10 Best Coffee Beans for French Press | Ultimate Selection
Whenever I travel on holiday, my Airbnb holiday home always has a french press coffee maker. However, sometimes they don’t provide the best coffee beans for french press!
Understandably everyone is different and we all have our favorites, so all that travel has opened me up to trying a variety of coffee beans for french press coffee.
Oftentimes, most of us are very attracted to the fresh aromatic scent the beans release when they are ground just right for the perfect french press.
This is ultimately what got me preferring coffee beans for french press as opposed to using already ground coffee.
However if you’re a bit on the fence with what you like and don’t mind what goes in your french press coffee maker, then you need to check out my 5 mouthwatering picks to the best coffee for french press.
So if you’re like me and you want to know what's best beans for your french press, continue reading cause I’ve got the top 10 picks everyone needs to be trying!
Top Pick: Best Coffee Beans For French Press is…
The top pick we have that you need to be trying in your french press is the San Francisco Bay French roast whole coffee beans.
Enjoy the perfect cup from your french press in the early hours of the morning with these well, whole blended, coffee beans from Central & South America.
Once ground and brewed they release exquisite notes of chocolate and toasted cinnamon, making it perfect to have in any french press coffee.
Editors Rating :
Delicious gourmet coffee from San Franciso Bay Coffee. Unique french roast (dark roast) whole coffee beans, delivering tasting notes of rich dark chocolate.
Perfect for the best cup of coffee with your french press.
10 Best Coffee Beans for French Press
Now that we have covered off the best beans for french press coffee, I’ll show you some of my other recommendations which are based on quality and popularity.
So if you haven’t tried some of these recommendations, you need to give them a go!
#1 - SF Bay French Roast Whole Coffee Beans
- One of our most popular coffees, French Roast is sourced from Central and South America arabica beans. We roast it dark, creating a bold, full-bodied coffee with a smoky finish. Satisfaction in a cup.
- For finest taste, store in a cool, dark place and grind beans just berfore brewing
- QUALITY COFFEE: San Francisco Bay Coffee uses only 100% arabica coffee and certified Kosher coffee beans. Hand picked and grown in high altitude. We're so confident you'll love it, we back it with a satisfaction guarantee.
- SUSTAINABLY AND ECO- FARMED COFFEE: We offer a wide selection of sustainably grown, sourced, and packaged coffee from whole bean to ground, flavored to decaf, and much more.
San Francisco Bay coffee only uses pure 100% Arabica coffee beans, which are freshly packaged for the ultimate satisfaction guarantee.
These french roast, also known as dark roast, whole coffee beans are planted and harvested in Central & South America. They are roasted to give rise to natural bean oils, that deliver the ultimate tasting notes of chocolate and toasted cinnamon.
Our recommendation is that these coffee beans are perfect for any occasion, so if you're one to enjoy a good cup of joe from your french press in the early hours of the morning, then this is for you.
#2 - Mayorga Organics Cafe Dark Roast Coffee Beans
- MAYORGA COFFEE CUBANO ROAST - Our Roastmaster craft roasts our coffees from Peru, Honduras and/or Nicaragua, and gives our Coffee Cubano Roast a unique flavor profile that makes this cuban-style roast a Mayorga favorite. Mayorga has perfected this smooth, dark roast cuban coffee with hints of vanilla and sweet, syrupy smokiness, with a smooth, and bold finish and low acidity.
- 100% ARABICA WHOLE BEAN COFFEE - Start your day by enjoying the freshness of our organic coffee beans blend consisting of small farmers' best offerings from Latin America. Our whole bean coffee is perfect for coffee lovers who prefer to grind at home for the smoothest, freshest, most flavorful coffee experience.
- SIGNATURE SLOW-ROASTING PROCESS - Mayorga cofee is specialty grade, 100% Arabica, shade-grown coffee, roasted and packaged in the USA. Using our signature Latin slow-roasting process to craft roast our coffee in small batches, we are able to give each of our signature roasts a distinct flavor and ensure the highest quality.
- CERTIFIED ORGANIC & SUSTAINABLY SOURCED - We believe our customers deserve to consume clean, unadulterated foods. Our certified organic products are kind to our environment, our customers, and our farmers. This mindset permeates through all aspects of how we run our business and the decisions we make. Operating sustainably isn't a marketing concept. It's a conscientious decision we must make daily.
