8 Best Coffee Beans For Cold Brew [An Illustrative Guide]

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Best coffee beans for cold brew

Here is our review on the 8 best coffee beans for cold brew.

The best coffee beans for cold brew are generally coarse and dark roast coffee beans.

There are all sorts of coffee beans that are suited well for cold brew coffee and I am here to show you the best types.

I find that Stone Street Cold Brew Coffee is the best overall coffee bean for your cold brew coffee.

Everybody is different, so this coffee brand may not be the best for you. That’s why I have listed the best suited coffee beans for your preference in case you prefer decaf, organic, eco-friendly, or even a light roast coffee.

So, let’s get started

  1. 8 Best Coffee Beans For Cold Brew Reviewed
  2. Buyer’s Guide
  3. Frequently Asked Questions
  4. The Verdict

Our Best Coffee Beans For Cold Brew

  1. Stone Street Cold Brew Coffee (Best Overall)
  2. Lifeboost Coffee Medium Roast (Best Organic)
  3. Lavazza Dek Decaf Coffee (Best Decaf)
  4. Cold Brew Lab Coffee (Best Budget)
  5. Coffee Bros Cold Brew Blend (Best Arabica)
  6. Death Wish Coffee (Best Robusta)
  7. Bizzy Organic Coffee (Best Light Roast)
  8. Tiny Footprint Coffee (Best Eco Friendly)

8 Best Coffee Beans For Cold Brew Reviewed

Here are 8 of our reviews on the best coffee beans for cold brew. In each mini review, we will describe what the beans taste like and what makes each of these coffee beans unique.

Stone Street Cold Brew Coffee 

Best Overall

What does it taste like:

  • Rich and creamy blend
  • Fruity and sweet flavors
  • Notes of chocolate and caramel

Stone Street Cold Brew coffee is arguably the best coffee for cold brew in the world. It comes from the regions of Columbia classified as “Columbian Supremo” which are of the highest quality in its region. 

These beans have a strong and smooth blend which is also 100% Arabica. Its fruity flavors and notes of chocolate and caramel explain why this coffee is superb tasting. This type of coffee is a dark roast with a rich creamy body which is ideal for cold brew coffee. 

What’s great about Stone Street Cold Brew Coffee is that you can buy either the whole bean or pre-ground version. So if you’re someone who enjoys well-balanced flavors and values specialty-grade whole beans, this ones for you.







Lifeboost Coffee Single Origin 

Best Organic

What does it taste like:

  • Exotic taste and well-balanced body
  • Fruity and nutty flavors
  • Notes of cocoa, wood, and hazelnut

Lifeboost is a coffee brand that A LOT of people are raving about. The Lifeboost Medium Roast Single Origin is by far the healthiest option for cold brew coffee. It’s free of mycotoxin and is pesticide-free which means that this coffee is free from any harmful chemicals.

These beans are grown from the mountains of Central America which are sun-dried and freshly spring washed. It is a low acidic medium roast that has sweet flavors with notes of wood and cocoa.

This coffee is a blend of Arabic and Maragogipe which means you can expect some fruity flavors too. If you’re someone who wants a high-quality organic coffee for your cold brew, then the Lifeboost Medium Roast is for you.







Lavazza Dek Decaf Whole Bean Coffee

Lavazza Dek - Decaf Whole Bean 1 Pound
Best Decaf

What does it taste like:

  • Smooth and creamy blend
  • Dried fruit flavor
  • Notes of roasted cereals and barrique

The Lavazza Dek Decaf coffee is by far the best decaffeinated coffee on the market. It comes from the region of Central America with a well-balanced blend of Brazillian Arabica and natural Robusta. 

What’s great about this decaf coffee is that it doesn’t have that bitter decaf aftertaste that most decaf coffees have. These beans have a smooth creamy taste with flavors of dried fruit and hints of roasted cereals and barrique.

