Feeling Coffee Sticker Shock? These Quality Beans Are Under $10 A Pound

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As the cost of coffee rises, it's become increasingly more difficult to find quality beans for under $10 per pound, but it's not impossible. However, if you're looking for gourmet coffee for bargain prices, we found that you're going to need to buy in bulk. While you might find some whole coffee beans at your local grocery store for under $10 a pound, chances are that they're from brands like Community Coffee, which are passable when you need a caffeine fix but nothing great.

It's easy to be tricked into thinking you're getting a good deal, especially if you find coffee below $10 a package. But oftentimes, the package contains less than 16 ounces, which just gives the illusion of a good deal. Instead, you should be looking for coffee that is $0.62 per ounce or under. The good news is that getting whole bean coffee instead of pre-ground keeps large amounts of coffee fresher longer when you're buying in bulk. However, the deals we found are ones that you'll probably only see in one or two places. Sometimes, you might need a Sam's Club or Costco membership to be able to get deals on your favorite brand.

Still, we looked far and wide. The following specific deals are the only ones we found for quality coffee beans for under $10 a pound.

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

Starbucks is well-known for its high-ranking coffee and has been drawing in customers since the first location opened in Seattle's Pike Place Market in 1971, later becoming a coffee house. Today, it also has lofty sustainability goals to accompany its high-quality coffee. We were able to find a good deal on its Espresso Dark Roast, which is dark and rich, with caramel and molasses notes.

We found a seemingly normal size of this Starbucks coffee at Walmart for $10.10, but when we looked a little more closely, we realized this whole bean bag only holds around 12 ounces, making it about $13.47 a pound. However, if you have a Sam's Club membership, it's possible to get these quality beans for a good deal by buying in bulk. This package of Starbucks Espresso Dark Roast is 40 ounces (2.5 pounds) and costs $24.98, but it comes in at $0.62 per ounce (or $9.92 per pound).

Customers love it because it has a bold flavor and allows you to make espresso-based drinks at home that taste like ones you can get in the store at a huge saving. Unfortunately, some customers say that it's now only available online rather than inside Sam's Club. Although, one mistake lots of Sam's Club members make is not realizing their membership gives them free shipping.

Another popular whole bean coffee flavor from Starbucks is its House Blend Medium Roast, with toffee and dusted cocoa notes. Customers love its strong, rich flavor and pleasing aroma. Many consider it to be Starbucks' best. Although it's a medium roast, it still has the deep dark flavor that some haters might refer to as "burnt," but if you like this strong Seattle-roasted coffee profile (and many do, since they queue around the shop every morning for their morning caffeine fix), this is an excellent choice. It ranks fifth on our list of the best Starbucks whole bean blends.

Unfortunately, this is one bag that's often even more expensive than the brand's Espresso Dark Roast when purchased from the grocery store. Size matters for this blend, too. We found this product at Walmart for $14.61 for a 12-ounce package, which comes out to around $1.22 an ounce or $19.48 a pound.

But Sam's Club has a good bulk deal, where you can get Starbucks House Blend Medium Roast coffee for $24.98. Once again, it's a much larger 40-ounce, so the same math applies, and it only costs $9.92 per pound that way. Luckily, this one is still available to pick up locally in some Sam's Clubs.

A lesser-known gourmet coffee brand that you can get for a good bulk price is Don Pablo's Coffee. It's a family-owned company that offers organic artisan coffee that it roasts in small batches to order. It's also part of a sharing certified program, which passes the coffee's profits partially back to the growers when they meet certain goals related to standards like sustainability. Some fans of the Pablo's Pride Guatemala Coffee, in particular, consider it some of the best coffee they've ever had. This medium-dark blend has low acidity and is slightly caramelized with cocoa notes.

If you order the whole bean version of this flavor directly from Don Pablo's website, you'll spend around $13.50 per pound, plus shipping. Even in bulk from Amazon, it's $15.36 per pound. The best deal we found was to have it shipped from Sam's Club, where a 32-ounce (2-pound) bag of Pablo's Pride Guatemala costs just $18.98. This price breaks down to just $0.59 per ounce or $9.49 per pound.

Some customers who have tried several Don Pablo Coffee flavors count this roast as their favorite, while others consider this their favorite brand for medium-roast coffee period. They say it's consistent, has a robust nutty flavor, and is never bitter.

Caribou Coffee has been wowing its customers with great coffee since 1992 and has committed to engaging in sustainable business practices and farmer support. Some fans have even abandoned other chains like Dunkin' and Starbucks in favor of Caribou. When we ranked Caribou at-home coffees, its signature Caribou Blend was admittedly at the bottom of the list, but it's still a good medium-roast coffee and one the company refers to as its "crowd-pleasing" blend.

