BEST SINGLE ORIGIN COFFEE IN 2024: DO NOT MISS OUT ON THESE

I’m introducing six of my favorite single origin coffee beans here. 

Single origin coffee is exciting! It’s exotic and complex. It’s an opportunity to taste how growing conditions, processing methods, and regional varietals influence the flavor of your coffee.

Exploring single origins is a delicious way for coffee lovers to understand more about coffee plants, flavor profiles, and the industry as a whole. 

I’ll give you a quick primer on origins to help you find your top pick!

The 6 Top Single Origin Coffee Beans In 2024

IMAGE	PRODUCT	DETAILS
BEST OVERALL BEST OVERALL	Coffee Bros. Ethiopia Daye Bensa	Light-medium roast Caramel, Fresh Apple, Peach notes Ethiopian Heirloom Varietals	CHECK PRICE
BEST DARK ROAST BEST DARK ROAST	Peet’s Guatemala San Sebastian	Dark roast Vanilla Orchid, Bittersweet Chocolate, Guayaba Pastille notes Bourbon variety	CHECK PRICE
BEST MEDIUM ROAST BEST MEDIUM ROAST	Mela Costa Rica Tarrazu	Medium roast Caramel, Orange Zest, Almond notes Caturra, Typica varieties	CHECK PRICE
BEST LIGHT ROAST BEST LIGHT ROAST	Equator Kenya Kiunyu	Light-medium roast Berries, Tropical Fruit, Black Tea notes Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28, SL34 varieties	CHECK PRICE
best for espresso best for espresso	Out Of The Grey Sumatra Mandehling	Vienna (Medium-dark) roast Maple syrup, cocoa, toasted nuts notes Typica, Catimor varieties	CHECK PRICE
BUDGTE PICK BUDGTE PICK	Volcanica Tanzania Peaberry	Medium-light roast Dried Fruit, Savory Chocolate, Orange notes Bourbon, Kent varieties	CHECK PRICE

There are thousands of single origin coffees on the market. So I won’t claim to have painstakingly blind-tasted them all to compile an objective list of the best. Instead, here are six beans I’ve been loving lately from origins that continue to impress year after year. 

BEST OVERALL

1. Coffee Bros. Ethiopia Daye Bensa

• Roast: Light-medium

• Tasting notes: Caramel, Fresh Apple, Peach
• Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom Varietals
• Processing: Natural

SEE ON COFFEE BROS

I’ve been impressed with every single origin I’ve tried from Coffee Bros, but I couldn’t resist an Ethiopian bean for my top pick. Ethiopia is the homeland of Arabica coffee, and the southern Sidamo and Yirgacheffe regions continue to produce some of the world’s best bags of coffee beans.

Coffee Bros has been working with the Daye Bensa export company for three years, and this incredible coffee showcases the fruits (literally) of that consistent relationship.

This naturally processed coffee leans heavily sweet, with notes of caramel and stone fruit balanced by a gentle apple acidity. Its medium body is well-suited for pour-over, and I especially enjoyed it with flat-bottom drippers like the Kalita Wave and Beehouse.

BEST DARK ROAST

2. Peet’s Guatemala San Sebastian

• Roast: Dark

• Tasting notes: Vanilla Orchid, Bittersweet Chocolate, Guayaba Pastille
• Variety: Bourbon
• Processing: Washed

SEE ON PEET’S COFFEE

High-quality dark roast single origins are rare, particularly from Latin America. Only with a skilled roaster and the right beans can a darker roast highlight rather than mask a coffee’s character. Peet’s has both.

This coffee from the famous Guatemalan growing region of Antigua is robust and bold but maintains its complexity. I tasted punchy, bittersweet chocolate balanced by sweet florals and a bright tropical fruit acidity. It reminds me of some of the Jamaica Blue Moutain Coffee I’ve tried – at about a quarter the price!

This versatile coffee works for drip, espresso, and French press. I prefer brewing it with my Chemex, which produces a richly flavored but clean cup.

BEST MEDIUM ROAST

3. Mela Costa Rica Tarrazu

• Roast: Medium

• Tasting notes: Caramel, Orange Zest, Almond
• Variety: Caturra, Typica
• Processing: Honey

SEE ON MISTOBOX

This coffee is hands-down the most crowd-pleasing on the list. If you usually drink smooth and balanced blends, this is the perfect way to dip your toes in the world of single origins.

I’d say this coffee’s profile is clean and rounded, showcasing Costa Rican honey-processed coffee without being overly weird or exotic. It’s a very nutty coffee with a rich caramel sweetness and only a hint of orange acidity lingering in the aftertaste (1).

When you prepare it with a drip machine or pour-over dripper, it’s delicious. But my favorite brewers for this coffee were the Clever Dripper and Aeropress, which combine the bold flavor and full body of an immersion brew with the clean cup of a paper filter. 

BEST LIGHT ROAST

4. Equator Kenya Kiunyu

• Roast: Light-medium

• Tasting notes: Berries, Tropical Fruit, Black Tea
• Variety: Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28, SL34
• Processing: Washed

SEE ON TRADE COFFEE

Neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia are both world-famous coffee regions, but their beans are remarkably different. While Ethiopian coffees are mild-mannered and delicate, Kenyans are big, bold, and punchy.

