As the world becomes more aware of the danger of chemical ingredients and the harmful processes many food companies use, organic coffee has become more popular across a number of industries. When a product bears that coveted “USDA Organic” symbol, it offers both comfort and peace of mind to the customer.
But what does it really mean to buy organic coffee?
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Table of Contents
What Is Organic Coffee?
When coffee is certified organic, it means that it was made without the use of inorganic chemicals or pesticides and it contains no fillers or other ingredients – just the coffee.
It is important to note here that no synthetic pesticides does NOT mean no pesticides. It just means the treatments being used are –you guessed it– organic. This means that your coffee can be protected from pests and the farmers harvesting it can be protected from exposure to harmful chemicals.
As it is one of the most chemically treated crops out there, getting certified organic coffee is a pretty big deal. So, buying organic coffee is a great way to be more socially and environmentally conscious… and still get some delicious coffee.
Fortunately, much of the best organic coffee can be found and purchased easily, you just need to know what you’re looking for.
What are the Best Organic Coffee Brands?
Below, you’ll find the absolute best organic coffee. These companies can be trusted to harvest organically and produce coffee with the freshest, highest-quality flavor on the market.
- Medium roast
- Certified organic
- Strong, healthy and high-quality taste
- Eco-friendly
- Dark roast
- Great taste
- Pure 100% Arabica beans
- Certified fair trade
- Medium-dark roast
- 100% Arabica beans
- Full-bodied flavor with notes of lemon, chocolate and blueberry
- Certified organic and ensures maximum freshness
- Dark roast
- US made, single origin
- Perfect for cold brew
- Ensures maximum flavor extraction
- Dark roast
- USDA certified organic and fair trade coffee
- No unwanted flavor
- Healthy and top quality
- Dark roast
- Organic, full bodied, single-origin dark-roast
- 100% Arabica
- Ensures top-quality cup of coffee
- Medium roast
- Decadent flavor profile
- Excellent brand transparency
- Fair trade, kosher, and shade grown
- Medium-dark roast
- Offers classic, fresh and high-quality blend
- Certified organic
- Offers maximum freshness
- Medium roast
- Wonderful, organic blend of coffee
- Full-bodies chocolate coffee
- Healthy and delicious
All of these top organic coffee blends are USDA certified organic, so that part of the equation is already taken care of for you.
You just need to decide your favorite roast and flavor. Trust us, we’ve got something for everyone.
Best Organic Coffee (Reviewed)
Based on our extensive testing, we found these to be the best organic coffee options that promise a guilt-free, delicious cup every single time.
1. Lifeboost Coffee
Origin: Nicaragua | Roast: Medium
Lifeboost Coffee is produced on a small, six-acre farm in a nationally-protected area of Nicaragua. They produce what is some of the purest and most flavorful coffee available on the market.
Not only is the coffee certified organic, but it’s verified non-GMO and completely mycotoxin free. In addition to being pure and delicious, this coffee is as healthy as they come – for both you and the environment!
It’s grown on virgin soil on the top of a mountain, where workers are paid a fair wage to handpick the beans. The coffee is also grown in the shade. Coffee grows more naturally in the shade, and yet only about 2% of coffee worldwide is grown in the shade.
This is because it takes longer to grow – meaning less room for profits. However, it’s the superior way to grow coffee which is exactly why Lifeboost does it this way. When grown in the shade, the beans are able to produce more natural sugars.
This creates a rich, flavorful coffee with delicious hints of caramel. Along with producing the amazing flavor, growing it in the shade is also better for the environment – another thing Lifeboost is extremely passionate about.
Once grown and picked, the beans are then fermented for exactly 26 hours. This allows the skin to be removed gently with no damage done to the coffee bean. The beans are then hand-washed in spring water and sun-dried to exactly 11.5% moisture content.
Finally, they are given a 30-day “rest” period during which the flavor profile deepens significantly.
Lifeboost puts the utmost time, effort, care, and dedication into their coffee. They’re passionate coffee lovers themselves who are dedicated to bringing you the best coffee they possibly can.
Lifeboost Coffee: Bottom Line
Lifeboost is an honest, transparent company that works hard to provide strong, healthy, eco-friendly coffee that’s as high-quality as they come.
2. Death Wish Coffee
Origin: India and Peru | Roast: Dark
Death Wish Coffee is somewhat self-explanatory – those who drink it might just have a death wish! The coffee is aptly named for its high caffeine content and extreme strength. It’s not for the weak of heart and is desired by those who want a giant surge of energy to either get or keep them going.
But don’t worry, that kick does not come at the expense of the taste. Trust us, with a high acidity, this rich dark roast still has discernibly pleasant, nutty flavor notes that don’t get drowned by bitterness.