If you’re someone who would like to put caffeine on the side for a while, the Lavazza Dek Decaf coffee is the best decaf coffee for cold brew. You won’t experience that bitter decaf aftertaste.







Cold Brew Lab 

Best Budget

What does it taste like:

  • Smooth and well-balanced taste
  • Robust non bitter flavor
  • Notes of fruit, caramel, and chocolate


Freshly roasted in NYC is Cold Brew Lab’s famous cold brew coffee. Cold Brew Lab produces coffee that is specifically made for cold brew, so you can’t go wrong when buying a pack of these beans. These beans comes in many flavors such as Creamy Coconut, Hazelnut, Pumpkin Spice, and Tahitian Vanilla.

The whole bean flavor of this coffee has a smooth and well-balanced taste with a robust non-bitter flavor. It also has notes of fruit, caramel, and chocolate which is a great combination for your cold brew coffee.

Cold Brew Lab is ideal for cold brew coffee as it has a medium-dark roast type and evenly coarse grounds. You cannot go wrong with this brand and did I mention that it’s much more reasonably priced compared to other coffee brands.







Coffee Bros. Cold Brew Blend 

Best Arabica

What does it taste like:

  • Smooth and sweet taste
  • Sweet and fruity flavors
  • Notes of chocolate, berry and brown sugar

Coffee Bros. Cold Brew Blend is arguably one of the best pure Arabica coffee blends for cold brew. The beans come from the regions of Brazil and Ethiopia that use special roasting techniques to bring out their sweetness.

Coffee Bros. Cold Brew Blend has a smooth and sweet taste with fruity flavors having notes of rich chocolate, berry, and brown sugar. It is a medium roast coffee and also being specifically designed for a submersion cold brew method.

If you love your sweet and fruity Arabica beans then this coffee will be ideal for when making cold brew coffee.







Death Wish Whole Bean Coffee 

Best Robusta

What does it taste like:

  • Strong and rich taste
  • Non bitter robust flavor
  • Subtle notes of cherry and chocolate

Death Wish Coffee, known as one of the world’s strongest coffee will be the best if you’re a fan of Robusta coffee. Although it has combined Arabica and Robusta, it will still have that robust non-bitter flavor.

This coffee has a strong robust flavor with subtle notes of cherry and chocolate. Since cold brew extracts a lot of the flavors for hours, this coffee will taste quite strong. I recommend adding some milk and sugar as this will make the cold brew taste great.

Did I mention that these coffee beans have almost double the caffeine that regular coffee beans have? If you’re someone who wants a refreshing cold brew that will give you a true caffeine kick in the morning then this is for you.







Bizzy Organic Light and Bright 

Best Light Roast

What does it taste like:

  • Complex and rich taste
  • Sweet and smooth flavor
  • Notes of caramel and hazelnut

Usually cold brew coffee is best when using medium to darker roasts. Bizzy Organic Coffee is a cold brew company that has managed to produce light roast coffee beans tasting great for cold brew coffee. These beans are 100% Arabica, ethically sourced from Guatemala, Peru, and Nicaragua.

These beans have a rich, complex taste and a sweet smooth flavor. Being 100% Arabica, this light roast has notes and undertones of caramel and hazelnut. This is a great breakfast-type blend for having a morning cold brew. 

Bizzy Organic Light and Bright is the best light roast coffee for cold brew. If you’re someone who loves a sweet nutty taste then these coffee beans are for you.







Tiny Footprint Coffee 

Best Eco Friendly

What does it taste like:

  • Cocoa infused like body
  • Sweet, silky, rich flavor
  • Notes of subtle bright fruit and floral undertones

Tiny Footprint Coffee is the first coffee company to be carbon negative. For every pound of coffee sold, the company donates funds for reforestation in Ecuador’s Mindo Cloud Forest. These Ethiopian beans are shade-grown 100% organically and are mixed between light and dark roasts.

