Espresso lovers are well-known to the fact that espresso is nothing without good quality beans. Buying the best espresso beans is as important for making a perfect espresso shot as espresso is for coffee freaks!
Even a fancy expensive espresso machine won’t be of any help to you if you don’t have quality, flavorful beans. A perfect espresso machine may carry out the best extraction and the best taste from the beans, but it can all go to vain if the beans do not have the right taste.
Let’s just get straight to the point and find out the best coffee beans for espresso so that you may enjoy a delightful espresso shot every time you have one.
Editor’s Choice: Lifeboost Espresso Organic Coffee
No blending, says Lifeboost. The big highlight for this company is their high-quality coffee beans, which they say are amongst the top 3% of the global supply. That is, perhaps, the reason for their confidence in never lending their beans for a blend.
Lifeboost Espresso Organic Coffee is roasted to medium in small batches to keep up with quality and ensure freshly roasted coffee for the customers. Lovers of espresso don’t want their beans to go too long after roasting. Beans at the right time after their roast are the key to an espresso that knocks your socks off!
Lush crema is an excellent indicator of coffee bean quality and freshness. Espresso made with this coffee has it in spades – just remember to move while the coffee is fresh.
Lifeboost gives their coffee a long shelf life. So it may last longer than some competition, but any coffee will deteriorate in flavor with time. That’s especially true for espresso, where the brew might get a thinner crema.
Lifeboost Espresso Organic Coffee is single-origin coffee made from high-quality Central American coffee beans. It’s certified USDA Organic and Fair Trade. The coffee also undergoes several tests to ensure there are no pesticides or toxins, including mycotoxins.
You can get the coffee as whole beans or as ground coffee. The latter, of course, is finely ground and suited for espresso makers. My suggestion would be to pick the whole beans if you have a high-quality burr grinder at your disposal. Otherwise, pre-ground coffee is the way to go.
Pros
- High-quality single-origin coffee
- Certified USDA organic and Fair trade
- Has third party testing for 200+ toxins
- Available as whole beans and ground coffee
Cons
- Can be expensive
See more details and buying options
Best Coffee Beans for Espresso to Buy in 2021
Out of the many brands and variations in the espresso bean product niche, we have picked the very best for you that will give you the right aroma, flavor and delight that you expect as a coffee enthusiast.
Here is our list:
- Coffee Bean Direct Italian Roast Espresso
- Koffee Kult Coffee Beans Dark Roasted
- Verena Street Dark Roast Espresso Beans
- Nicoletti Coffee Espresso Roast Beans
- Blackwelder Coffee Whole Bean Coffee
- Medaglia D’Oro Whole Bean Italian Roast Espresso
- Intelligentsia Black Cat Analog Espresso
Coffee Bean Direct Italian Roast Espresso
If you are a lover of a blend of coffee beans grown in different states, then you are absolutely going to love this beans bag. With no extra added flavors, these espresso beans make a rich and smoky espresso shot that is of café quality.
Toasty and Honeyed Aroma
This rich and full-bodied coffee renders a perfect aroma that is honeyed and toasty. Thus, it gives a smoky touch to your espresso that makes it taste delicious without being bitter.
Get Italian Roast Beans
With a flavor of cocoa powder ad smoky molasses, it is a perfect blend of beans coming from South America, Central America, Africa, and India. These beans are roasted perfectly as a blend that prepares a perfect Italian Roast Espresso.
Rich Crema
If you are a fan of full flavor and dark espresso shot with a rich layer of crema over it, then you might find this product appropriate for you.
Pros
- Italian Style Espresso
- Full of Flavors
- Honeyed Aroma
- Café Quality
- Cocoa and Molasses taste
- The dark and smoky taste
Cons
- Beans are above Average Size
- Not strong enough for a double espresso shot
Koffee Kult Coffee Beans Dark Roasted
This small batch of dark roasted coffee with a smooth and robust flavor gives you delicious espresso shots. These espresso beans are made up of pure organic beans from around the world, which are blended and roasted altogether to give a perfect merged taste.
An Aromatic Cup of Espresso
These beans smell really great i.e., have a rich aroma. You may experience that while brewing or making the espresso shot and can realize how good the taste is going to be. Well, that is upon you whether you are a fan of smooth, cinnamon, and bright espresso shot or not.
