Coffee Buying Guide

All coffees consist of arabica or robusta beans, or a combination. Arabica beans are more expensive and tend to make better coffee. Coffee can come in different varietals (also called single-origin coffees) or a blend. Single-origin coffees come from the same country, region, farm, or even one part of a farm. Blends are a combination of beans from different countries. Blends are the bestselling type of coffee, but more and more people are sampling varietals from specific regions. 

As with wine grapes, where the beans are grown makes a difference. Altitude, weather, and other conditions affect the flavor of the beans, so beans from different areas have different flavors. For example, in general, Ethiopian coffee is delicate and aromatic, Kenyan is full-bodied and acidic, and Brazilian has nutty, chocolate notes. Colombia and Costa Rica have different growing regions with distinct flavors, but Colombian beans tend to be fruity and citrusy, while Costa Rican beans are known for their bright acidity. However, not every coffee from a particular country will taste the same. You might even find that the same single-origin beans from the same company can taste different from time to time.

Connoisseurs have terms for describing the characteristics of a brew. Generally, subtle flavors and aromas are described as “notes.” Top or base notes are good; off-notes are bad.

Pick Your Roast Level
Roasting is what turns green beans into coffee that’s ready to grind and brew. The process initiates complex chemical reactions that result in browning and create a wide array of flavor compounds.

Coffee shouldn’t be under-roasted, which results in the product having a “raw green bean” character. It should also not be over-roasted, which can make it taste overly bitter, burnt, or lacking in balance and complex flavors.

The type of roast—light, medium, or dark—is often listed on a coffee package, but you may have to experiment before finding the one you prefer. Different companies may characterize their roasts differently. In CR’s tests, we found that the roast level on the package didn’t always match our coffee experts’ assessment of the roast level. 

​​Light roast: Lighter roasts produce light brown beans and are often associated with higher quality because they better preserve the bean’s natural flavors, complexity, and unique characteristics. Light roasts may taste best black. The coffee’s high acidity may not complement dairy well, sometimes dulling the coffee’s brighter notes rather than enhancing them.

Medium roast: As the name suggests, it’s between light and dark roasts. These coffees have medium-brown beans. The flavors can be tricky to generalize, but typically, medium-roast beans have a bright acidity, and the specific varietal aromatics (floral, fruity, vegetable, berry, etc.) of the coffee are still apparent.

Dark roast: The beans in this roast have some oil on the surface, and the color is rich and darker. The characteristics of the coffee are complemented by caramelization notes such as nutty, bread or baked goods, or chocolate, and the acidity has faded somewhat, bringing out a slightly bittersweet aftertaste. Very dark roasts can burn off delicate volatile flavor compounds, leaving more smoky or bitter notes. Darker roasting can also mask defects, allowing for the use of lower-quality beans. That being said, some people may prefer the bold, smoky flavor of a dark roast as opposed to a brighter (more acidic) and fruity flavor profile of light and medium roasts.

Think About How You Take It
Excellent and very good coffees taste good black. Milk and sugar can improve a mediocre coffee, but not even cream is likely to help the lowest-scoring coffees in CR’s ratings. Dark roasts, in particular, often benefit from a splash of cream or milk with some fat, as dairy can soften bitterness and astringency, making the coffee more palatable. The fat and sugar in milk help create a smoother, more balanced cup. But with lighter roasts, the high acidity may not complement dairy as well, sometimes dulling the coffee’s brighter notes rather than enhancing them.

Choose a Good Coffee Maker
The best coffee makers reach 195° to 205° F during brewing, the temperatures required to get the best from the beans and avoid a weak or bitter brew. See CR’s coffee maker buying guide.

Consider Grinding for Fresher Flavor
Ground coffee can be convenient, but the beans start to lose their flavor and aroma when you grind them. Buying whole beans and grinding them right before brewing will lead to a fresher-tasting cup. 

Weigh Your Coffee
It may sound fussy, but it can produce a better, more consistent-tasting cup. The ratio of coffee to water is important. Start with 15 grams—about a heaping tablespoon—of coffee for every 8 ounces of water, and experiment. (Measure both so that once you’ve found a ratio you like, you’ll be able to do it again.) An inexpensive kitchen scale helps.

A variety of factors go into a coffee’s quality, including the type of beans and the conditions they’re grown in, processing (including drying), roasting, grinding the beans, combining the right ratio of water to grounds, water temperature, and brewing method.

