The Eight Best Coffee Beans in the World

I love a good cup of coffee, and over time I’ve learned to notice how the different types of coffee beans impact my coffee’s flavor. With this new aspect of enjoying coffee, I wanted to look up the best coffee beans in the world so that I could try them all.

So what are the top eight best coffee beans in the world for 2022? These include Hawaiian Kona coffee beans, Tanzanian Peaberry beans, Jamaican Blue Mountain beans, and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe beans, as well as Kenyan AA, Indonesian Sumatra Mandheling, Guatemalan Antigua, and Mocha Java coffee beans.

Each of these coffees brings a unique set of flavors to the table, so there is much debate as to which one is the “best.”

Eight of the Best Coffee Beans in the World in 2022

1. Hawaiian Kona. Hawaiian Kona coffee beans are widely recognized as some of the best in the world. They’re grown on the Big Island of Hawaii on the volcanic slopes of Mauna Loa and Hualalai. The climate is perfect for coffee trees, and the rich volcanic soil gives the coffee a unique flavor. Kona coffee is famous for its rich taste and smooth, mellow flavor.
2. Tanzanian Peaberry. Tanzanian Peaberry coffee beans are grown on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. The coffee trees produce a small, round bean that is said to have a higher concentration of flavors. These beans are picked by hand, and they’re known for their fruity, chocolatey flavor.
3. Jamaican Blue Mountain. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans are, as their name implies, grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. The coffee trees are grown at high altitudes, and their beans are known for their smooth, complex taste.
4. Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans are grown in the mountains of Ethiopia, and they’re wet-processed, which means the coffee beans are soaked in water before they’re dried. These coffee beans are known for their floral aroma and fruity flavor, and some even describe them as spicy.
5. Kenyan AA. Kenyan AA coffee beans are grown on the slopes of Kenyan mountains at elevations higher than 2,000 feet. These beans are some of the biggest that Kenya produces, and they have a full, rich, and bright taste that many say is the brightest in the world.
6. Indonesian Sumatra Mandheling. Indonesian Sumatra Mandheling coffee beans are grown on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The coffee these beans produce is low in acidity and is known for being smooth, earthy, and even chocolaty.
7. Guatemalan Antigua. Guatemalan Antigua coffee beans are grown in the Antigua Valley of Guatemala. They’re known for having deeper flavors than many other Central and South American coffees and are one of the most popular types of coffee beans.
8. Mocha Java. Mocha Java coffee beans are a blend of coffee beans from the Indonesian island of Java and the Yemeni city of Mocha. These beans are known for their chocolatey, rich, and complex flavor.

How to Enjoy These Coffee Beans

Many of the best coffee beans in the world cost more than your average cup of joe, so when you do decide to try them, you’ll want to prepare and enjoy them properly.

Coffee is best when it’s fresh, so try to buy small bags that you’ll use quickly. Whole beans stay freshest longest, and if you can, grind them just before brewing for the richest flavors.

Coffee is great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and like wine, different types of coffee pair best with certain types of foods.

For example, Indonesian, Guatemalan, and Ethiopian coffees are great with chocolate desserts, Kona, Java, and Sumatran coffees do well with savory foods, and Kenyan and Jamaican coffees pair beautifully with berries. You can’t go wrong with pairing any of them with baked goods or sweet treats, however.

Try your coffee black to experience as many flavors as possible, but if you prefer cream and sugar, by all means, add them.

Coffee is a complex drink, and there are endless ways to enjoy it. Experiment and find your favorite way to drink coffee, and if you have the chance to travel to the regions where the beans are grown and harvested, ask the locals how they prepare it. You may find a new favorite way to drink coffee that you never would have thought of otherwise.

The Difference Between Light, Medium, and Dark Roasts

When you go to buy any of these eight types of coffee beans, you’ll likely see that you have several roast options to choose from for each one. Here’s a quick guide to the three most common roasts and what they mean for your cup of coffee.

1. Light Roast. Lightly roasted beans are dry, light brown, and have a slightly toasty flavor. They’re also called blonde roast or New England roast. These beans have the most caffeine, so if you’re looking for a more lightly flavored cup of coffee that still packs a punch, this is the roast for you.
2. Medium Roast. Medium-roasted beans are dark brown and have a fuller body than light roast, with more complex flavors. These beans are also called American roast, breakfast roast, or city roast. These beans have less caffeine than light roast beans but more than dark roast beans.
3. Dark Roast. Darkly roasted beans are shiny and black, with a full, deep taste and sometimes even smoky or bitter notes. These beans are also called French roast, Italian roast, Spanish roast, or continental roast.

Each roast brings out different flavors of the coffee beans, so consider trying multiple roasts or looking up the one that experts recommend for the particular variety of beans that you’re purchasing.

If you know which one you typically prefer though, go with that one. You can always experiment with other roasts later.

Popular Coffee Brewing Methods

There are many ways to make coffee, but some methods are better suited for certain types of beans than others.

For example, lighter roasts do best with pour-over brewing, while darker roasts work better with espresso.

Here are some other popular brewing methods and which coffees they work best with:

• Pour-Over. Pour-over brewing is a simple method that allows you to control every aspect of the brewing process since you pour the hot water over the coffee grounds by hand. This method is great for light and medium roast coffees.
• Espresso. Espresso is a concentrated form of coffee that’s made by forcing hot water through finely-ground beans. It has a strong flavor and is great for dark roast coffees. Just note that you need to get beans that are specially processed for espresso, especially if you’re buying them already ground.
• French Press. The French press is a popular brewing method that’s similar to pour-over, but with a few key differences such as a longer brewing time and a coarser grind. This method works well with all types of beans, but it’s especially good for medium roast coffees.
• Drip Coffee Maker. Drip coffee makers are the most common type of coffee maker, and they’re great for any type of coffee.

There are many other brewing methods out there, but these are some of the most popular ones. If you’re not sure which one to use, just ask your local barista or look up the recommended brewing method for the beans that you’re using.

How to Store Coffee Beans

Once you’ve roasted and ground your beans, it’s important to store them properly to keep them fresh.

The best way to store coffee beans is in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also store them in the fridge or freezer, but this is only recommended for short-term storage as it can cause the beans to dry out.

When you’re ready to use your beans, just take them out of the fridge or freezer and let them come to room temperature before grinding and brewing.

Where do I get these coffee beans? There are many places where you can get coffee beans, but the best place to get them is from a local roaster. Local roasters have access to the freshest beans and they typically roast their beans to order. If you don’t have a local roaster, you can also order beans online. Just make sure to order from a reputable source so you know you’re getting fresh, high-quality beans.

What is a coffee blend? A coffee blend is a mixture of two or more different types of coffee beans. While some blends like Mocha Java coffee are world-renowned, others are just used to dilute the high-quality beans. While these can still make delicious (and affordable) cups of coffee, look for single-origin coffees if you want to experience the true flavor of a particular coffee bean.

What is decaf coffee? Decaf coffee is coffee that has had most of the caffeine removed. While there are many ways to remove caffeine, the most common method is to use water and chemicals. This process can sometimes strip away some of the coffee’s flavor, so if you’re wanting to experience the true flavor of a coffee, it’s important to find a decaf coffee that has been processed using the Swiss water method. This method uses only water to remove the caffeine, so it doesn’t have any negative effect on the coffee’s flavor.