The beans have a sweet, silky, rich flavor to them with tones of subtle bright fruit and floral undertones. You’ll notice that the coffee has a cocoa-like body which means it has a good amount of antioxidants to it.

Buying a pound of these coffee beans means you will be helping restore forestation. These coffee beans are of high quality and are a great buy but if you’re all for being eco-friendly then these are for you.







Buyers Guide

It’s important to know what kind of coffee beans you’re in for when making cold brew coffee. This short buyers guide will help you understand which grind size, roasts, and origins are ideal for cold brew coffee:

Grind Size For Cold Brew Coffee

Cold brew coffee requires a coarse grind size. Whether you decide to buy whole bean or pre-ground coffee, you have to make sure that you don’t end up having fine grounds.

With methods such as drip coffee, using fine grounds will make the coffee brew taste bitter and often end up clumpy. Grounds that are too fine can also slow down or stop the dripping process due to no circulation of flow.

A coarse grind size however will allow the water to circulate freely which is ideal for extraction. Since cold brew coffee is a full immersion process, coarse grinds will help keep the brew from tasting bitter and acidic.

Roast Type For Cold Brew Coffee

To get the most flavor out of your cold brew coffee, a medium to darker roast will be the ideal roast type. You can use any type of roast type as cold brew tends to mask the acidic taste when using lighter roasts. A dark roast is preferred by people who like their coffee a bit stronger and will bring out richer flavors.

Single-Origin or Blend?

When it comes to the flavor of cold brew coffee, many agree that single-origin coffee beans are the best coffee beans for cold brew. Since cold brew coffee is great for bringing out the rich flavors and notes of a bean, you will be able to appreciate the true flavors of the bean’s origin. 

Blended beans won’t taste bad but they won’t have a distinct origin taste, which is not ideal when having a cold drink like cold brew coffee.

Best Origin Coffee Beans For Cold Brew

The best origins for making cold brew coffee are the following:

  • Ethiopian Yirgacheffe
  • Brazillian
  • Kenyan 
  • Mocha Java

Methods For Cold Brew Coffee

The only real way to make cold brew coffee is by using the drip method. You can use your current drip coffee maker or you could make cold brew coffee by using home appliances.

If you don’t have a drip coffee maker and don’t plan on purchasing one, you can learn how to make cold brew coffee without a coffee maker here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can cold brew coffee be stored?

Undiluted cold brew coffee should be stored for at most 2-3 weeks. If you add water to the concentrate and then store it then cold brew coffee can only be stored in the fridge for 2-4 days.

How do you know if cold brew has gone bad?

You can tell if cold brew has gone bad by the following:

  • Moldy smell
  • Lacks a caffeine kick
  • Flavor has degraded
  • Tastes very bitter and acidic

Does cold brew go bad if not refrigerated?

It won’t go bad if you leave it unrefrigerated for another day but it could start to mold possibly over 2 days. When you’re making cold brew coffee, you will most probably make a large amount so it’s best to keep it refrigerated in order to drink it daily.

Should you drink cold brew coffee with milk?

Depending on the strength and flavor of your concentrate, cold brew coffee can taste great with milk. It can taste very refreshing but another way to use milk is by making a coffee concentrate with milk instead of water!

Can cold brew coffee go bad?

Yes, cold brew coffee can degrade over time. Storing cold brew coffee after 2-3 weeks should be consumed or thrown away as the concentrate can begin to go off or spoil. The cold brew flavor will also gradually change and it isn’t a great taste.

The Verdict

Cold brew coffee can be a very refreshing drink but only if you are using the right type of coffee grounds and brewing method. If cold brew isn’t prepared properly then it can taste too bitter or watery.

At the end of the day, it’s all based on your personal preference whether you prefer light roast to dark roast or milk to no milk.

Stone Street Cold Brew Coffee are the best coffee beans for cold brew to start with and I am sure that you won’t regret this buying decision!

6 thoughts on “8 Best Coffee Beans For Cold Brew [An Illustrative Guide]”

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