Best Coffee for Aeropress: Great Beans for A Quick Brew

So you own an Aeropress. Congratulations, you’re partway to a delicious cup of coffee. Now don’t veer off course by using the wrong coffee beans.

Almost any flavor and style of coffee can taste great brewed in the AeroPress, but make sure you choose high-quality beans. We’ve got seven great picks for you, guaranteed to suit any taste.

Top Pick

Koa Coffee Estate Medium

These 100% Kona coffee beans, sourced from a single estate, feature the classic Hawaiian flavors of honey, fruit, and milk chocolate. Brewed with your Aeropress, they’ll yield a delightfully clean and bright cup.

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How to Choose the Best Coffee for Aeropress Brewing

Image	Product	Details
Best Overall Best Overall	Koa Coffee Estate	Medium roast Hawaii Fruity, honey, milk chocolate	Click to Check Price
Budget Pick Budget Pick	Peet’s Colombia Single Origin	Dark roast Colombia Fruity, floral	Click to Check Price
	Volcanica Coffee Guatemala Antigua Reserve	Dark roast Guatemala Nuts, chocolate	Click to Check Price
	Lifeboost	Medium roast Nicaragua Nuts, chocolate, strawberry	Click to Check Price
	Atomic Coffee Ethiopia Kochere	Light roast Ethiopia Ripe fruit, floral, spice	Click to Check Price
	Irving Farm Guadalupe	Light-Medium roast El Salvador Milk chocolate, pecan, brown sugar	Click to Check Price
	Coffee Bros. Costa Rica	Medium Roast Costa Rica Cocoa, toffee, lemon	CLICK TO CHECK PRICE

The Aeropress’s strong yet smooth shots of concentrated coffee make it an excellent brewing method for a variety of coffee roasts and flavors (1). Every decision you make to buy good coffee beans should be well-thought out, but the Aeropress is versatile, meaning there is more room for error when choosing:

In fact, you can even make espresso or Aeropress cold brew. So choosing the best coffee for your Aeropress largely depends on personal taste. But there are a few general guidelines that can help you make the right selection. Read on for our top tips.

Watch our fun video on making espresso with an Aeropress:

How bold do you want your Aeropress coffee?

The Aeropress coffee maker brews a strong cup of coffee that shares characteristics with both espresso and drip coffee. So it works well with any roast level.

Light roasts are often complex and acidic, with fruity and floral flavors, and the Aeropress is an excellent choice for capturing their subtleties. In contrast, dark roasts have bolder flavors and a heavier body. Importantly, they’re great for a clean brew that results from Aeropress’s paper filter.

According to its inventor, brewing a dark roasted beans with the Aeropress makes an excellent basis for a latte or cappuccino (2).

If you habitually drink drip coffee, consider opting for a lighter roast than usual, as the Aeropress’s strong brew can be overwhelming.

Understand coffee origins and flavor when choosing

One of the best characteristics to seek out in coffee beans for the Aeropress is balance. A balance between bright, fruity flavors, and dark smoky flavors, between acidity and bitter-sweetness, between a heavy body and a clean cup.

Certain growing regions are mainly known for this trait. If you prefer richer flavors of chocolate and nuts, look for beans from South and Central America. If you love brighter fruit flavors, consider Ethiopian beans.

Here’s our simple video guide on this popular brewing method:

Avoid pre-ground coffee where possible

Buying whole coffee beans and grinding them yourself is always the best choice for fresh-tasting coffee. But it’s particularly important when using the Aeropress.

If you need to buy pre-ground coffee, be prepared to experiment with hot water infusion time for the perfect extraction. Make sure to pick the right grind size as well.

The Aeropress will work with ALL flavors

Because of Aeropress’s versatility, it works with nearly any flavor profile. You don’t need to adjust your tastes to suit the brewer; you just need to buy quality coffee beans, whether you want a rich chocolatey brew or a bright, fruity cup.

Did you know you can also make a cold brew with it? Watch the video below:

Top 6: Best Coffee for Aeropress

Now that you know what to look for in the best coffee beans for Aeropress, here are six top choices. Whether you love light roasts, dark roasts, or just a great bargain, there’s sure to be one for you.

1. Koa Coffee Estate Medium – Best Overall

• Roast level: Medium

• Origin: Hawaii
• Tasting notes: Fruity, honey, milk chocolate
• Available: Ground or Whole Bean

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Koa Coffee’s Estate is our top pick for the Aeropress this year. These 100% Kona beans got the name Estate because every coffee bean comes from a single farm.

Their high-elevation grown beans feature the classic Kona flavors of honey, milk chocolate, and fruit, with the roast providing a perfect toasty aftertaste that balances the sweetness.

