The Best Coffee Beans

Rating of the TOP-10 brands of the best coffee beans

Paulig

One of the most popular Arabica brands on the domestic market. Coffee beans are grown in South America, the product undergoes a certification procedure. High-quality packaging made of foil materials does not allow the aroma to evaporate for the entire one and a half years (this is the permissible shelf life). A special aroma valve allows you to evaluate the smell before buying without tearing the package. The degree of roasting is medium, but the drink is quite strong. The beans are ground without problems. Among the advantages, we can note a rich aftertaste, an enveloping and rich aroma with subtle nutty notes. Packing of 250, 500 and 1000 g. Suitable for both a Turk and a coffee machine.

Tasty coffee

Freshly roasted beans of the highest quality for true connoisseurs of good taste. The manufacturer has been roasting coffee for 14 years, and today Tasty coffee is one of the most modern, technologically advanced and largest roasting plants in US. The company orders coffee beans from all over the world. There are both single varieties and blends on sale – the range is wide. Detailed information is indicated on each pack. Roasting is done before sending to the buyer. These products are not available in stores – only on marketplaces and in coffee shops.

Lavazza

This famous Italian brand has only recently appeared on the Russian mass market: previously, for many years, it worked exclusively with legal entities. The raw materials are purchased in Africa and Central America, roasted manually and evenly, and packed in vacuum packages with a special hermetic valve. About a dozen varieties of beans are supplied to Russia, some of which can only be purchased in online stores. The roast is dark, almost on the verge of over-burnt – an acquired taste. The aftertaste is long. Beginners can be advised to start with ORO or Crema & Aroma. It should be noted that the number of complaints about quality has recently increased.

Egoist

The raw materials are obtained from Kenyan and South American plantations, roasting is done in Germany. The beans are packaged in thick foil bags, which preserve the freshness of the product well. Egoiste is highly rated by the most demanding coffee lovers, despite the modest assortment: Truffle is suitable for those who like to brew coffee in a Turk and drink it with milk, Noir and Espresso are closer to the classics. The aftertaste is persistent, light notes of chocolate are felt on the tongue. There are no single-variety varieties in the line. The price tag is above the market average.

Illy

A coffee brand from Italy, which, unfortunately, can rarely be found in regular supermarkets, so get ready to order the products of this famous European roaster online. Fans of strong coffee will like Intenso, connoisseurs of lighter tastes will like Classico. There are also single-sort varieties on sale, collected on plantations in Guatemala, Ethiopia and Brazil. The quality of the beans is stable, the roasting periods are not violated. The products are packed in tin cans. A red flag with a brand sign indicates that this establishment serves Illy coffee. The price tag is above average, it is slightly more bitter than it should be.

Bushido

Bushido is not only the samurai code, but also coffee beans, and this is not a Japanese, but a Dutch brand. The product is worthy and diverse, which is suitable for both a Turk and a coffee machine. For original floral notes, you should turn to Specialty from the highland Ethiopian region of Irgacheffe (craft roasters are their regular customers). If the budget is more modest and the taste is more unpretentious, pay attention to the blends “Katana” and “Sensei”. All the grain of the brand is washed, i.e. there is no fermented aftertaste. The profile is described in detail on the packaging: country, taste nuances. Due to the blending of grain and medium roasting, a balance between acidity and bitterness is achieved. Packaging with a zip lock and a degassing valve. Disadvantage: judging by the reviews, it is not suitable for alternative brewing methods.

Jacobs

A quality product of the budget segment. The beans are packed in original stylish kraft packaging. This brand has been present on the Russian market for a long time, in 2023 a new line with a pair of blends was presented to the public: Espresso and Crema. Sold in packs of 230 g. Espresso is for lovers of automatic and horn coffee machines, Crema is suitable for lovers of the classic Turk and alternative brewing methods. But the minimum information on the packaging is alarming. It is difficult to find beans on the open market.

Movenpick

Following the delicious ice cream, mid-priced grain coffee was sent to US markets. There are 7 available options: pure Arabica and a blend with varying percentages of Robusta (coffee foam lovers will love them). The flavor palette is more than modest, but even these products have a similar bitter taste and excessive strength of the finished drink. Pros: dense and smooth crema; rich aroma, beans are suitable for both a Turk and a coffee machine.

Doubleby

The Doubleby coffee shop chain is known not only in US but also abroad. The creators claim that they brew coffee from elite coffee beans, purchasing the latter in El Salvador, Costa Rica, Brazil and Ethiopia. The price is steep, but gourmets praise the brand for the abundance of varieties (both for manual and machine brewing) of varying degrees of roasting. However, there are complaints about the roasting times: in retail outlets, there are beans that were roasted more than 60 days ago. And this is the maximum period for coffee from the elite category.

Starbucks

Let’s say right away: in terms of the quality of the beans in coffee shops and on store shelves – formally different beans. The establishments are supplied with products directly from their own suppliers, which is why there is a larger selection, in supermarkets – by agreement with Nestle and a single blend of each degree of roasting. The beans have a characteristic bitter, burnt taste, which not everyone likes.
There are 3 degrees of roasting: 2 for coffee machines, 1 (the weakest) for regular brewing.

What is good and quality coffee beans?

There is no clear answer to this question: the same variety can delight one buyer and disgust another. However, one should take into account not only personal taste preferences and habits, but also the fact that large global manufacturers carefully monitor the quality of coffee beans at all stages of production and processing. This minimizes the risk of buying a low-quality product.

Tastes

Bitter

Bitter coffee is robusta, very bitter is liberica. The latter is a wild variety with a specific taste and low caffeine content, so it is used only in blends.

Sour

Almost all Arabica beans have some sourness (the higher the coffee grows, the higher the intensity of the sourness). There are 3 types: citrus (may have an orange or lemon flavor); floral (with a grape flavor) and cocoa (bright nutty flavor).

How to store grain properly?

If you leave a pack of beans open, the oils contained in the coffee will begin to oxidize under the influence of oxygen. This has a negative effect on the aroma and taste of the finished drink: the bouquet becomes poorer, the brightness of the taste disappears. If spices or other strong-smelling products are stored near the coffee, their smells will also be added to it. Over time, the beans change structure, become moldy or dry out (depending on the climate in the room) and become unusable. From which we can conclude that the main enemies of coffee are light, moisture, other smells, oxygen.

It is best to store coffee beans in the same packaging in which you purchased them. Factory packaging is made of airtight materials and designed in such a way that the contents are reliably protected from external influences.

If you don’t have a package, a jar will do: fill it with coffee beans 2/3 full (the less air, the better) and close the lid. Glass or ceramic containers are simple and reliable options: they practically do not absorb odors and do not emit hazardous substances. In tin cans, the beans may acquire a metallic taste. Wooden containers look stylish and environmentally friendly, but the beans in them may become moldy. You should not use plastic jars: plastic emits an unpleasant odor.

Conclusion

Choosing coffee is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. It is enough to study the basics – varieties, types of roasting, expiration date and country of origin. Happy shopping!