Best Coffee Beans for Black Coffee
Beans for black coffee should be Arabica-forward, cleanly processed and roasted medium. Here are the best beans to brew black at home.
Beans that work with milk don't always work black. Milk hides bitterness, harshness and staleness; black coffee exposes all three. Beans that are genuinely good black share four traits: mostly or all Arabica, a clean process, a medium (not dark) roast, and freshness.
What to Buy
- Species: Arabica, or a high-Arabica blend. Skip heavy Robusta - it's about twice as bitter.
- Process: washed or honey. Cleaner and more defined than a heavy natural.
- Roast: medium. Dark roasts add roasty bitterness that milk normally covers.
- Freshness: buy whole beans, use within 3 weeks of roast, grind just before brewing.
The Beans
Karadykan Estate Coffee
Shade-grown Arabica, medium roast, chocolate and citrus. A reliable all-rounder for black coffee.
From ₹440
Biccode Estate Coffee
Washed Arabica (SLN 795) with caramel and cacao sweetness that carries a black cup.
From ₹395
Attikan Estate Washed Coffee
Clean and balanced from the Biligiris - a straightforward, no-surprises black coffee bean.
From ₹550
Halflong Assam Coffee
Gentle single-origin Arabica - the easiest of these to drink black if you're new to it.
From ₹550
Koraput, Odisha Washed Coffee
Bright, clean and low-bitterness, well-defined without being sharp.
From ₹510
3 Coffee Sampler Pack
Three beans in small packs - the cheapest way to find your black coffee bean before buying a full bag.
From ₹450
Grind and Brew
- French press: coarse grind, 1:15, 4 minutes.
- Pour over: medium grind, 1:16, 3 minutes.
- Water: 90-96 C, never a rolling boil.
- Grind fresh. With black coffee it's the single biggest quality difference.
Related Reading
Best Coffee for Drinking Black, Best Coffee Beans in India, and Best Black Coffee Without Sugar.
For black coffee, buy fresh medium-roast Arabica whole beans and grind them just before you brew.