Whole beanCoffee bean reviews
Whole bean coffee, priced on the same dose so the comparison holds. Every review says what a coffee costs per cup, and describes the cup from the roaster's own notes and what buyers consistently report.
- illy Classico review: the tin that splits espresso drinkersSix 250g tins of illy's signature blend, all arabica and medium roasted, at 52p a cup. Specialty drinkers call it stale; its fans praise how little it changes from one tin to the next.7 min read
- Starbucks Blonde Espresso review: a medium roast with a light labelStarbucks' lightest espresso roast, sold on Amazon in six 200g bags at 45p a cup. It is light next to Starbucks' own dark espresso and a medium roast next to almost anyone else's, and that is the thing to understand before you buy it.6 min read
- Caffè Nero Classico review: the café's blend, not the café's cupThe house blend Caffè Nero has served since 1997, in a 1kg bag at 41p a cup. Same blend as the café, which is a promise about what goes into the roaster rather than what ends up in your cup.6 min read
- Union Revelation review: a dark espresso kilo built for milkUnion's signature espresso blend, dark roasted and designed to stand up in a latte. At 48p a cup by the kilo it undercuts most of the whole bean coffee we track, and it still splits people who drink their espresso black.7 min read
- Pact House Coffee review: a milk-chocolate kilo sold for filterPact's everyday blend of Brazil and Colombia, at 53p a cup by the kilo. Pact sell it as a filter coffee, which matters more than it sounds if you own an espresso machine.6 min read
- Rave Signature Blend review: a medium-dark all-rounder at the going rateRave's first blend and best seller, sold for every brewer from a cafetière to an espresso machine. At 61p a cup it costs almost exactly the whole bean median, so the question is whether versatility is worth paying for.6 min read
- Black Donkey Intenso review: a robusta kilo sold on strengthFour parts robusta to one of arabica, dark roasted in Italy, at 31p a cup. It is built to push back, and we found nobody independent who has written a word about it.5 min read
- Segafredo Single Origin Brasil review: a gentle Brazilian espresso kiloNatural-process Brazilian arabica, roasted in Poland, rated 3 out of 5 for intensity by the people who make it. A mild everyday bean at 31p a cup, and the barista on the bag works for Segafredo.5 min read
- Brown Bear Blue Mountain review: a Jamaican name on a Latin American blendBrown Bear say it is inspired by Jamaica's Blue Mountains and made from Central and South American arabica. At 45p a cup that is what you are buying, and it is a perfectly decent thing to buy.7 min read
- by Amazon House Blend review: a mild kilo built for milkA kilo of certified arabica at 23p a cup. It's quiet rather than punchy, and that's what decides whether it's for you.7 min read
- by Amazon Brazilian review: a filter bean at a supermarket priceSingle origin Brazilian arabica for 23p a cup, in two 500g bags. The published notes promise more than the espresso delivers.4 min read
- by Amazon Colombian review: the pick of the by Amazon beansThe only bean in the range labelled above 3 out of 5, delivered in two 500g bags, at the same 23p a cup as the rest.4 min read
- Lavazza Qualità Rossa review: brilliant under pressure, flat without itThe most argued-about kilo in Britain. Almost every disagreement about it comes down to how you brew it.4 min read
- Grumpy Mule Kick-Ass House Blend review: the name oversells the coffeeFairtrade beans from Brazil and Honduras, roasted in West Yorkshire, in a 500g bag at 24p a cup. Punchy branding, smooth coffee.4 min read
- Nescafé Barista Espresso Blend review: a café bean sold to your kitchenNestlé built this for cafés and offices, not for supermarkets. That explains the intensity rating, the price, and why nobody has reviewed it.4 min read
- Planet Java 100% Arabica House Blend review: British roasted, lightly evidencedA UK-roasted kilo of South American arabica at 31p a cup. The coffee may well be good; the published information about it is a mess.3 min read
- Grano Milano Decaf French Roast review: strong decaf, undisclosed methodA dark, robusta-backed decaf espresso kilo at 31p a cup, which is remarkable value. What it will not tell you is how the caffeine was removed.5 min read
