The green coffee bean is a healthy beverage that improves psychomotor and cognitive performance and prevents Alzheimer’s disease due to its high level of antioxidants. It promotes the release of dopamine, neurotransmitters believed to improve mood, attention, attentiveness, and brain performance. Our comprehensive guide will show you the best green coffee beans and help you choose a suitable alternative for your brain activity.
We looked at 39 varieties of green coffee beans and narrowed it down to our top 8 picks. Our Editor’s Choice is Primos Coffee Co. Single Origin Nicaraguan Unroasted Green Coffee Beans. To put together this review, we considered the type and origin of the beans as well as the flavor profile to give you a good idea of what each taste is like. Different regions are known for different types of coffee, and knowing where yours comes from is important.
More features: sweetness with citrus acidity and cacao notes; 11-13% moisture content
Our Editor’s Pick is Primos Coffee Co. Single Origin Nicaraguan Unroasted Green Coffee Beans. This coffee is made of Caturra beans which are a version of Arabica beans. They’re grown in the shade on a fourth-generation family farm in Jinotega, Nicaragua, harvested by hand and naturally dried. Then, they’re shipped to a facility in Texas where they are kept in a temperature-controlled environment to maintain freshness until they find their way to you.
These beans have a gentle, sweet richness with a touch of citrus and notes of cacao. They’re recommended for medium roast to get the best flavor from the bean, though some commenters indicated they had a difficult time finding the right roast.
More features: 17/18 screen size; come in a foil bag with a valve
Stone Street Coffee Colombian Supremo Unroasted Green Coffee features 100% whole Arabica beans. Their extra-large size delivers an intense smooth flavor that you can only get from Colombian beans. These beans should be roasted to light a medium roast to best bring out the mild, sweet taste.
This coffee is available in multiple sizes which is great because you can buy in bulk if you want and save a bit of money. Choose from one, two, and five-pound bags, all made using high-quality foil to maintain freshness.
Most people love these beans and agree that they roast evenly and a few mentioned that you can roast them a little darker for a bolder taste. That said, some people found them a little too mild.
More features: comes from Pocos de Caldas; mix of Yellow Catuai and Red Mundo Novo Arabicas
Our pick for best green coffee beans for a dark roast is Heirloom Coffee LLC Brazil Adrano Volcano Coffee. This single-origin blend is a mix of Yellow Catuai and Ren Mundo Novo Arabica beans that are dry-processed to bring out their unique flavor profile.
These beans grow on the side of an ancient volcano in Brazil where they receive bright sunlight during the day and sudden darkness at dusk, making them a high-energy bean with a lot of flavor.
While this bean has a range of ideal roasting times, a dark roast brings out the smoothness, adding a buttery aroma and taste with hints of caramel and an almost earthy flavor. That said, some people felt it was a bit acidic and didn’t care for the aftertaste.
More features: honey, cherry and balanced notes
Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC Green Unroasted Colombian Supremo Coffee Beans are the best green coffee beans for home roasting because they’re so versatile. Whether you prefer light, medium, or dark roast, these beans deliver good flavor.
These 100% Arabica beans are full of aroma and taste with a balanced flavor with notes of cherry and honey and contain no additives, preservatives, or artificial flavors. The brand sources their beans from carefully selected co-ops, farms, and brokers in an effort to support growers that put the work into growing a superior bean.
This bean roasts nicely, and most commenters agree that they’re of great quality. That said, some people felt the taste was too mild though this ultimately boils down to preference.
More features: organic coffee; fruity and floral notes
Another great option for best green coffee beans for roasting is Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Green Unroasted Coffee Beans from Morning Hills Coffee. They’re sourced from family-owned farms in the Kochere district of Ethiopia where the high altitude and iron-rich soils produce a wonder tasting bean with fruity, floral notes. It’s silky with a clean and crisp aftertaste.
These beans ship in five-layer bags with foil lining and a resealable top so you get fresh beans every time. You can roast them to light, medium, or dark. Some people felt there was too much acid in the roast while others commented that they didn’t think there was much at all. There were also a few mentions that it wasn’t as complex as expected.
More features: volcanic, earthy and balanced notes with hints of citrus
Next up is Kenyan Coffee Company Single Origin Unroasted Green Coffee Beans, sourced exclusively from the Kibirigwi region in central Kenya. These beans are fully-washed, dried on raised beds out in the sun, then bagged in a foil-lined, double-sealed bag to maintain freshness.