Indeed, reviewers like that it's consistent in quality, bold, smooth, and not bitter. Some experience a tiny bit of sweetness, and they like that the finish is clean. It also smells amazing. However, it's challenging to find the beans at a good price unless you buy them in bulk. Even at Walmart, you'll spend $9.16 for just 12 ounces, which comes to $12.21 a pound. But if you order a bag of the Caribou Blend from Sam's Club, it's just $9.28 a pound (or $0.58 per ounce). Granted, you have to get it in a 40-ounce size, which costs $23.28. Sam's Club customers are only disappointed that this is yet another whole bean bag that's available online only.

Ruta Maya is a brand that engages in sustainable farming practices, roasts beans to order, and is also organic. Its coffee is shade-grown in volcanic soil, hand-picked, and air-cooled in Chiapas, Mexico. Plenty of coffee nerds love this brand and count it among their favorites, with some who have been drinking it for decades. The Dark Roast blend is a good choice for those who like their beans smooth and rich rather than roasted to the point of tasting burnt.

On the Ruta Maya website, it appears to be under $10 a pound until you consider shipping costs ($13.08 for us). However, at Costco, Ruta Maya's Dark Roast coffee comes in a $49.99 5-pound bag, which brings its total cost to just a hair under $10 a pound without rounding up. Luckily, standard shipping is free from Costco when it's not available locally.

There are lots of reviewers who consider this to be one of the best, if not the best, coffee they've ever had. They say it's full-bodied and dark with chocolate and caramel notes. Yet, they also find it to be smooth with low acidity. Some even use it to make espresso-based drinks.

Another highly rated Ruta Maya flavor that you can get in bulk from Costco is its Medium Roast whole bean coffee. This one has cocoa and nutty notes as well as fruity ones. The online ratings are only slightly lower for the Ruta Maya Medium Roast than the Dark Roast option. However, those ratings are still super high. The packaging says this organic coffee is roasted in Texas daily, and one customer who ordered it online through Costco noticed that it was literally roasted to order, with the roast date listed on the bag coming after their order date. So, it arrives super fresh. 

Similarly to Ruta Maya's Dark Roast, its Medium Roast comes in at $49.99 for 5 pounds at Costco, making it just a smidgen under $10 a pound. On the Ruta Maya website, it looks cheaper until you add in those same shipping costs. And on Amazon, it comes out to a little over $14 per pound. So, Costco is definitely the way to go.

Customers find it to be smooth, to have a well-balanced body, to not be over-roasted or overly oily, and to be slightly sweet. When using it to make espresso, it has excellent crema.

A gourmet-level brand you can find at several places for under $10 a pound is Cameron's. Fans say it's smooth and lacks bitterness. This grocery store coffee brand has been around since 1978, it's certified by a variety of organizations, and it has a panel of trained testers to ensure its quality. 

As for this particular medium-roast blend, the company promotes it as being balanced and creamy. We found Cameron's Organic 100% Colombian coffee in bulk for the same price at both Amazon and Walmart: At $34.97 for 4 pounds, the cost comes to just $8.74 per pound. However, since it's not likely available locally, keep in mind that Walmart only offers free shipping or store pickup if the order is over $35 (or, at any price for Walmart+ members), and you can only get free shipping through Amazon with Amazon Prime.

While we have a handful of Cameron's coffees on our list, this one seems to be the one with the highest online ratings. Reviewers like that it's mild, flavorful, smooth, well-balanced, not bitter, a little sweet, and has a nice aroma. Plus, being organic with such a great flavor is also a draw for those looking for a reasonably priced caffeine fix.

Cameron's Toasted Southern Pecan is the only flavored coffee that we found for under $10 a pound, and we found deals at two places. One was at Sam's Club, where it's $16.28 for 32 ounces, which comes to $8.14 per pound. Unfortunately, it's listed as being out of stock, as of this writing. However, we were able to find a 2-pound bag available for even cheaper at Amazon for the regular price of $15.59. That's literally just $7.80 per pound, which sounds like a price from another decade.

This organic, light-roast coffee is meant to taste like Georgia pecans, and it contains both natural and artificial flavors. Customers have been very impressed with it, even if they're not usually big on flavored coffees. Reviewers enjoy the nutty pecan flavor. They also like that the coffee is mild, smooth, flavorful, and not bitter. Plus, it smells nice. Because it tastes so nice on its own, some folks don't always feel like they need as much creamer as they do with some other coffees. 

Those who have tried multiple brands of pecan-flavored coffee seem to prefer this one, saying that it doesn't have an off-putting artificial or chemical flavor like some of the others they've tried. In fact, some people consider this the best coffee they've tasted period. Reviewers also appreciate that the quality is higher than the other pecan-flavored coffees they've tried, while also being cheaper.