A high-quality coffee has a moderate to high aromatic (both aroma and flavor) impact, and a degree of roast anywhere from light to a lower level dark. It should have at least a slight to moderate body, which provides the feeling of fullness in the mouth, none to moderate astringency, and moderate to strong cup strength. It should be smooth with no cereal or grainy aromatics and no inappropriate flavors (woody, cooked, or fermented). (For more on descriptions of flavor attributes, see "Java Jargon," below.) 

The coffee should have top notes from barely perceptible to a high level. Desirable top notes include floral, fruity, nutty, chocolate, caramel, green/sharp, and earthy. These characteristics will vary depending on the specific coffee variety, blend, or roast.

A balanced cup of coffee will have a good proportion of acidity and bitterness. Both are essential flavor components of coffee; without them, you’ll have a boring, flat-tasting cup. Acidity adds brightness, complexity, and a refreshing quality. Too much acidity, however, will give the coffee a sour, harsh flavor. 

There should also be some sweetness. It comes from the complex carbohydrates and sugars present in the bean, which roasting can potentially enhance by adding a rich, caramelized flavor.

When our sensory experts evaluate coffee, they use the descriptive terms below. Knowing the lingo can help you analyze and appreciate your coffee (and impress your coffee-drinking friends).

Astringent: A dry, puckering feel of unripe fruit or over-brewed tea. Astringency produces an unpleasant mouthfeel and can mask some of the coffee’s subtle characteristics. Immature beans, over-roasting, or over-extracting can all increase the probability of a coffee being higher in astringency.

Balanced: An assessment of how all the various aspects of flavor, acidity, bitterness, and body complement each other or contrast. In an unbalanced cup, acidity or bitterness are the primary flavors, and other taste attributes are faded or missing. Unbalanced may also be used to describe coffee that’s lacking in acidity or bitterness, which can make it taste dull and flat.

Body: A feeling of fullness and weight in the mouth. A coffee’s body affects the overall flavor and may deliver a perception of richness.

Burnt: A slight aromatic of charcoal or carbon associated with coffee that has been charred during the roasting process. This is the mildest level of char in a progression that travels from burnt to rubbery to tarry to ashy/smoky, and is often found in dark-roasted coffees.

Caramel: A sweet aromatic reminiscent of heated sugar and often associated with the caramelized sugars of a higher-quality dark-roast coffee. 

Cereal or grainy: Like a cooked wheat cereal. Considered an off-note.

Chocolate: A sweet aromatic reminiscent of bittersweet chocolate and often associated with higher-quality dark-roast coffees.

Complex: The degree to which flavors have multiple layers of sensation.

Cooked: Like coffee that has been heated too long.

Earthy: Hints of aromas and flavors reminiscent of clean, moist garden soil, similar to potato skins or root vegetables. (But dirty is a harsh off-note.)

Fermented: A strong, pungent, aromatic reminiscent of overripe cheese and/or yeast. A fermented note may also sometimes be identified as a “fruity fermented” aromatic, and is reminiscent of overripe fruit. Though still downgraded in quality, this type of fermented tends to be less objectionable than cheesy fermented.

Green: This has two meanings. A green, sharp, or bright coffee is clean and light, with pleasing acidity; sometimes referred to as brightness. A green or under-ripe coffee suggests unripe beans.

Harsh: A heavy, “rough” flavor impression that may include a sharpness in the back of the mouth/throat. It’s the opposite of a “smooth” cup of coffee.

Leather: An aromatic base note associated with a faint leather impression.

Nutty: Like fresh toasted nuts.

Papery: Like damp cardboard.

Woody: Like damp popsicle sticks. A taste characteristic of old coffee.

Decorative glass canisters may look great on your countertop, but they’re not the best way to store coffee. To maintain freshness and flavor, coffee must be kept away from moisture, heat, light, and strong odors. Coffee can pick up strong odors from other foods stored near it. Refrigerating your daily supply of coffee isn’t ideal because moisture will quickly deteriorate its quality. Instead, try these tips.

Purchase Smaller Quantities
Coffee loses its freshness quite quickly after it has been roasted. To preserve its freshness and flavor, buy fresh roasted coffee in amounts that will last one to two weeks.

Keep It Airtight
Invest in an airtight ceramic, glass, or nonreactive metal container. If you do buy coffee in large amounts, divide it between two containers, keeping the larger, unused portion airtight until it is needed. Or divide the coffee into smaller portions (about the amount you’ll use in a week). Wrap tightly in zip-top bags, and freeze them separately. Defrost a packet each week, then transfer it to the airtight container.

Keep It Cool
Store your coffee in a dark, cool location away from the oven. Don’t pick a cabinet on an outside wall if it gets a lot of sun during the day.