An old debate “Espresso vs coffee.” This title reminds me of those old sci-fi movies…
Sasha Pavlovich is a coffee expert with years of experience as a barista, and she knows quite a bit about caffeine and coffee. She manually curates every single page on CaffeineStats.com to make sure that you are getting the right information at your fingertips.
Sasha's expertise is backed by a strong foundation of credentials. She is a certified Coffee Roast Master, specializes in Green Coffee Analytics, and is a certified Sensory Cup Taster.
It seems not so long ago that the only people who had an espresso machine at home were celebrities or others with that fabulous lifestyle. Luckily, you can now find espresso machines priced low enough that even us regular people can have them. You’ll also find a slew of espresso coffee beans to choose from.
Brewing the best espresso coffee at home can be satisfying and a boost to the pocketbook. But no matter how good your espresso machine is, if you start with bad beans, you’re going to have bad coffee. This article aims to help you find the best espresso beans to bring out your inner barista.
For me, there are very few things more enjoyable than sipping on a warm latte. But it can get expensive running to the coffee shop every day. Espresso machines designed for home use were a godsend. But even the best machine can’t make good coffee if the beans are bad. Here are ten of the best coffee beans for espresso that you might want to try at home.
You may wonder if there is any difference between regular coffee beans and espresso beans. The answer is yes… and no.
An espresso bean is a coffee bean. The roaster or seller determines what they will can an espresso bean. This is based on what performs best in an espresso machine. But, many coffees do well as espresso even if not designated as such. Many of the coffees on this list do not have the espresso beans label.
Remember, the word espresso refers to the method of brewing: high pressure, high heat, short time. This fun video explains some key aspects of espresso.
To make espresso, you need between seven and ten atmospheres of pressure. You can only get that from an espresso machine.
Can you use espresso beans with other methods of brewing coffee? Absolutely! Just remember that different methods can produce a radically different drink in the cup. Some beans that are amazing in an espresso machine might be terrible if used in a drip or pour-over coffee maker. Just as some beans that make a delightful morning drip coffee might make a horrible espresso.
If you’re looking at pre-ground coffee, there is a huge difference between espresso grind and regular grind. To make espresso, you need the beans finely ground, almost to a powder. You then place the grind in a portafilter and tamp it to make a tightly packed puck.
Remember that you make espresso using pressure to push the water through. The brewing process takes about 20 to 30 seconds. The fine grind is what allows the full flavor to be extracted in such a short period of time.
If you try to use espresso grind in a drip maker, you’ll likely end up with the basket overflowing. The grind packs down and doesn’t let the water through. You’re left with a giant mess.
If you do manage to get some liquid through the grinds, it will be over-extracted. The resulting sludge will be overwhelmingly bitter and have a dull, lifeless taste.
In general, the best coffee beans for espresso will be a darker roast. Making espresso is an unforgiving process, and a darker roast can give more lenience than a lighter roast. But be careful of too dark. You don’t want charred beans. That can make the coffee taste bitter.
Roasting brings out the oils in coffee. These oils are part of what creates the flavor and aroma. But you don’t want the beans too oily. Excess oil can clog your espresso machine, especially if you have a fancy, fully automatic machine.
Another reason why darker roasts make the best espresso coffee has to do Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). These solids determine the coffee’s strength. The more solids, the stronger the coffee. The presence of more solids is also what gives the coffee a fuller body.
One variable that determines the percent of these dissolved solids is the length of extraction. The longer the water has contact with the coffee, the more solids will be extracted. Espresso takes less than 30 seconds to brew. That is not a lot of time to extract the dissolved solids.
The roasting process breaks down the structure of the coffee bean. That means that when coffee beans are roasted longer, then the dissolved solids are extracted much easier. Hence, a darker roast allows you to extract enough of the solids in 20 to 30 seconds.
Freshness always matters with coffee.
Scientific research shows why fresh espresso grounds make better coffee. It has to do with carbon dioxide that is created during the roasting process. Coffee beans slowly release carbon dioxide. Whole beans may keep their freshness anywhere from a few weeks to months. That’s why you want coffee as close to the roasting process.
It’s important to brew your coffee immediately after grinding. When you grind the beans, the outgassing process accelerates. Ground coffee only maintains its freshness from a few minutes to two months.
For convenience or necessity, you might need to buy pre-ground coffee. If so, just be sure to use it right away.
If you know you won’t use a whole bag of ground coffee before it goes stale, you can vacuum seal smaller portions and store them in the freezer. Be sure to bring the grind to room temperature before using it. With this method, you can lengthen the time that your coffee will taste fresh.
In almost every case, you want to buy whole beans and grind them right before brewing.
That’s because grinding the beans releases their natural compounds, and the coffee goes stale quickly. Therefore, whole bean coffee that you grind at home is the obvious choice.
