Best Light Roast Coffee Brands

A cup of coffee – The savior of sleep-deprived and overworked people the world over. While some coffee consumers only concern themselves with things like if the cup needs extra milk or sugar. Others who are more particular – these are the people that diligently read product labels and care about things like the origin and composition of the coffee poured into your cup.

If you’re one such someone, you’ve no doubt encountered terms like blend, flavor profile, origin, and of course roast on your coffee can. Each tag holds its unique weight and can claim a horde of caffeine connoisseurs as its fans.

If a batch of lightly roasted coffee beans is the usual ingredient that lights up your days, stick with us for we have a list of the best light roast coffee beans around.

Best Light Roast Coffee Beans – Our 10 Favorites

Coffee through its tenure in the market has gained the interest of a number of both consumers and producers. The demand is constant and growing, and as a result, both physical and virtual stores are brimming with various and diverse brands and their offerings. Each one says that they are the best coffee beans in the world creating another world of confusion. But do not fear, however, we’re here to guide you safely through the most favored light roast coffee beans topping everybody’s lists at the moment.

1. Lifeboost Light Roast Beans

Kicking things off we have a coffee that helps you kick start your day the right way. Lifeboost light roast beans offer up a comfortable balance between good health and great taste.

Our favorite Organic Coffee in the light roast form. It’s among the healthiest we have ever tasted.

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The brand chooses to source its coffee from a single farm that stands between the lush greens of the slopes of Nicaragua. The bag is bursting with one hundred percent Arabica beans. Once brewed you are treated to a cup that holds a mix of velvety vanilla with a tinge of citrus and caramel. Holding through all along is a nutty undercurrent that ties the blend together. What’s more, Lifeboost coffee is organic. No artificial pesticides or herbicides are used to aid the coffee at any stage of production or distribution.

Pros

• Not only is the coffee completely shade-grown and procured through fair trade practices. Once the beans are ready each one is handpicked with care washed with spring water and sun-dried after which, they are then manually roasted to perfection.
• With a nutrition wizard working behind the scenes it should come as no surprise to learn the coffee is one of the healthiest you will encounter.

Cons

• Given the care and concern that is taken at every stage to get the coffee to your kitchen. It shouldn’t surprise you to learn that this coffee packs quite a hard hit on your wallet. The billing amount of a bag of these beans does lean towards the higher side when compared against some of the other light roasts on our list today.

Why Buy

• The coffee is Kosher and free of any Chemicals or Mycotoxins.
• The coffee is available in both ground and whole bean variety.

2. Blueprint Coffee Seis Familias

Walking into our list next is an explosive offering from Blueprint coffee. The Blueprint family is known for working in harmony with small coffee farmers resulting in mutually beneficial practices.

Growing at a height of over sixteen hundred feet, this particular blend is a melting pot of not one, not two, but six micro-lots that call the Tarrazú region of Costa Rica their home. Which in other words guarantees that should you opt for Seis Familias, you’re getting the best of the best.

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If you choose to treat yourself to a morning mouthful of this blend be prepared to encounter fruity flavors including blood orange, strawberry, and apricot, along with a splash of caramel a nudge of nuttiness, and a hint of vanilla to carry the whole thing through.

Pros

• With due attention and care to the environmental impact. The coffee used in the Seis Familias blend is honey washed to preserve both water and flavor.
• The blend can be bought either as whole beans or pre-ground. If you’re looking for something more specific, Blueprint Coffee Seis Familias is also available in an extra-fine grind. You can get a bag of the blend specific to the method you are going to use it to brew. So if you’re creating that cup of coffee using either pour-over, drip, or cold brew methods, the Seis Familias blend has a bag curated for you.

Cons

• While the company promises pre-ground coffee in varying sizes. There are unfortunately recurring times they are simply out of stock of the varieties. Since there is only a single harvest period demand often surpasses supply.

Why Buy

• The blend is available in a variety of grind sizes to suit different coffee makers.
• Processed using environment-friendly methods.

You might like: Best Costa Rican Coffee Brands

3. Methodical Colombia El Balcon

Traipsing into the third slot on our list is an offer from the much-loved family-owned farm called El Balcon in Antioquia, Colombia.

These single-origin beans from Colombia release a flavor profile that encompasses the sweetness of melon fruit and dry fruit with the tartness of lemon. All pulled together with an overarching shadow of caramel. While you can choose to brew it however you prefer the mildly sweet and fruity tones are particularly delectable when down on a summer day in the form of a smooth cold brew.

