Coffee Beans
- Swiss Water Decaffeinated CoffeeDecaffeinated coffee is ideal for those who want to enjoy their favourite blends at any time of day, without the effects of caffeine, however the process of removing caffeine from a bean can also remove much of the bean's flavour. That's why the Swiss Water Process is a favourite method of decaffeinating coffee: it doesn't remove the flavour and strength of coffee beans in the act of removing the caffeine, and doesn't use any chemicals. In the method, coffee beans are first soaked in hot ...From £19.99★★★★★531 Review(s)
- Dark Colombian CoffeeOur Dark Colombian is a slightly stronger coffee than our Colombian Medium Roast, which makes it more versatile as it is suitable for cafetiere use, filter coffees and intense espressos. Again using Medellin Excelso, from Colombia's Cordillera Central in the Andes, this excellent coffee really does display some of the finer qualities of the renowned Colombian coffee bean: a rich aroma, luxurious depth and sweet flavours of fruit and chocolate. These Colombian beans benefit from being grown ...From £14.99★★★★★189 Review(s)
- Blue Sumatra CoffeeThis strong Indonesian coffee comes from Sumatra, the second largest of the Indonesian islands, and is considered among the finest examples from the region. Indonesia itself is the fourth largest coffee producer in the world, and the longitude and latitude of the country make for particularly well suited micro-climates in producing a diverse, flavoursome variety of beans. In fact, depending on the region, Indonesian coffees are known to be imbued with flavours of cocoa, smoke, cedar wood, ...From £15.99★★★★★296 Review(s)
- Guatemala Swiss Water Decaffeinated CoffeeGuatemala Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee offers the typical taste profile of a Guatemalan coffee, but without the caffeine, so it can be enjoyed at any time of the day or evening. It is produced using the ingenious Swiss Water Decaffeination Process, a method that removes caffeine from coffee without the use of chemicals, and without losing the wonderful flavours contained in quality Arabica beans. It is a medium bodied cup with good acidity, a rich aroma, and hints of citrus and caramel. ...From £22.99★★★★★70 Review(s)
- Dark Maragogype CoffeeThe coffee industry in Guatemala began to develop in the 1850s, with small plantations flourishing. Cultivation of coffee and the country's coffee industry was given a sizeable boost during the Liberal Revolution of 1871, when goals of modernisation and trade improvements caused the bean to become an especially important crop. To this day coffee remains one of Guatemala's main exports, along with sugar, textiles and bananas. The particular bean used in our medium and mellow Dark Maragogype ...From £18.99★★★★★125 Review(s)
- Papua New Guinea CoffeeCoffee in Papua New Guinea is mostly cultivated in the country's five highlands provinces; Western Highlands, Eastern Highlands, Simbu, Morobe and East Sepik. As a relatively small producer of coffee, Papua New Guinea generally sources its harvested beans from small land holdings, or 'coffee gardens', owned by farmers, which are located largely in isolated areas that do not require synthetic fertilisers or pesticides. Our Papua New Guinea coffee has a distinctive chocolate and nut flavour, ...From £14.99★★★★★87 Review(s)
- Peru CoffeeThis high grown coffee has a wonderful fruity and floral taste, with a sharp acidity and a subtle chocolate finish. Coffee is one of the largest agricultural exports of Peru, with approximately 200,000 small farms spanning the country from north to south, producing high quality arabica beans. Our Peru coffee goes wonderfully in your favourite filter coffees, and will also make a delightfully sharp espresso. Be sure to check out our wider range of South American coffee, including wonderful ...From £14.99★★★★★63 Review(s)
- Lazy Days CoffeeThis blend offers up all the delicious fruity notes of some of our stronger blends, but in a medium strength that will help you to blissfully unwind at the end of the day. The luxuriously smooth texture and rich flavours of our Lazy Days blend are ideal for cafetiere and filter coffees, and will turn your silky lattes, milky Americanos and creamy cappuccinos into delightfully comforting, mellow brews, perfect to enjoy as you put your feet up and indulge in some much-deserved relaxation.From £14.99★★★★★34 Review(s)