Light to medium roasts are recommended to bring out the best flavor. For pour-over coffee, they suggest staying just under a medium roast. The flavor changes slightly depending on the strength of the roast and as the coffee cools. Generally, you get a balanced, earthy taste with citrus notes.
Most people felt that these beans weren’t too acidic and they roasted well. Commenters didn’t have a lot of negative things to say about these beans.
More features: notes of dark chocolate, butter, cinnamon and toasted nuts
If you’re looking for the best green coffee beans for espresso, check out Smokin Beans Central American Guatemala Unroasted Arabica Green Coffee Beans. These premium beans have notes of butter, dark chocolate, toasted nuts, raisins, and cinnamon. While they work well at any roast, this is a great choice for espresso.
Smokin Beans sources these beans from Finca Nueva Grandad in Guatemala where they are grown in rich soil between two looming volcanos. The farm takes its coffee beans seriously, with on-site schooling and the implementation of sustainable practices. They’re so confident in their product that they guarantee your complete satisfaction.
These beans roast evenly and easily. Light roasts tend to be a bit brighter and dark roasts more on the rich side. There weren’t a lot of complaints, but some found these beans to be a bit too acidic.
More features: peanut brittle and hazelnut notes
Morning Hills Coffee Brazil Mogiana Green Unroasted Coffee Beans comes from a well-known coffee growing region between São Paulo and Minas Gerais. The area has excellent infrastructure and is known to produce high-quality coffee.
These beans do well with a light, medium, or dark roast. The coffee has a creamy texture and notes of hazelnut and peanut brittle with a sweet finish. The five-layer, foil-lined bag keeps the beans fresh and features a resealable zipper and a tear notch for easy opening.
Commenters didn’t have a lot of complaints about this coffee. A few people felt it was a bit too acidic and that it did not make good iced coffee.
If you’re looking for a great new way to experience coffee, there’s nothing quite like roasting your own beans. Let’s take a look at the things you need to know to make sure you get the best flavor possible.
There are a few features to consider when choosing the right green coffee bean for your preferences. The country of origin is important but so is the type of soil, sun exposure, and farming practices used to produce the bean. Let’s take a closer look at some of the specific things to look for and why they make a difference to the end result.
We included only Arabica beans in our review because about 60 percent of coffee comes from an Arabica plant. There are dozens of varieties of Arabica beans, including Blue Mountain, Bourbon, Caturra, Hawaiian Kona, Typica, and Uganda.
If you’re not drinking Arabica, chances are your coffee is made of Robusta beans. Arabica and Robusta beans are quite different. Arabica bands are a bit sweeter and softer with higher acidity while Robusta is stronger tasting and contains twice as much caffeine as Arabica. While some Robustas are high-quality and they are usually pretty good for espresso, Arabica beans are believed to be of higher quality.
There are a few reasons for this. First, Robustas are easier to grow and produce more fruit faster than Arabica beans which take longer to mature. They grow at lower altitudes than Arabica and are primarily produces in Africa and Indonesia. Arabica beans grow at high altitudes predominantly in Latin America. They’re more susceptible to pests so they’re more difficult to grow.
Ultimately, it boils down to personal preference but since Arabica beans are known for high quality, we stuck to the for our reviews.
Different types of coffee are grown all over the world. Let’s take a close look at where the options on our list are sourced from.
Nicaragua. Nicaraguan coffee, like Primos Coffee Co. Single Origin Nicaraguan Unroasted Green Coffee Beans, is only Arabica beans, grown mostly in the north of the country above 2500 feet. Most Nicaraguan coffee is grown on small farms using organic methods, although it is not certified organic as the farmers generally can’t afford the fees required for official organic certification. Coffee from here generally tastes bright and delicate with notes of citrus.
Colombia. Colombia is likely the world’s most popular coffee. Like Stone Street Coffee Colombian Supremo Unroasted Green Coffee, it has a rich, strong taste and full flavor that most coffee drinkers love. The mountainous terrain and rich volcanic soil are ideal for Arabica coffee. There are some regional differences to taste. Those grown in the east are richer and less acidic while those form the central region are more balanced.
Brazil. Brazil is the largest producer of coffee in the world, putting out about a third of the global coffee supply, including Heirloom Coffee LLC Brazil Adrano Volcano Coffee. Because of this, Brazilian coffee is sometimes assumed to care more about quantity than quality, which isn’t necessarily fair. They tend to be sweet with notes of caramel and chocolate and low acidity. That said, there are fourteen coffee regions in the country and each has its own flavor.
