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Coffee is more than just a hot beverage. It is a way of life, a culture, a staple of modern-day living. Coffee can revive us, regenerate us and give us the energy to start the day.
Coffee has become an integral part of our daily lives, and we drink it every morning…and afternoon…or sometimes early evening.
But it is not as often that we think about where our favorite coffee comes from.
We often enjoy sitting in our best-loved coffee houses and take a sip of a glorious freshly roasted coffee from a good cup.
We look around, see the many different varieties of coffee; the latte, the cappuccino, the lungo, the macchiato, the list is endless.
There are so many to choose from.
There are arabica, robusta beans, 100% pure, blended, dark roast coffees, light roast, medium roast and so many more.
Your head can swirl just thinking about choosing coffee beans.
How do we know what kind of whole bean coffee we like? What does Robusta mean? What are Arabica beans? Where are the best coffee beans from? Where does bean coffee come from?
Luckily, we are here to answer all of your burning, or shall we say beaning questions.
The Best Coffee Beans In The World
Coffee Buying Guide
Types of coffee beans
The main types of normal coffee are arabica and robusta beans. Arabica coffee is one of the most popular and widely distributed coffee beans across the globe.
Arabica actually accounts for between 60-70% of the coffee produced across the world.
It has a more delicate, sweeter flavor and an espresso roast that is generally less acidic than others.
This may be why it’s one of the consumer’s favorite types of coffee. These beans are typically farmed from areas where rain is plentiful. They give a soft, sensitive flavor that is generally enjoyed by all.
Arabica coffee plants are generally quite sensitive to their environment and can be prone to disease. In this way, they can take much more care and attention to grow and therefore can be more expensive than other coffee varieties.
Robusta beans, on the other hand, are a lot more bitter in flavor.
This coffee bean lives up to its name with its robust, strong, and harsh taste profile that can be a little more powerful for some coffee drinkers. Because of their bitter, burnt taste, robusta beans are not as popular in coffee houses as it can turn off drinkers.
Robusta beans are, however, far easier to grow and have higher levels of caffeine.
Robusta beans are produced in Africa, the Middle East, and even some parts of Europe. They are robusta by name and robust by nature and are much hardier than Arabica beans.
However, these beans do require a hotter climate in order to thrive.
What is the difference between blend and roast?
When you walk down the coffee aisle in your local grocery store or look in your favorite coffee shop, it is overwhelming how many different types of beans, blends, and espresso roasts there are.
It can be difficult to understand what it all means.
A normal coffee blend is when a coffee roaster mixes several single-origin coffees together, or even sometimes the same-origin coffees together to create a complex flavor profile.
Coffee blends can also be a mixture of different beans for more variety in their taste. On the other hand, you will know if coffee is pure or premium with a 100% blend.
You may also be confused by the varying ‘roasts’ to choose from.
You may be thinking: How do I know whether I like a dark or medium roast coffee?
We feel you.
The term espresso roast literally describes the degree to which the beans are roasted.
For instance, beans when they are raw often do not have as much taste to them. Once they are roasted, they begin to reflect the aromatic, flavorful taste that we all love.
As beans become roasted, their color will change from light to dark. When they absorb more heat and are roasted in the coffee roaster for longer, they will turn darker.
This is a way of gauging how roasted you prefer your coffee beans.
How do I tell which roast I like?
With so many varying levels of coffee roasting, we have a little guide to help you decide which ones are best for your coffee palate.
Lightly roasted beans are typically light brown in color and have little to no oil on the surface of the bean. Light-medium roast coffee beans are generally light-bodied but have a lot of caffeine within the bean.
Medium espresso roasts are the most popular roasted coffee.
Everyone loves a happy medium. These types of coffee beans are quite brown in color and have more body and balance than light roasts.
They also have no oil on their surface but do offer more flavor, aroma, and some acidity, unlike the light espresso roast.
Dark roast coffees have a more distinctive flavor and can become more powerful and strong.
They have a rich, dark color and develop some oils on the surface of the beans. Some dark roast coffees may even look black in color. This type of coffee bean may have a bitter or burnt taste, with less caffeine than lighter roasted beans.
These are best used in espresso blends for their powerful flavor.
Picking a type of espresso roast truly depends on your personal preference, and whether you use an espresso machine, French press, or another type of coffee maker.
Most people will opt for a medium roast coffee first, and see whether they would prefer lighter-bodied or fuller-bodied dark roast coffees afterward.
This free cheat sheet will improve your coffee brew by providing quick information on brew ratio, grind size, optimal brewing time, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does coffee come from?
Coffee comes from a genus of plants or bushes known as Coffea. The small berries that are harvested from this plant are good coffee beans. These are called cherries, which make coffee technically a stone fruit!
The whole bean coffee that we typically brew is actually roasted seeds from the coffee cherry.
The most popular coffee plants come from a region called The Coffee Belt which encompasses many of the best coffee growing regions near the equator. The Coffee Belt shares a tropical climate that offers prime conditions for the growth of whole-bean coffee.
Different types grow at different elevations, and soils and are harvested in a variety of ways.
This is why there are so many unique types of whole-bean coffee, flavored coffee, and roasts.