Death Wish kisses the myths about organic coffee being weak goodbye. Not only is this blend certified organic and fair trade, but it’s even kosher. It’s proof that all-natural coffee can stack right up against regular stuff.
Death Wish achieves its goals with an expert blend of both arabica and robusta beans. This offers a combination of Arabica’s high-quality flavor and robusta’s superior caffeine content. It’s truly the best of both worlds.
Death Wish Coffee: Bottom Line
Healthy, organic, and fair trade, Death Wish is the best quality wake-up call you’ll get on those mornings you just can’t seem to get going.
3. Coffee Bean Direct
Origin: Ethiopia | Roast: Dark
Those at Coffee Bean Direct are passionate about coffee and dedicated to quality. They care about the state of every bag and they truly love what they do. This is abundantly clear in the organic, certified fair-trade product they produce.
Their basic, dark roast blend is made from pure, 100 percent Arabica beans and offers a full-bodied flavor with notes of lemon, chocolate, and blueberry. The aroma is fragrant and fruity.
Once harvested, the coffee beans are slow-roasted to ensure the fullest, most even flavor possible. They are roasted immediately before packaging to ensure maximum freshness.
They are then packaged right at Coffee Bean Direct’s own facility. This process ensures that you receive your coffee as soon as possible and the freshness stays locked in until the beans reach your home.
Ultimately, this is a simple, yummy, high-quality dark roast coffee for those who need a good daily go-to. The company is run by passionate and dedicated coffee lovers and workers are paid a fair wage – you can’t really go wrong!
And, if a dark roast isn’t your thing, they have so many other flavors to choose from. For a light roast, we recommend their organic Columbian coffee. They focus on quality but they also want to make their product accessible and enjoyable for as many people as possible.
Coffee Bean Direct: Bottom Line
Coffee Bean Direct offers an impressively wide range of organic roasts and origins with consistently great tasting coffee that doesn’t disappoint.
4. Subtle Earth Organic Coffee
Origin: Honduras | Roast: Medium-Dark
Subtle Earth Organic Coffee by Don Pablo Coffee Growers and Roasters is a unique choice because it offers a low acid coffee option in addition to being certified organic. This makes the coffee accessible to a large number of people because finding a coffee that is both organic and contains low acid that is also enjoyable can be difficult.
Don Pablo Coffee began as a family company and they still are. They are not only run by a family but they focus on family throughout their entire process. They have strong relationships with all their suppliers and only work with dedicated, passionate people.
Don Pablo Coffee also grow, pick, and process their own coffee beans. This way, they can monitor and control every piece of the process. They never use past crop, defective, or Robusta beans. Plus, they employ their own Q grader who inspects every bean for top-quality.
(If that all sounds Greek to you, don’t worry. It just means they are doing things right.)
Lastly, they are dedicated to freshness and flavor. They use small batch artisan roasting to guarantee consistency and high-quality flavor. Their dedicated and passionate team use sight, smell, and sound to ensure the bean’s natural sugars are being properly caramelized.
In addition to small batches, they always roast to order. This means they never have roasted coffee beans sitting around, losing freshness. They roast them and immediately send them off to your door, so you can brew the best and freshest cup possible every single time.
Subtle Earth Organic Coffee: Bottom Line
Subtle Earth offers a unique and versatile coffee that is fresh, flavorful, and low-acid organic coffee option for those who need it.
5. Stone Street Coffee
Origin: Columbia | Roast: Dark
Stone Street Coffee Company is a specialty, artisanal roaster located in Brooklyn, NYC, and has been passionately roasting coffee since 2009.
Cold brewing is popular because it not only creates a unique flavor but it produces a cup of coffee with less acid than most. For some people with stomach issues or other sensitivities, the acid in coffee can be extremely problematic.
Stone Street does offer its cold brew blend in whole bean form, which will give you a fresher cup. However, the grind is very important when cold brewing, so they also offer a pre-ground version if you’re not confident you can do it right on your own,
The grind they offer is the perfect level of coarseness that allows for maximum flavor extraction during a cold brew. The flavor of this dark roast is smooth, strong, and balanced with a slight sweetness to it.
Not only is this coffee certified organic, but they take pride in their ethical practices and sourcing relationships around the world. They partner with the best coffee farms in growing regions, supporting small and family businesses.
Over the years, they’ve expertly perfected their roasting process and perfectly hand-craft each small batch of coffee. They work hard to properly develop each blend’s unique traits and their complete flavor profile.
Stone Street Coffee: Bottom Line
Stone Street Coffee offers a low-maintenance and zero-guilt organic coffee. Whether you go with the pre-ground or whole bean, you are going to get a great cup of cold brew.
6. Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee
Origin: Honduras | Roast: Dark
While “mushrooms” probably isn’t the first thing you’d think of having with your coffee, we promise you’ll be pleasantly surprised by Four Sigmatic’s unique organic option.