Brewed with an Aeropress, you can expect a clean and flavorful cup, with a brightness that lets those particular Hawaiian fruity notes shine through.

2. Peet’s Colombia Single Origin – Budget Pick

• Roast level: Dark

• Origin: Colombia
• Tasting notes: Fruity, floral
• Available: Ground or Whole Bean

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Colombian beans are known for their well-balanced character, which makes them ideal for the Aeropress. The source of Peet’s single-origin Colombian dark roasted beans varies by season, ensuring you always get the freshest and highest-quality crop. Still, it’s most often the famed high-elevation coffee-growing region of Huila.

The coffee has a rich sweetness, with a surprisingly balanced acidity. Despite its low cost, this is a complex brew, with more than a typical cheap, one-note coffeet. You’ll taste the fruity and floral notes of the coffee fruit itself, along with the smokiness and full-body expected of such a combo.

3. Volcanica Coffee Guatemala Antigua Reserve – Best Dark Roast

• Roast level: Dark

• Origin: Guatemala
• Tasting notes: Nuts, chocolate
• Available: Ground or Whole Bean

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This single-origin Guatemalan coffee is Rainforest Alliance certified. It’s as rich and full-bodied as you would expect from a dark roast, but with a surprisingly smooth and sophisticated flavor that is better highlighted by an Aeropress brew than an immersion method like the French Press.

You’ll experience bold tastes of nuts and chocolate, with roasted notes coming through primarily in the aroma. The mouthfeel is creamy, but a bright acidity keeps it from feeling too heavy. This is a versatile coffee that would be delicious, enjoyed black or with frothed milk.

4. Lifeboost – Best Medium Roasted Beans

• Roast level: Medium

• Origin: Nicaragua
• Tasting notes: Nuts, chocolate, strawberry
• Available: Ground or Whole Bean

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Lifeboost produces some of the world’s healthiest coffee, thanks to its rigorous growing and processing standards. All their beans are shade-grown on a high-elevation farm in the mountains of Nicaragua. They’re certified organic, pesticide-free, and mycotoxin-free, and processed without any harmful chemicals.

The result is a remarkably smooth, low-acid coffee that even those with sensitive stomachs will enjoy. These beans feature traditional flavors of nuts and chocolate, but these are balanced by a unique strawberry sweetness that makes this coffee stand out. Read our Lifeboost Coffee review to learn more about this brand and their coffee beans.

5. Atomic Coffee Ethiopia Kochere – Best Light Roast 

• Roast level: Light

• Origin: Ethiopia
• Tasting notes: Ripe fruits, floral, spice
• Available: Ground or Whole Bean

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For centuries, coffee has been grown in Ethiopia, leading to a remarkable variety of heirloom beans unique to the region. These coffees are known for their fruit-forward flavor profiles, which are typically highlighted with a light roast.

This Atomic Coffee light roast from the Kochere region is a perfect example. It features a delicate body but with bold flavors of citrus, spice, and florals. More astute tasters will also note subtle tastes of peach and black tea.

6. Irving Farm Guadalupe – Best for Cold Brew

• Roast level: Light-Medium

• Origin: El Salvador
• Tasting notes: Milk chocolate, pecan, brown sugar
• Available: Ground or Whole Bean

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Did you know the Aeropress is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make cold brew (3)? For this method, we love a lighter bean. Cold brewing yields a smooth and low-acid cup, with the sweeter flavor notes highlighted.

Our favorite coffee bean this year is Irving Farm’s Guadalupe, a light-medium coffee from El Salvador. El Salvadoran coffees generally off a well-balanced, approachable cup, and this one features flavors of walnut, chocolate, and brown sugar paired with subtle citrus acidity.

7. Coffee Bros. Costa Rica

• Roast level: Medium

• Origin: Costa Rica
• Tasting notes: Cocoa, toffee, lemon
• Available: Whole Bean

SEE ON AMAZON

Very often, a great Aeropress coffee will have the same characteristics as a great espresso — full-bodied, sweet, and creamy. If that’s the brew you’re after, look no further than this limited edition micro lot coffee from Coffee Bros.

Single origin taken to the extreme, these 100% Arabica beans can be traced to a single producer. They’re grown by a father and son team located in the Sabanilla de Alajuela region of Costa Rica’s Central Valley.

The beans are naturally processed, providing an extra hint of sweet fruit character to the brew. They’re roasted to medium to yield a versatile coffee with complex and enticing flavors of cocoa, toffee, and lemon.

The Verdict

The perfect coffee for Aeropress is a well-balanced brew featuring any flavors you love. Our top pick for this year is Koa Coffee’s Estate, featuring classic Kona flavors of honey, fruit, and milk chocolate.