The Kenyan Kiunyu from Equator is a perfect example – so I wouldn’t recommend it for a single-origin first-timer. It’s packed with exotic fruit flavors, spicy notes, and vibrant acidity. 

If you’re used to “coffee that tastes like coffee,” this Kenya AA brew will either knock your socks off with excitement or scare you right back to chocolatey blends.

BEST FOR ESPRESSO

5. Out Of The Grey Sumatra Mandehling

• Roast: Vienna (Medium-dark)

• Tasting notes: Maple syrup, cocoa, toasted nuts
• Variety: Typica, Catimor
• Processing: Wet-hulled

SEE ON OUT OF THE GREY COFFEE

Everyone has a different vision of the perfect espresso. For me, it’s about the full body and heavy mouthfeel, which is why I often turn to Sumatran beans. 

Humid regions like Sumatra favor the wet-hulling processing method. It produces a unique style of coffee with a creamy body, very low acidity, and earthy profile – ideal for espresso.

It has none of the mushroomy flavor of low-end wet-hulled beans. Instead, I tasted dark cocoa, maple sweetness, and toasted hazelnut. It’s delicious straight or topped with steamed milk in a latte.

I love that this coffee comes from a women-owned co-op with 80% female membership. Women are frequently overlooked or exploited in the coffee industry, and seeing more brands recognize their expertise is wonderful.

BUDGET PICK

6. Volcanica Tanzania Peaberry

• Roast: Medium-light

• Tasting notes: Dried Fruit, Savory Chocolate, Orange
• Variety: Bourbon, Kent
• Processing: Washed

SEE ON VOLCANICA

Peaberry coffee is a rare natural mutation that causes a coffee cherry to hold one bean rather than two. That one bean (the peaberry) gets twice the nutrients, developing a more intense flavor.

Tanzanian Peaberry is particularly famous. Grown high on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, it develops a nuanced profile that keeps your palate engaged and a rich aroma that will have you salivating. 

My first sip tasted prominently of dark chocolate, but the flavors opened up more as the coffee cooled. I noted jammy fruit sweetness, winey acidity, and a spicy herbal aftertaste. 

Peaberry coffee is usually expensive because it must be hand-harvested. So I was thrilled to find this low-priced option at Volcanica. Jump on this deal before it’s gone!

How Do I Choose A Single Origin Coffee?

There’s a lot to consider when buying single-origin coffee, but I’ll keep it simple here. The best thing you can do is taste as many coffees from as many origins as possible. I’m just going to point you in the right direction to start.

Consider The Flavor Profiles You Enjoy

You can find different flavor profiles and roast levels from any region, but some origins are particularly renowned for specific characteristics. 

Here is a very broad global overview:

• Check out coffee from Latin America if you love clean and crowd-pleasing notes of nuts, milk chocolate, caramel, and ripe fruit.
• Coffee from East Africa is known for fruity, floral, and herbaceous flavors, often with a vibrant acidity.
• Coffee from humid regions like Indonesia tends to have a full body, low acidity, and a unique earthiness. Indonesian coffees often make excellent espresso roasts.

Processing Methods

The processing method plays a significant role in a single-origin coffee’s flavor and mouthfeel. There are four main methods.

• Wet or washed processing is used worldwide and results in a crisp cup with clean flavors.
• Dry or natural processing is common in regions with reliable sunshine or limited water, including Africa and Brazil. It produces a sweeter, jammier flavor and syrupy mouthfeel.
• Honey processing balances wet and dry, yielding sweet and clean cups. It is most prevalent in Costa Rica.
• Wet-hulling is a unique method found in regions with high humidity, like Sumatra and Sulawesi. The resulting coffee is earthy and rich with little acidity. Monsooned Malabar coffee from India is similar.
• Peru and Mexico are the top producers of organic coffee.

Look For Quality And Traceability

Buying a bag of single origin coffee means finding a brand you trust to buy the best green coffee beans (and roast them skillfully). High-quality brands report the details of their sourcing, including the exact region the beans were grown – better yet, notes on the specific co-op or farmer (2).

Developing a close relationship with farmers and exporters at origin allows a brand to access a farmer’s best crops. So, look for coffee companies that are transparent about these relationships. 

I like to know what a roaster pays for their coffee and any economic or environmental sustainability initiatives they’ve undertaken.

Which Origin Is Best For Coffee?

This is an impossible question to answer. For one thing, everyone has their own definition of best. For another, a skilled producer can make or break a coffee, regardless of location. 

I’ve seen various coffee experts make cases for Panama, home to the famous Panama Geisha; Ethiopia, the historic homeland of Arabica coffee; and Colombia, with its diversity of specialty coffee (3). None of them are wrong.

Generally, the most flavorful Arabica coffee is grown at high elevations, in well-drained mineral-rich soils, and in mild climates with defined wet and dry seasons. That relatively broad set of criteria means the potential for gourmet coffee beans is widespread.

The Verdict

What’s the best-tasting single origin coffee? That’s up to your taste buds. I hope you found at least a few enticing options on this list of my favorites!

My overall top pick for 2024 is the Coffee Bros Ethiopia Daye Bensa. This compelling coffee has all the nuance and complexity you expect from a specialty single origin but with an approachable sweet flavor profile that you don’t need to be a coffee snob to enjoy.