We Asked 3 Baristas to Name the Best Store-Bought Coffee—They All Picked the Same One

Key Takeaways

• Baristas say the best grocery-store coffee starts with fresh, whole beans—look for a clear roast date, a one-way valve on the bag, and specific origin details for better flavor and quality.

• Medium roasts are the safest bet for everyday brewing, offering a balanced, smooth cup without the bitterness of dark roasts or sharp acidity of very light ones.

• All three experts agree that Trader Joe’s Bolivian Blend stands out as a reliable, affordable choice with mellow chocolatey notes that work well for drip, French press, or espresso.

The coffee aisle can be an intimidating place for novice coffee drinkers who haven’t yet picked their go-to brew. Many bags promise bold flavor and cafe-like results, but ask anyone who works with coffee every day and they’ll tell you emphatically: Not all store-bought coffee is created equal.

That’s why we asked coffee experts if they had to buy coffee at the grocery store, which whole bean would they actually recommend? Here’s what they look for when shopping for coffee beans and the brand they could all agree on.

Meet the Experts

• Jessica Randhawa, a beverage-savvy recipe creator, head chef, and founder of The Forked Spoon

• Riley Westbrook, a specialty roaster, coffee sourcer, and co-owner of Valor Coffee

• Marisa Zaremba, a lead barista and founder of Sugar On The Rim, a mobile bar and espresso cart service

What to Look for When Buying Coffee Beans

Experienced coffee buyers look past branding and packaging and read the bag for entirely different cues. Here are a few things they say you should focus on when shopping for whole bean coffee to get the best quality cups of java.

Check the Roast Date

The first suggestion: Never purchase coffee that only lists an expiration date. “I always look for bags of whole bean coffee that specify the exact date they were roasted (and thus the maximum amount of time they can sit before degrading) rather than a generic expiration date,” says Riley Westbrook, a specialty roaster, coffee sourcer, and co-owner of Valor Coffee. “Truly great whole bean coffee will have a specific roast date, and you want to drink the beans between 7 to 21 days post-roast for optimum aromatic complexity.”

In specialty coffee, Westbrook prioritizes “vibrancy,” which gets lost simply because of lag time between roasting and sitting on the shelf.

Evaluate Bag and Bean Integrity

Before you even look at roast type or origin, it’s worth checking how the coffee is packaged. “Make sure that the bag has a one-way degassing valve (the little circular vent),” says Westbrook. “This enables the carbon dioxide to get out without letting the oxygen in—the number one enemy of coffee freshness.” Without this valve, beans can go stale quickly, even if they were roasted recently.

If you are buying beans in bulk, choose beans that feel dry to the touch, Westbrook says. “Beans that are shiny and oily indicate that the beans were roasted too dark, and the unique flavor profile of the region where the beans were grown has been muted.”

Search for the Bean’s Origin

After checking the roasting date and bag construction, look for bags that specify a specific region or washing station, like “Caranavi, Bolivia.” “The more specific the label, the greater the chance that the beans were obtained with quality and ethical premiums in mind,” says Westbrook. “It is also important to make sure there is clarity regarding the elevation at which the coffee was grown.” In general, coffee grown at higher elevations tend to have a richer and more complex flavor profile. These higher elevations mean cooler temperatures, slower ripening, and more sugar development in the coffee cherry, Westbrook notes.

Start With Medium Roasts

Roast level matters more than most shoppers realize, especially if you want a consistently smooth cup of coffee. “When buying whole coffee beans, I recommend looking for a medium roast, as medium roast tends to produce a more balanced coffee drink,” says Jessica Randhawa, a beverage-savvy recipe creator and founder of The Forked Spoon. “A dark roast can be more bitter, while a light roast can be more sour.” Read the label to see what notes the roaster claims the beans have, she points out, like chocolate, nuts, toffee, citrus, floral notes, or caramel.

The Best Coffee Beans, According to Coffee Experts

After weighing roast level, sourcing, and flavor balance, the coffee experts we spoke to recommended Trader Joe’s Bolivian Blend for a good everyday coffee. “I think Trader Joe’s Bolivian Blend provides a good balance of milk chocolate and caramel flavors, rather than the more pronounced fruit flavors of lighter roasted coffees,” says Westbrook. “I like that the Bolivian Blend is made from beans grown in high altitude areas, such as between the Andes Mountains and the Amazon River basin.”

As far as the taste, Westbrook notes that some coffee aficionados prefer the bright acidic taste associated with lighter roasted coffees, but he finds the Trader Joe’s blend to be a nice alternative that works well with milk. “If you want a simple, low-fuss morning coffee, without having to be precise about how much water you use or the temperature of your water, I’d definitely recommend buying whole bean Bolivian Blend,” he adds. “This particular mixture is so popular because it is a ‘crowd-pleaser’ profile—low in acidity but rich in taste—that works very well in a standard drip machine.”

Marisa Zaremba, a lead barista and founder of Sugar On The Rim, thinks personal preference plays a huge role in coffee bean choice, but she recommends Trader Joe’s Bolivian Blend for those that want an effortless drip coffee. “Trader Joe’s Bolivian Blend leans toward a medium-dark roast, so it has a smooth, slightly smoky profile with subtle caramel notes rather than bright acidity,” she says. “If you enjoy a mellow, easy-drinking coffee that isn’t sharp or fruity, it’s a solid option, especially for drip or French press.”

All the experts agreed that the TJ’s blend is ideal for daily drinking and budget-conscious households. Randhawa, who admits she’s really addicted to coffee, loves using Trader Joe’s Bolivian Blend in her Super Automatic Espresso machine. “It makes very nice espresso and ristretto, and in my opinion, is better than any expensive specialty beans and coffees I have tried over the last decade,” she says. “The fact that it is both fair-trade and organic is reassuring, and makes me feel better about consuming so much of it. The price has been relatively stable over those ten years, with shrinkflation occurring only once, a few years back, when they switched from the classic coffee bean can to a slightly smaller square bag.”

Zaremba warns that if you prefer lighter roasts with more complexity or a bold, punchy dark roast, the Trader Joe’s Bolivian Blend may feel a bit flat. “It’s dependable and approachable, just not meant to be an overly expressive or specialty-style coffee,” she explains.

Read the original article on Real Simple