13 Things To Consider Before Buying Coffee Beans Online

So, you're looking for some coffee beans. Maybe you want to try something that isn't available at your local coffee shop, or you just don't live close to any coffee roasters. Perhaps you're even daring to sample something that isn't accessible where you are — like international roasters or roasters from a completely different region. This is where purchasing coffee beans online comes in.

Finding the right pack of beans online can be tricky, however. How do you know what flavors you want? Which company should you buy from? How many packages should you even be ordering, anyway?

As a former barista, I know that buying coffee online isn't quite as daunting as it sounds. But you don't want to dive right in without doing some research, either. I've gathered my best tips for picking out the perfect coffee beans online and saving time and money while doing so, too. Whether you're an absolute coffee beginner or already know your stuff when it comes to picking out the absolute best coffee bean blend, you'll definitely pick up a few essential online buying tips you never knew before.

Before you even think about making an online coffee bean purchase, you need to have an idea of what kind of beans you want to buy. When you're purchasing beans in person, you'll often have a chance to at least smell (and better yet, sample) the beans before putting any money down. At the very least, there will be someone available to explain all the flavors of the brew and help you find your perfect coffee bean match. But when you're buying beans online, you've only got yourself to rely on.

Make sure you thoroughly examine the description of the beans you're purchasing so that you have an idea of the flavor notes they feature. You'll want to know whether the blend is acidic, what it tastes and smells like, and whether it's bitter, full-bodied, or sweet. Use your own personal coffee preferences to guide your purchases. There's a time and a place for being adventurous — and in my opinion, buying online is not always it. Purchasing a bag of coffee you don't like online can be an expensive (and time-consuming) mistake to make.

If you don't already know the differences between arabica and robusta coffee beans, you should do some research before you start buying up bags of coffee online. Arabica beans are often considered to be the premium bean of the coffee world — they only grow at certain altitudes, are more vulnerable to bugs, and require cool temperatures, but the elevation where they grow imparts a lot of flavor into every single coffee bean.

By contrast, robusta is thought to be a little less subtle in its flavors. However, the beans contain twice the amount of caffeine as arabica beans — and more antioxidants, too. Robusta beans are also much less acidic. Some people find robusta coffee to be too bitter, while others love its more intense flavors. Robusta beans are also more sustainable than arabica because they are easier to grow.

Whichever bean you choose is up to you — there's no right or wrong answer. Just check the beans you're buying before you purchase them to get an idea of the flavor they might impart. If it's a coffee blend you're after, it might contain a percentage of both types of beans.

Now, let's say you're a beginner buying coffee beans online. If you've never really sampled coffees before to find your favorite or just have no idea where to purchase from, you might actually want to start with a well-known, reputable company. Think brands like Starbucks or Peet's Coffee, for example — chains that have coffee shops nationwide.

There are a few benefits to shopping at these chains as a beginner. For one, you're more likely to have tried the brand in stores before, so you might have a better idea of which product you want to buy. But even if you have no idea what to get, these kinds of brands tend to appeal to a wide audience. Basically, their coffees will be palatable to everyone. They'll have easy-to-follow descriptions of each brew, responsive customer service, and low prices. These are all things you want when you're just starting out buying brews online.

Sure, big global chains don't always carry the same allure as a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop that offers locally roasted beans. I'm not saying you can never go out and find your own unique brew online as a beginner — but I do know that the easiest way to start buying coffee online is at a company that makes it easy to do so.

All right, so you're a coffee expert who already knows you're looking for something more unique than what large chain brands have to offer. Regardless, you don't want to just click onto a random seller and receive coffee beans that aren't even close to what you tried to order.

Any online seller should be able to tell you exactly where and how its beans are sourced. Look for sellers that have their own websites, give you information about themselves, tell you where their beans are from, explain how they're roasted, and name who the roasters or owners of the brand are.