In addition, the blend offers a clean cup with a full-bodied flavor and no bitter aftertaste. (Yes, really.)
If you aren’t into add-ins, you can skip to the next recommendation. But for those of you who don’t mind some all-natural boosters, this coffee has a lot to offer.
The organic Lion’s Mane mushroom powder offers enhanced memory, focus, and concentration. These cognitive benefits are proven to be associated with Lion’s Mane.
In addition to the Lion’s Mane, the blend also consists of Chaga mushroom powder. This contains antioxidants and offers immune support. Lastly, the inclusion of organic Rhodiola root helps fight and manage stress.
So, this coffee is one of the best ways for you to start your morning. Not only do you get a kick from the caffeine in the coffee, but you can enhance your levels of concentration. It’s perfect for busy, working individuals, or even students who have a long study session ahead of them.
Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee: Bottom Line
Definitely don’t miss this mushroom coffee. With beaucoup benefits and ethical practices to boot, this is probably one of the most unique coffees we’ve reviewed thus far and it definitely doesn’t disappoint.
7. Real Good Coffee
Origin: Sumatra | Roast: Dark
Real Good Coffee produces an organic, full-bodied, single-origin dark roast for those that love a bold and spicy flavor. These carefully-roasted beans make a lovely cup of classic, morning coffee. Tasting notes include cedar, bell pepper, and a light, subtle lemon.
They guarantee a fantastic cup of coffee – no gimmicks or sketchy sales tactics, just real, good coffee. That’s their motto.
Even their packaging is simple and straightforward to not distract you from the fantastic coffee itself. They’re so confident that you’ll love this coffee, they guarantee satisfaction or they’ll make it right – every time, no questions asked.
Their superior dark roast beans aren’t excessively oily, so they are compatible with any coffee maker or machine. This includes drip machines, espresso, french press coffee maker, pour-over, and more. They sell their coffee whole-bean, which means you can custom grind it to whatever coarseness you need for your preferred brewing method.
Real Good Coffee: Bottom Line
Simplicity is key with Real Good Coffee. With a classic, versatile, and high-quality cup of coffee that they guarantee you’ll love, there’s no funny business here just real, good coffee.
8. Kicking Horse Coffee
Origin: Africa, Central, & South America | Roast: Medium
Kicking Horse coffee offers a double whammy with both organic and fair-trade certifications. They are exceptionally transparent about both how their coffee is sourced and how their money is spent. Honestly, you won’t find anything to complain about on either front.
Plus, this impressive blend is also Kosher and Shade Grown. Using exclusively Arabica beans, that means you are in for a truly exceptional cup of Joe.
With humble beginnings in a garage in the middle of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Kicking Horse coffee highlights how an earnest commitment to ethical and sustainable practices can be realized even against some serious odds. All that while continuing to offer some seriously kick ass coffee.
This medium roast, called “Smart Ass” is a cheeky fan favorite here at Brew Smartly. With its tasting notes of tart red currant followed up by hints of sugar cane and milk chocolate, all over a rich, honeyed berry body, they really leave nothing else to be desired.
Kicking Horse Coffee: Bottom Line
You aren’t going to want to miss this decadent medium roast from a brand whose reputation is equal parts trustworthy and cheeky. You’ll have plenty of reasons to sip and smile.
9. Java Planet
Origin: Columbia | Roast: Medium-Dark
Java Planet promises a clean, natural, great-tasting cup of coffee, it’s as simple as that. They grow and process it with ethical and sustainable practices, using only environmentally responsible farmers, so you don’t have to worry about what’s going on behind the scenes.
To ensure maximum freshness, they only package whole bean coffee and they roast it exclusively in small batches. This also means you can customize your grind for your preferred brewing method.
They are a family-owned and operated company that is dedicated to your satisfaction and wants their customers to feel like a part of the family. If you’re ever unsatisfied with their coffee for any reason, they promise to make it right.
They offer many different varieties, but this particular medium-dark roast blend features a traditional, classic coffee flavor with no burnt flavors or bitter aftertaste. They roast their beans to perfection, allowing the flavor to fully develop and offer a rich, full-bodied taste experience.
Java Planet: Bottom Line
Java Planet is a friendly, family-owned company that strives to offer classic, fresh, high-quality blends that are healthy and responsible.
10. The Bean Coffee Co.
Origin: Indonesia | Roast: Medium
Mocha Java is a wonderful, organic blend of coffee made by The Bean Coffee Company. The Bean was established in 2007 and has always focused on using only the best suppliers, processes, ingredients, and staff.
They do this by using only the best and purest Arabica coffee beans and expertly roasting the coffee in small batches. The Mocha Java blend offers a full-bodied and complex flavor profile that balances body and acidity to create the perfect aromas.
