The Best Coffee Beans for ColdBrew

Updated March 11, 2025

What’s better than a caffeine shot in the early morning on a hot summer day? You guessed it! A cup of cold brew coffee.

Why Cold Brew Deserves the Perfect Coffee Beans

What’s better than a caffeine shot in the early morning on a hot summer day? You guessed it! A cup of cold brew coffee.

It’s just what you need for an energy boost and a refreshing kick. But it can be a little baffling to choose the best coffee beans for cold brew from the huge range of options.

Cold brew isn’t just regular coffee served cold—it’s a completely different brewing method that extracts flavors slowly over 12-24 hours, creating a smoother, less acidic, and often sweeter coffee concentrate. This unique process means that the beans you choose matter significantly.

Whether you are searching for the best grounds for cold brew, the best organic cold brew coffee beans, flavored coffee for cold brew, or the best whole bean coffee for cold brew, we are sure you will find something to try on our comprehensive list.

Understanding Cold Brew Coffee Bean Roasts

“One of the great things about cold brew coffee is it can taste great with a range of coffee bean types. You can use medium, light or dark roast for cold brew coffee.”

However, if you’ve ever tried to make cold brew concentrate with an AeroPress at home and didn’t enjoy the taste, it may be due to the grind size and the length of time you brewed them for.

Different roasts require a slightly different cold brewing process to achieve great tasting homemade cold brew:

Dark Roast

Dark roast cold brew coffee beans will need less steeping time than a lighter roast. If left too long, the flavors tend to become overpowering and can develop bitter notes.

Best for: Rich, chocolatey, nutty flavors with minimal acidity
Recommended steeping time: 12-14 hours
Grind size: Coarse

Medium Roast

Medium roasts offer an excellent balance for cold brew, providing rich flavors while maintaining some of the bean’s original characteristics.

Best for: Balanced flavor with caramel and chocolate notes
Recommended steeping time: 14-16 hours
Grind size: Coarse

Light Roast

Light roast coffee beans often have a more delicate, citrus flavor that doesn’t always translate well in cold brewing methods. However, with the right technique, they can produce a uniquely refreshing cold brew.

Best for: Fruity, floral notes with higher acidity
Recommended steeping time: 16-18 hours
Grind size: Medium-coarse

Understanding how to get the most out of different coffee bean roasts will help you choose between the best types of cold brew coffee.

Top Cold Brew Coffee Beans for 2025

Best Overall: Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Reserve

Roast: Dark
Origin: Colombian
Flavor Profile: Chocolate, caramel, low acidity
Price: $19.99/1lb

Why we love it: Stone Street Coffee’s Cold Brew Reserve is specifically designed for cold brewing. The coarse grind is perfect for slow extraction, and the dark roast creates a smooth, rich flavor that works exceptionally well as a concentrate.

Best Budget Option: Trader Joe’s Cold Brew Coffee Bags

Roast: Medium-dark
Origin: Blend
Flavor Profile: Balanced, chocolate notes
Price: $7.99/4 bags

Why we love it: These pre-measured cold brew bags make the process incredibly simple while delivering consistently good results at an unbeatable price point.

Best Single Origin: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe from Counter Culture

Roast: Medium
Origin: Ethiopia
Flavor Profile: Blueberry, citrus, floral notes
Price: $21.99/12oz

Why we love it: The fruity, complex flavor of this Ethiopian bean creates a uniquely refreshing cold brew that showcases how special single-origin beans can be in cold brewing applications.

Best Organic Option: Lifeboost Organic Cold Brew Coffee

Roast: Medium
Origin: Nicaragua
Flavor Profile: Smooth, low acid, hints of caramel
Price: $27.95/12oz

Why we love it: Lifeboost’s organic, shade-grown beans are third-party tested for mycotoxins and pesticides, making them an excellent choice for health-conscious consumers.

Best Pre-Ground Option: Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee

Roast: Dark
Origin: Central & South America blend
Flavor Profile: Sweet, smooth, caramel notes
Price: $13.99/1lb

Why we love it: Bizzy’s coarse grind is optimized specifically for cold brew, saving you the step of grinding while still delivering excellent extraction.

The Impact of Coffee Bean Origin on Cold Brew

While roast level significantly affects cold brew flavor, the bean’s origin is equally important:

Central American Beans (Guatemala, Costa Rica)

These typically offer a clean, bright flavor with mild acidity and notes of chocolate and nuts—excellent for balanced cold brew.

South American Beans (Colombia, Brazil)

Known for their medium body, subtle sweetness, and chocolate/caramel notes, these are cold brew crowd-pleasers.

African Beans (Ethiopia, Kenya)

These often have vibrant fruit and floral notes that can create unique, complex cold brews with longer steeping times.

Indonesian Beans (Sumatra, Java)

With their full body, low acidity, and earthy, spicy notes, these make for robust cold brews with distinctive character.

Cold Brew Grinding Guidelines

The right grind is crucial for cold brew success:

Coarse Grind: Ideal for most cold brew methods; resembles sea salt
Medium-Coarse: Better for lighter roasts that need more extraction
Consistency: Uniform particle size prevents over/under-extraction
Grind Just Before Brewing: For maximum freshness and flavor

If you’re experiencing these issues with your cold brew, adjust your grind size:

Too bitter: Your grind is too fine
Too weak: Your grind is too coarse
Silty/muddy: Your grind is inconsistent

How to Store Cold Brew Coffee Beans

To maintain freshness and flavor in your cold brew beans:

Store in an airtight container away from light, heat, and moisture
Keep at room temperature for beans you’ll use within 2-3 weeks
For longer storage, whole beans can be frozen for up to 3 months
Never refrigerate whole beans as they can absorb odors and moisture
Buy only what you’ll use within a month for optimal freshness

DIY Cold Brew Coffee Recipe

Now that you’ve selected the perfect beans, here’s how to brew cold brew concentrate at home:

Ingredients:

1 cup coarsely ground coffee beans of your choice
4 cups filtered water at room temperature
Optional: Cinnamon stick or vanilla bean for flavoring

Equipment:

Large jar or cold brew maker
Fine mesh strainer
Cheesecloth or paper coffee filter
Storage bottle

Instructions:

Combine coffee grounds and water in your container
Stir gently to ensure all grounds are saturated
Cover and steep at room temperature for 12-18 hours (depending on your bean type)
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth
Store concentrate in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks
Serve diluted with water or milk at a 1:1 ratio over ice

Pro tip:

For a smoother result, try the Aeropress cold brew method which can create a cleaner tasting concentrate with less equipment.

Cold Brew vs. Other Coffee Methods

If you’re wondering how cold brew compares to other coffee preparations:

Method	Brewing Time	Acidity	Caffeine Content	Shelf Life
Cold Brew	12-24 hours	Very Low	High	1-2 weeks
Iced Coffee	5 minutes	Medium-High	Medium	1 day
Hot Brew	5 minutes	High	Medium	30 minutes
Espresso	30 seconds	Medium	High (per oz)	10 minutes

Finding Your Perfect Cold Brew Bean

All of the best cold brew coffee brands mentioned above will make great tasting cold brew coffee, but remember you may need to adjust your brewing time to account for the roast and grind to achieve optimal results.

The beauty of cold brew is in experimentation—different beans, origins, and roasts all create unique flavor profiles. With the guidance provided here, you’re well on your way to creating the perfect cold brew concentrate at home.

Wondering about the future availability of your favorite coffee beans? Check out our article on potential coffee shortages and how they might affect your cold brew habit.