Mayorga Organics is another Cuban inspired best coffee bean for french press that you need to try. They produce a nice dark roast whole coffee bean that is 100% organic, which has been produced without any artificial chemical additives.
Once you brew a nice cup of coffee with these beans in your french press, you can expect to get hints of vanilla and a sweet syrupy smokiness.
The beans have also been consciously sourced from high quality and certified small farmers in Latin America and is considered an Amazon choice due to the high ratings other coffee lovers have given it.
This is probably the best coffee we have found that is reasonably priced and tastes pretty good!
#3 - AmazonFresh Dark Roast Whole Beans
- Dark roast coffee with mild finish
- One 32-ounce bag of whole bean coffee
- 100% Arabica coffee grown in Central and South America
- Roasted and packed in the U.S.A.
Another AmazonFresh coffee bean, and also an Amazon Choice product, has to be these dark roast whole coffee bean for the bold!
Delivering a full-bodied and complex rich flavor, this dark roast will make any cup of french press coffee taste amazing whether it's with breakfast or as an afternoon cup.
The beans are 100% Arabica coffee beans grown in Central and South America, but when harvest are actually roasted and parked in the U.S.A.
This 2lb bag of dark roast coffee beans is an amazing bang for buck which promises on quality.
#4 - Kicking Horse Coffee Kick Ass Dark Roasted Beans
- TASTING NOTES: Chocolate malt, molasses, licorice and an earthy lingering finish.
- DARK ROAST: Velvety, earthy, spirited. This smooth riding dark horse conjures up power from the depths of the shadows. This is the winner, the champion of taste.
- ROASTED IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS: It’s all deep, dark and delicious, roasted right below the towering Canadian Rocky Mountain peaks. In our facility we only make only one thing: coffee! It's roasted from one ingredient only: green coffee. We don't use preservatives, additives, fillers or flavoring.
- AROMA: Smoky, sweet vanilla and dark chocolate.
It's time to wake up and kick some ass with another great Kicking Horse dark roast coffee beans that will make for an exciting cup of joe with your french press.
These Organic, Fairtrade, 100% Arabica coffee beans have been roasted in the Canadian Rocky Mountains which produces notes of sweet, smoky and audacious coffee flavors.
Another remarkable blend of beans that allows you to wake up and kick ass which will jump start your day.
Besides being the another best coffee bean for french press, you can also use them to make Espresso or with a drip coffee machine.
All you need to do is grind them before you use them, and with a french press remember medium - coarse grind will make the best french press coffee!
#5 - Puroast Low Acid Whole Bean Dark Roast
- 70% LESS ACID: Puroast low acid coffee is perfect for every coffee lover, especially those with heartburn, acid reflux and other gastrointestinal issues. However you prefer your coffee, Puroast offers a wide variety of single serve, whole bean and ground coffee selection
- 7X HIGHER ANTIOXIDANTS: It turns out there is a connection between antioxidant levels and how coffee is heated during roasting. Published research from UC Davis shows that Puroast coffee has 7X the antioxidants of green tea and 5X the antioxidants of leading coffee brands
- PURE TO THE POUR: From our humble origins in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, Puroast's secret to crafting smooth, rich coffee is rooted in roasting the way that coffee growers do. We roast for quality, not volume, and never use any additives or extractions
- FEEL BETTER, NEVER BITTER: Take on the daily grind with a smooth, aromatic cup of coffee that tastes great and makes you feel good! Our unique roasting method creates a low-acid blend that won't bother your stomach and has no bitter aftertaste. We also use renewable, clean technology to fire our roasters
A dark french roast been by Puroast coffee really got us excited to try, as it boasts having 70% less acid than most other coffees.
We don't really have any problems with acidic coffee but if you have any stomach issues, such as reflux, after having a nice cup of joe then this will be perfect for your french press.
The coffee is 100% pure coffee with no additives or extractions, which produces some really good feel good coffee with no bitter aftertaste.
We haven't really heard of this brand, but thought we'd give it a try, and to our surprise it actually make a good french press coffee.
