Cheap Coffee Vs Expensive Beans: How To Tell The Difference

What is good coffee, anyway? As someone who worked as a barista in Philadelphia and New York City for over five years, it's impossible to say. To some people, it will be whatever you can get in a drive-thru. For others, it's the most expensive or most complex brew. Some people want coffee roasted as dark as possible, while others want it to taste as light as tea. Good coffee is subjective. High-quality coffee, however, is not. 

The quality of a coffee bean depends on a series of variables that begin with the fruit itself and continue until the coffee finally meets hot water. To put it simply, high-quality beans are a result of good harvesting, processing, and storage. And if you see evidence of those good practices, that is an excellent indicator that you are looking at high-quality beans. And good coffee practices are not cheap. That means that your quality coffee beans will likely come at a higher price.

Some of those good practices will be observable using your senses, like how the beans look and smell. Others will be indicated by the packaging and labeling of a batch of beans. With a little background knowledge on what to look for, you can get a pretty good idea about the quality of your coffee beans — and their corresponding price tag — before you've ever brewed a cup.

There are three main ways that coffee beans are processed. When they are initially processed, meaning when they are washed and dried and the fruit pulp is removed, they are sorted by size. This is referred to as grading. Typically, beans are graded by letter for size: for example, AA or AB. You may also find beans graded by the size of the screen used to sift them.

This sorting is key. It gets done before the beans are roasted because the size of the bean determines how quickly it will roast at a specific temperature. Some varieties of coffee are smaller than others, and both large and smaller beans can be excellent. However, they should not be roasted together because that will result in an uneven roast and uneven flavor. If you find yourself with a batch of beans that aren't reasonably uniform in size, there is a good chance that some of those beans have not been adequately roasted, so it's probably not what you are looking for.

The terms used to denote the roast level of a batch of coffee are woefully inadequate. The terms "light," "medium," and "dark" are not only subjective and based on each roaster's discretion, but they are also often divided into similarly arbitrary or brand-specific subcategories like "medium-light" and "blonde roast." One company's dark roast may be another's medium. Generally, however, very roast-y coffee is going to be worse quality. These coffees are sometimes called French, Italian, or Espresso roast. These names do not mean much besides that it's probably going to be roasted very dark, and it's an indicator that it may not be very good coffee. Darkly roasted beans release more oils to the surface, and oily beans can become rancid over time. Coffee that is darkly roasted is also quite commonly roasted to the point of being burnt. This does not mean that darker roasted coffees are inherently bad-quality or burnt, but they are more likely to be so.

Not only are many dark roasted coffees burnt and bitter, but a dark roast is also a great way to mask lower-quality coffee beans. The darker that coffee is roasted, the less subtle the flavors and aromas are, and the nuances of the beans are eventually lost. A roaster who puts out very darkly roasted coffee is either not interested in the nuances of the batch of beans or is trying to cover up some unpleasantness that is present. Either way, it's not a good sign for the quality of your coffee.

There are four types of coffee bean plants: arabica, robusta, liberica, and excelsa. In almost all cases, however, the coffee you buy will either be arabica, robusta, or some combination of the two. This is due to their greater availability and flavor profiles. From these two main types of coffee beans, endless varieties emerge.

What's the difference between arabica and robusta coffee? Arabica makes up about 70% of commercially produced coffee. Not only is arabica more common than robusta, but it's also generally considered to have a much better flavor. Arabica contains less caffeine but has a fruitier and lighter flavor that isn't as bitter and harsh as robusta. There are places where robusta coffee is preferred and is quite popular. Still, the overall preference for arabica means that robusta is regarded as less suitable for a complex, well-rounded brew. Robusta is often used to cut costs; it is used as filler in inexpensive blends or is over-roasted to mask its harshness. If you are working with a batch of robusta coffee beans, it's probably cheaper and not very high quality.

What should coffee smell like? Well, it should smell like coffee, you might say. The aroma is one of many signs that indicate a great premium coffee. And the aroma of a fresh, expertly roasted single-origin or blend of coffee is complex and varied. Like wine, the aromas of the coffee beans tell the story of where they came from. They depend on the bean type, the coffee bean's terroir, the country of origin, the processing method, the roast, and the freshness of the final product. 

These factors combine to produce aromas ranging from floral and fruity to chocolatey and smokey. You don't need to be able to determine if your bag of beans smells like berries or stone fruit, but you should be able to detect that complexity; the aroma should not be flat or overly burnt. It also should not smell stale or like nothing at all. Your coffee's aroma will transform upon brewing, but a wonderful-smelling bag of coffee tells you that the beans were treated with intention and care.

How coffee beans are stored, packaged, and displayed may tell you more about their quality than you think. Not only does proper packaging keep coffee fresh-tasting, but it also indicates that the roaster or vendor cares about preserving all the flavor that develops over the lifetime of a batch of beans. 

Beans sitting out in the open in burlap sacks may look visually appealing, but it's not a good way to keep beans fresh and free from external smells and flavors. Unlined paper bags are slightly better, but they are not tightly sealed, and they allow airflow and potential moisture to penetrate into the beans. It's best to have an aluminum-lined, tightly sealed, resealable bag. This prevents air, light, and moisture from reaching and ultimately degrading the coffee. 

Ideally, the bag also has a one-way valve. The valve keeps the beans from being exposed to air while also allowing them to release carbon dioxide. Plus, the valve is a handy way to get a good whiff of the beans without opening any packaging. This kind of packaging is an additional investment on the part of the roaster, so it'll correspond with a higher price. Some roasters will seal their beans in a bag and then put that bag in a cardboard outer box. That's an aesthetic decision that won't affect the coffee itself.

Like many products meant for consumption, coffee bags often provide a "best used by" or another type of expiration date. That's all well and good, except it is not the most relevant information in the rather persnickety world of coffee roasting. That's because it's a little more complicated than "fresh is best." Once coffee is roasted, it should rest for around 2-10 days before being consumed, depending on the roast. This rest time allows the beans to release some of the carbon dioxide that builds up during the roasting process — excess carbon dioxide results in a pretty nasty cup of coffee.

On the other hand, the flavor of the roasted coffee will begin to suffer after about a month. So, these factors are not only balanced by the roaster but can be balanced by the consumer. That's why a roast date is preferred. Does that necessarily mean a coffee with a "use by" date is low quality? Certainly not. Different roasters have preferences on how they present and label their product. But finding a roast date on your next bag of coffee is a good indicator that the people who got that coffee into your hands care a lot about how it tastes, which definitely includes when you taste it.

Not to be confused with brewed coffee that's flavored with syrups or creamers, flavored coffee beans are blended with oils and other additional flavorings after roasting. These flavorings coat the whole bean and will transfer to the cup of coffee when brewed. Some of these additives, such as hazelnut oil or orange zest, are natural. On the other hand, quite a few are artificial. 

Whether your coffee contains natural or synthetic flavors, there is nothing wrong with enjoying a flavored cup of coffee. But it is unlikely that a flavored bag of coffee contains quality beans. That only makes sense. You don't want the bean's natural flavor, coaxed out and developed through careful processing and roasting, to be drowned out by the added flavoring. Why waste your best-made batch of coffee on that? Flavored beans are used in a coffee blend that doesn't call for the very best beans, and that's okay; just don't look for quality there.