The first thing I learned from moving to America was this. Amazon delivers everything… They always deliver (thank you, essential workers). In fact, the amount of things you can get delivered here is commendable. Surprisingly, this is how I found the best coffee beans (to date). Here are my favourites – on and off Amazon.
If you’d like to know how this all came about, read on! My story continues beyond the list of coffees. I also apologise for generalising American coffee culture to Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts. Coffee culture here is actually alive and thriving, thanks to these roasters who supply the best coffee beans.
P.S. I make my coffees on the the Breville® The Barista Express™ BES870XL.
Some of the links on this page are affiliate links which means if you purchase via these links, I’ll receive a commission. Please know that I purchase all of these products myself before writing this post.
The Best Coffee Beans on Amazon
1. Coffee Bros – from $14.99 for 12oz / 350g wholebean
Perhaps my favourite of all because of price and sheer deliciousness. Roasting from New York City, this duo (brothers, actually) launched just last year (2019) and produce consistently fabulous roasts using only 100% Arabica coffee beans.
I purchase their Espresso Roast roast repeatedly and am never disappointed. It’s just delicious, with bright vanilla notes and a sweet berry finish. Also great as a long black. Their Medium Roast, Cold Brew and Decaf are also great and they have a small selection of single-origins which I haven’t tried as I must get my pour-over mojo back first.
2. 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters – from $17.99 for 12oz / 350g wholebean
This company roasts out of Canada – Burnaby, British Columbia to be precise – on the 49th parallel – do you get the name now? I purchased their Epic Espresso Roast and for a light roast, it was sweet and clean. Probably because the beans are sourced from a single origin, the Guji region of Ethiopia, a coffee growing area that I am in love with for their juicy, fruity coffee beans.
I’m looking forward to trying out a few more of their roasts and have already placed a new order on Amazon.
3. Blue Bottle Coffee – from $18.41 for 6oz / 170g wholebean
Ah, the famous Blue Bottle coffee. This brand is one I already knew coming from Asia. I was surprised to find them on Amazon, actually, seeing as their brand is already so big. I had checked them out when I first arrived but didn’t want a subscription or pay for their high delivery fees. When I did see them on Amazon, I ordered right away.
Gosh, their coffee is good! But at more than double the price, I’m perfectly happy with my first two picks. Still, Blue Bottle deserves a mention. Their Bella Donovan Blend was stop in your tracks gorgeous and I still think about it from time to time.
The Best Coffee Beans from Specialty Roasters in America off Amazon
Brandywine Coffee Roasters – from $16 for 12oz / 350g wholebean
Firstly, yes, I totally ordered from Brandywine because their packaging is SO amazing. I love it. However, the flavour of their roasts are just as lovable. I tried their Galactic Standard Espresso Blend and enjoyed the berry notes. I also ordered their Curated Coffee Magic box which came with three of their specially selected coffees. Yum! I fully enjoy their creativity in descriptions and their range of coffees from different regions. They do special roasts for special causes. Take, for example, their Black Lives Matter and their Social Distancing roasts. Amazing.
I’ll take one of each, a t-shirt and a poster, thank you very much. Brandywine roasts out of Delaware.
Black River Roasters
Just as Covid-19 started, I was on a support small business roll (still am, actually) and was so thrilled when their coffee was delivered in just a few days. They actually have a café about half an hour away so I doubt it will be long before I head up there and order a coffee in person (when I can). Their beans are sustainably sourced and all 100% organic. I was super happy with their Espresso Blend ($16 for 16oz / 453g wholebean). It was yummy to say the least and caramelly in nature.
Intelligentsia
In my mind, Intelligentsia is one of the bigger coffee roasters that are well known in the market. They were offering free shipping so I took advantage and ordered their Organic Black Cat Espresso ($15 for 12oz / 350g wholebean) and a couple other bags of coffee including their seasonal roast (at that time, it was Spring). Their seasonal coffees are a bit pricier but worth it for the flavour. I loved their espresso blend as a daily drinking coffee. Another roast with Ethiopian beans blended with Nicaraguan which did not disappoint, cup after cup.
And now, for my story on moving to America and finding the best coffee beans.