Coffee beans can come from various sources and countries. Our favorites come from Ethiopia, Columbia, Hawaii, Panama Geisha Coffee, Kenya, and even Canada.
Tasting a diverse variety of the best whole-bean coffee can help expand your palette and refine your preferred flavors.
We would recommend trying many different dark roast coffee from all over the world, to distinguish your favorite blend!
If you have ever wondered about the origin of coffee, which country it came from, or who pioneered the latte, then check out our Guide To The History of Coffee post.
It may surprise you to discover the origins of your most beloved beverage!
How to find the best coffee beans?
Here at Portafilter, we run exclusively off dark roast coffee. Words cannot espresso how much we love coffee. We are passionate about coffee and have tried some of the finest whole-bean coffee and blends available.
To help you finetune your coffee taste, we have created a list of the 10 best coffee beans in the world and a little overview of what makes them so special.
You really are going to wonder where these coffees have been all of your life!
If you are a coffee connoisseur looking for your next perfect blend, then this guide is for you. So let’s find a whole bean coffee that you can espresso your love.
With this list, we have included a multitude of different origins, roasts, and types of normal coffee to help you discover the best espresso beans that the world has to offer.
Finding the best coffee can lead to a heated and strong debate, so luckily we have compiled a list of 10 very different whole-bean coffee with varying qualities, that will set your soul on fire.
What is the smoothest coffee?
There are thousands upon thousands of choices when it comes to coffee, and it is hard to tell which ones are best.
Generally speaking, most people prefer a smooth coffee flavor that will leave you feeling regenerated and refreshed.
For unrivaled flavor, premium beans, and the smoothest blend, try Koa’s 100% Kona Peaberry medium roast coffee.
Which country has the best coffee beans?
Colombia is widely considered to be the country with the highest quality beans. By itself, Colombia supplies 15% of the world’s coffee.
It is generally believed that the best conditions for growing the optimal coffee bean are in an established growing climate like that of Central America.
Colombian coffee beans are often grown with a lot of care as Colombians treat their coffee with a sense of pride.
Colombian coffee often has a mild and balanced taste, with a hint of acidity. This has led it to become one of the most popular types of coffee for home and commercial use!
Which is better whole bean or ground coffee?
As with many things, this depends on your personal preference and preferred taste profile.
On one hand, whole beans are fresher, more flavored coffee, and produce a high-quality taste in a beautifully crafted coffee.
Ground beans are obviously coffee beans that have been grounded, and so they may have lost some aroma and flavor in the process. However, ground coffee is far more convenient and can be used instantly.
You may prefer pre-ground coffee as it will save you some time, and if you are anything like us in the morning, then time is key.
You may not want to stand around and start grinding up coffee for your French press as soon as you wake up, just so you can have a nice brew, so pre-ground coffee is the way to go.
On the other hand, coffee beans are packed full of divine, distinguished, and beautiful flavor.
You will have to grind the beans before you even think about the brewing method, and will have to grind them evenly for a good cup of coffee.
Without grinding, you will not be able to extract a strong flavor from them, and will not get that glorious coffee taste that you want.
It kind of all depends on whether you are comfortable with sacrificing a little flavor to save yourself some time or prefer to be a coffee connoisseur in the morning.
What coffee beans does Starbucks use?
Starbucks uses high-quality 100% Arabica beans and burns the beans to create a fuller, more powerful ‘coffee’ flavor that we love to wake us up in the morning – or in our case, all day.
Many people believe that Starbucks coffee is rather bitter, despite being made of the finest Arabica coffee.
This is because Starbucks roasts their coffee at a higher temperature due to demand, and will therefore create a darker, stronger, and more bitter or burnt roast.
There are two types of coffee beans; arabica and robusta beans.
Arabica beans are the most commonly consumed coffee beans around the world. These are considered high-quality coffee bean that is used by many coffee chains and companies for their distinguished taste.
Robusta beans are also sometimes utilized by coffee giants because they have a more bitter flavor, which makes them great for brewing espresso with their dark roast taste.
The bitter flavor we love in commercial coffee is because the beans are burned. This is where the strong, bitter flavor comes from in Starbucks coffee.
Which country is famous for coffee?
Although Italy does not harvest its own coffee, it has become one of the most famous countries synonymous with coffee and Italian coffee makers.
With terms like latte, cappuccino, espresso, lungo, and many others borrowed from the Italian language, we all know how much coffee is integrated into the Italian culture and has become associated with coffee.
Which country produces the most coffee?
The top ten countries best known for producing coffee are Brazil (in the number one spot), Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Honduras, India, Uganda, Mexico, and Guatemala.
Brazil is the number one producer of coffee, and this has actually played a vital role in the economy and the development of the country.
Which types of coffee beans are fairtrade?
Fairtrade coffee beans are coffee that has been certified by the trading standards of Fairtrade.
They are produced through partnerships between the pickers, growers, and distributors of coffee to ensure that there is respect, equity, and properly paid workers.
Fairtrade coffees also often support sustainable production, are environmentally conscious, and will be certified with the Fairtrade logo to give consumers the assurance that their coffee beans are made ethically and responsibly.
This free cheat sheet will improve your coffee brew by providing quick information on brew ratio, grind size, optimal brewing time, and more.