Pros

• Growing at an altitude between 1,400 and 1,900 feet, the coffee once ready is freshly roasted only after your order is in. Once roasted you can expect it at your doorstep in one to two working days.
• With a nod towards being more ethical and environmentally conscious, the company employs all-natural processing methods when it comes to its coffee.

Cons

• Unfortunately, this blend is currently only available as whole beans. So if you don’t have a coffee grinder at home, you’re going to have to do without or become creative.

Why Buy

• Naturally Processed.
• Guaranteed fresh coffee

You might like: Best Colombian Coffee Brands

4. Atomic Ethiopia Kochere

If the name of the fourth light roast coffee in our list is anything to go by, it would seem you need to be ready for something explosive. The Ethiopia Kochere blend is a product of Atomic coffee roasters. The family-owned business has been committed to the coffee community for over two decades now.

With beans emerging out of Ethiopia a cup brewed carried a happy mix of fruity flavors including orange blossom, peach, black tea, and floral flavors with just a sprinkle of spice to add in the extra jazz. The beans are roasted after an order comes. When means you can be sure the bag of beans is fresh when they reach your kitchen counter.

What’s Great

• Not only is a single bag of Atomic Ethiopia Kochere lighter on your wallet than its predecessors on this list. If you like what they have to offer, you also have to option to jump in on a yearly subscription to save some cash over your coffee.
• If quality and care are a concern, you’ll be happy to learn Atomic coffee roasters have won an Artisan Roasters award. So you can be sure they know what they’re doing.

What’s no so Great

• The roasters have a strict roasting schedule that fits four days in for roasting in a week. There, therefore, have been a few reports of delays in delivery as the roasters try to get you the coffee as fresh as possible and if that does line up with the days they roast, you’re going to have to wait a day or so for your coffee.

Why Buy

• Available in pre-ground or whole bean.
• Guaranteed fresh coffee.

5. Dune Zip Zinger

Midway through our list, we have Zip Zinger, a bag of beans that places Dune coffee roasters on the map in the community. Dune coffee roasters pride themselves on their reputation of working to provide high-quality coffee without compromising on the morals or rights of the coffee producers they work with.

The Zip Zinger mix we are visiting today combines flavors from some of the major big hitters of coffee-growing countries in the world including Ethiopia, Colombia, and Brazil. The result is a blend that boasts flavors marrying classics like chocolate and caramel with stone fruit.

What’s Great

• A blend that isn’t afraid to blend into whatever your caffeinated cravings for the day are.
  The Zip Zinger can be appreciated in all its forms. Whether you choose to add in milk, creamers, or something else. Unlike others on this list, this particular batch of lightly roasted beans performs incredibly when presented in the form of espresso too.
• The team at Zip Zinger is passionate about what they do. A testament to the fact is their presence and third-place ranking in the United States Barista Championship.

What’s not so Great

• It might be important to learn that Dune coffee roasters work with small batches of beans at a time. It would therefore be considered smart to schedule your order with time to spare.

Why Buy

• The coffee is Kosher.
• Available in both the ground and whole bean variety.
• Guaranteed fresh coffee.

6. Joe Coffee La Familia Guarnizo

Sliding into our list to claim the sixth slot is a contender from the family of Joe coffee. Even though the company landed in the coffee community less than two decades ago, they’ve flourished and managed to gain quite a following. Dedicated to offering caffeine lovers quality, their flavors and techniques are constantly evolving. A fact that is backed by the presence of not one but two of Joe’s coffees blends standing as finalists in the United States Coffee Championships in 2018.

Their contribution to our list today is in the form of the La Familia Guarnizo. The meld of flavor and fragrances of this blend led to becoming an instant hit. The coffee in the bag grows between an altitude of sixteen hundred to eighteen hundred feet in the Huila region of Colombia. To be more specific, the man behind the scenes is a small farmer in Tarqui named Wilmar Guarnizo.

The efforts yield a tantalizing cup of lightly roasted coffee that holds tinges of tangerine along with a decent dusting of toasted pecans, stone fruit, and caramelized sugar.

What’s Great

• After being processed the coffee is carefully dried for close to three weeks. First in the shade, and then in a protected solar dryer to ensure the taste and texture of the coffee remains intact.
• The growth and production of the coffee in this blend are conducted under an agreement between Joe coffee and the El Paraiso growers’ association. It guarantees the top quality of the coffee, and also allows for mutually beneficial moral and monetary gains for all parties involved.