- Barahona Paraiso CoffeeThis medium strength coffee comes from Paraiso, a town located in the province of Barahona in the Southwest of the Dominican Republic. Barahona is surrounded by lush, green mountains and fresh rivers that run to the Caribbean Sea, and enjoys a tropical climate and average temperatures of 85 degrees F, making it ideal for growing quality coffee. Our Barahona Paraiso is smooth, incredibly aromatic and perfect for strong filter coffees and full bodied espressos. Want to learn more about ...From £14.99★★★★★24 Review(s)
- Vietnam Arabica CoffeeOur Vietnam Arabica is a smooth and mellow cup, that is slightly fruity with woody and caramel notes. This medium strength coffee has a low acidity and medium body. A dark roast, suitable for use in bean-to-cup, cafetiere, filter and espresso brewing methods. Coffee is thought to have been first introduced to Vietnam by the French in 1857, and today the country is the second highest coffee producing country in the world after Brazil. Most of the coffee produced in Vietnam is of the Robusta ...From £14.99★★★★★16 Review(s)
- Brazil Fazenda Paraiso CoffeeThis very versatile coffee reveals a full body and low acidity, with lovely sweet notes of milk chocolate, cherry, apple raisins and nuts. Brazil Fazenda Paraiso is sourced from a farm located in the traditional coffee-growing district of Cabo Verde, where an ideal climate, low humidity and favourable temperatures create perfect growing conditions. Harvested between May and August, these coffee cherries are picked and taken to drying patios to be sorted, dried and processed under the sun.From £15.99★★★★★2 Review(s)
- Australian Skybury CoffeeThis smooth, full bodied coffee offers a medium strength that is great when used with a cafetiere or filter, and displays subtle and delightful flavours of pistachio nuts. The Skybury plantation, where this coffee is grown, is Australia's oldest producing plantation and the country's largest coffee exporter. The 300 acre plantation is treated to mild winters and warm summers, which make for excellent conditions for growing high quality beans. The coffee harvest, which usually runs through ...From £30.99★★★★★76 Review(s)
- Sulawei Kalossi Torajha CoffeeSourced from Sulawesi, one of the four Greater Sunda Islands situated within Indonesia, this strong, dark roasted coffee offers a heavy but smooth taste, a rich body and an intense spicy finish. Sulawesi coffees are known for revealing a silky body, moderate acidity and a smooth finish, with warm, spicy flavours of cinnamon and cardamom, and well-balanced notes of ripe fruit and dark chocolate. These unique beans are grown in the mountainous regions of the Sulawesi, giving them their ...From £15.99★★★★★15 Review(s)
- Tanzania CoffeeCoffee is one of Tanzania's main exported crops, with plantations dedicated to the cultivation of both robusta and, more often, arabica beans located across area in North Kilimanjaro, the Usambara Mountains, Morogoro, Kigoma, Ngara and other high-yielding regions. Our medium strength Tanzania coffee is shade-grown, a process that involves planting coffee under the canopy of specially selected trees, in this case banana trees, which lowers the risk that the plants and beans will burn in the ...From £14.99★★★★★29 Review(s)
- Costa Rica Azalea CoffeeAn intense coffee with full aroma and sharp, vibrant acidity, our Costa Rica Azalea is a truly unique coffee suitable for all brewing methods. The Azalea is a flower of peculiar yet exquisite aroma, one of nature's true beauties. The flower like our coffee is a symbol of the unique splendours that made Costa Rica's Central Valley legendary. Azalea is produced on farms that transcend this stunning valley of Costa Rica. The strong influence of volcanic soil in the Central Valley combined with ...From £15.99★★★★★46 Review(s)
