Organic coffee might be a bit more expensive than non-organic brands, but it comes with a host of benefits. Other than the lack of pesticides during growing, organic coffee usually comes from companies that focus on Fairtrade and typically include specialty, single-origin varieties.
Unsurprisingly, though, there’s a big market when it comes to organic coffee. To help you narrow down your options, here are 5 of the best organic coffee types available.
Why Choose Organic Coffee?
The most obvious reason why you should choose organic coffee is because it’s a superior product. To recap, if something is organic, it means it’s grown without pesticides and other chemicals. While this can often mean slightly lower yields for farmers, many people view organic products as better.
It’s worth noting that farmers will still use fertilizers, and may even use pesticides. However, they’ll always be natural because this is what makes a product organic. There are plenty of natural pesticides out there.
Another benefit of choosing organic coffee is that, as mentioned, it usually aligns with a range of other benefits. These might include:
- Fairtrade standards, which mean better working conditions and pay for the people actually growing the coffee.
- A better-growing environment. Organic coffee varieties are typically grown in the shade, which, by extension, requires trees. Although a small benefit, it does mean it helps combat deforestation.
- Healthier coffee (and environment). Organic coffee is grown with natural fertilizers, which put minerals back into the soil. But it also means your coffee will have more antioxidants and other good bits as well as tasting better.
- Single-origin varieties. While not always the case, many organic brands focus on single-origin coffee varieties. This means you can get a better idea of the flavor profile and know exactly where your beans have come from.
5 Best Organic Coffee Varieties
Best Overall: 1st in Coffee Probably the Best Coffee
1st in Coffee Probably the Best Coffee
Pros
· Good money-friendly blend.
· Roasted fresh every week.
· Medium-dark roast.
Cons
· Could do with options between the bag sizes.
As the name suggests, 1st in Coffee Probably the Best Coffee is a pretty good coffee. It comes as whole beans in a medium-dark roast. Unsurprisingly, this means you’ll need your own coffee grinder, but if you’ve moved to the point of buying organic coffee, you probably already own a grinder.
It’s worth noting that it’s not a single-origin variety but is instead a blend. The company certifies that the beans it chooses are all organic and are mountain and shade-grown Arabica beans. While this might not have the same flavor guarantee as single-origin types, it’s a good blend for the price.
1st in Coffee roasts its beans weekly, meaning they’re about as fresh as they can be (other than roasting them yourself). The beans are shipped in resealable bags to keep them fresh, but you’ll probably want to swap them to the refrigerator once opened.
There isn’t much bad to say about this coffee. The only minor issue is that it comes in either 12oz. or 5lb. bags – there’s no in-between. While it won’t matter if you drink a lot of coffee, it risks going stale if you’re somewhere between an occasional drinker and a coffee fanatic.
Top Pick for Pods: Lifeboost Medium Roast Coffee Pods
Lifeboost Medium Roast Coffee Pods
Pros
· Compatible with Keurig machines.
· Single-origin coffee pods.
· Good all-around coffee.
Cons
· Some people might find the medium roast to be too weak.
These Lifeboost Medium Roast Coffee Pods are compatible with Keurig machines rather than Nespresso, so bear this in mind if you’re looking for those pods. Either way, these are a good balance between price, coffee quality, and extra benefits.
Lifeboost’s coffee is single-origin and is developed to be 27.7% less acidic than store-bought varieties. It’s also organic, non-GMO, and shade grown. As you can imagine, this all results in a coffee that tastes pretty good.
These pods are medium roast, but Lifeboost does light and dark roasts, along with decaf and flavored pods too. Medium roast is just a good all-rounder, especially if you want something to test the “true” flavor of the company’s coffee.
You can get the pods on subscription between 1 and 8 weeks. Each box contains 10 pods, which are fully recyclable/commercially compostable depending on your local facilities. While the best option would be for them to be reusable, recyclable is the next best thing.
Some people might find the medium roast to be a bit weak, especially as this coffee has been developed to be less acidic. If this is the case, consider going with the dark roast instead because it’ll taste noticeably stronger.