Ethiopia. Ethiopia only produces Arabica bean coffee like Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Green Unroasted Coffee Beans, but there are so many growing regions that you can find a variety of flavors. For example, the Harrar region is known for flavors of spice and licorice as well as blueberry and the Sidamo region produces coffee varieties with notes of raspberry and strawberry, citrus, and fruit punch-like flavors.
Kenya. One of the notable things about coffee production in Kenya is that it uses a cooperative system for things like processing, milling, and marketing so about 70% of all the coffee produced here comes from small coffee farms. The balance of sunlight and rainfall is perfect for the beans which deliver a full-bodied, intense flavor with notes of cocoa, like Kenyan Coffee Company Single Origin Unroasted Green Coffee Beans.
Guatemala. Some of the most distinctive coffees in the world, like Smokin Beans Central American Guatemala Unroasted Arabica Green Coffee Beans, come from the highlands of Guatemala and their flavors vary greatly depending on the region they come from. For example, Antigua coffee is complex with flavors of spice, smoke, and flowers with varying acidity while other types are exposed to wetter weather and are slightly less powerful but just as complex.
What’s interesting about the flavor profiles of coffee is that it’s the combination of taste and scent that makes each flavor what it is. It is the scent of chocolate, fruit, florals, and nuts that enhance flavor and add the notes that bring depth to the taste.
Some coffee tastes strong while others are more subtle and bright. Ultimately, how you roast the coffee has a lot to do with the flavors, but each region has its definitive flavor.
We included a variety of bag sizes so you have some options. Ordering in bulk can often save you a little money but be careful not to order too much as the beans might go bad before you roast all of it.
Although all of these coffee beans are shipped and stored in bags that were designed to keep them fresh, it’s still important to keep an eye on when it was packed and shipped. Most of these brands are devoted to quality but you should keep track yourself. just in case.
When you store your roasted coffee, make sure to note when it was roasted and packed so that it’s as fresh as possible.
Roasted beans are at the peak of flavor between seven and 14 days after roasting; just remember not to grind them until just before you’re ready to brew to maintain freshness for as long as possible.
Certifications are generally used to tell you something about the farming practices used to grow the coffee.
For example, Fair Trade Certified means that the company producing the coffee is working to support a better life for the farming families that are growing it and is priced at or above a minimal fair trade price. A Rainforest Alliance certification indicates that a coffee farm meets certain sustainability standards.
One of the most heavily regulated and difficult to obtain certifications is USDA certified organic. Requirements include abstaining from the use of any prohibited substance for up to three years. These include synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.
Note that, sometimes, smaller farms in some of these countries are unable to afford the processing fees for the certification, although they are in fact using the correct types of soil and fertilizers.
First, make sure you’re in a well-ventilated room because roasting beans causes a fair amount of smoke. You also need to make sure you block off enough uninterrupted time to do it right.
There are a few methods you can try. Stovetop roasting requires a large skillet with a lid and a gas burner. Use about a cup of beans in the skillet on medium heat. Cover and shake the skillet as you would when making popcorn. A glass lid is best so you can keep an eye on the beans so you don’t roast them too dark.
Another method is oven roasting. Heat your oven as high as it goes then add your beans to a stainless-steel vegetable steamer and place it in the oven on a cookie sheet with the lid closed. After you hear the first crack, check the beans every minute or so for color.
After you’ve ground your beans, you can use them just as you would any ground coffee. In a drip coffee maker, espresso machine, as pour-over coffee, or fill up a reusable pod.
If you’re looking for the best green coffee beans for weight loss or a way to brew the best decaf green coffee beans, try this method. Use a cup of high-quality, wet-processed beans. Rinse them and place them in a pot on the stove and add three cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes on medium heat. Stir occasionally but not vigorously. Turn off the burner and strain the liquid into a container. And there you have it! Green coffee without roasting.
Our Editor’s Choice is Primos Coffee Co. Single Origin Nicaraguan Unroasted Green Coffee Beans, grown on a fourth-generation family farm in Nicaragua. It brews a cup with a bit of sweetness and notes of citrus and cacao and tastes best when used as a medium roast.
Next up is Stone Street Coffee Colombian Supremo Unroasted Green Coffee. These extra-large beans have a smooth, intense flavor and are best when roasted light or medium but have a mild, sweet taste if you go dark. This coffee comes in multiple sizes so you can order in bulk if needed.
Finally, we recommend Heirloom Coffee LLC Brazil Adrano Volcano Coffee. If you prefer a dark roast, these best green coffee beans are worth a closer look. These beans are grown on an ancient volcano in Brazil where the rich soil and bright sunlight deliver a lot of flavor.