But there are times when it’s better to buy pre-ground. It’s important to have your coffee evenly ground. That’s even more important with espresso, which is not forgiving at all. If you don’t want to invest in a high-quality grinder, you might be better off buying pre-ground espresso.
Whatever you buy, just be sure to keep an air-tight, moisture-proof seal to preserve the freshness. If you don’t drink a lot of coffee, you might not drink it all before it goes stale. To preserve freshness, you can freeze small quantities in airtight seals in the freezer. Just be sure to bring them to room temperature before brewing.
Both single-origin coffee and blends can yield a satisfying cup of coffee. So, which is better?
In single-origin coffee beans, there’s nowhere to hide. Any flaw in flavor will be glaring. A blend can hide a cheap coffee. Many mass-market coffees will do this to keep cost down.
But some coffees are meant to shine on their own. Just like with fine wines, you can appreciate the subtleties of a single-origin coffee. They are often a lighter roast to highlight the original flavor.
At the same time, blends can be an excellent way to go. The total may be more than the sum of its parts. By combining beans from different regions, you can build complex flavor profiles. An Indonesian can give an earthy base while an African bean can lend a bright fruitiness. With blends, it’s all about balance.
The brewing method may also affect your choice. Espresso is an un-forgiving method. Many espresso coffees use a blend to ensure a satisfying coffee in your cup.
Arabica and robusta coffee plants are completely different. Besides tasting different, they have different chemical makeups and growing needs.
For our discussion, taste is the more important difference. In general, robusta beans will be much more bitter and flatter in taste. They have more caffeine but are also higher in chlorogenic acid. That’s where the bitterness comes from. Arabica coffee also has about twice the amount of natural sugars than robusta.
Having said that, some high-end roasters and starting to work with robusta beans. They’re looking for ways to coax a more pleasant, even enjoyable, flavor from these outcasts.
Specialty coffee is almost exclusively arabica beans. But the taste comes at a price.
Arabica coffee is more labor-intensive and expensive to grow. It does best at elevation. Often, the slope means that you have to harvest the cherries by hand. Labor cost adds up. Robusta beans will grow in the flat lowlands, making it easier to harvest by machine.
When it comes to roasts, you’ll find three basic levels: light, medium, and dark. Some would add a fourth level, medium-dark. Each bean may have a particular roast that will bring it to its full potential. Some roast levels do best with particular brewing methods.
As you would expect, light roasts are lighter in color. For these, the original flavor of the coffee is prominent. You may hear these referred to as a light city, half city. These tend to have a brighter flavor with more acidity. They also have more caffeine than darker roasts.
Medium roast coffee is the most common in the U.S. It balances flavor, aroma, and acidity. Roasters may call this city, American, or breakfast. With medium-dark or full city, oils will start to break the surface of the bean.
With a dark roast coffee, the bean may shine with surface oils. These have a bold flavor and might border on bitter. Dark roasts have a lot of names, with the darkest roasts often called French or Italian. Many coffees labeled as espresso are dark roasts, but you’ll find medium roasts also used for making espresso.
We hope this helps you find the best coffee for espresso available. While you can’t go wrong with any of the coffees on this list, our top recommendation is Lifeboost Coffee’s Espresso Beans.
We’re a big fan of sustainably sourced, organic coffee. Also, Lifeboost subjects its beans to rigorous testing. Because of that, you can trust that you aren’t getting any harmful chemicals in your morning wake-up call.
Lifeboost’s espresso is a little darker roast than some of the other beans on this list. Personally, I like lattes. This dark roast is bold enough to hold its taste even with a lot of milk. So, crank up the espresso machine and let the pressure build.
Espresso is a concentrated coffee that you brew under pressure. Because it needs a lot of pressure, you can only make it with an espresso machine.
You only get 20 to 30 seconds to extract the full flavor from espresso, so it needs a very fine grind. You tamp the grinds to make a puck. The pressure is what forces the hot water through the tightly packed grounds.
Yes. After all, espresso beans are coffee beans. But not all coffees will make a tasty shot of espresso. In general, you want a coffee that will give bold flavor with a full body. Roasters label beans as espresso because they are the best coffee beans for espresso.
Crema is that light layer that sits on top of a freshly pulled espresso. The best espresso beans deliver a crema if the shot was pulled correctly. When you see crema, you know that carbon dioxide and oils were still present in the coffee beans.
Not. Because there is so little time for extraction, espresso has the least amount of caffeine per serving. Also, darker roasts have less caffeine than lighter roasts. But, because it’s concentrated, it’s common to drink two servings of espresso when you would have only had a single serving of drip coffee.
Omni roast is a relatively new philosophy that there is an ideal roast profile for each bean. Once you roast the bean perfectly, then it will work well in all brewing methods. This means that you could use even a light roast for espresso. But we’ll stand with the traditional idea and recommend darker roasts for our espresso.