- Kenya Reserve CoffeeOur medium strength Kenya Reserve blend includes a portion of Kenya Peaberry. This slightly fruity bean adds a hint of extra acidity to the roasted, nutty base of the Central American blend, resulting in great complexity and character. While this coffee is strong, it has not been roasted too highly, which makes it great for all types of filtered coffees or coffees brewed straight from a cafetiere. We wouldn't however recommend it as an espresso: rather go for a bean roasted slightly higher ...From £15.99★★★★★16 Review(s)
- Altura CoffeeOur Altura coffee benefits from the lush surroundings where its source varieties are grown, an area that has become especially popular for coffee production. An ideal climate and soil make for a coffee that is rich, clean and medium bodied, with a sweet acidity that creates delicious filter coffees.From £15.99★★★★★5 Review(s)
- Laos Fancy CoffeeAn intense, strong and full-bodied coffee from Laos, offering a good acidity, notes of chocolate, sweet fruit and nut, and a lovely burnt caramel aftertaste. Coffees in Laos are generally grown at high elevations, at least 1,200 meters above sea level. This altitude allows for a slower growth of the coffee plants, so that the coffee cherries develop a more complex flavour as they slowly mature. Laos, a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, contains several coffee-growing regions, generally ...From £15.99★★★★★18 Review(s)
- Java Special CoffeeOur Java Special blend makes the perfect accompaniment to an after dinner dessert, or served on its own to finish a meal. The combination of strong, sweet Java beans and milder, slightly acidic Colombian beans creates a rich, bold and full-bodied coffee that reveals a hint of smokiness in flavour. This combination of sweetness, bitterness and mild acidity makes this blend similar to the famed Mocha Java, but the more complex smokey flavours brings a savoury edge that will work wonderfully in ...From £14.99★★★★★14 Review(s)
- Bolivian Caturra CoffeeA rich, strong and full-bodied coffee from Bolivia, which reveals sweet, fruity flavours, hints of honey and lemon, a medium-light body and little acidity, and a lovely liquorice aftertaste. Caturra, a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety of coffee bean and a sub-variety of the Arabica species of coffee, was discovered in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais between 1915 and 1918 and is now grown in high altitude regions in Bolivia, where ideal temperatures and the high elevations produce ...From £17.99★★★★★4 Review(s)
Your guide to the world of coffee beans
At Coffee Direct, we sell over 100 speciality coffee beans, all carefully sourced from the world’s best coffee growers and farms. Our high-quality selection includes rare varieties and exclusive blends available only at our speciality online coffee shop.
If you’re looking for some inspiration for your next roast or need some help navigating the huge range we have to offer, check out our below guide to buying coffee beans to brew at home.
Choose your type of coffee bean
There are over 120 different species of coffee plants grown around the world, from Brazil to Kenya, Jamaica to Australia; each producing a unique coffee bean. However, only two types of coffee bean are grown at scale and commercially - Arabica and Robusta.
Arabica coffee beans
Arabica coffee is made from the fruit of Coffea arabica plants, which grow at 1,300-1,500m above sea level and have been cultivated as far back as the 12th century. Arabica is the most popular coffee bean among UK and global coffee drinkers, accounting for 60% of the world’s coffee. Generally, Arabica coffees are known for their superior quality, high acidity, sweet and soft flavours, as well as notes of citrus and fruits.
Robusta coffee beans
Robusta, the world’s second most popular coffee bean, has been produced from the Coffea canephora since around the late-19th century. This sturdy coffee plant species is cheaper and easier for farmers to grow, as they thrive at lower altitudes, in higher temperatures and are less prone to being affected by pests and disease.
Robusta coffee beans are known for more intense notes, woody flavours and low acidity. The strong flavours of Robusta coffee often make these beans a favourable choice for espressos (particularly in an Italian coffee shop), instant coffee drinks and coffee blends, where they can enhance flavours, balance out acidity and create a new taste experience.
