A lot of people tend to have a love affair with coffee. Are you a coffee fanatic too? Or you are just new to coffee? Does it really matter which type of coffee you buy or what the best ground coffee is?
It’s no secret that the type of coffee you buy can greatly affect your coffee experience. Have you ever wondered what the best ground coffee is? I’m going to share with you the best ground coffee you should try!
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Table of Contents
What is Ground Coffee?
Ground coffee is quite popular among coffee lovers. It is made from whole coffee beans after undergoing the grinding process. Since it is not soluble, you need to brew the ground beans for extracting favour.
Here’s a quick look at the best ground coffee!
The Caribou Coffee Daybreak Breakfast Blend
- Made with a blend of coffees from the Americas and East Africa
- Rainforest Alliance Certified for Sustainability
- Subtle fruity and sweet flavor with floral overtones and has a sweet caramel and nut finish
Kicking Horse Coffee Smart Ass, Medium Roast
- Tasting notes of Tart red currant, notes of sugar cane and milk chocolate, with a honeyed berry body
- Recommended for drip machine, pour-over, and cold brew
- Originally from Africa, Central and South America and brewed in the Rocky Mountains
Seattle’s Best Coffee Post Alley Blend
- Smokey and intense
- Smooth taste
- Strong and flavorful
- Starbucks owned brand
Gevalia Special Reserve Costa Rica Medium Roast Ground Coffee
- Fruit and citrus undertones
- Coarse ground coffee from Costa Rica
- Rich flavor
Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee
- Coarse ground coffee created for cold brew
- 100% USDA Organic
- ethically sourced coffee from Guatemala, Peru, and Nicaragua.
- 3 different roast types: Dark & Bold, Light & Bright, Smooth & Sweet
Death Wish Coffee Company Ground Coffee
- Dark Roast
- USDA Certified Organic and Fairtrade coffee
- Double the caffeine than a regular cup of coffee
Wicked Joe Organic Coffee French Decaf
- Dark roast
- Organic and Fair Trade
- Smokey and smooth with a hint of sweet
- Water-processed decaf
Cameron’s Coffee Roasted Ground Coffee
- Smooth and full-flavored
- Sustainably sourced
- Hand-crafted
- Small batch roasted
Illy Classico Medium Roast Espresso
- Rich and balanced taste
- Notes of caramel and chocolate
- Comes in airtight can to preserve freshness
Best Light Roast
The Caribou Coffee Daybreak Breakfast Blend
- Made with a blend of coffees from the Americas and East Africa
- Rainforest Alliance Certified for Sustainability
- Subtle fruity and sweet flavor with floral overtones and has a sweet caramel and nut finish
The Caribou Coffee Daybreak Breakfast Blend is a sweet light roast that will brighten up your mornings.
It has a sweet fruity flavor with floral overtones and a sweet caramel and nut finish. It’s a light blend that has enough body and flavor for all coffee drinkers, even dark roast lovers.
If you’re looking for the best light roast, this is definitely one you need to add to your mornings!
Best Medium Roast
Kicking Horse Coffee Smart Ass, Medium Roast
- Tasting notes of Tart red currant, notes of sugar cane and milk chocolate, with a honeyed berry body
- Recommended for drip machine, pour-over, and cold brew
- Originally from Africa, Central and South America and brewed in the Rocky Mountains
Kicking Horse Coffee is fairtrade, organic, and Kosher. Kicking Horse focuses on sustainability when sourcing their organic coffee beans from Africa, Central, and South America.
The medium roast is full-bodied, smooth, tastes great, and fresh. It does not have a bitter or highly acidic taste. After you brew this roast you’ll get a sweet syrup, vanilla bean, and stone fruit aroma.
This blend leans more onto the sweet side. If you prefer bitter-tasting coffee, this may not be the roast for you, but it’s perfect if you want something on the sweet!
Best Dark Roast
Seattle’s Best Coffee Post Alley Blend
- Smokey and intense
- Smooth taste
- Strong and flavorful
- Starbucks owned brand
The Seattle’s Best Coffee Post Alley Dark Roast Blend is a smooth and smokey flavored cup of joe. The flavors are strong and prevalent. If you like dark roasts or Starbucks coffee, you will definitely like this coffee.
Best for French Press
Gevalia Special Reserve Costa Rica Medium Roast Ground Coffee
- Fruit and citrus undertones
- Coarse ground coffee from Costa Rica
- Rich flavor
The Gevalia Special Reserve Costa Rica Ground Coffee is a sweet blend with fruit and citrus undertones that create a rich flavor from coffee beans sourced in Costa Rica. The ground coffee comes coarse which makes it perfect for French press.
If you love making French press and don’t want your coffee to taste bitter, you need to try the Gevalia Special Reserve!
Best for Cold Brew
Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee
- Coarse ground coffee created for cold brew
- 100% USDA Organic
- ethically sourced coffee from Guatemala, Peru, and Nicaragua.
- 3 different roast types: Dark & Bold, Light & Bright, Smooth & Sweet
The Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee is 100% USDA organic and ethically sourced from Guatemala, Peru, and Nicaragua.
It is a coarse ground coffee that is perfect for cold brew coffee. Bizzy has 3 different roasts to choose from.
Dark & Bold is full-flavored, rich, and the beans are roasted to a dark finish to bring out the molasses and cocoa notes.
Light & Bright is roasted to preserve the natural bright citrus and floral notes in the coffee.
Smooth & Sweet beans are roasted light, medium, and dark to create a smooth and sweet finish.
