Best Versatile Coffee Beans for an Espresso Maker
Whether you need a daily driver or want to stock up for special occasions, we have the perfect list. To get the best from your espresso machine, it’s essential to use quality beans; otherwise, your cup can turn out too bitter, overpowering, or underwhelming.
Our curated bean selection can help elevate your coffee experience.
Top Picks: 10 Best Coffee Beans for your Espresso Maker
Prep the Danish and croissant coz we are whipping up something special. Either consumed as a straight shot, used for lattes, or make up your new brew, quality beans is where it starts. Do it wrong from here and you’d be sorry.
Herkimer Coffee Espresso Blend
When made into lattes and specialty drinks with milk, say a macchiato, this blend drinks super creamy and tasty. It leans on the sweet side with hints of lemony citrus. We are going for second to third helpings with its clean aromatic body and citrus acidity. There is a rounded acidity that is quite satisfying. You can taste the natural sweetness, and it doesn’t come off as too sharp on the taste buds.
This is a gorgeous choice for your iced beverages, with the balanced acidity. The combination of dark chocolate and caramel undertones with a hint of cherry will make your ice-blended drinks smooth and very tasty. You can definitely taste the sweetness in there. We can also taste hints of strawberry, amped up by graham crackers. And oh, finishing notes are tamarind with spicy tobacco and white pepper. A crowd room of flavor, that is, the combination works a lot for this coffee bean.
This is a medium roast bean that can’t quite make up its mind. Meaning it’s geared towards tasting and smelling like a dark roast bean. That means it has a tad bit bitterness and numbness than other medium roast beans lack, but it is not at par with the smoky and bitter flavor of most dark roasted beans. So yeah, a bit in between medium and dark roast.
We reckon you will fall in love with this if you favor coffee with interesting hints of acidity and a smorgasbord of flavors. It can be a complicated tasting bean for some, but the marriage of these flavors makes it a masterpiece. It can be very versatile.
Illy Classico – Whole Bean
This is a medium roast coffee with a less bitter taste. It’s leaning a bit between high and medium roast. Thus, many may find this a perfect choice that offers a balanced flavor of sweetness and citrus notes. It has that subtle and slight nutty taste reminiscent of Nutella.
We tasted hints of caramel with a tenderness of orange blossoms and jasmine, giving a subtle and quaint bitter aftertaste.
We see this best boosting in your mood in the easy afternoons when you just want to cozy up and not want anything too dark or too broad a flavor. But not to be missed, this does not lack in taste; rather, it offers a well-balanced flavor that is not too complicated or bitter. When you open the box of beans, you will be greeted with a satisfying smell bursting with earthy notes, then you know the beans must be good.
This is great if you want a tasteful, balanced cup with enough flavor to sweep you off your feet, but does not come off as too overpowering. It’s also best to skip the sweetener and go easy on the milk so as not to overwhelm the taste of the coffee.
Lavazza Super Crema
This is a popular bean for those who want smooth, rich, and well-balanced coffee with that satisfying smooth crema on top. These beans are a medium-dark roast, it’s leaning a bit towards tasting more smoky, with more fragrant notes of chocolate, hazelnut, and a bit of brown sugar and some spices. So yes, it can be very full-bodied.
There is a subtle sweetness, and you can taste the bitter acidity afterwards, so this is not for the faint of heart. This is for those who want a more robust and powerful hug in a mug, perhaps best in a very lazy afternoon when you want to be amped up and going. Or this can be your cup when you need to be up on your feet for the day. It can be one powerful push; these are pretty strong beans.
This will be best enjoyed by those who want a more powerful, full-bodied roast with a surprise velvety crema on top. The crema is there to make up for the bold and bitter taste, seemingly acting as a palate cleanser.
Ritual Sweet Tooth Espresso Roast
If you want a bit more perky and don’t come off as too serious and smoky, we reckon this will be the staple in your countertop. These are medium roast beans with that satisfying sweetness. It can satisfy your taste buds if you are looking for a fix that has a full-bodied citrus taste with a bit of sweetness to it, one that lingers on your tongue.
It has obvious notes of butterscotch and toffee. Then you get the acidity coming from the strawberries and blackberries. That acidity is needed to cut off the sweetness coming from the syrupy flavor. The icing on the cake, these beans can create a surprisingly satisfying crema on top.
This is perfect for light afternoons or when you just want to enjoy a sweeter yet balanced cup of coffee sans that smokiness.
Onyx Coffee Lab Monarch
These are medium-dark roast coffee beans with notes of dark chocolate, caramel, and molasses. From the box, you can smell hints of cherry, toasted nuts, and, of course, chocolate. We were surprisingly struck by the sweetness and know that this will work great with any milk. Oh, we can say that this has a robust and more overwhelming taste of the chocolate.
The chocolate taste is very distinct. But not to be missed, it’s not chocolate. It does share a very interesting palette of flavors; you get red wine and blackberries. These beans present the more syrupy elements of coffee without coming off as too smoky or too bitter.
The brand has represented that the beans are a bit sugar-dense with caramelized notes, and it delivered what is expected. You get that hug in a mug that can be reminiscent of your favorite chocolate drink. When paired with milk of your choice, this can be a very comforting and satisfying drink on a very bad day; it can feel like it’s literally hugging you.