Beans from the Right Places
The origin of these beans is basically Columbia, Guatemala, and Sumatra. The exotic raw beans are taken all over from these places and are blended into perfect roasted espresso beans to give a perfect and smooth taste.
Dark Roast Gives a Perfect Taste
These beans are dark roasted to give the perfect taste to your regular espresso shot. But this roast level is of no worry because it does not add bitterness to the taste at all. These beans are oil-free with balanced acidity and dark brown in color.
Pros
- Unique and Aromatic Taste
- The flavor of Dark Chocolate
- No oil on beans
- Smooth Flavor
- Consistent Quality
Cons
- Freshness go away once you open the bag
- Weak Taste
Verena Street Dark Roast Espresso Beans
Verena Street is presenting to you a whole beans espresso dark roast with a rich taste and fresh roast. These espresso beans have a sweet and creamy complexity and are sustainably sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified Farms.
Rich Aftertaste
These beans make a smooth velvety crema that gives you a rich aftertaste and, thus, enhances the espresso drinking experience. 100% Arabica coffee beans, which are grown primarily for carrying out this roast makes it more flavorful.
Freshly Roasted Beans
The beans offered by Verena Street are roasted in small batches. This gives you a fresh and rich coffee taste every time you buy one. The coffee that one makes from these beans is not only of high quality but also fresher in taste.
No Bitter Aftertaste
These beans provide you with tons of flavors but without any bitterness or burnt taste. The fact that whenever you get them, they are freshly roasted beans makes them more appreciable.
Pros
- Freshly Roasted Beans
- Pronounced Flavors
- Appropriate Value
- The medium roast has an unburnt flavor
- No added chemicals
Cons
- Dark Roast is quite Bitter
- Lack of strong Aroma
Nicoletti Coffee Espresso Roast Beans
Get these Nicoletti Beans if you are looking for Lightly roasted coffee beans that are perfect to be used in commercial or home espresso machines. These beans are freshly roasted and are never stored in the warehouse for multiple weeks. Thus, get a fresh flavor every time you offer these espresso beans!
Shipment Within 24 Hours of Roasting
Whenever you order these beans, you will always get a freshly roasted pack of espresso beans as they are shipped within a day after roasting. This has a very profound effect on the freshness and flavor of the coffee shot.
Smooth Double Shots
These beans can make you smooth double shots with a little acidity but no bitterness at all. So, if you are a real coffee freak and prefer double shots regularly, this might be the one you would like to get your hands upon.
Consistent Quality
No matter how many times you get these packets, you will always get the beans with the same freshness and quality as it was before. Moreover, the fresh roasting of beans makes them able to make an excellent espresso shot every time you get them.
Pros
- Fresh Roast
- Consistent Quality and freshness
- Worth the price
- Excellent crema
- Perfect chocolate brown roast
- Oil-free beans
Cons
- Cannot make traditional espresso (light roast)
- Small bean size
Blackwelder Coffee Whole Bean Coffee
Get 100% Arabica espresso whole bean coffee by buying this Blackwelder coffee beans. Once you get these beans, you get a delicate crema finish with high quality roasted gourmet beans. Sumptuous blend with a rich and intense espresso taste is what makes these beans a lot more likable.
Medium Dark Creamy Roast
Blackwelder coffee beans provide you with a medium-dark creamy roast that comes straight from Latin American and Indonesia Beans. The delicate crema finish adds to its medium roast taste.
Complex Caramel Flavor
These beans help you in making a perfect espresso shot with a rich and intense flavor. Without any bitter taste, you get a complex caramel flavor that enhances the richness of flavor of the espresso shot.
Multiple Ways to Enjoy these Beans
You can make your coffee using drip coffee maker, percolator, French press, Moka pot, and espresso machine. Every time, you will get a fine result in the shape of the shot you have been craving for!