Slow, pour-over mornings
It wasn’t so long ago that my mornings would be consumed by extracting that perfect cup of coffee with a slow, pour-over brew. I would buy freshly roasted specialty coffee beans, the best coffee beans (In Singapore, from Perk Coffee), and freshly grind them, weighing out each dose precisely. I would boil the water, then cool it to 90 degrees celsius, achieving that perfect temperature so the grounds would not be burnt. Next, I would prepare my coffee grounds, filters, V60 or Chemex, not forgetting to pre-wet the filter and heat my cup with warm water. Then I would pour… slowly. Deliberately.
Some days, I would search for fruity, Ethiopian, freshly roasted coffee beans. On other days, I would find the sleekest coffee tools with which to perfect my brew. I’ll admit snobbery, during those days. I only ever drank single-origin pour-overs or beautifully ratioed espresso + milk-based drinks served in 6oz or 8oz doses. The cafés I would frequent always had the best baristas. I had a standing joke – if a barista had a man bun, we could be virtually guaranteed a delicious coffee. If they had a tattoo, even better.
When we told people we were moving to the USA, the first question for me was often – “what about the coffee?”. Followed by – “you know they only drink Starbucks” and then – “good luck finding the best coffee beans there”.
I steeled myself for lukewarm percolated cups of coffee brewed with ages-old burnt beans. My memories of coffee in America consisted of instant, dorm room, cheap brews or $1 bottomless cups of Robusta from petrol stations and diners.
Coffee culture shock
When we arrived, it was too daunting for me to go out looking for the best coffee beans. I decided to embrace what, in my mind, was at home coffee culture in America. I bought a Keurig Coffee Maker and the K-cups to go with it.
The coffee tasted atrocious! So I added milk. After a week, I converted to half and half or cream, adding this and sugar to my burnt brews.
When I did look for hipster cafés, I found very little nearby. Perhaps I had left café choice behind and with it my passion for exploration (especially in the freezing cold of early February).
Bundled up in the newness of moving continents, I began to endure quiet anxiety. Would I ever find a good cup of coffee or the best coffee beans here? We had moved from vibrant pulsing Singapore, a city that did cafés and coffee so well, to a quiet, almost rural location. There were no hip cafés around for miles.
My shipment arrived. Along with all my brew gear with which I could again brew with the best coffee beans. Here were my V60s, gooseneck kettles, thermometer, Chemex and scales. I had already found Bean Box online and I ordered a taster pack in anticipation. It contained five or six amazing coffees roasted by artisan roasters in the Seattle, WA or Portland, OR area.
I poured my first coffee since leaving Singapore. The first sip was indeed delicious. But it just didn’t seem as perfect as it was in Singapore. It wasn’t just the beans. It was the entire ritual, the slowness. I couldn’t do it. I decided we must buy an espresso machine.
Pour-overs to Espresso
An espresso machine was, what I thought, an easy out from hand pouring coffee. I could press a button and out would come liquid gold. We got the Breville® The Barista Express™ BES870XL. Seemingly more dummy-proof than a La Marzocca or Rocket Espresso and quite a bit cheaper. It could ensure me a beautiful espresso – over which I could pour perfectly textured milk, making cute little latte hearts. Yes, that would work for me.
Pulling a perfect espresso, though, is not so simple. You have to get the ground right and tamp it with just the right amount of pressure. I failed at a dozen or more “first tries”. Thank goodness for those big bags of organic coffee from Costco (which I felt were relatively affordable) with which I could practice. Finally, after getting the needle in the perfect espresso range consistently, I decided it was time to invest in good coffee beans. I was ready to find the best coffee beans for my daily coffee.
Damn you, Covid-19
It was just about then that Covid-19 came to town. Hidden away in my home, under strict social isolation and out of desperation, I began to order coffee beans. I had to try to find good ones, even if they were ordered through Amazon and not purchased on-site at an artisan coffee roaster. And find them, I did. Besides the list above, I’ve also tried out the following, all with their own merits and all very drinkable.
Boxwood Coffee
Find them at 17 Beechwood Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901
We stumbled across their location after visiting the Summit Farmers Market one weekend.
Onyx Coffee Lab
Stumptown Coffee Roasters
So, actually, it turns out that coffee here is delicious and it is absolutely possible to find beautifully roasted beans or a blend using the best coffee beans. I’m going to continue my search for awesome beans so please feel free to share if you have a suggestion or two.
On a side note, I still drink big cups of Keurig / K cup coffee laden with creamer (vanilla flavoured) and sugar and there is nothing wrong with that!