Health and Wellness

Evaluating the Types of Coffee Beans You Can Buy – What Makes a Good Coffee Bean?

Figuring out what makes a good coffee bean is no easy feat. Even though commercially only two basic types of coffee beans are available, there are many other considerations to keep track of as well.

Some of these have to do with the way in which the coffee is grown, while others are about the use of ground versus whole beans. The taste, the nutrient content, the absorption of the coffee and a number of other important details will all change depending on which choices you make regarding the coffee beans you buy.

The Two Main Types of Coffee Beans

When talking about commercially available coffee beans, there are only two varieties you can truly get: Robusta and Arabica. Understanding the differences and similarities between these coffee beans will help you make a more informed choice about what you buy.

Arabica is typically known to be a higher grade bean, however, its taste and level of quality will depend on how it is grown and ground. Robusta also has its own unique qualities, for instance, having a greater content of caffeine (2.7% compared to 1.5% for Arabica), containing a greater concentration of the antioxidant CGA and being more robust as a plant.

When it comes to the taste, however, Arabica is known to have the edge. Aside from that, it’s also healthier, offering a more balanced energy boost, and it features fewer lipids, so it won’t affect your health as much as Robusta coffee beans would.

whole bean coffee

Ground vs. Whole Beans

Ground coffee is a great choice if you don’t have much time, or if you don’t own a proficient coffee or espresso maker. The idea behind buying ground coffee is that it allows you to prepare relatively good quality coffee at a lower cost and without putting in much effort.

At the same time, however, ground coffee is overly processed, and it’s not the freshest or best tasting coffee in the shop. Fortunately, you can still get pretty good quality out of them by checking the consistency of the grounds.

What makes a good coffee bean, ultimately, is the level of freshness your coffee has. For espresso and drip coffee, the best type of coffee you can consider buying is the kind that was grounded only moments before it was to be used. As a result, buying whole beans still remains the best choice you can make, and ensuring that the coffee you buy hasn’t been on the shelf for too long is also a very important prerequisite. Buy coffee online for fresh options.

The Importance of Buying Organic Coffee

The quality and health benefits of your coffee is, of course, far more essential than the types of coffee you consider buying. Regardless of whether you prefer Robusta or Arabica, the best coffee is organic and properly tended to.

Also, aside from the importance of making sure your coffee is organic, it’s worth considering dark roasts. These have a lower caffeine concentration, so many experts refer to medium-dark coffee roasts to be the best type of coffee you can buy.

What makes a good coffee bean is the combination of all these factors, so it’s less important to track a single variable and ignore the rest, and more important to get coffee beans that are associated with a balanced blend of all the benefits listed here.