#6 - Mt. Whitney Dark Roasted Organic Coffee Beans
- Our coffee is small-batch artesian roasted with 100 percent Arabica coffee, and is cupped and graded by a certified q grader. Make our coffee in a Keurig coffee maker with a reusable single cup basket
Mt. Whitney dark roasted organic coffee beans are for those that want to experience tasting notes of dark chocolate, brown sugar in a heavy powerful body.
The beans themselves are grown at over 4000 feet in the region of Latin America and deliver the best coffee in the world.
For those that really just want to give it a go, it is perfect for a person just starting to get into drinking coffee as it the taste can be balance and have a medium strongness.
#7- Peets Coffee French Roasted Whole Coffee Beans
- FRENCH ROAST: The rich coffee character of French Roast comes from a longer, hotter roast, which not all beans can handle and only Peet’s has perfected. Flavor notes: Coffee-forward, wood smoke, and burnt caramel
- OBSESSED WITH FRESH: From the beginning, Peet's Coffee has roasted the best coffee beans we can find with quality in mind. We also care for the communities that grow & harvest those beans, because coffee is better when it is grown & sourced responsibility
- BREW LIKE THE BEST: Brewing the best cup of coffee starts with finding your favorite roast or blend. Whole beans or ground coffee, dark, medium or light, single origin or a blend? Try a variety & find the best brew for the morning mug or afternoon pickup
- LIGHT, MEDIUM & DARK ROAST: Brew a pot of Peet's ground or whole bean coffee in a blend & roast perfect for your tastes. Light roast coffees are mild & smooth, medium roast coffees are smooth & aromatic, while dark roast coffees are smoky & full bodied
Another best coffee bean for french press has to be these French Roast Whole beans by Peets Coffee. Peet's have always delivered some amazing coffee products that I believe should be tried out by most coffee lovers.
The French roast whole bean produces a rich coffee with a bit of character, delivering tasting notes of wood smoke and burnt caramel.
Peet's coffee has always been obsessed with having freshly roasted best coffee beans by also keeping quality in mind. If you love having a quality coffee, then this bag of beans will make you produce brew like the best there is.
In our opinion these beans are well worth it, and that is based on quality and price as you can often overspend on beans that claim to deliver the same quality.
#8- Allegro Coffee French Roast Coffee Beans
- Amazing products, exceptional ingredients, no compromises
- Specialty whole bean coffee
- Dark roast
- Sweet, smoky, smooth
Allegro Coffee organic french roast beans was something new to us, so we decided to give it a try anyway regardless of the low amount of ratings.
The coffee itself is brought to you by the whole foods market and delivers tasting notes of sweet and smoky hints, and is quite smooth on the pallate.
It is a Fair Trade Certified coffee bean, so you know the coffee has been ethically sourced and the farmers are being reimbursed well for their efforts.
It's definately not one of the most fancy brands we've seen but seems to uphold great value and taste.
#9- Starbucks French Roast Dark Whole Coffee Beans
- Starbucks dark French roast whole bean coffee
- 100% Arabica coffee
- 2 - 40 ounce bags
Starbucks french roast coffee is well for starbucks lovers! I tried these a while back, and to us they deliver tasting notes of a smokey coffee.
If you're heavy on your french press and also enjoy starbucks then this is something for you, and to top it off it will go really good with a cinnamon scroll.
My only recommendation is that definately buy whole beans as opposed to pre-ground, as the flavor will be more rich when you grind for your brew.
#10- Kicking Horse Coffee, Grizzly Claw, Dark Roast Beans
- TASTING NOTES: Rich, dark chocolate, cacao nibs, brown sugar and roasted hazelnut.
- DARK ROAST: Velvety, earthy, spirited. This smooth riding dark horse conjures up power from the depths of the shadows. This is the winner, the champion of taste.
- ROASTED IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS: It’s all deep, dark and delicious, roasted right below the towering Canadian Rocky Mountain peaks. In our facility we only make only one thing: coffee! It's roasted from one ingredient only: green coffee. We don't use preservatives, additives, fillers or flavoring.
- AROMA: Condensed sugar cane and cocoa powder.
Arrrgh, Another kicking horse coffee! Yep, we talk so much about this and the brand is probably one of our favorites that's why we highly recommend it.
Grizzly Claw Coffee Beans by Kicking Horse produces this rich, dark chocolate and decadant dark roast bean. When you have a nice cup of joe with your french press, expect to have tasting notes of dark chocolate and cacao nibs.
