No matter what you want to buy online, you probably have more choice now than ever before, therefore, it is important to have some tips before buying coffee beans online.
This applies to coffee products including coffee beans, brewing methods, and even mugs.
The coffee aficionado knows that it all starts with the right coffee beans.
In this guide, we’re exploring how to buy coffee beans online and always end up with something you’re happy with, that can make you a beautiful cup of joe.
Table of Contents
7 Tips for Buying Coffee Beans Online
1. Know What You Like
Whether you’re brand new to ordering coffee beans online, or you have been doing it for some time, it’s a good idea to spend some time working out what sort of flavours and varieties you like.
Maybe you’ve had some South American coffees and know that you enjoy them, or that you find Ethiopian coffees great for your morning pickup.
When you’re trying coffee with others or visiting coffee shops, pay attention to the varieties, and learn what sort of coffee you like.
This way, you can buy coffee beans in that ilk for your home coffee production.
2. Order Based On How You Will Prepare
As you probably know, you can prepare coffee in a variety of different ways, from latte to flat white, or from Americano to espresso.
People who learn to love coffee tend to have different varieties based on how they are going to prepare the coffee.
For example, if you are going to have a latte with some sweet, steamed milk, you might find it pairs best with a punchy and flavourful coffee for the espresso shot.
For your morning filter coffee, you might want something with more subtle flavours.
3. Check The Roast Dates
If you can, it’s a good idea to check the roast dates and get something that’s had time to degas.
Coffee may have quite a lot of gas trapped in the packaging, and giving it a couple of weeks will help to stop this from souring the taste of your coffee.
Coffee beans keep for a long time, so you don’t need to worry too much about the shelf life.
4. Check Tasting Notes
Because so many of us love coffee and there are many different types we can buy, a lot of roasters have started to offer tasting notes on the packaging of their coffee beans.
This helps the layman to get the sort of coffee they think they will like.
It simplifies a lot of the jargon and helps you to understand the flavour notes in your coffee.
There is even a flavour wheel that tasters use in order to recognise the right flavours and let customers know what
they should expect.
Berry, cocoa, black tea, almond…there is a world of flavours available in your daily coffee.
5. Don’t Get Caught Out On Shipping
When you buy speciality coffee online, it’s easy to not realise how much the shipping is
going to cost.
Sometimes you will fill a whole order from a roastery, get to the shopping basket and realise that they want more for delivery than the coffee itself costs.
Lots of roasters sell in physical locations or have somewhere people can pick up their coffee, rather than selling bulk online.
This means that heavy coffee beans can be expensive to deliver, a cost that is almost always passed on to the consumer.
Therefore, before you place an order, check the delivery costs. You may even be able to get the same coffee elsewhere for cheaper delivery.
6. Watch For Deals
There are so many coffee stores and manufacturers trying to get your business online.
This means that there are often deals and promotions you can take advantage of.
Whether it’s free shipping, or a multi-buy deal that means you can stock up on coffee for the next month
or two.
Sign up to some coffee mailing lists and there’s every chance you’ll get offers sent straight to your inbox.
7. A Chance to Experiment
You have all that choice, and while it is a good idea to have a list of coffees you know are solid bankers, that you will always enjoy, there’s an amazing opportunity to find new and exciting coffees, even if you only enjoy them occasionally.
There are so many different roasting profiles, tasting notes, and coffee origins.
So as long as you make sure you are buying ethically sourced coffee, then you can go nuts with new and exciting varieties from as far afield as South America and Vietnam.
Tie this in with our previous tip about buying coffee when it is on a promotion, and it doesn’t even have to cost you too much to try coffee from every corner of the globe.
What Is The Highest Grade Coffee?
Specialty grade coffee beans are the highest grade of beans, and to be classified as Grade 1 Coffee, the beans need to have no primary defects and 0-3 full defects, with a maximum of 5% above and below the specified screen size.
When cupping, these beans need to have a distinct attribute in one of the ares of taste, acidity, body or aroma, and be free of cup faults and taints.
These beans also need to have zero of what is referred to as “Quakers” which are unripe or poorly roasted beans.
How Much Should You Pay For Coffee Beans?
If you want to participate in the global effort to bring fair and just wages all the way down the coffee supply chain, buy your coffee carefully.
A big part of this is knowing how to read coffee packaging. When you can diagnose a roaster’s values and practices based on their packaging, you can avoid buying coffees from sources that are not as globally conscious as you.
Ethical coffee will most likely run you $15-25 per bag.
Coffee at this price point was likely purchased at high performing farms at a premium price.
At this price point, producers are encouraged to grow and leave their fear behind.
Buying Coffee Beans Online F.A.Q’s
A. Even if you drink a decent amount of coffee that will probably last you for a good 2-4 weeks.
A. Coffee beans last longer than ground coffee. An unopened pack will last for 6-9 months. However, even once opened, expect the beans to taste reasonable for six months.
A. To preserve your beans’ fresh roasted flavour as long as possible, store them in an opaque, air-tight container at room temperature.
A. While you are more likely to choose ground coffee because of its convenience, some coffee connoisseurs would prefer whole beans for a better coffee experience.
Commonly, whole beans are grounded just a few moments before brewing so the taste of the coffee is more complex and fresh compared to ground coffee
Conclusion: Buying Coffee Beans Online
Overall, everyone is slightly different when it comes to coffee.
Whether you want to spend your time filling in a map with all the varieties you’ve tried, or you’re just happy with a few favourites on rotation, there is plenty to be aware of when buying coffee beans online.