Heartwood Blend – Espresso Roast
These espresso beans have a full-bodied, fruity taste that somewhat resembles that of back tea. Think of Lipton back tea with the sun tea brew taste, bold and flavorful but not bitter. You can sense the earthy and citrusy elements with the smell of dried berries, raspberries, and currants. It almost has that distinct winey quality with small bits of stone fruit; it presents as a tasty brew with fruit tones.
It tastes clean, smooth, and you can distinctly identify the natural sweetness and brightness in every cup. These are versatile and can be used for a variety of espresso-based drinks. It can be a daily staple, flavorful yet not overpowering or overwhelmingly bitter.
Blue Bottle Espresso
These are medium-dark roast beans that have a combination of smoky, citrusy flavors and a bit of natural syrupy sweetness to them. You can taste the distinct nougat, brown sugar, and chocolate flavors. These are the primary tastes of these earthy beans. It has tons of chocolate with berries and citrus notes on the side.
If you are craving a deep-toned fruit-flavored cup of Joe, this will not disappoint. It is smoky and has quite a powerful chocolatey flavor. If you love dark chocolate, we recommend you have a stash of these beans on your countertop.
These beans can be a satisfying daily driver; it just costs a bit more, so it can be a splurgy daily habit.
While it doesn’t have a complex flavor profile, it is quite smooth and comforting, and it can have a nice balance to it, almost tasting like a dark chocolate malt. When paired with milk, it can still taste great but can work great as a straight shot.
Counter Culture Coffee Big Trouble
These beans are we can work great as a straight shot. It is well blended and balanced so we had kind of trouble deciphering the individual tones and flavors. It is not bitter in any way and can appeal to a lot of people, especially those who are looking for a lighter cup of coffee sans the bitter aftertaste.
It has powerful and strong notes of chocolate, fruit, and honey with a satisfying acidity, more like a very peasant zing. So we reckon a lot of palates would love to have this as their daily habit.
Devoción Toro
These beans have a strong and medium roast flavor with hints of citrus and fruit. It smells amazing and flavorful right out of the box. This has more of a simple yet distinct flavor profile with hints of nutty tones.
Those seeking straightforward coffee will enjoy this every morning. Though simple, it’s packed with an earthy aroma and can energize you for the day. The beans’ aroma is immediately inviting, with pleasant smoky notes and slight acidity.
For those who want to make it bold and roasty but not too complex a flavor, we highly recommend these beans.
Downeast Coffee Roasters supreme crema
This is one of our favorites when it comes to dark roast coffee. The earth tones of chocolate and roasted nuts will greet you. It has a strong, flavorful taste, very bold, but not too overwhelming, bitter, nor is it too acidic.
Even if it’s a dark roast bean, it can appeal to a wide range of palates and can be a versatile base for a smorgasbord of espresso-based drinks, that’s macchiatos and more. You can drink it with milk or straight as a shot, and it is decently creamy still. Though not as creamy as what is advertised, you will not be able to complain; it’s just bursting with well-balanced flavors.
We Have Also Tried These
Tandem Coffee
It lacked that flavor and did not come out as full-bodied as we expected it to be. These beans are a bit on the bitter side, too, but didn’t have as much flavor as expected; it just leaves you with that strong bitter aftertaste in the mouth.
Intelligentsia Black Cat Decaf
It lacks the depth and flavor that a prerequisite of most espresso-based beverages. It might not be as versatile and decent when consumed as a straight shot.
Buying Guide: How we Curated the list
Curious how we made the list? Here we made the decision.
Medium to dark roast beans
For most espresso machines, we recommend using beans that are medium roast or medium to dark roast. These types of beans give off the most flavor for espresso machines and complement the machine’s brewing methods.
Though you may opt to use light roast beans if you insist , it will lack the depth and flavor that can make up for a satisfying cup.
Bitter vs flavor vs depth
We chose coffee beans that have either a simple flavor profile or a complex one. Regardless, we chose beans that have a bold and depth-rich taste and have tones and flavor notes that complement each other.
We wanted coffee that would taste quite powerful but would not leave that very strong bitter aftertaste. We did not want anything that was too overwhelming.
Citrus vs earthy vs nutty
Everyone has their taste preference for coffee. Some like it more smoky or roasted. Some want it more nutty, or more chocolatey. Some may want beans with a hint of sweetness to them.
That’s why we have a selection of coffee beans that can satisfy everybody’s whim and fancy. Regardless of their flavor profile, they have to be balanced and highlight the brightness of the coffee.
Balanced flavors
Despite having different preferences, everyone would agree that they want a well-balanced cup of Joe. Anything that’s either underwhelming in favor or too bitter or powerful can mean a waste of money.
We chose well-balanced beans that are versatile and can be used for a variety of espresso-based concoctions. This is a way to ensure you are making the most out of your espresso maker, as you can make a myriad of drinks with a single machine.
Quality beans is where it starts
Even with the most updated espresso makers, you won’t be able to make quality cups without quality beans. That’s why it’s crucial to start with the beans first. Making the proper choice entails deciphering the freshness of the beans, knowing the flavor profile, how bitter or less bitter it is, and making sure that everything appeals to your taste buds.
Are you going to enjoy it as your daily driver, or do you need a stash that can amp you up on a lazy afternoon? That can help you choose between a bolder coffee and one that is great for daily consumption.
Our smorgasbord of options can satisfy these wants and needs, especially for the coffee connoisseur with more distinct tastes. And if you want to elevate your coffee experience to Nirvana, you must start with quality beans.
