The Best Coffee Beans, According to Taste Tests

...And they mean knee buckling. This extra-dark roast wowed tasters when prepared in an espresso machine: Each sip boasted an invigorating, bold flavor that will instantly wake you up, similar to a classic Italian espresso that you'd get from a bar in Rome. While some super dark roast coffees can taste burnt, this one maintained its brightness and offered a smooth finish that wasn't too harsh when enjoyed as an espresso without milk. If you prefer milk, however, its full-bodied texture and strong taste can definitely stand up to a little dairy. Don't have an espresso machine? Try this in a Bialetti Moka Pot or French press instead.

RELATED: How to Make Espresso at Home: Our Complete Guide for With and Without a Machine

Though it's called "Vanilla Blend," the flavor of this crowd-favorite medium roast coffee is subtle and suitable for both unflavored and flavored coffee fans. The vanilla notes impart a pleasant sweetness, which plays well with the coffee's nutty, chocolately flavor profile, while a light acidity makes for a deliciously balanced cup. The brand is the brainchild of Emma Chamberlain, a 21 year-old YouTuber, whose youthful, playful spirit is reflected in every cup. If you're looking for an easy-drinking, sweeter option that still packs a caffeine punch, this brew is likely for you.

Even self-proclaimed dark roast skeptics enjoyed this robust brew, citing its pleasant, subtle fruity notes that we didn't find in other dark roast coffees. It's made from a blend of washed and naturally processed coffees, two different processing techniques that bring out different flavors in coffee beans. Washed coffee beans, which are dried after completely removing the "cherry" (the fleshy fruit that encases a coffee bean, which is the fruit's seed), exhibit complex, fermented tasting notes. Naturally processed coffee beans are dried in their cherry and tend to have stronger fruit flavors. Combined into one brew and roasted 'til dark, Hudson is for people looking for a rich cup that still offers up some of the subtleties of a light roast. Dare we say, it's the best of both worlds?

For anyone who prefers coffees with very little to no acidity, this one's for you. It offers a robust, straightforward taste without any strong fruit or fermented flavors and a medium-bodied richness that stands up to the addition of milk. One taster noted, "It makes a killer latte." It leans more toward a nutty, chocolatey profile (rather than a fruity profile) but it's not too sweet and definitely offers a welcome caffeine jolt on the first sip. In other words, it's a delicious cup of coffee on the darker side of a medium roast that tastes the way your favorite coffee shop smells: inviting, comforting and easy to enjoy.

Light roast doesn’t mean light coffee. The roast level is a better indication of flavor, with light roast beans offering a more delicate flavor compared to dark roast beans’ bold taste. Think about it this way: Dark roast coffees are exposed to more heat than light roast, and just like food, they develop deep, toasted flavors. Roasted for a shorter amount of time, light roast coffees will better preserve the original complexity of the bean.

This medium-bodied light roast cup is straight-up easy drinking (it doesn’t even need milk), with one taster noting that it would be great as iced coffee. Try this bag if you prefer to ease into your morning with a sweet, nutty cup of something special. At about $55 for six bags, it’s also a value pick. Go ahead, brew that second (or third) cup!

Treat yourself to this luxurious cup made with beans from El Salvador. The dedicated team at Onyx Coffee Lab worked with local partners over multiple days of picking, processing and tasting to build the ideal blend. Tasters loved the full, roasted flavor and acidity that was present but not overpowering. While it shines as a drip coffee enjoyed on its own, it also stands up to other applications, such as stirred into a vanilla latte with cinnamon, as one taster noted.

"Washed" refers to the coffee's processing: It was fermented underwater for 12-36 hours, during which the outer layer broke down, making the coffee easier to dry. Once the fermentation is complete, the coffee is "washed," where it is agitated to remove the last of the outer fruit layer. Once the washing is complete, the coffee is spread out on tables to dry in the sun.

This bag proves that a high concentration of caffeine is not necessary for a delicious cup of coffee (the decaffeination process only removes about 97% of the caffeine in coffee beans, so a typical cup of decaf still contains about 2 mg of caffeine). Tasters raved about its rich, roasted scent and chocolatey flavor that tasted "stronger" than other decafs they tried. One taster noted, "Its fermented, malted flavor reminds me of a stout beer." Clearly it's not the caffeine that makes for a complex cup.

The women, latinx-owned company was founded by Jen Apodaca, the 2022 Roasters Championship Runner-up and 2019 Cup Tasting Winner at the U.S. Coffee Championships.

While these beans were great prepared both in an espresso machine and a drip coffee maker, they performed exceptionally well when we put them to the French press test. A French press coffee maker involves steeping coarsely ground beans in hot water for a few minutes before pressing on the grounds to extract all of the water, which turns into a strong and luxurious coffee. This brewing method creates a robust flavor and almost creamy mouthfeel that works well with this vanilla-scented, lightly sweet brew.

Named after the San Francisco neighborhood that was home to the brand's first-ever brick-and-mortar location, this is their darkest blend, exhibiting deeply roasted notes with only a hint of acidity.

While you can technically use any type of coffee bean to make cold brew, this bag was specifically designed for the process: "We selected the coffee for its flavor and profiled it in a way so the solubility of the coffee works with cold brewing," says Kaleena Teoh, Co-Founder of Coffee Project New York. Tasters loved the low acidity and ultra-smooth finish of this sweet, chocolatey and slightly fruity cup.

Never made cold brew before? It's easy with a cold brew coffee maker, but you can also prep it without one. Just combine 1 cup of coarsely ground coffee with 4 cups cold water in a covered container, refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, then strain and enjoy. Bonus: Because grounds have to steep for several hours, this is a great make-ahead option for busy mornings.