One of the most coveted coffees in the world, Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is bold and bright with subtle sweetness and an overpowering aroma. This roast from 1st In Coffee is 100% Jamaican Blue and roasted fresh.
There's a lot of fake Kona coffee out there, but this 100% Kona roast from Koa Coffee is legit. Shade-grown in rich volcanic soil in the near-perfect climate of Hawaii's Big Island, it's a vacation in every cup.
A medium-dark, 80% Robusta espresso blend from Brazil, Africa, and Indonesia, Lavazza's Crema e Gusto is a high-intensity, full-bodied roast designed for discerning Italian palates who prefer their coffee rich and roasted.
One of the most coveted coffees in the world, Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is bold and bright with subtle sweetness and an overpowering aroma. This roast from 1st In Coffee is 100% Jamaican Blue and roasted fresh.
An espresso blend from Indonesia, Latin America and Africa with notes of citrus and dark chocolate, Hair Bender is rich, deep, savory, and complex. And because it's from Stumptown, you know it's fresh.
A bold and spicy 100% organic dark roast from Indonesia, Camano Island Coffee's Varietal Supremo is bold and complex, and its roasted frequently and shipped quickly for a fresh cup every time.
Medium-bodied and complex, 1st In Coffee's Marlboro Hills Espresso blends beans from Central America, South America, and India to produce a tantalizingly rich roast with a hint of spice that's lighter than you'd expect.
There's a lot of fake Kona coffee out there, but this 100% Kona roast from Koa Coffee is legit. Shade-grown in rich volcanic soil in the near-perfect climate of Hawaii's Big Island, it's a vacation in every cup.
An authentic, 100% Kona roast from the volcanic soil of Hawaii's Big Island, Blue Horse 100% Kona is dark and rich with strong chocolate notes and a raw, volcanic flavor that screams Hawaii.
An organic, Fair Trade, shade-grown, non-GMO dark roast from Central America, Mayorga Organics' Cafe Cubano is about as pure as coffee gets. This rich and roasted coffee is excellent all-around but enjoyed best as espresso.
Nitrogen-packed for freshness, Lavazza Super Crema is an 80% Robusta blend from Brazil, Central America, and Indonesia crafted with one goal in mind: a rich espresso with hints of honey and a luscious, velvety crema.
A Brooklyn-based, small-batch roaster, Stone Street's Knee Buckling Espresso is a dark blend from South America, Africa, Indonesia, and India that's rich, roasty, and chocolaty for a full-bodied shot.
A deep dark roast from Indonesia and South America, Kicking Horse's Kick Ass features the spicy, smokiness of its growing regions with a subtly sweet backbone for a balanced profile with surprising depth.
An organic medium roast blend from Africa, Central America, Latin America, and Indonesia, Cliff Hanger is a complex roast with hints dark cocoa balanced with bright berry notes. Enjoy as either a full cup or flavorful shot.
A medium-dark, 80% Robusta espresso blend from Brazil, Africa, and Indonesia, Lavazza's Crema e Gusto is a high-intensity, full-bodied roast designed for discerning Italian palates who prefer their coffee rich and roasted.
A dark, deep Italian roast, Cafe Don Pablo's Classic Italian Espresso is a rich blend of nutty Colombian and spicy Sumatran Mandheling beans. It works best as espresso but can also be savored as a tall, rich cup.
A single-origin, 100% Arabica dark roast from Guatemala, Two Volcanoes Coffee's Espresso Blend sources beans from 3 major growing regions of one of the world's most under-appreciated coffee-growing countries.
If French roasts are your thing, you'll enjoy Koffee Kult's extra dark roast with its heavy body and only a few lighter notes to balance out its deep, earthy Colombian and Brazilian beans.
One of the most coveted coffees in the world, Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is bold and bright with subtle sweetness and an overpowering aroma. This roast from 1st In Coffee is 100% Jamaican Blue and roasted fresh.