The coffee has a sweet finish and offers chocolatey overtones. Chocolate is a popular flavor note to include in coffee, and The Bean does it well. They offer this highly-desired flavor in a coffee that’s fresh, organic, healthy, and responsibly made – you can’t go wrong there!
If chocolate isn’t your thing though, they do offer several other blends with different flavor profiles.
The coffee comes in whole bean form or ground. This means you can either grind your coffee or choose the convenience of pre-ground beans.
Mocha Java: Bottom Line
Mocha Java offers a lovely, full-bodied chocolatey coffee that’s healthy, responsible, environmentally conscious, and delicious.
Understanding Organic Coffee
More and more coffee companies are popping up and offering certified organic coffee, claiming that it’s better for you – and many agree that it is. But, what really goes into that bag of organic coffee? Read on to learn more about the organic process and how to find the best organic coffee.
Organic Growing
Most see “organic” coffee as coffee that was grown without chemicals or pesticides. But there is a lot more to it. If you want coffee that’s truly organic and the healthiest it can be for you and the farmers producing it, it’s important to research exactly where it comes from.
This is because different regions have different requirements to consider soil organic. Some places require that soil be chemical-free for 3-5 years to ensure all residue is gone. Others, however, only care about how that particular crop is treated. This means there could be some residual inorganic pesticides from previous crops.
You must also consider pest control. Many companies grow their coffee in the sun to maximize production, but this leaves it open to insects and other pests. This means they need to use something to control them.
But, if you use a company that grows their coffee in the shade – as it should be – this minimizes pests and you won’t have to worry about what they did to prevent them.
Organic Roasting
For coffee to truly be sold as organic, it must be roasted with a roaster that has never been used to roast anything other than organic coffee beans. If anything else has been toasted in the roaster, there’s potential for contamination.
It’s also important that an organic roaster not add any chemicals or additives at this stage in the process either. Just because it was organically grown doesn’t mean they can add things later on in the process.
Processing
Another thing to think about when choosing your organic coffee is the way they process the beans. To be truly organic, even the smallest things must be considered. This includes harvesters’ bags and even the shipping containers.
Also, think about the process itself. Wet and dry processing can both be done organically, but they aren’t always equal.
Wet processing takes much longer without chemical additives, which means a higher price tag for you, the consumer. It’s also harder on the environment as it uses a lot of water.
Dry processing is much simpler and easier when processing organic beans and works to keep them organic and untainted.
Are There Benefits to Drinking Organic Coffee?
There are many benefits of using organic coffee beans that can’t be ignored:
Organic Is Healthier
The bottom line is that organic coffee is healthier. While inorganic pesticides might not be polluting your body (thanks to coffee beans protective fruit), they can certainly hurt the farmers, local communities, and ecosystem.
When you choose to shop USDA certified organic, you are helping to support ethical farming practices and in many cases much more sustainability.
Organic Is Better for the Environment
For those that are environmentally conscious, organic coffee is an absolute must. For starters, most organic coffee is grown in the shade. This makes it better for the consumer, but it’s also better for the planet.
For coffee to be grown in the sun, forests must be cut down. There is no need for this when coffee is grown in the shade. Trees are necessary to provide enough cover.
Shade-grown coffee gives you a better flavor, preserves the earth’s trees, and ensures that insects and animals don’t lose their natural habitats.
Caffeine Content
Going organic won’t affect the caffeine content of your beans. Plus, even for those of you who are in it for the taste and prefer a cup of decaf, you know you are getting the best stuff.
There are only two methods that can be used for decaf coffee to still be organic – the swiss water process and the carbon dioxide process. Other methods introduce chemicals at various points of the process to make things faster and easier. Thankfully, these are considered the two best methods for decaffeinating coffee.
So, the good thing about buying organic decaf is that guarantees that one of these methods was used, so you know you are getting the best flavor. All in all, you aren’t losing out on anything by buying organic, even if you need decaf.
Is Organic Coffee Better?
The short answer is yes. The long answer … is hell yes.
You Can’t Go Wrong With Organic Coffee
As you can see, organic is often the better choice. But, you also shouldn’t blindly trust an “organic” label without doing some research into the origin and processing method.
When in doubt, look for local coffee companies that can answer your questions. This way, you’re also supporting your community of small and family-owned businesses.
I am looking for delicious, dark organic coffee that can come in k-pods. Any suggestions?
Don’t forget Bizzy Coffee! They are number one on amazon for cold brew and my personal favorite
I tried LifeBoost medium roast. I’m 71 years old and have had some experience with coffee that has gone rancid. That distinct “Old-Cigarette-Ashtray” flavor in LifeBoost was very evident.
Return shipping was well worth the $13, compared to just throwing it in the garbage!.