What are the Best Whole Bean Coffee in the World? There are no two people with the same coffee preference, just as there are different choices when it comes to good coffee beans. We like to think that coffee beans have personalities as the person brewing them.
We first have to understand the basics of whole-bean coffee before choosing it. These characteristics point you to the quality of the roasted product available.
Types of coffee beans
There are many types of coffee beans in the world but, Arabica and Robusta are the primaries. What’s the difference between them? Let’s decode them.
Arabica beans
They are my favourite type of coffee beans. Often grown at high altitudes are thus sweeter and better in quality. Their growth areas give them better flavour than their counterparts. They also have higher acidity which infused produce a rich and expensive product.
Robusta beans
They are bitter and more caffeinated than Arabica. They are usually blended to produce a more tolerable experience. They fetch much lower prices but are still preferred for their yield and agility. They produce quickly and yield many crops per tree.
Single-origin versus blends
One or the other is the ultimate question. Personal taste varies from one region to the other.
Single-origin means that type of coffee comes from a specific region, and Undergo a single processing method. Blends, therefore, are just different beans combined. Together they produce the desired taste or boost one another.
Fair Trade Coffee
Coffee is termed to be fair trade having been produced to certain fair-trade standards during planting, buying, processing, and consuming. These partnerships ensure fairness, transparency, and sustainable development for coffee farmers across the world.
This practice in turn helps improve the livelihoods of farmers across villages and towns. Thus consumers can choose even how to buy products.
The Best Whole Bean Coffee in the World
1. Kenya AA coffee beans
Kenyan Arabica coffee is among the best in the world. Grown at high altitudes and in rich volcanic soils, it is said to be acidic. It offers an array of aromatic and acidic coffees. The taste profile is fruity and winey. They are known for their juiciness and crispiness brought about by their growth areas.
Production is mainly by small-scale farmers but the emphasis is put on quality. A reward for quality coffee is put in place by the government as an incentive.
Kenya has a grading system that ensures the labelling of coffee beans is systematic from the largest to the smallest. Type ‘AA’ is the largest. Thus, make no mistake when sourcing Kenyan coffee beans.
2. Yirgacheffe beans from Ethiopia
Yirgacheffe is legendary. It is legendary since the first Arabica coffee plant was discovered there. Wild coffee trees are widely the main source of coffee. This makes Ethiopia a leading producer of coffee.
This coffee is wet-processed. They come from a complex mix of regions- Harrar, Sidamo, Kaffa- and species. Ethiopian coffee is not very acidic, giving it a mild, fruity, and pleasant taste. Generally, Ethiopian coffees are best as pour-over or drip as they are floral and tea-like.
3. Jamaican blue mountain coffee beans
Jamaican beans are an intimate affair. Grown at over 5500 ft just below the Blue Mountains, the production of coffee in Jamaica is relatively contained in a small section.
Blue mountain coffee rich history goes way back to late 1800. The real heroes are the farmers around that region. The coffee here is carefully planted and natural. Devotion to harvesting ensures that only the best get past the market as the farmers themselves handpick each bean.
No matter how small the yield is, each local farmer is included in the value chain. The small yield per year makes it the most sought-after coffee bean in the world. Almost all of the produce goes to Japan.
Volcanic soils result in a sweet-tasting and medium-acidic cup of coffee. The quality of these coffee beans will set you back a penny. Being rare also means they are expensive. There will be brands that will carry the blue mountain coffee name, be careful when purchasing them. Are they worth the talk? They ask. The real question is: Aren’t they?
4. Hawaii Kona coffee beans
It’s premium or gourmet coffee: The best that is grown in America. Kona is a district in Hawaii that has the perfect climate mix and soils for growing high-quality coffee.
Why are Kona beans expensive? The support system that drives production ensures that farmers are highly compensated to produce high-quality Kona coffee.
Kona coffee is sun-dried and custom roasted to produce top grades (in descending order) that include Extra Fancy, Fancy, No.1, and Prime.
Do not be duped into buying blends. The real deal is expensive but worth your while. Blends contain 10% or less Kona beans or are mixed with lower grades from elsewhere. The beans are a medium body, smooth taste, and low acidity.
5. Peaberry beans from Tanzania
Although Peaberry coffee beans are grown around the world, Tanzania and Peaberry beans are inevitably linked. This is because of their fruitiness, acidity, and medium body, thus their popularity.
What is Peaberry? It is a coffee cherry made up of one seed fertilized resulting in a single round seed. Usually, coffee cherries contain two seeds.
Peaberry is considered to be premium. The single bean contains better flavour and the round shape ensures a more even roast.
6. Life boost beans
Life boost beans are like no other beans in the world. Nutrition expert Dr Charles Livingston goes above and beyond to source and process beans that are low in toxins. They boast of beans that are free of modern growing contamination like pesticides.
Life boost beans, are they worth their name? They come from a single origin (Nicaragua- slopes of Mt. Kilambe). They are certified organic meaning that no pesticide, non-organic fertilizers, or agrochemicals have been used to farm coffee.
Beans are handpicked. This is a method where beans are carefully processed precisely without the use of machines. Lifeboost beans are full-bodied, fruity-flavoured, and have an inviting rich aroma.
They assure cash refunds if the coffee is not worth the hype. For coffee lovers, you will love Lifeboost light, medium, dark or decaffeinated varieties.
7. Sumatra Mandheling from Indonesia
Sumatra is an island in Indonesia with the perfect climate for Arabica coffee beans. Indonesia is the third-largest producer of coffee. Coffee from this area is low acidity, full body with an earthy flavour. Coffee can vary in taste as there are three main varieties from Sumatra namely; Lintong, Gayo, and Mandheling.
Mandheling is considered to be the best coffee in Sumatra. The processing method is what gives these beans their flavour. This processing method is called wet hulling.
8. Eight o’clock
This is an American company with a rich history and tradition of brewing high-quality coffee. At eight o’clock the original comes as a medium roast but with roasting done after in order to retain the freshness for longer.
Eight o’clock has a blend of earthy and fruity with a bright pleasing sourness. It also comes at an unbeatable cost per lb, making it one very preferred coffee bean.
Eight o’clock is best used for pour-over brewing
9. Papua New Guinea Peaberry beans
Papua New Guinea is an island in the pacific north of Australia. It has rich volcanic soils, thus coffee thrives on the fertile soils.
Coffee found in Papua New Guinea is Arabica, Peaberry. Peaberry coffee often tastes better because they are roasted evenly and often hand-sorted making the quality of the beans better.
It is a bright coffee with floral notes and sweetness. It ends with a slight cocoa note. They are wonderful for the French press
10. Rwandan coffee beans
Coffee is handpicked and sun-dried to 11% moisture content. Rwandan coffee is labour-intensive to ensure that only the best is sorted. Drip is the best brewing method to get the best taste and aromas.
Conclusion
The best coffee is simply a combination of good beans and mastered process of brewing. We have included in the list above the best you can buy and also the best roast methods, and the best roast machine suitable for the type of beans. By now you have made up your mind on which should be your best coffee beans. Order them and savour in the fresh aroma. You will not regret any of the above beans.
References
- National Coffee Association USA. Retrieved 2020-06-10
- “Fairtrade International (FLO): Fairtrade International”. www.fairtrade.net. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
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