The best coffee beans from light to dark roast

best coffee beans

by Stephanie Anthony |
Updated on

If you want to get the most flavour out of your morning cup, using the best coffee beans is the way to go. Whether you have a coffee machine at home or you prefer to use a Moka pot on the hob, grinding your own coffee will give you a fresher, tasty cup of coffee.

Coffee starts to lose its flavour once it’s ground, which is why the packaging of ground coffee is so important to lock in its taste and aroma, so using whole beans means you get that hit of flavour and it will last for longer as it’s straight from the bean. Plus using a coffee grinder is surprisingly satisfying!

You can also get bean to cup coffee machines to save yourself doing the grinding, if you’re concerned about the extra time it’ll take to prepare coffee from the bean before your morning commute.

Best coffee beans at a glance:

• Top pick: Paddy & Scott's Chit Chat Coffee - view on Paddy & Scott's**
•** Best light blend coffee beans: GRIND coffee - view on GRIND
 Best medium roast coffee beans: STARBUCKS Pike Place Roast Coffee Beans - view on Amazon
 Best dark roast coffee beans: Union Revelation Espresso Coffee Beans - view on Amazon

Another benefit of using coffee beans is you can try out and play around with different brewing methods to see which you prefer the most. You could even experiment with perfecting your own personalised blend! Here are the best coffee beans to buy, from supermarkets, online plus independent companies.

Best coffee beans

Top pick

Description

Paddy & Scott's signature blend medium roast, is described as "perfect for sharing with friends…

Pros

  • Coffee beans and ground coffee available
  • Suitable for all coffee equipment

Cons

  • Small bag, but subscriptions are available

Best light blend coffee beans

Description

The Grind Coffee light blend is designed to be fruity and balanced. Grown in Colombia and Rwanda,

Pros

  • Comes in tin, with refills available
  • 5 different blends to choose from

Cons

  • Some reviews said they couldn't taste the difference between the blends

Best medium roast coffee beans

starbucks-medium copy

Rrp: £39.60

Price: £39.60

Description

Enjoy coffee-shop quality coffee at home with the Starbucks Pike Place Roast Coffee Beans as our

Pros

  • Great if you know you like a Starbucks coffee (and cheaper to do yourself!)
  • Work really well with a bean to cup machine

Cons

  • Packaging not resealable

Best dark roast coffee beans

union-espresso-roast copy

Rrp: £15.00

Price: £15.00

Description

Union's most popular espresso coffee bean is bold with hints of chocolate and treacle. Not only is

Pros

  • Speciality Grade 
  • Ethically Sourced

Cons

  • 500g bag - make sure to store this correctly for longevity

Best decaf coffee beans

Description

Made from Brazilian Arabica decaffeinated beans, Presto's silky smooth blend boasts honeyed peanut

Pros

  • Silky smooth 
  • Nutty and floral 
  • Recyclable packaging

Cons

  • Some reviews mentioned they preferred the old packaging

Best budget coffee beans

amazon coffee
Price: £12.89

Description

Suitable for all preparations, this coffee is 100 per cent Arabica and Rainforest-Alliance

Pros

  • Budget-friendly 
  • Rainforest Alliance Approved

Cons

  • Unsure when they're roasted

Best coffee bean bundle

Description

Discover illy's authentic aroma and blend with this whole-bean coffee bundle. It includes two of

Pros

  • Great value 
  • Can try all the different roasts

Cons

  • Make sure to store correctly for coffee to last

Best fruity coffee

Description

Pact's Fruit and Nut Espresso blend is a "modern twist" on the traditional Italian espresso blend.

Pros

  • Ethically Sourced 
  • Creamy

Cons

  • May be too sweet for some tastes

Best healthy coffee bean blend

Description

Coming with great reviews, this small business has a wide range of coffees of all blends and

Pros

  • Contains disease-fighting antioxidants 
  • Claims to help improve memory and cognitive function

Cons

  • Only available online

Best coffee bean for cold brew

Description

Firehearts' catalogue of coffee is diverse and interesting with a huge range of flavour profiles

Pros

  • Sweet 
  • Unique flavour profile

Cons

  • Made with honey - not suitable for vegans

Best coffee beans FAQs

What are the main coffee bean types?

The four main coffee types are Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa, and Liberica and all four of them have radically different taste profiles. Arabica coffee beans are easily the most popular type of beans, making up about 60 per cent of the world's coffee production. These beloved beans originated in Ethiopia, where they're still grown today. They offer a sweet, complex flavour and are known for their smoothness.

What’s the difference between a blend and single-origin?

A coffee blend is a mixture of two or more different origin coffee beans that are mixed together. The idea behind blends is to take the best qualities from different origins to create a smooth, well-balanced-tasting coffee. You can also get coffee called single-origin, which means it uses beans from one location.

What does light, medium and dark roast mean?

Light roast coffees are less bitter, more sweet, and often tea-like. They also often have the highest acidity. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as acid carries flavour. The presence of acid in coffee is often described as bright.

Medium roasts are the healthiest roast of coffee, being most potent in the polyphenol chlorogenic acid (CGA), a powerful antioxidant that gives coffee its health-boosting benefits. CGA helps with everything from reducing inflammation to repairing cell damage, lowering cholesterol and improving your complexion.

Dark roast coffees are dark brown, even close to a blackened colour with a gloss to the surface. Coffee made from a Dark roast has a robust, full body. The flavours from the coffee's country of origin are almost entirely roasted out, taking on a very bold and smoky taste.

Stephanie Anthony is the Deputy Digital Editor of Yours.co.uk. Having worked across a variety of topics, from travel and food to pharmaceuticals, she also has a particular interest in mental health and wellness. She has a house full of pets with two dogs and two cats.

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