Pros
- Freshly roasted beans in small batches
- 100% Arabica Whole Bean Coffee
- Resealable coffee bags
- Subtle cinnamon spice finish
- Low acidity
- Compatible to all brew methods
Cons
- Don’t make perfect milk-based drinks
- Weak overall flavored finish
Medaglia D’Oro Whole Bean Italian Roast Espresso
You can get the dark and delicious desired coffee taste in the whole bean form by this Italian roast espresso beans. These beans can be easily brewed in espresso coffeemaker and can make a number of espresso variety shots in various tempting ways.
European Coffee Flavor in a Home Brew
With its pleasant aroma and rich flavored shots, these beans are something that will give you the flavor, which would be a lot like the Europeans coffee at home. So, if you are a lover of euro-style coffee shots, then this may be something you don’t want to miss.
Bitter Chocolate Aftertaste
These beans provide you an espresso flavor with a bitter chocolate aftertaste, which you may find appreciable and great if you are a cocoa lover, too. Moreover, not all brands render a rich aftertaste, and if you prefer having one, then you must buy the brand that gives one.
Fresh Beans Taste Better
Not only with this particular brand, but the fresh beans always taste better. So if there are chances of you not being able to get fresher beans, then you might move on looking to another brand.
Pros
- Great Aroma
- Chocolaty Aftertaste
- Reasonable Price
- Less acidic espresso
- Espresso Italian Roast
- Smooth taste without bitterness
Cons
- Do not guarantee Fresh roasts
Intelligentsia Black Cat Analog Espresso
Intelligentsia offers full-bodied and well-rounded blends, which makes sweet and chocolaty espresso shots. Moreover, if you like to integrate your coffee with milk, then this is a great option for that, too.
Hints of Dark Chocolate
The blend of these espresso beans makes a consistent quality espresso shots with sweet and chocolaty taste. It is also embodied with the hints of dark chocolate that makes it a well-balanced blend.
Get a Different Espresso Experience
The black cat espresso beans have decided to go beyond the conventional approaches to prepare espressos and have started adding more flavors, aroma, and a different mouthfeel to the espresso shot to give you an enhanced espresso drinking feel.
Whole Beans with a Perfect Taste
Intelligentsia Black Cat Analog Espresso makes a dark roasted whole bean coffee. Its beans are full-bodied, balanced, and are dark roasted. So, you might want to try these beans if you are a fan of whole bean espresso shots.
Pros
- Flavors of Dark Chocolate
- Whole beans
- Smooth Mouth-feel
- Beans are roasted when you place the order
- Great milk-based drinks
- Quality Beans
Cons
- Not Great for Cold Brewing
- A bit pricey
Things to Consider Before Buying Espresso Beans
If you still have not found your perfect espresso shot taste, then you might want to look into the list of things that can help you in finding one. There are a number of things that have to be looked before you buy your best beans pack.
We are listing some of them here so that you may finally get the espresso taste you have always been looking for.
Single Origin or a Blend
The first and foremost thing in this regard is to make a choice between getting single-origin coffee beans or a blend?
Well, when it comes to choosing between these two options, it totally depends upon your taste and style. Single-origin means the coffee beans coming from a single state and having the taste, look, and flavor of that particular place only.
However, blends proffer a taste quality of multiple states and, thus, have a more flavorful and blended taste. They are also said to be more complex as compared to the single-origin beans because they have the qualities of multiple tastes and flavors in them.
Blends are more appropriate for barista-made coffee because they have the tendency to mix better with milk. But single-origin is more of pure roasted beans that give a pure dark taste, which is considered best for espressos. So, you got to choose your own, which goes perfectly according to your liking!
Roast Level of Coffee Beans
There are various roast levels of coffee beans. Which one would be best for you completely depends upon your taste. If you like your espresso or coffee to be light, then you must opt for the lighter roast.
If you want your coffee to at least taste like one, you should be choosing the medium roast. It is not very dark nor light and gives the perfect texture and taste to the coffee.
If you want to have a luscious pure espresso shot, then your choice should be the dark roast. It gives a dark brown color to the coffee. This roast is especially for black coffee or espresso lovers who like their coffee to be a perfect shot as a head-start to their day.
Another roast you may find is extra dark. This one may not be the one that any normal person would go or. But, the coffee freaks who like their coffee to be extra dark and strong get your hands upon this.
So, now as you know, the types of roasts and how they can be used, don’t let yourself chose a wrong one anymore.
