The 7 Best Coffee Brands of 2023

Searching for the Best Coffee Brands

If you need a jolt of caffeine in the morning, you know how important it is to have the best coffee brewing—whether it’s in a standard drip coffee maker, percolator or French press.

But if you don’t want to sift through hills of beans or visit every local coffee shop, you might not know what the best coffee is for your tastes. That’s where our Test Kitchen comes in. Our pros love a good cuppa—and they were ready to take on the challenge of tasting 30 different coffee brands. (Don’t worry—they didn’t have to do it all in one day!)

How We Tested 30 Types of Coffee

You read that right: Our Test Kitchen tried a whopping 30 options to find the best coffee brands for this taste test. The beans they brewed ranged from everyday grocery store picks to smaller brands with devoted followings to award-winning roasteries. Our team also tried all kinds of roasts ranging from light to the darkest dark.

Each coffee was prepped using the same countertop coffee maker in order to keep the brews on a level playing field. And, yes, we did use one of the best drip coffee makers as chosen by our Test Kitchen!

• Aroma: Before the coffee even reaches your mug, it should have an irresistible smell. Good coffee should never smell stale or acrid. Instead, it should smell appealing and robust.
• Flavor: In this test, our team sampled a wide variety of roasts which means the coffees had a wide variety of flavors. No matter the roast, though, the best coffee options should be strong and pleasant. Some may be smooth, others bright, but they should taste fresh and of freshly roasted beans.

Our team found a handful of excellent brews. Here’s the shortlist, but be sure to get the details on these top pick-me-ups below.

• Dark Roast: Copper Cow
• Light Roast: Bones Coffee Company
• Medium Roast: Lavazza
• Espresso: Onyx Coffee Lab
• Organic: La Colombe
• Most Caffeine: Death Wish Coffee
• Budget-Friendly: Yuban

Best Dark Roast

Copper Cow Classic

While Copper Cow is well known for single-serve pour-over coffee, our team would argue that Copper Cow Classic beans deserve just as much hype.

This Vietnamese coffee stands out from other dark roasts. Yes, it has that same depth of flavor and full-bodied richness, but it’s not overly heavy or acidic.

Josh Rink, a Taste of Home Test Kitchen pro and former barista, describes a cup of Copper Cow’s classic brew as “soft and mild with dark chocolate notes and plenty of oomph.” Other testers picked up notes of caramel and nuts—all flavors that work so well together.

This wonderful combination makes Copper Cow a must-try best coffee pick. The smooth, harmonic flavors make it a brew you’ll come back for cup after cup.

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Best Light Roast

Bones Coffee Company Ethiopia Single-Origin Coffee

While you may be used to reaching for a dark roast when craving a caffeine kick, light roasts tend to have more caffeine per serving. If you’re looking for that kick—or just a coffee that’s a bit brighter than a traditional dark blend, try Bones Coffee Company Ethiopia Single-Origin Coffee.

Before you even take a sip, you’ll notice its lively and unique aroma. You’ll pick up some tart, citrusy notes as it brews. And once you sip, the flavors keep unfolding. Mark Neufang, Test Kitchen pro and coffee fanatic, says, “You’ll get some floral, fruity notes at first sip—and even a little cardamom.”

As you enjoy, this brew keeps revealing new facets of itself, making it an interesting and satisfying cup—all with plenty of caffeine to fuel your morning.

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Best Medium Roast

Lavazza Classico

Can’t decide between a light roast and a dark roast? Split the difference with a great medium roast. Lavazza Classico is our Test Kitchen’s favorite medium roast coffee.

Lavazza is one of our best coffee picks because it’s, as Josh puts it, “tasty from the very first sip.”

This medium roast “has very even levels of flavor, bitterness and acidity,” explains Josh. That balance is thanks to a carefully roasted blend of arabica and robusta coffee beans. The result is a cup that has a medium body with notes of dried fruits and even nuts.

Accented with a splash of cream or a bit of sweetener, this is one brew that you can count on everyone enjoying at the office or alongside a slice of cake after dinner.

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Best Coffee for Espresso

Onyx Coffee Lab Monarch Blend

First, did you know that coffee and espresso come from the same beans? They do! The key difference here is that espresso beans are roasted differently (they’re typically a very dark roast) and those beans are prepped with an espresso machine versus other types of coffee makers.

However, if you want that espresso flavor without investing in an espresso machine—or you just like a wonderfully deep roast, our team highly recommends Onyx Coffee Lab Monarch Blend. Onyx Coffee Lab is an award-winning cafe and roastery; it’s also one of our favorite coffee shops in the U.S.

“The flavor is intriguingly complex with faint flavors of berries—blueberries, raspberries and maybe even blackberries!” says Mark. And Mark is exactly right. Onyx Coffee Lab designed this dark roast to be deep with notes of dark berries and chocolate.

You’ll find, like our pros, that this best coffee pick is tasty on its own, but it’s also wonderful when enjoyed with a splash of milk. For the most espresso-like experience, try brewing this blend in a Moka pot.

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Best Organic

La Colombe Coffee Bleu

If you like to eat organic, odds are you want to sip organic too. While a few organic coffee brands ranked well in this test, our team wanted to put La Colombe Coffee Bleu blend on your radar as well.

This dark roast consists of a blend of beans from Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru. The result is a full-bodied cup that has “a bit of an edge at first sip,” per Josh, but flavors that mellow out as you enjoy. After a few tastes, you’ll pick up creamy and chocolaty notes.

Now, this brew may be too punchy for fans of lighter roasts, but if you’re looking for organic coffee with a bold, dark roast, this is the bag to buy.

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Most Caffeine

Death Wish Coffee Dark Roast

For folks that want a powerful caffeine kick and great flavor, our pros recommend Death Wish Coffee Dark Roast.

The brand’s slogan is “fiercely caffeinated,” which is certainly the case. While most eight-ounce servings of coffee contain about 165 milligrams of caffeine, Consumer Reports estimates that the same amount of Death Wish’s dark roast boasts more than 450 milligrams. Talk about a pick-me-up!

Rest assured, though, that Death Wish is not sacrificing flavor for fuel. “It has a nice, full-bodied flavor,” says Mark. Our tasters picked up notes of cocoa and cherry in this organic blend—all without the harsh acidity that some darker roasts tend to have.

The only hiccup with this brand is that the rich flavor and toasty aroma will have you craving more than one cup—but you’ll find you’ve likely hit your java limit after the first.

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Best Budget Pick

Yuban Dark Roast

We know that not everyone wants to shell out nearly $20 for a pound of coffee, and that’s OK! If you brew frequently or just want to save a little grocery money, our team agrees that Yuban Dark Roast is a pretty delicious option.

How good of a deal is this coffee brand? A 23-ounce canister of Yuban’s dark roast costs about $9. That’s a great value.

But Yuban isn’t just a wallet-friendly coffee. It’s also a delicious and interesting roast according to Josh. He explains that this coffee is full of warm notes of nutmeg, cocoa and clove—a combination that’s just right for a hot cup, especially on a cool morning.

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Check Out More Test Kitchen-Preferred Products

Our Test Kitchen is constantly testing food, kitchen gadgets and cleaning gear looking for brands that deserve the right to be called Test Kitchen-Preferred.

If you want to fill your pantry and fridge with the best products, check out these tests:

• Coffee creamer
• Oat milk
• Cold brew coffee

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