If you like drinking a healthful organic cup of coffee but don’t enjoy the hustle and bustle of brewing a large amount all at once, you’ve probably considered investing in a single-serve Keurig machine. Our comprehensive guide will show you the best organic coffee K-Cup Brands and help you choose the correct alternative according to your preferences.
We’ve looked at 22 different options and picked the 7 best ones, out of which the Newman's Own Organics Special Blend is our Editor’s Choice. A handful of essential characteristics and indicators to watch for when determining quality. First, make sure the pod is compatible with your Keurig brewer. Brewing will be challenging if the K-Cup does not function with your machine. Additionally, сheck for organic certification. Fair Trade and Direct Trade certifications are two types of ethical certification. For Jews, make sure the Coffee is Kosher certified.
More features: Fair Trade certified coffee, USDA organic, Kosher, certified frustration-free packaging
The Newman’s Own Organics Coffee Pods is a blend of Arabica-type coffee sourced from both Indonesia and Central America. It’s available in medium and darker roasts, which means it will likely have a full-bodied flavor. In addition to being certified Organic, it’s approved by a few other organizations and hence is one of the top options available. There is also a variety of taste and flavor options in the purchase.
This pack seems like a lot of value for anyone who wants to switch up tastes and flavors as they go. You can buy decaf this time and the sunrise blend in your next purchase. The pack size can also be large enough for families if necessary.
More features: Fair Trade-certified, USDA-certified, Kosher Certified, compatible with all 1.0 & 2.0 brewers
Next is the Caza Trail Organic Extra Bold Coffee Pods, which again uses Arabica coffee, although the origins of the beans are unclear. It is medium-roasted before being packed in K-Cups and shipped to you. The box also ships with 100 K-Cups included.
Those who can’t seem to choose between the floral notes of light-roasted coffee and the body of darker roasts have a viable option in the medium-roasted Caza Trail Organic Extra Bold Coffee Pods. Furthermore, its compatibility with both 1.0 & 2.0 brewers means whatever machine you own will work just fine.
More features: Fair Trade Certified and USDA Organic, Orthodox Union Kosher
With the Green Mountain Coffee Sumatra Reserve K-Cups option, buyers get a 24-pack set with each purchase. Despite being from Indonesia, it is unlike most other Indonesian Robusta coffees that are earthy and feature a lasting aftertaste. What you do get are brown sugar and spice notes.
Since there are only 24 K-Cups in each pack, it’s safe to say that this works better for single-person households. It could also work if there are no avid coffee drinkers in the home.
More features: Fair Trade certified, USDA Organic, roasted and packed in the USA
Like the Green Mountain Coffee Sumatra Reserve K-Cups, some of the AmazonFresh Organic Fair Trade K-Cups use beans sourced from Sumatra. These are dark roasted which gives them a deep, intense, full-bodied flavor. There’s also another variation of these K-Cups that uses Peruvian beans, only this time they’re medium roasted.
With the medium and dark roasts both available, these pods are great for various coffee lovers. Those who prefer the quality of US-made products also can’t go wrong with these K-Cups.
More features: USDA certified, CCOF certified
The Organic Rainforest Blend is one of five K-Cup varieties offered by the SF Bay Coffee OneCUP store. Sourced from Central America, the beans are medium-dark roasted before they’re ground and packed into the K-Cups. The Central American roots are somewhat responsible for the dark chocolaty flavor infused with sweet berries.
This K-Cup offering works for households of different sizes due to the 12, 36, and 80-Cup pack sizes. Also, given its medium-dark roast, it’s better for coffee drinkers who prefer full-bodied beverages.
More features: allergen-free, gluten-free, 100% compostable pods
Next is the Cameron’s Coffee Organic Breakfast Blend, which is the only light-roast option listed. It’s also available as a dark roast, although medium roasts have been left out of the mix. It comes in a 12 pack box, with each K-Cup costing about $0.50. Worth mentioning is that the K-Cups included are compostable in addition to being both allergen and gluten-free.
These coffees work best if you’re prone to allergic reactions or you can’t take gluten. Furthermore, given the compostable nature of the K-Cups, it becomes infinitely easier to dispose of them without damage to the environment.
More features: USDA Certified Organic, Fair Trade, 100% recyclable
The DEATH WISH Death Cups and VALHALLA JAVA Odinforce Blend features dark-roast coffee, which matches the color theme of the K-Cups. Additionally, it’s the only blend listed which incorporates two types of coffees. The resulting coffee is quite a mix of flavors and aromas.
For fans of Norse Mythology, the DEATH WISH Death Cups and VALHALLA JAVA Odinforce Blend seem like an appropriate purchase. However, that only applies if you also like dark roast coffee.
Picking the best organic coffee K-Cups is more of a science than an art. There are specific markers and attributes you look at that indicate quality. That said, you might miss them if you don’t know what they are. Here’s a buying guide on organic K-Cup coffees to help you figure it out.