The Roast Date
Another thing that matters a lot while buying the espresso beans would be their roasting date. If the beans were roasted around more than three weeks ago, then never buy them!
Such beans never render the same fresh coffee taste like the ones roasted recently. Old roasted beans not only make the coffee taste starchy but also make it flavorless. Thus, whenever you buy espresso beans, make sure to remember this point!
So, by now, you know the things to look into the beans before buying them to get the best-tasting espresso shot prepared for yourself. Let us help you with choosing the beans from the best brand, too.
Grind Size
The grind size of beans is important when it comes to what coffee blender you are using. You must choose the size that goes well with your espresso machine. Otherwise, it may result in a type of espresso you didn’t want.
If the grind is not very fine, it may turn your espresso in a thin and watery shot, which you would never want, of course. Using a pressurized portafilter can help you with grind size solutions, but then it will make your espresso not taste like one. Espresso shots are considered to be dark and strong, which require a fine grind size.
The grind size basically affects the rate at which water flows through the beans. So, if the size isn’t right, your espresso shot will not be, too!
Prefer Buying Whole Beans
Perfect espresso shots require fresher grind beans. If you get pre-ground beans, then they may lose the freshness soon, and you do not get the type of espresso you wanted. Get a fine grinder that can help you grind the beans just before you are about to make your espresso.
Thus, it is crucial to prefer buying whole beans when you are specifically looking for the beans to buy for making delicious as well as fresher espresso shots. Freshly ground beans also make the aroma of espresso a lot more likable.
How Espresso Beans Differ From Others
Regular Coffee beans can usually make any coffee type. They also go very well with the milk blends. But, when it comes to the espresso beans, they have known to be different from others in their taste, flavors and shape.
The Level of Roast Needs to be Spot On
To get a perfect espresso, it is important to get the beans that have gone through a particular roast which is essential for making the perfect espresso cup. Usually, the right espresso shots are made from darker level roast and cannot be made from the usual coffee beans.
Traditional Taste is the Key
Conventional espressos have a traditional taste that needs to be maintained when you want a flavorful espresso shot. In order to do that, espresso beans are made in specific ways that make them different from other beans.
Milk-Based Beverages
If you have espresso beans then making milk-based drinks out of them may not be very easy. Espresso beans have a darker roast which may make your coffee drinks (lattes and cappuccinos, etc.) a bit bitter and strong.
If you like your regular coffee not to taste like espresso, then maybe you would like to look for other beans.
The Price Factor
Usually, single origin espresso beans are preferred for espressos but blends are not behind than any other coffee beans, too. Mostly because, blends are known to be cheaper than single origin beans.
Single origin beans come straight from a particular state having particular tastes and flavors. Thus, they are expensive too. However, it does makes sense to use blends of cheaper coffee beans coming from countries like Brazil and Indonesia, etc.
Don’t Ignore the Crema and Proper Tamping
In order to get a perfect espresso shot, it is essential to carry out the perfect crema. If the crema is thin or has large bubbles in it, then you must try a finer grind next time. To get an ideal crema, you should also know how to operate automatic espresso machines the right way.
So, other than getting the ideal espresso beans, there are certain other things, too, that you must take care of. Such as making appropriate crema, using the right grind size, using the espresso machine in the right way, etc.
Do not forget to tamp your beans properly because the rate of flow of water through the puck is directly proportional to the thickness and richness of your espresso.
A Quick Wrap Up to Our Espresso Beans Guide
Getting a delightful espresso cup on a regular basis is not an easy goal to achieve. It is mostly because the perfect flavors and roasts for espresso are not easily manageable by everyone. But anywhere in the world, if you get the best espresso beans, you may get a luscious espresso shot every morning, too.
Not only just flavors and taste, but one also should make sure of getting the high-quality beans because low-quality espresso beans may not handle the pressure needed to make the perfect espresso shot.
Moreover, the beans that are not of perfect quality may render a vomit-inducing taste that no espresso lover would ever prefer to have.
Thus, the first and foremost thing is to get the ideal espresso beans, and then, don’t forget to get a dedicated espresso machine that would help you make an espresso shot of precisely the flavor you desire.