If you're purchasing from a third-party website, it might have beans from multiple brands and roasters on offer. If that's the case, you can always visit the original roasters' websites to learn more about their blends. You should also peruse the reseller's page to find out more about where they're based, what kinds of coffee they sell, and what reviews they have.

Just because you're buying online doesn't mean you have to sacrifice sustainability. There are lots of ways roasters have put in the work to become more sustainable. This includes everything from farming organically all the way to the packaging they put their beans into.

Every single pack of coffee beans might not have its entire life story written on the website, so there are a few key things you can look for when you're shopping for sustainable coffee. The first is to look for certified organic coffee — that means it is grown without pesticides. The second is to look for Fair Trade Certified coffee, which is a certification proving that the farmers behind the beans were fairly paid for their labor. You can also check for shade-grown coffee, which is more ecologically friendly.

Admittedly, not all of these certifications and labels are bulletproof. And they don't always cover small roasters who can't afford to become certified (or struggle to exclusively purchase organic beans, for that matter). You should always look up the name of the roasters you want to buy from to see what efforts they've put toward making their coffee sustainable. Yes, these efforts might make your beans more expensive — but they're well worth it. You can also look for coffee brands that offer sustainable (recyclable or compostable) packaging. Even coffee pod brands like Nespresso offer a recycling program.

One thing to watch for when you're shopping for coffee beans online is sample packs of a particular brand's beans. This is one of the very best ways to buy coffee online because it will give you a better idea of what you want to repurchase in the future without wasting a ton of money on blends you don't like. Within a typical brewer's sample pack will be a small variety of the brand's popular brews; you're likely to find at least one blend or type of bean that will suit your preferences.

This is also a great way to sample new beans you've never tried before. This is where you have the opportunity to really explore the coffee world, whether you're trying a brand new roaster or just experiencing a flavor profile that doesn't normally interest you.

Be sure to dig deep through the website for your coffee brand of choice to find all the offers that are available. If it's a reseller, they'll likely have sample packs from multiple brands. Individual brands may also offer you the chance to receive samples along with your purchase instead of making you buy the sample pack itself.

Let's talk about what's going on behind the scenes of your favorite local coffee shop for a moment. If it doesn't roast its beans in-house, it is getting them from somewhere else. The coffee shop will have the beans delivered to the storefront and then use those beans to make espressos, lattes, pour-overs, cold brews, and all the other caffeinated drinks on its menu.

Many roasters will sell their beans to both commercial and retail customers — meaning you, too, might have the opportunity to buy from the exact same roaster that your favorite coffee shop does. This will give you the opportunity to sample the beans you want to buy online by going to a coffee shop that uses beans from the roaster you want to purchase from. A very broad example of this would be like going to Starbucks and buying a cup of its Pike Place brew. If you like it, you go online and buy an entire bag of Pike Place beans.

Coffee shops with in-house roasters will also sometimes sell their beans online. It depends on the shop, but you might get lucky and be able to bulk order your favorite beans on their website.

We already talked about flavor notes, but that's not all that goes into a coffee blend. You need to know more about what the brew should taste like before you purchase it. This will give you a complete understanding of what you'll be getting out of your cup of coffee.

A few questions to ask: Are the beans bitter? Are they bright and very acidic? Are you purchasing a medium, dark, or light roast? Where are the beans from?

Most brands will have a section describing what you're buying that expands beyond the tasting notes. For example, you might click on a bag of beans that says it's a fruity light roast that's very bright and has 100% arabica beans. From that information, you might imagine that it has a crisp acidity to it, tastes like fruit (like berries or apples, for example), and has a great depth of flavor. That gives you much more information than just knowing your beans will taste fruity. It's basically like sampling the coffee without actually trying it. It's also especially important when purchasing a bean blend, as you'll often be buying bolder and more complex flavors.

There's one mistake you need to avoid when you're buying coffee online, and that's caring whether or not other people liked it. Sure, that goes against everything you're probably used to when you look at online reviews — and for good reason. Coffee is something that's completely subjective. If you love super bitter robusta coffees, for example, you're probably in the minority. So, other people who tried a bitter robusta blend might not enjoy it as much and will leave a bad review — even if it's a coffee you'd actually like.