Other coffee beans to consider
Alongside these two main types of coffee bean, Coffee Direct also offers some rare coffee bean species including Harrar Longberry, Peaberry and Elephant beans.
- Harar Longberry is claimed to be the world’s oldest coffee bean and grows at altitudes of around 2,000m in Ethiopia’s Eastern Highlands. These sun-dried Arabica coffee beans have a distinct pointed shape and golden colour. When they are roasted, they produce a full-bodied cup of coffee with rich and complex tastes of fruity wine and mocha flavours.
- Peaberry is very unique, in that instead of producing two beans, its coffee cherry only produces one. This single, pea-shaped coffee bean is found in the Nyeri region of Kenya and is renowned for making a cup of coffee that has incredibly smooth flavours, good acidity and well-rounded aromas.
- Elephant bean, as its name suggests, is larger than your average coffee bean. Grown in higher, temperate regions such as Guatemala, these big coffee beans are said to have super smooth flavours that taste slightly richer than a standard Arabica roast, making them a must-try for any coffee lover.
Pick your roast profile
The roasting process brings out different flavours of the coffee bean, so it’s worth exploring whether you prefer a light roast, medium roast or dark roast.
In the world of coffee, there are always exceptions; however, a light roast tends to give coffee drinkers complex, floral flavours and vibrant aromas. Comparatively, a medium roast will have more caramelised sugars within the bean, which results in a flavour profile that's sweeter and smoother. Coffee drinks produced from a dark roast will usually have lower acidity and strong, intense flavours such as dark chocolate.
Decide between single-origin and coffee blends
At Coffee Direct we have over 50 speciality single-origin roasts from countries all over the world, as well as 35 expertly blended coffees. So, another factor to consider for your next coffee delivery is whether you’ll go for single-origin coffee beans or an exclusive blend.
Single-origin coffee
Single-origin beans are those sourced from one geographical location. One growing region, however, can produce a huge variety of flavours. Countries such as Costa Rica, Kenya, Brazil, El Salvador, Ethiopia and Guatemala (to name just a few), offer incredible diversity when it comes to the coffees they grow. To truly get to know a specific growing region, we recommend trying a variety of top-rated single-origin coffees from the same country to experience how different a brew from one place can be in terms of both flavour and aroma.
Blended coffee
Many single-origin coffee beans, while delicious in their own right, come alive when blended with other arabica or robusta beans. This process results in balancing out acidity or enhancing a bean’s best attributes to produce a delicious new coffee experience.
If you’ve never tried a blended coffee before, take some inspiration from our top-rated roasted coffee blends - Golden Crema, Italian Coffee and Barista Reserve.
What makes Coffee Direct’s beans so special?
Now we've talked through how to shop for coffee beans and choose from our selection of over 100 speciality coffees, here are a few more reasons why coffee lovers in the UK favour our coffee beans and coffee products.
We expertly roast in small batches and roast to order. This process minimises the time between when your beans are roasted and when you brew them. We also package all our coffees in one-way value, foil fresh bags for optimum freshness. Delivery to all UK addresses is speedy (and free of charge).
We cater to all brewing methods. Whether you like to make your morning cup of coffee with your favourite filter coffee device or use your Aeropress for a pick-me-up espresso coffee, we can deliver the exact grind size required for your brewing preferences. Simply select your chosen grind option when purchasing your beans and we’ll send you super fresh whole bean or pre-ground coffee.
We save you money on your coffee order. If you like getting more for your money, you'll be glad to hear that we have several coffee subscriptions that lower the price of your coffee delivery. For example, you can select “Subscribe & Save” when ordering your coffee, and you’ll instantly benefit from a 15% price drop on our full range. We also offer gift subscriptions for different price points.
All our subscriptions are flexible. You can cancel or amend your order at any time and switch between a whole bean roast or ground coffee to mix up your coffee delivery. Shop now or find out more on our site.