The brand actually recommends using it with a french press, drip machine, pour over and whats more is that it will make a great cold brew.
Kicking Horse is renowned for having organic, fairtrade and kosher 100% Arabica coffee, which makes people like us feel good that we are supporting a great company with good morals and ethics.
Enjoy a nice cup of Grizzly Claw Kicking Horse Coffee with your french press in the early hours of the morning with breakfast and you won't be unsatisifed.
What makes the Best French Press Coffee?
There are two undeniable requirements that lead to the best french press coffee. Regardless of the type of bean roast you go with, you need to ensure these two factors:
- Make sure you buy a fresh bag of whole coffee beans. Grounds are nice and convenient, but having whole beans that can be ground upon making a cup of joe will lead to having the best french press coffee.
- Grinding your beans as closely as possible to coarse ground coffee can also lead to the best cup of french press coffee.
If you’ve purchased a large bag of coffee beans, more than what you consume on a two week basis. You need to consider keeping the beans fresh if you want the best french press coffee.
This awesome definitive guide to the best coffee storage containers will help you keep your large bag of coffee beans fresh for longer. Check it out: Top 8 Best Coffee Canisters
French Press Brewing Tips for the Perfect Brew
Now that we know what the best coffee beans are for french press and also what it takes to make the best cup of joe.
You need to also consider a few additional tips, which is to do with preparation and brewing. Once you’ve mastered all of this, you’ll be on your way to making cafe quality french press coffee
1.Get the Grind Just Right
The fineness of the grind is a very important aspect in delivering the best french press coffee. So reach for your bag of coffee beans, and grind for what you’re ready to consume.
You’re aiming to look for a medium to coarse grind consistency. That’s so you can maximise the flavor extraction process, and truly deliver the notes and tones your bag of coffee is claiming to deliver.
Nothing like having notes of dark chocolate, but tasting bitter water when we get the grind wrong.
2.Get the Grounds Just Right
Firstly, you need to get the amount of grounds right. So when you start grinding your coffee beans, ensure you have 1 heaping tablespoon of coffee for every 7 fl. Oz of water.
This ratio ensures that your coffee is not too diluted or not too overpowered. Noone like a watery coffee.
3.Don’t Leave Your Coffee to Brew More than it Needs to
Finally, let it brew! Once you’re ready add 7 fl. Oz of warm (not boiling) water to your french press, give it a bit of a stir and let it simmer.
According to National Coffee Association, the perfect brew temperature should be at 185-195F, and you should ideally be drinking it at 140F
Simmering or steeping should take around 4 minutes after this proceed to plunge and filter the granules floating throughout the brew.
Now the part that most people miss, if you’ve brewed a bit too much to consume and you’re thinking of leaving the coffee in the french press. DON’T!
Leaving it in there will lead to over extraction, meaning your coffee will continue brewing and will end up being burnt and tasting bad.
Instead transfer it to a thermo flask or similiar to help maintain the heat naturally within the coffee. You’ll be surprised at how long thermo flasks can keep coffee warm and drinkable.
How do you make French Press Coffee?
Now that you know what the best coffee beans for french press is, you need to know how to make it! The steps above pretty much sum up a good methodology for whipping up the best french press coffee.
However one of these days, I’ll actually do a blog post covering it off in more finer detail!
Is French Press Coffee Better?
French press is good and can also lead to better coffee if the correct brewing process is followed. Just like everything really!
Generally speaking if you’ve brewed a great cup then yes it is better than pour over drip coffee makers or even automatic coffee machines.
This is because the grounds are steeped (soaking) instead of being bloomed (process of water dripping over the coffee), which is a filtering method.
Since the coffee grounds are being soaked it does actually lead to some really good tasting french press coffee.
Final Thoughts for the Best Coffee Beans for French Press!
That’s basically it for the best coffee beans that can be used for french press. Again, I personally love freshly ground beans as opposed to buying ground coffee for french press.
But as I’ve mentioned before, sometimes you gotta settle for what you get (especially in an Airbnb).
So to sum up, the best coffee for french press that we recommend has to be the San Francisco Bay French roast whole coffee beans.
You’ll be able to enjoy the perfect cup in the early hours of the morning with hints of chocolate and cinnamon.
If you have any further suggestions to this post then let us know by contacting us and letting us know your selection.
