Best Coffee Beans in the UK

Freshly roasted beans exude an amazingly distinct coffee aroma that is prone to vanishing pretty quickly when beans are exposed to air. Therefore, roasted beans are usually packed into airtight foil bags to preserve their authentic flavour. The problem is, once the packaging's opened, it's hard to close it tightly enough to trap that exquisite flavour profile. That is where the Illy Classic beans, which come in a smaller pack, will be able to meet the most demanding coffee drinkers’ tastes.

Top-rated by numerous coffee connoisseurs worldwide for many decades, Illy brand is synonymous to premium quality. All their blends are mixed from 100% Arabica grown in various regions of Brazil, Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica and India and boast consistent unique flavours. The Illy Classic is one of the most popular signature blends comprising the best coffee beans from nine different regions. Distinguished by a rich yet mild taste, this coffee will feel velvety on your palate and lend delicate sweetness with its lingering accents of chocolate, caramel, jasmine, and almond, with no signs of bitterness.

To let the beans retain that authentic taste profile and sophisticated aroma for longer, the beans come packed into an air-free pressurized tin with a tight-closing lid. Besides, a smaller can size of 250 g will minimise the risk of beans losing their taster due to prolonged storage of the open pack. And this amount will suffice to enjoy freshly brewed coffee for more than a week.

In a word, the Illy Classic is for those who like the smooth and refined coffee taste and are more into a long coffee than espresso. It will retain its genuine freshness and flavour cup after cup.

On coffee packs, they often state 100% Arabica or Robusta (which is a more rare occasion). Despite that though, you'll still get the blend consisting of several varietals from different growing regions. This is a common thing, which allows creating a fuller taste profile. Besides that, manufacturers often mix different coffee beans to achieve a rich multi-fold aroma and add some distinct savour notes. In Lavazza, they definitely succeeded in that, and their Qualita Rossa blend, which stands out for its perfectly balanced full-bodied taste, serves as proof of it.

Lavazza's roasters are real blending wizards, and the Qualita Rossa is a pinnacle of their mixing and roasting art. Skillfully selected and medium roasted, it contains 60% of quality African Robusta and 40% of premium Arabica from Brazil. Due to lower in sugars Robusta prevailing in the blend, the drink will have a more bitter and robust taste, while a lower oil ratio will provide a warmer drink colour and give that luxury thick froth that defines a perfect Espresso shot. In addition, Robusta contains more caffeine, so, it offers a more energizing effect. High in oils and sugars Arabica, on the other hand, diversifies the flavour palette and delivers distinctive chocolate notes that interweave with light fruity scents.

Notably, the blend works great for all brewing methods. So, no matter whether you use a professional-grade espresso machine, a habitual drip coffee maker, or an ordinary French press, the coffee taste will be flawless and always recognizable.

To put it in a nutshell, the Lavazza Qualita Rossa is a choice for those who need a strong caffeine boost in the morning and enjoy an expressly bitter coffee taste.

When it comes to premium coffee brands, normally, they offer up-to-par quality and unique blends. The downside is they are rarely not expensive. That being said, you don't need to compromise the coffee quality and drink taste. With the Solimo coffee beans, you'll be able to get both.

First and foremost, at an average price of a 1kg pack of more expensive coffee, you’ll get as many as 2 kgs of coffee beans, coming in two single-kilo bags. It’s a long-term coffee stock for a family of avid coffee drinkers as well as a great deal for offices, receptions, mini-hotels, small cafes, bistros, and snack bars. The bags are made of high-quality material and diligently closed to ensure an air-free protective atmosphere for maintaining coffee freshness and keeping its original taste.

Speaking of which, the coffee taste and flavour don’t trail behind those of top-rated blends, though the mix is not made from artisan beans. Mostly, that’s thanks to the manufacturer's collaboration with UTZ certified growers, who are a part of the programme, maintaining better farming practices. It means coffee beans were grown in compliance with sustainable agriculture principles and under the programme, the manufacturer can get the best beans from the best estates. Consisting of 100% Arabica beans and medium roasted, the blend has a soft and mellow taste profile. In a drink, it opens up with a very mild and creamy aroma that has strong notes of dark chocolate, nuts, and some vague smokiness.

Shortly, the Salimo coffee beans stand out for the best price to quality ratio and offer a nicely balanced taste for a flavourful everyday cup of Joe.

In Italy, they are really big on coffee and it’s no wonder that Italian coffee brands are among top-sellers. What is surprising though is that despite their love, you'll hardly find an Italian drinking cappuccino or latte. Why? Because they don't drink them. Instead, they have espresso and ristretto, which are served in the cup sizes that better reveal the original coffee taste and flavour profile. So, if you are an espresso fan, the Lavazza Super Crema coffee beans are for you.

The Super Crema is yet another blend of Arabica and Robusta beans from Lavazza. It’s made of 60% Arabica coffee from Brazil, Colombia, and India and 40% Robusta from Indonesia and Vietnam. As such, the mixture provides an ideal balance of sweetness and strength with delicate tones of sugar and berries and slight hints of peanut. Arabica lends excellent acidity with a typical winey aftertaste any good espresso shot should have. Meanwhile, Robusta ensures a full-bodied taste and gives an ideally thick and creamy foam top.

It should be noted that this Lavazza variety was specifically created for espresso machines. Of course, you can grind it and use some other brewing method; however, getting the best of the taste and aroma the mix has to offer can only be done with an espresso machine.

To resume, the Super Crema coffee beans will become an all-time love for all espresso addicts who love coffee and would like to get into Italian coffee brewing traditions.

The beans roast level is what helps accentuate specific coffee varietal taste notes and flavours. The darker the roast, the more oils are released onto the bean surface, and the stronger the coffee taste. Whereas medium roasts are the most popular and dark roasts are appreciated by strong coffee fans, light or mild roasts are pretty rare. With that, they are distinguished by a good body and intense aromas and feature a high caffeine content. If this sounds just like the type of coffee you prefer, the Crema Leggero from Cafe Royal will get you covered.

This blend is made of 100% Arabica beans from Indonesia and South Africa and is mildly roasted in Switzerland. Coffee varieties grown in Indonesia offer soft earthy flavours combined with a hint of spiciness and sublime bitterness. Meanwhile, South African beans lend fruity notes with delicate wine undertones and slight sweetness. All those accents flawlessly mix into a balanced fragrant bouquet with pleasant lively acidity.

On the pack, the manufacturer specifies that medium ground Crema Leggero coffee beans will work best for coffee Lungo (110ml). To extract the most out of coffee flavours, you can brew it in a drip coffee maker or an espresso machine. As such, the coffee will perfectly combine with milk and become an ideal match for bakery and desserts. Besides, you can use ground coffee for pour-over brewing to make refreshing and flavourful iced coffee drinks.

Summing up, the Royal Cafe coffee beans will be highly appreciated by those coffee drinkers who seek pure coffee aroma with a very mild, smooth taste and prefer creamy coffee drinks.