When you're buying online, you have no idea whether someone loves sweet coffees but accidentally bought a bitter one when they're leaving their review about how good it was. That's a personal measure. So, how are you supposed to use online coffee reviews, you might ask? The key is to look for whether the reviewers thought the coffee measured up to the tasting notes described on the seller's website. For example, if the blend is supposed to be sweet, look for reviews that mention sweetness. If a bean is described as "fruity" online but everyone says it doesn't taste fruity at all, well, that's a bad sign.

This method will require a little more digging than you might be used to, but it's more informative than relying on the rating of the blend alone. And it's well worth it in the end.

You might notice when you visit a roaster's page online that it advertises fast shipping. This is important when you're purchasing coffee because you want to receive your beans as fast as possible.

Let me explain the key with fast shipping. If the roaster you're purchasing from takes a little extra time to roast your beans, that's perfectly fine. Smaller roasters may or may not roast their coffee beans made-to-order (meaning they only start roasting beans once your order has been placed). If their beans are made-to-order, they might not be able to get started roasting your beans for another day or two after you place your order, maybe more. However, what you don't want is for your roasted beans to be tied up in shipping for weeks at a time. Typically, most people prefer to start drinking their roasted beans a week or two after they've been roasted. Many coffee fanatics believe that beans taste best two weeks post-roast. Although coffee doesn't actually expire in terms of food safety, it's best to use up your beans within a month or else they'll lose a lot of flavor.

Basically, you want your roaster to guarantee that you'll have your coffee beans as soon as possible once they've been roasted, so you don't have to worry about less flavorful beans. Look for roasters that offer about two or three days for shipping to ensure you'll be receiving the freshest beans.

Buying coffee beans online is a fantastic way to save money. That's especially true if you're drinking a lot of coffee and have a preference for a single type of blend. You'll be able to order a single type of bean in bulk and go through your stash of coffee before the beans lose their flavor. You can even go on Amazon and search "bulk coffee beans" to see what's available on that site. 

Many roasters will offer discounts for customers who buy a certain amount of coffee beans from them. You might also be able to save on shipping when you make larger coffee bean orders. Some roasters will even have a bulk-order minimum for customers who want to purchase beans from them — bulk ordering your coffee could potentially expand the number of roasters that you can easily (and affordably) purchase from.

If you're buying coffee online, it can be difficult to get it right after purchasing it — after all, the order needs to be processed and then physically shipped. That's exactly why purchasing pre-ground coffee is a no-go when you're buying coffee online. Once your beans have been ground, you've got a week or so to consume the grounds before they lose their flavor — that's even less time than whole coffee beans. So, if you're buying ground coffee online, you're wasting a lot of time (and money). By the time you receive your coffee, you'll have less time to drink it.

If you're buying beans online, purchase them whole and be ready to grind them yourself in small portions. You can go into some stores and have a small amount ground for you. If you're drinking a lot of coffee, it might make sense to buy a quality hand grinder, like this Hario Skerton Plus Ceramic Coffee Mill. Or you might want to get your hands on an electric grinder (one of many essential home barista appliances). Some of our best espresso machine picks will also come with built-in grinders.

Even better than bulk purchasing your coffee beans is signing up for an online bean subscription. Roasters will usually give you a discount if you subscribe to their coffee bean packages since it guarantees them a recurring customer.

With subscriptions, you'll usually get a pack or so of coffee beans shipped to you regularly (anywhere from once a week to once every few months, based on your preferences). This means you won't have to worry about using up a bunch of coffee at once, but you'll still save a lot of money on beans.

Subscription offers are also great for those who want to try a wider variety of beans. Some subscriptions will give you a different kind of coffee every single month, while others will offer you smaller packages of rotating blends. If you're feeling adventurous, these kinds of subscription packs are a great way to try a new coffee blend without committing to it long-term.