An espresso blend from Indonesia, Latin America and Africa with notes of citrus and dark chocolate, Hair Bender is rich, deep, savory, and complex. And because it's from Stumptown, you know it's fresh.
A bold and spicy 100% organic dark roast from Indonesia, Camano Island Coffee's Varietal Supremo is bold and complex, and its roasted frequently and shipped quickly for a fresh cup every time.
Medium-bodied and complex, 1st In Coffee's Marlboro Hills Espresso blends beans from Central America, South America, and India to produce a tantalizingly rich roast with a hint of spice that's lighter than you'd expect.
There's a lot of fake Kona coffee out there, but this 100% Kona roast from Koa Coffee is legit. Shade-grown in rich volcanic soil in the near-perfect climate of Hawaii's Big Island, it's a vacation in every cup.
An authentic, 100% Kona roast from the volcanic soil of Hawaii's Big Island, Blue Horse 100% Kona is dark and rich with strong chocolate notes and a raw, volcanic flavor that screams Hawaii.
An organic, Fair Trade, shade-grown, non-GMO dark roast from Central America, Mayorga Organics' Cafe Cubano is about as pure as coffee gets. This rich and roasted coffee is excellent all-around but enjoyed best as espresso.
Nitrogen-packed for freshness, Lavazza Super Crema is an 80% Robusta blend from Brazil, Central America, and Indonesia crafted with one goal in mind: a rich espresso with hints of honey and a luscious, velvety crema.
A Brooklyn-based, small-batch roaster, Stone Street's Knee Buckling Espresso is a dark blend from South America, Africa, Indonesia, and India that's rich, roasty, and chocolaty for a full-bodied shot.
A deep dark roast from Indonesia and South America, Kicking Horse's Kick Ass features the spicy, smokiness of its growing regions with a subtly sweet backbone for a balanced profile with surprising depth.
An organic medium roast blend from Africa, Central America, Latin America, and Indonesia, Cliff Hanger is a complex roast with hints dark cocoa balanced with bright berry notes. Enjoy as either a full cup or flavorful shot.
A medium-dark, 80% Robusta espresso blend from Brazil, Africa, and Indonesia, Lavazza's Crema e Gusto is a high-intensity, full-bodied roast designed for discerning Italian palates who prefer their coffee rich and roasted.
A dark, deep Italian roast, Cafe Don Pablo's Classic Italian Espresso is a rich blend of nutty Colombian and spicy Sumatran Mandheling beans. It works best as espresso but can also be savored as a tall, rich cup.
A single-origin, 100% Arabica dark roast from Guatemala, Two Volcanoes Coffee's Espresso Blend sources beans from 3 major growing regions of one of the world's most under-appreciated coffee-growing countries.
If French roasts are your thing, you'll enjoy Koffee Kult's extra dark roast with its heavy body and only a few lighter notes to balance out its deep, earthy Colombian and Brazilian beans.
Koffee Kult Thunder Bolt French Roast Features & Specifications
Roast: French
Origin: Colombia, Brazil
Notes: Medium acidity, sweet finish, heavy body
Organic: Yes
Koffee Kult Thunder Bolt French Roast Pros
Koffee Kult Thunder Bolt French Roast Cons
Koffee Kult Thunder Bolt French Roast Features & Specifications
Roast: French
Origin: Colombia, Brazil
Notes: Medium acidity, sweet finish, heavy body
Organic: Yes
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn More About Choosing The Best Espresso Beans
Best Beans for Super-Automatic Espresso Machines
Super-automatic espresso machines are the high-end, do-it-all masters of the espresso world. (These are our favorites.)
While that certainly can be awesome — you don’t need to fumble around half-awake each morning — they do have a significant downside: They should only be used with espresso beans containing fewer oils.
Why?
Super-automatic espresso machines do everything from the grind to the post-extraction cleanse. Unfortunately, beans with high oil content clog up the grinders over time. To make matters worse, you can’t easily disassemble the machines to give the grinder a regular cleaning!
