Coffee beans
One bag of beans can pull a shot or steep overnight; only the grind changes. Organic beans come first, with a grocery-aisle bag at the end to compare against. Each pick shows its cost per shot or per glass.
What clean means here: USDA Organic, ideally with a fair-trade mark
Organic certification rules out synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and certified producers are inspected every year. A Fair Trade or Fairtrade mark is a separate standard covering labor conditions and the price farmers are paid. Neither one implies the other, so a bag can carry either, both, or neither.
Source: USDA AMS: Organic Basics, Fair Trade USA: Does fair trade mean organic?
Our picks
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Kicking Horse Kick Ass, Dark Roast Whole Bean
$40 · 2.2 lb bagShop Kicking Horse Kick Ass, Dark Roast Whole Bean on Amazon
A dark roast that’s certified organic and Fairtrade, with more than five thousand ratings. It works for both espresso and cold brew.
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Mayorga Organic Café Cubano, Dark Roast Whole Bean
$31 · 2 lb bagShop Mayorga Organic Café Cubano, Dark Roast Whole Bean on Amazon
Also organic and also a dark roast, and it costs less per shot than the Kicking Horse.
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Bizzy Organic Cold Brew, Smooth & Sweet, Coarse Ground
$17 · 1 lb bag, coarse groundShop Bizzy Organic Cold Brew, Smooth & Sweet, Coarse Ground on Amazon
Already ground coarse for steeping. Get this one if you don’t own a grinder.
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Lavazza Super Crema, Whole Bean
$25 · 2.2 lb bagShop Lavazza Super Crema, Whole Bean on Amazon
The grocery-aisle standard, with more than seventy thousand ratings. It isn’t organic. We list it as the baseline for the clean premium below.
The clean premium
- Espresso: Kicking Horse Kick Ass, Dark Roast Whole Bean costs $0.27 more per shot than Lavazza Super Crema, Whole Bean, or about $5.86 a month at five a week.
- Cold brew: Kicking Horse Kick Ass, Dark Roast Whole Bean costs $0.60 more per glass than Lavazza Super Crema, Whole Bean, or about $13.03 a month at five a week.
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Run the numbers
Certifications and ingredient lists are the manufacturers' label claims as we last checked them, not our own testing. They change, so read the current label, especially for allergens. Cost information only; nothing here is nutrition or medical advice. Full terms & disclaimers →