Best For a Caffeine Fix
Death Wish Coffee Company Ground Coffee
- Dark Roast
- USDA Certified Organic and Fairtrade coffee
- Double the caffeine than a regular cup of coffee
The Death Wish Coffee Company Ground Coffee is the best ground coffee for getting your caffeine fix. If are finding you are having several cups of coffee a day to feel energized then you definitely need to try Death Wish!
Through their slow roasting process, the coffee naturally has double the strength of caffeine than an average cup of coffee. There are no additives or caffeine added to the blend, the strength occurs naturally.
The dark roast is organic, fairtrade, and contains subtle notes of cherry and chocolate in every cup! If you have a heart condition or other health problems, you may want to consult your doctor before trying this coffee.
Best Decaf
Wicked Joe Organic Coffee French Decaf
- Dark roast
- Organic and Fair Trade
- Smokey and smooth with a hint of sweet
- Water-processed decaf
The Wicked Joe Organic Coffee French Decaf is a decaf coffee that is made with ethically sourced and organic coffee beans.
It’s a dark roast that will taste smooth and smokey and you’ll get the bold flavor without the caffeine. If you are looking to limit your caffeine consumption, this is definitely one to try!
Best Budget
Cameron’s Coffee Roasted Ground Coffee
- Smooth and full-flavored
- Sustainably sourced
- Hand-crafted
- Small batch roasted
Cameron’s Coffee Roasted Ground Coffee produces smooth and full-flavored coffee from sustainably sourced coffee beans that are hand-crafted by expert roasters.
They roast the coffee beans in small batches to ensure their high-quality roasting is consistent and so the beans don’t get over-roasted. It has a great price for the quality of the coffee which is why we chose it as our best budget ground coffee!
Best Espresso
Illy Classico Medium Roast Espresso
- Rich and balanced taste
- Notes of caramel and chocolate
- Comes in airtight can to preserve freshness
The Illy Classico Medium Roast Espresso is a rich espresso with notes of caramel and chocolate that are expertly blended before the coffee beans are roasted and cooled.
It comes in an airtight canister to help keep the coffee fresh even after you use it. Illy also has a dark roast and decaf roast espresso if you prefer a different roast than medium.
Ground Coffee Bean Roast Levels
Roast levels of ground coffee determines the taste of your coffee. There are 3 main roast levels of ground coffee.
Light Roasts
Lightly roasted ground coffee beans are lighter in color and are used for milder varieties of coffee. Light roasts have a sour taste and more acidity.
Medium Roasts
Medium roasted coffee has a medium brown colour and stronger flavour than light roasts. Medium roasted coffee has a balanced acidity and aroma.
Dark Roasts
Dark roasted coffee has a rich dark brown color and is bitter in taste with little acidity and caffeine levels.
How to Choose the Ideal Grind Level?
- Coarse Grinds- give chunky pieces of coffee
Works best for: brew methods such as French press
- Medium Grinds- gives sandy-textured coffee with visible flakes
Works best for drip brewing coffee and Aeropress
- Fine Grinds- gives the smoother texture of coffee
Works best for: Espresso
- Extra Fine Grinds- gives powdery coffee just like flour
Works best for: Turkish coffee brewing
Difference Between Instant Coffee and Ground Coffee
Instant coffee is made from brewed coffee beans which are roasted to taste and then ground into fine powder-like form. However, ground coffee is grounded, but it does not undergo industrial processing. Unlike instant coffee, ground coffee is not soluble in water.
Of note, both coffees differ from each other due to differences in their processing, aroma, caffeine concentration, health benefits, cost, and durability.
What to Consider When Buying Ground Coffee
- Roasted or Unroasted– Always consider the roast profile when buying ground coffee. Also, you can check whether coffee is light, medium, or dark roasted.
- Freshness– the quality of coffee fades after roasting. Try to buy ground coffee that is packed in gas-flushed bags. If you are particular about tastes, consider buying lightly roasted ground coffee.
- Exposure to Oxygen– ground coffee gets stale when it becomes oxidised. So avoid buying pre-ground coffee beans that get stale quickly.
- Caffeine Content– if you are conscious about the consumption of caffeine in your diet, you must know that light roasts contain more caffeine than dark-roasted ground coffee.
What to Consider When Choosing Ground Coffee
- Flavor– if you like sour taste, consider buying under-extracted coffee whereas, if you prefer the bitter taste, go for over-extracted coffee.
- Aroma– you can identify hints of flavors in coffee using its aroma such as floral, citrusy, and fruity undertones.
- Body– also consider the heaviness, texture, and origin of coffee when buying ground coffee.
- Acidity– coarser grind coffee has more acidity; however, if you want less acidity, fine grind coffee is best.
Is Fresh Ground Better Than Pre-Ground?
Coffee connoisseurs usually prefer fresh ground over pre-ground coffee. Pre-ground loses its essential oils and gases that affect its flavor. Ground coffee, in contrast, gives maximum freshness and aroma at the time of brewing. However, the majority of people lack time to do all steps required in the fresh ground, so they buy pre-ground coffee.
Can I Reuse Ground Coffee?
No, you should not reuse ground coffee because it cannot give you a good cup of coffee. Reused ground coffee will be nothing less a muddy, murky cup of brown water with no taste. When you make ground coffee, all of its essential vitamins, antioxidants, flavor, and aroma are dissolved. So there is nothing left to squeeze out when reusing it.
We hope you enjoyed our list for the best ground coffee, cheers!