Top Premium Pick: Kona Panama Geisha Blend
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Kona Panama Geisha Blend
Pros
· Includes some very rare varieties.
· Great flavor profile.
· Fully organic and handpicked.
Cons
· Quite pricey for a 12oz. bag.
It’s not every day that you see a bag of coffee for this price, but there’s justification for Kona Panama Geisha Blend costing this much. The blend is limited edition Hawaiian coffee that includes some incredibly rare varieties.
First is the Kona coffee, which comes from Hawaii. It’s blended with a Panama Geisha bean that’s known for its unique flavor profile. Together, they make a coffee that’s fruity with just the right amount of sweetness and acidity.
The beans are lightly roasted, which is the best option to bring out their dominant flavors. You get whole beans, which again helps them to taste as good as possible. Of course, you’ll want to use the best brewing method you can at home, which will probably be a French Press or similar option to make the coffee taste as good as it can.
There’s not much more to say about these beans. They’re tasty with a well-balanced flavor profile that should suit pretty much all tastes. Of course, the price might be off-putting, but if you’re into coffee and know the benefits of choosing rare varieties, you’ll know the difference it can make to the taste.
Best Ready-Ground Coffee: Volcanica Ethiopian Yirgacheffee Coffee
Volcanica Ethiopian Yirgacheffee Coffee
Pros
· Good flavor profile.
· Comes in a variety of grinds.
· Good value for money.
Cons
· Might be too acidic for some tastes.
This Volcanica Ethiopian Yirgacheffee Coffee isn’t the only organic ready-ground coffee in the world, but it’s a good balance between price and quality. It comes in 1lb. bags, or you can buy multipacks. Volcanica also offers subscribe and save options so you never have to run out.
It’s a light-to-medium roast that has citrus and berry flavors. The beans come from the Yirgacheffe region of Ethiopia, which is known for its citrussy coffee. However, we can’t count it as single-origin because the beans are blended for various farms across the region. That said, they’re close enough together that we can still give it a decent flavor profile.
You can buy the coffee in different grinds or as whole beans depending on your preference. The flavors work well in any brewing method. But due to the coffee’s higher than normal acidity, it won’t necessarily make a great espresso. If you like acidic coffee, don’t worry about it, but some might find it too sharp in such a concentrated format.
And this is perhaps this coffee’s main downside: the acidity. The Yirgacheffe region is known for its acidic coffee, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise. However, not everyone will like how acidic it is, so just bear this in mind when you’re hunting for some new organic coffee.
Best Flavored Coffee: Lifeboost Hazelnut Coffee
Lifeboost Hazelnut Coffee
Pros
· Great flavor profile.
· Single-origin beans.
· Natural flavoring.
Cons
· Medium roast might be a bit weak for some.
There are pretty much as many flavored coffees as you can imagine, but you can’t do much better than Lifeboost Hazelnut Coffee. Hazelnut is one of the best flavors to combine with coffee because they create an incredibly well-rounded profile that should suit pretty much any taste.
The beans used in this coffee are mountain shade-grown, single-origin beans. They’re completely organic and are tested by a third party to confirm this. Importantly, Lifeboost uses natural flavoring (actual hazelnuts) to flavor the coffee, meaning there’s no impact on the calorie or sugar content.
You can order it as beans or ground coffee, and there are subscribe and save options available. As with the pods above, these can range from 1 to 8 weeks. Buying several bags at once can also help to save money as there’s a discount applied.
There’s not much bad to say about this coffee. It’s a medium roast and, like Lifeboost’s pods, this might be a bit weak for some tastes. However, this is often the case with flavored coffees because it allows the flavors to stand out more. If it’ll be a problem, mix it with dark roast coffee.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are plenty of options for organic coffee. It’s arguably worth the slightly higher price tag if you’re conscious of the health benefits. Those aside, organic coffee does usually guarantee a higher standard of product, too, in turn, meaning (theoretically) nicer coffee.
Hopefully, one of the options above will suit your palate or at least help you narrow down your options.