What’s not so Great

• Joe coffee roasters only roast on Tuesdays every week. The coffee usually ships out within the next day or two. You need to be aware of the fact and schedule your coffee order accordingly for the freshest batch possible.

Why Buy

• Available in both the ground and whole bean variety.
• Award-winning company.
• Guaranteed fresh coffee.

7. Kuma Coffee Balanced

Stepping in to fill the seventh spot we have Kuma coffee. Kuma is careful to get their hands on the coffee straight from the source. You can also be assured they provide a premium to farmers working behind the scenes it helps them snare the best beans out there. Kuma coffee is a Good Foor Award winner for three consecutive years.

The Balanced blend of Kuma coffee offers up what it promises in big and bold. A flavor that is crisp, clear, and comforting. Brew yourself a cup and you will be rewarded with a hit of sinful sweetness through the flavors of honey, caramel, and milk chocolate, cut through with a touch of the taste of the nuttiness from stone fruit.

What’s Great

• While you can choose to savor the flavors of the coffee any way you like. We would be remiss if we didn’t suggest to attempt sipping it in the form of a cold brew, or a shot of espresso for something extra special.
• Once ready, the beans are roasted using the Loring Kestrel 35k; an eco-friendly roasting machine. It offers the people at Kuma control over the smallest of elements in the attempt to hand over perfection.

What’s not so Great

• Unfortunately, the blend is only available as a bag of whole coffee beans. If you don’t have a coffee grinder at home, you’re going to need to improvise to get your hands on your morning cup of Joe.
• There is no denying the Kuma coffee Balanced blend delivers on its promises. And while that’s no doubt a good thing, it places the blend under the label of a safe and comfortable choice. If you’re someone who prefers to challenge their coffee palate, you might have to look elsewhere for something bolder.

Why Buy

• Guaranteed fresh coffee.
• Delivers everything it promises.
• Award-winning company.

8. Leftist Espresso Gimme Coffee

Entering our list to fill the number eight space we have one of the self-claimed stars born in the Gimme coffee family. If you’ve encountered the brand before, chances are high that you’ve faced the Gimme Leftist Espresso blend in the past.

Once brewed, a cup of espresso will fill your senses with a swirl of flavours including cherry,y sweety toffee and dark chocolate, finishing off with a punch of spice. The blend delivers all that you can ask for and more, without needing you to break the bank every time you order a bag. While the espresso can be appreciated on its own, adding a sliver of milk helps cut through the cup and brings out additional enjoyment.

What’s Great

• At no stage do the coffee beans used in the blend come in contact with or use artificial chemicals and pesticides to further their quality or growth.
• What’s more, the farmers and other workers are paid as per fair trade practices.

What’s not so Great

• While one usually hopes for a strong jolt when with comes to espressos. This particular blend can be a bit much for some people. However, adding in a few mellowing ingredients can fix the problem for you.

Why Buy

• Available in both the ground and whole bean variety.
• Fairtrade and Organic coffee.
• Value for money.

9. Ethiopia Sidama Ardi Equator Coffees

Nearing the end now with the ninth entry in our list we have coffee coming to us from the Borena Hagermariam District in Guji Ethiopia. It might be interesting to know that this blend of coffee has been christened after the discovery of Ardipithecus Ramidus; the oldest documented human skeleton ever found.

The blend once brewed exudes a combination of fruity and flowery flavours. The touches of a comfortingly creamy berry melange and sweet lemon, melded with lavender and vanilla to offer a rewarding clash of citrus and spice.

What’s Great

• While you should feel free to brew the bled using your favorite coffee maker or style for a rewarding cup. We have to suggest you give the blend a run through the Aeropress or any other pour-over or drip coffee maker and experience the difference.
• If you like what you’re tasting and make the blend a part of your day. You can opt for a subscription that will get you a bag of Ethiopia Sidama Ardi coffee beans from Equator Coffees either every week, fortnight, or month.

What’s not so Great

• While the blend as an impressive fan following there are those that find it lacking a strong punch. If you are someone who prefers bolder flavors, you might need to hit another offering on this list.

Why Buy

• Available in both the ground and whole bean variety.
• Can subscribe for, and schedule monthly deliveries.

