powerful cup of coffee!
And wait until you get a load of these flavor notes! Baker’s chocolate, vanilla bean, and a hint of orange — rounded off with a creamy finish. Wow.
Brew up a cup of indestructible espresso with the AK-47 medium roast from Black Rifle Coffee. Enjoy the nutty aroma and the fact that your purchase supports a veteran-owned company.
This medium roast holds complex citrus and dark chocolate flavors in its whole beans. It’s full-bodied and might be the long-lost cup of wake-up you’ve been searching for.
In the mood for a hand-crafted artisan roast? But, of course! This medium-dark roast from Jo Coffee is organic, fairtrade, and kosher certified. That means every rich sip is also backed by sustainability!
Speaking of sipping, the subtle undertones of heavy dark chocolate paired with crema and an elegant finish? Heavenly. If you’re a fan of even darker roasts for your espresso, check out their Wild Jo blend.
For those among us looking to get into an intense espresso, Blackwelder delivers. Their high-quality medium-dark roast comes from gourmet coffee beans.
Beans from Latin America and Indonesia, artisan roasted in small batches to produce a creamy, bitter-free blend. With tasting notes of complex caramel, this espresso will chase all your worries away.
You drink a lot of coffee. So, when you buy coffee?
You want your fresh-roasted beans in bulk. Olde Brooklyn Coffee understands you. This five-pound bag of extra strong coffee was small-batch roasted in New York.
It’s a lot of whole bean goodness for a low price tag. One caveat?
The Italian dark roast is dark, so it has a bit of that burnt taste to it. Probably not the best choice of espresso if you want to sip it straight, but performs marvelously in a milky latte.
This premium blend by Bustelo is as supreme as the name suggests. Their espresso-style gourmet whole beans are full-bodied enough to stand up to mixing with cream and sugar (if desired!).
In fact, Bustelo is very popular with fans of Cuban Cafe Con Leche. Pull a shot with your espresso machine and combine it with warm milk or whipped cream for a delightful afternoon pick-me-up.
Looking for something super fresh?
Then train your eyes to look for this phrase — “roast to order.”
Nicoletti small-batch roasts every bag of their whole beans to order. This guarantees your espresso is as fresh as possible when it arrives in your welcoming arms.
Kirkland, like Olde Brooklyn Coffee, understands that some of us wish to buy our beans in bulk. Snag this steal of a deal, it’s two packs of two-pound bags of coffee — that’s four pounds!
If you feel your blood pressure rising a little over the idea of four pounds of coffee, never fear! Harvard studies found that our beloved beverage doesn’t raise blood pressure in regular coffee drinkers. (But those who are new or not used to coffee may experience a rise in blood pressure.)
First, let’s set the record straight on what espresso is not. It’s not a type of bean, nor is it a type of roast.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get down to brass tacks. The term espresso refers to a brewing process. That’s all, folks!
A concentrated coffee, made from superfine grounds. Hot pressured water is forced through the grounds for ~20-60 seconds. It’s fast, it’s quick, it’s espresso!
A perfectly-pulled shot of Espresso should taste rich and sweet. Mmm. With a lovely layer of crema on top. No bitterness, no burnt or ashy flavor, and definitely not sour.
To “hit me with your best shot,” so to speak, you should strive to use freshly ground coffee. It should also be the freshest roast you can find!
Depending on the beans you select for your espresso, the tasting notes could be fruity, floral, chocolatey, or a combination of these.
The differences between these two methods of coffee preparation are significant. For espresso, you need that extra fine grind, but for drip coffee, coarser is better.
When you make an espresso, it’s a fast process. Drip coffee brews a whole pot, so you’re looking at a matter of minutes over a matter of seconds like with a single shot.
Espresso contains more caffeine per volume than drip coffee. If you only have one 1-ounce shot, it’ll be less caffeine than an 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee. But if you have multiple shots of espresso — zing!
Here’s how to pull your ideal espresso shot every time:
Adjust grinds and tamps, play around with your extraction times, and above all else — enjoy that liquid gold!
Technically, you can use any coffee bean to make espresso as long as you have the means of grinding the beans and access to an espresso machine that forces steam at pressure through the finely ground coffee to make espresso. Typical espresso beans are dark roasted and these are the most ideal beans for this delicious beverage.
Espresso beans can be used to brew a cup of coffee, but as most espresso beans are dark roast beans, the flavors may be too overpowering in a normal cup of coffee. It is for this reason that espresso is served in 1-ounce shots as opposed to the conventional 8-ounce coffee cup.
Coffee beans for espresso need to be more finely ground than coffee beans used to brew a cup of regular coffee. The coffee grounds need to be fine (like sand) as the water comes into contact with the grounds for a very short period as the steam is forced through them at pressure.
Traditionally, espresso beans are dark roasted beans that have been roasted beyond the second crack making them very smoky and intense in nature. The natural flavors of the bean are almost non-existent but the oils and aromas give the espresso its distinct flavor. Coffee beans can be roasted as light, medium or dark and cover a variety of flavors.
Both espresso and coffee beans can be derived from the same green coffee beans, and if you so choose, they can be interchangeable. Traditionally, espresso beans are purely dark roast beans whereas coffee beans can span a variety of roasts from light to medium to dark. Find the flavor that gives you the most pleasure!
How Much Caffeine in a Cup of Coffee? A Detailed Guide
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-caffeine-in-coffee
Espresso Tamping
http://www.coffeeresearch.org/espresso/tamping.htm
Coffee and Your Blood Pressure
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/coffee_and_your_blood_pressure
A Tribute…How to Make Cuban Coffee / Cafe-con-Leche
https://www.instructables.com/id/A-TributeHow-to-make-Cuban-Coffee-Cafe-con-le/
What’s The Difference Between Espresso Beans And Coffee Beans? – https://eldoradocoffee.com/blogs/news/difference-espresso-coffee