The next-highest-rated Cameron's that we found is the Organic Scandinavian Blend. It's a medium-dark roast that advertises itself as being mild, smooth, rich, and warming for cold winter days. During our search, there was a three-way tie on our list for the lowest price for coffee per pound, and this is the first of three. We actually found the exact same bulk deal for Cameron's Organic Scandinavian Blend at Amazon as we did at Sam's Club: $29.48 for 64 ounces (or 4 pounds). That comes out to just $7.37 per pound (or $0.46 per ounce).

Reviewers love how smooth this coffee is, saying that it has no bitterness or aftertaste, even though it's a darker roast. The flavor is great, and the aroma is also very pleasing. Plus, since it's not as oily as some other dark roasts, customers say that it doesn't cause as many problems with their grinder. Being organic is also a draw for shoppers. Not to mention, Starbucks fans compare it to the Pike Place Roast, just at a cheaper price.

Cameron's Organic Breakfast Blend is a premium coffee we found available from several online and in-person locations. This is a light-roast coffee that's promoted as being vibrant and crisp, and it's one that ties two others for the lowest price on our list. However, as you may have guessed at this point, the only way to get it for under $10 a pound is to buy it in bulk. 

We found a $9.98 package of this coffee at HEB, which sounds like a good deal until you realize that it only contains 10 ounces of coffee, actually making it around $15.97 a pound. We found a 32-ounce bag around the same price at Target, which is technically a better deal, but it's for the regular, non-organic version of this blend. However, if you opt for a 4-pound bag at Amazon, you can get Cameron's Organic Breakfast Blend for $29.48, making it less than half of what it costs per pound from some other stores. Based on reviews, some people started buying it at Amazon after Costco stopped carrying it on store shelves.

Fans of this style of Cameron's coffee say that they enjoy how smooth it is. Although it's a light roast, people are still using it for espresso with good results, as it seems to be a little darker than an ordinary light roast. Once again, customers are impressed that it's organic.

Another highly rated Cameron's flavor we'd like to highlight is its Organic Pacific Rim Blend. This is a medium-roast coffee, and it's the final one that ties for the lowest price per pound on our list. It may be the lowest rated of the Cameron's coffees we've included, but it's only by a tenth of a point. So, it's still certainly worth a try if you're trying to figure out which Cameron's blends you like best, because many fans count it as their favorite.

Like the Organic Scandinavian Blend, you can find a good deal on a bulk amount of Cameron's Organic Pacific Rim Blend whole beans both at Sam's Club and Amazon. Both sources offer it for $29.48 for 64 ounces, with the per-pound price coming out to just $7.37. 

Reviewers find this coffee to be consistently good. They like that it's rich and full-bodied, yet low in acidity and not burnt-tasting or bitter. Those who normally add sugar to their coffee to cut the bitterness often don't feel that they need to for this blend. It's also not oily. Plus, customers appreciate that it's organic, making them feel even better about their coffee choice. Some self-proclaimed coffee snobs have even declared this the best of any coffee they've tried.

Finally, we have Café Santo Domingo Classic, a medium-roast coffee made with beans that the company says have caramel, hazelnut, and vanilla notes. The coffee is a product of the Dominican Republic, and it's been around since the 1940s. So, some people end up discovering it while visiting the Dominican Republic, because it's a top brand there. Then, they seek it out thereafter because they enjoyed it so much.

Reviewers say that this Café Santo Domingo coffee hits that happy medium where it's not too mild and not too strong but is still subtly bold. It's smooth and not acidic. Plus, the vanilla and slightly sweet caramel notes are noteworthy. Fans of this coffee also love the smell it has when it's freshly ground.

This is another example where buying in bulk matters, as we found a 16-ounce bag at a grocery store called Foodtown for $12.99 per pound. However, it's possible to get it down to below $10 a pound elsewhere. We found a bulk pack of four 1-pound, whole bean bags of Café Santo Domingo Classic on Amazon for just $.60 per ounce, which comes to $9.60 per pound. If you buy smaller quantities from Amazon, you definitely don't get it at a price that's as good of a deal.

We scoured the internet looking for gourmet brands of coffee that came in at under $10 a pound, meaning that they had to be less than $0.62 per ounce. We were specifically looking for well-loved, high-quality brands with a good reputation. They needed to be brands that customers don't think of as being just okay for the price, but rather, ones that customers would buy even if price weren't a factor. An example of one we didn't use, because most customers thought it was either just okay for the price or downright bad, was Way Coffee The Original Blend. 

Other criteria for inclusion on this list was that the coffee needed to be rated 4.5 stars and above, with at least 88% of reviewers giving it a 4- or 5-star rating. Plus, it had to actually be available for purchase with recent reviews, and not just be a well-priced sample size.