The biggest benefit of any organic farm product is the lack of chemicals like pesticides and artificial fertilizers that are generally considered unhealthy for consumption. The high antioxidant, mineral, and vitamin content are also some extra upsides.
Here’s precisely how to pick the best organic coffee K-Cups after looking through your options. Notably, even when using the same process, most people will come up with different results as the best organic coffee K-Cups for each individual will depend on their tastes.
Arabica, Robusta, are the two main types of coffee beans in production today, although there are other unique ones as well. Statistics by the
International Coffee Organization
Trusted Source
International Coffee Organization - What's New
Trade Statistics – July 2021
• World coffee exports amounted to 10.61 million bags in July 2021, compared with 10.47 million in July 2020.
• Exports in the first 9 months of coffee year 2020/21 (Oct/20 to July/21) have increased by 2.1% to 108.92 million bags compared to 106.63 million bags in the same period in 2019/20.
ico.org
assert that Arabica exports in the world for the financial year ending June 2021 are almost twice as much as Robusta exports.
This might explain why you’re more likely to find Arabica Organic Coffee K-Cups than you are to find Robusta. Arabica beans tend to be more aromatic with fruity, floral notes and an acidic profile. Conversely, Robusta coffees feature earthy tones, a peanut-like aftertaste, and less acidity.
Most people prefer Arabica coffees like the AmazonFresh Organic Fair Trade K-Cups, which explains the market statistics. However, some would rather have Robusta coffee any day of the week. As such, you can pick one type of coffee or the other depending on the flavor profile you prefer.
According to information provided by the World Population Review Trusted Source Coffee Producing Countries 2021 Did you know that coffee starts as fruit from cherry trees? That’s right! Coffee beans are made from cherries. And like every product that starts as a seed and becomes a plant before the finished product surfaces, coffee does not grow well or sustainably in all parts of the world. What you will find when looking at coffee producing countries is that most of the countries that produce coffee share similar characteristics in terms of the geographic area. worldpopulationreview.com , coffee is grown and exported by about 50 countries globally. Notably, these coffee origins also tend to have quite an impact on flavor.
For instance, Ethiopian coffee is delicate with blueberry, bergamot and jasmine aftertastes. Conversely, Brazilian coffee has nutty flavors and a fairly chocolaty taste.
This theme is repeated with almost every coffee-growing country where the resulting coffee has a different flavor profile.
As such, you should always check the coffee origins before buying K-Cups. Notably, some of the source countries for the coffees in our list include Peru, Indonesia, and some Central American countries like Honduras.
The beans for the Green Mountain Coffee Sumatra Reserve K-Cups, for instance, are sourced from Indonesia.
Although coffee beans come infused with flavor from their source countries, the roast type may also affect the taste. Light roasts like the Cameron’s Coffee Organic Breakfast Blend are acidic and more likely to exhibit the flavors from their origins.
Conversely, you can expect more body in a dark roast and less acidity. However, the flavors from the coffee’s origins will be understated. Medium-roasts are the middle child between these two opposites. Of course, there are medium-dark and medium-light roasts that are nearer to the extremes as well.
First, check whether it’s certified organic. After that, you can look for other certifications that are in line with your beliefs. Some examples include Fair Trade and Direct Trade certifications. For Jews, also check if the Coffee is Kosher certified.
While caffeine is generally safe, some side effects of drinking it include trouble sleeping, tremors, restlessness, and more. As such, some people prefer to avoid it altogether. If you don’t want to take in caffeine but still like a cup of coffee in the morning, you can opt for decaf. It’s the same taste and flavors, only that there will be minimal to no caffeine.
On the list above, only the Newman’s Own Organics Coffee Pods has a decaf option.
Also, check the compatibility with your Keurig-branded brewer. If the K-Cup doesn’t work with your machine, then brewing will be difficult. Fortunately, the options mentioned above are compatible with 1.0 and 2.0 brewers. However, when it comes to Keurig Vue machines, that might be a different matter.
For home use, the pack size might also come into play. For instance, single-person households require smaller packs to fit their needs compared to multi-person families and households. As such, have that in mind when you click the purchase button.
In our opinion, the Newman’s Own Organics Special Blend is a clear favorite. It’s available in different pack-size options and is Kosher Certified. Furthermore, it offers a decaf option which isn’t available in most of the competition. The Caza Trail Organic Extra Bold Coffee Pods option isn’t far behind. With 100 Kosher Certified bold tasting coffees packed in pods, you’ll have more than enough to last you until your next shipment.
Even the Green Mountain Coffee Sumatra Reserve K-Cups is worth an extra mention. The sweet and spicy flavor notes are the icing on the cake. Nevertheless, these are just but a fraction of the best organic coffee K-Cups available. The list gives four other options that could provide you with the right kickstart to your morning. As such, if they match your needs on paper, why not give them a try.