If you’re investing potentially four-figures into your espresso machine, make sure you treat it properly and don’t use oily espresso beans.
From the list above, these are the best non oily espresso beans:
I’m an Amazon Subscribe & Save customer and have a recurring monthly subscription to one or two different roasts at any given time. For eligible products, it’s the best way to save on my daily habit.
What is Amazon Subscribe & Save?
It’s Amazon’s subscription program for many grocery and home goods that you purchase regularly. How does it work?
Step 1: Browse the available items
Step 2: Subscribe to items you want to purchase
Step 3: Set the frequency (e.g. monthly, every 2 months, every 6 months)
Step 4: Set the recurring delivery date, delivery location and payment type
Step 5: Update your subscriptions as you desire
This is what it looks like when you wish to update:
I purchase many of my non-perishable (or high-use) grocery items through Amazon Subscribe & Save.
How much can you save?
By subscribing to a qualifying item you save 5% off the regular price, and if you reach 5 subscription deliveries in a single month you get a whopping 15% off.
You know as well as I do that quality coffee ain’t cheap. My subscription to Death Wish Coffee for one, one-pound bag every month at a $19.99 sale price saves me $35.98 per year.
That’s two free bags of coffee each year at the discounted price!
Not every coffee you find on Amazon will be Subscribe & Save eligible, though.
Additionally, when you search for items on Amazon you can check the left-hand sidebar for a “Subscribe & Save Eligible” checkbox, which will (surprise!) filter the results for Subscribe & Save eligible items.
Look for the “Subscribe & Save Eligible” checkbox when searching for items on Amazon.
Like I said, not all items are eligible for the Subscribe & Save program. If yours isn’t you can still look to purchase on Amazon through Prime for free 2-day shipping, or check out the website for the specific coffee roaster to see if you can find a better deal.
But before we get to the list, I want to answer one of the most common questions I’m asked.
Espresso Beans vs Coffee Beans: What’s the Difference?
We talked about this at the start, but let’s dive in a little deeper.
What’s the difference between espresso beans and coffee beans?
Answer: There is no difference!
There are 2 common misconceptions about espresso beans that I want to dispel.
Misconception #1: Espresso beans have a different roast than coffee beans
Both espresso beans and coffee beans comes from the same plants — Robusta or Arabica — and there’s no change in the roasting process. You may see packaged coffee labeled as “espresso beans” or “espresso roast” but all that means is the beans are a darker roast, which is generally synonymous with darker, stronger, richer espresso. In truth, you can use packaged coffee labeled as “coffee beans” for espresso and “espresso beans” for coffee.
Misconception #2: Espresso beans have a different grind than coffee beans
Another fallacy! While it’s true that a proper espresso is brewed with a fine grind, a fine grind itself isn’t indicative espresso. I use a fine grind with my AeroPress every morning and my resulting coffee definitely isn’t an espresso.
Have you tried any of these roasts? Committed to a coffee that isn’t on this list? Comment below!
Best Espresso Beans
The Coffee Maven's Top Pick
1st In Coffee 100% Jamaica Blue Mountain
One of the most coveted coffees in the world, Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is bold and bright with subtle sweetness and an overpowering aroma. This roast from 1st In Coffee is 100% Jamaican Blue and roasted fresh.
I'm Bryan but most people know me as The Coffee Maven. I grew up outside Boston, Massachusetts and received my Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from Providence College. My first introduction to coffee was during my college days, when I used it as a source of caffeine to fuel late-night study sessions, but soon I became obsessed with the chemistry of coffee. How did changes to water temperature or contact time affect its taste? Why do beans from Africa taste fruity while beans from Indonesia taste spicy? I launched The Coffee Maven in February 2017 to explore these questions and help others brew their perfect cup. Welcome to my site, and thanks for reading!