10. Hugo Coffee New Trick Light Roast Coffee

Rounding off our list we have a bright blend that claims its seat on our list through the doors of Hugo coffee roasters. This flirty coffee promises to be different from anything you’ve tasted before. A steaming cup folds in flavors of toffee and lime and offers up a fun punch of some chocolate, spice, and nuts.

If you’re in love with the blend and have found your everyday caffeinated match. You can opt to subscribe for a weekly or monthly bag of Hugo Coffee New Trick light roast coffee beans delivered to your home.

What’s Great

• The coffee is roasted using safe, ethical, and sustainable means by employing a combination of natural gas and infrared heat.
• The look of the bag might have offered up a hint. But in case you’re in the dark Hugo Coffee roasters are dog lovers. This is why they’ve pledged to put a percentage of the proceeds from every bag of Hugo Coffee towards supporting various dog rescue organizations.

What’s not so Great

• While almost everyone who’s tasted a bag of these beans seems to be instantly in love. There have been some reports of expired beans reaching a few doorsteps. Be sure to check the date of roast and expiry so you can return the bag for a fresher batch if required.

Why Buy

• 100% satisfaction guaranteed.
• Available in both the ground and whole bean variety.
• All transactions are conducted under the fairtrade policy.

Buying Guide

Choice as you might already know is a double-edged sword. And making decisions can get tough. To ease the process a little you might want to look for a few of these elements before making your purchasing decision.

Certification

Coffee is an item on almost everyone’s daily menu. It is one of the most highly traded commodities in the world. And when demand is as high as that it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that there are a lot of corners cut. If you want to get a clear picture of what is in your coffee and how it got there. There are a few telltale signs you should our for. Coffee that has not come in contact with harmful artificial pesticides and herbicides for instance will have a certificate labeling them as organic. A lot of times in growing numbers of coffee orders are met at the expense of exploiting the livelihoods of farmers in developing countries. A certificate of Fairtrade promises the farmers involved have earned a decent wage through the process.

Be to sure look for certificates like these and others when buying coffee to help enforce a healthy cycle of production.

Single Origin VS Blend

A lot of elements influence the taste, texture, and growth of the coffee bean. The shade, height, climate, and altitude at which the coffee farm lies all matter. A bag of beans can hold coffee growing in a single farm from a single region that holds all these factors in common.

On the other side, a bag can hold a mix of beans from different countries or continents where all the factors differ. While neither is necessarily a good or bad thing. It might help to understand single-origin beans will have a bolder and more iconic flavour attributed to the region they grow. Blends on the other hand balance out and create something unique.

Once you understand and acknowledge the difference, the choice is up to you.

Size of Beans

Brewing yourself a cup of coffee can be a very simple process. That is of course provided you have all the necessary tools. If you’ve been a part of the coffee community for some time, you are no doubt aware that the fresher the coffee beans the more flavor you can pull out of them. You would also know that coffee beans lose some of their freshness and flavor the moment they are ground. If you have a coffee grinder at home, it would be considered smart to opt for a blend that offers whole beans. If however, you do not have a grinder or alternative access to alternative methods to grind your coffee beans. You’re going to need to opt for a blend that offers the option of fresh pre-ground coffee.

Why Light Roast Coffee

So now to the question that might be nagging at your mind. Why does it matter? While different roasts of coffee have ruled for centuries, light roasts have been brought to the center of attention once more over the last decade or so.

Lightly roasted coffee beans as the name suggests, appear light brown in colour. They face heat for a short amount of time and hold the least amount of oil on the outside. That helps them to hold on to their unique sugars and acids. The result? They allow you to experience intricate flavours within the beans in depth.

Light Roast vs Medium Roast vs Dark Roast

At the risk of sounding a little too technical, the chemical composition of coffee beans is such that the more they spend in contact with heat, the less dense they become. Naturally, a lightly roasted bean is the densest of the trio. When held in comparison with a medium or dark roast, the origin of a light roast coffee also is easier to nail down. It is so because the flavors in a light roast are more pronounced. As a general rule of thumb lightly roasted coffee usually offers crisper tones while darker beans are known to hold richer tones and be more full-bodied. A light roast coffee is usually more acidic and when compared to its darker counterparts.

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At the End of the Day

Coffee can be one of the most personal parts of your day. It brings elements of comfort and calms to some. While helping others to concentrate better. And while the choice of the roast, flavor, and form of your coffee can change from one day to the next. We hope we helped you find something new and exciting to try the next time you have a caffeine craving.