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The Best Organic Coffee Brands: Reviews and Detailed Buying Guide
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Organic coffee beans are hot in trend right now, as it promises health benefits and better quality of coffee to coffee fanatics!
If you’re too thinking about ditching the regular coffee beans to steer clear of all the toxins, why not switch to organic? It is better, healthier, and much more environment-friendly than the rest.
For those who are worried about the original sourcing, taste, and quality, organic coffee has to be your ultimate candidate!
Based on our findings, the best organic coffee is Kicking Horse Three Sisters
Last update on 2023-09-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
If you want to check more options, to help you decide which coffee suits you best, in this article we have reviewed the best organic coffee brands existing in the market. And, we are also going to look at a detailed buying guide.
Interesting? Keep on reading:
Best Organic Coffee Brands Compared
Last update on 2023-09-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Top Organic Coffee Reviews
Kicking Horse Three Sisters
The hilarious “Three Sisters” blend takes its name from a trio of magnificent Canadian Rocky Mountains. Roasted right in Canada, the Kicking Horse pays homage to these towering peaks by inculcating light, medium, and dark roasts in their blend. But the beans are originally sourced from Indonesia, Central America, and South America. 
The flavor of Three Sisters whole bean is deep, delicious, and seductive. The coffee produced is quite complex with hints of stone fruit, tobacco, and cocoa. While the aroma produced is of toasted coconut, sweet dried fruit, and chocolate malt. This blend is ideal for pour-over, French press, drip, and cold brew methods.
As for certifications, then Kicking Horse Three Sisters is 100% organic, shade-grown, kosher, and fair trade coffee. The beans are Arabica to give you a smooth, well-rounded, and savory tasting drink.
Why We Like It:
- Aromatic medium roast with a smooth finish
- Produces no bitter aftertaste
- A perfect blend of light and dark roast
- Organic, kosher, fair trade certified
- Roasted right in Canadian Rocky Mountains
Kicking Horse is ideal for people looking for an affordable option- who seek a smooth, non-acidic finish. It can make great cappuccinos, macchiato, and espresso, but is too smooth for lattes.
Cafe Don Pablo Subtle Earth
Originated from Honduras, the Subtle Earth Organic coffee by Cafe Don Pablo is medium roasted, in order to retain its aroma and flavor.
The smooth milk chocolate finish has subtle hints of cocoa, caramel, and honey to enrich the flavor profile. And, that is exactly what makes it stand out from the rest. 
Its smooth texture comes from Arabica used, which also means it is sweet, low in acidity but lacks a bit of a kick.
Offered at an unbeatable price, the Cafe Don Pablo is definitely a treat for aficionados. Moreover, it is free from synthetic pesticides, GMO, and certified by CCOF. The most important thing here is that the beans are slow-roasted in small batches to make sure the optimal aroma and flavor are intact.
Do not expose this coffee to air for too long, as oxidation might make it taste bland and bitter.
Why We Like It:
- 100% Arabica beans used are low in acid and sweet
- Produces smooth textured coffee
- Certified by CCOF
- Free from pesticides and GMO
- Affordable and great value for money
- Hints of chocolate, honey, and caramel make it flavorful
The Marcala region in Honduras is popularly recognized to produce premium beans. Anyone who likes to have a sweet, smooth-textured coffee with jazz of chocolate and honey, can try this Subtle Earth. It is an ideal option for people who don’t want to spend too much on organic coffee as well.
Coffee Bean Direct Organic Whole Bean
Our review is incomplete without mentioning Coffee Bean Direct.
This whole bean organic coffee is roasted and packed in New Jersey, but are sourced from Ethiopia- the motherland of the very popular Arabica. So, this dark roast is sure to taste heavenly. 
What really makes this coffee outshine others is the fact that it comes in around 14 different flavors, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe being the most popular! These flavor options really spoil you for choice.
Other 13 flavor profiles include City Roast Colombian Supremo, Dark Guatemalan, Dark Sumatra Gayoland, City Roast Papua New Guinea, Dark House Blend, Dark Costa Rican Tarrazu, Dark Brazilian Santos, Super Dark Espresso, and more.
The brand only deals with fair-trade and organic beans.
The Coffee Bean Direct is perfect for coffee lovers who like a dark roast that gives out a smooth, non-bitter taste with less caffeine punch.
Why We Like It:
- Ideal for people who do not like the strong flavor
- 100% Arabica beans straight from Ethiopia
- Sufficient size for the price
- Dark roast delivers a smooth, non-bitter taste
- Comes in 14 different flavors
Coffee Bean Direct passes as the top organic coffee in the market, if you are seeking 100% Arabica directly from Ethiopia. It produces a smooth, full-bodied taste with a subtle flavor profile after-taste of fruit in it.
Military Grade Ground Coffee
Here’s one for serious fanatics who love the deceptively silky, smooth taste of coffee with gentle notes of caramel and chocolate.
The Military Grade Dark Roast coffee is made in the USA. The company’s Q Graders have meticulously selected beans that are further precisely roasted to make the best-tasting cup of joe. 
To keep the blend fresh and strong till the end, it comes in a one-way valve, vacuum-sealed bag. As for certifications, it is USDA organic and non-GMO certified. And the bonus point is that it is backed with a 100% money-back guarantee.
Military Grade Coffee Company is also socially responsible, as they donate 10% of NET to a charity foundation that helps military families and veterans.
The premium blend is perfect for people who like a bold, strong coffee flavor with delicate chocolate and caramel notes.
Why We Like It:
- Smooth and strong flavor
- Comes in a re-sealable bag
- No bitterness
- A portion of proceeds are donated to military veterans
The Military-grade coffee is just as it sounds- bold, strong, and rich in flavors. It is perfect for people who like their coffee to be strong yet filled with flavors of caramel and chocolate. If you want a high caffeine punch, you must look elsewhere!
Java Planet Organic Coffee Beans
If you like to experiment with your taste buds, here’s a Colombian coffee that is filled with different flavor profiles! Java Planet inherits 100% Arabica beans sourced straight from Colombia. 
These beans are USDA organic certified, non-GMO, chemical, and pesticide-free.
The coffee produced is like a unique blend of dark cocoa with sweet floral notes of South America.
Medium-dark roast provides a full-bodied, intense, and well-balanced taste with mild acidity. To retain its ultimate taste, the beans are roasted in small batches. A very thoughtful thing about Java Planet is that they offer their product in 1 lb., 2 lbs. and sample packs as well. This is so customers can experiment and know which flavors and roasts they like.
Why We Like It:
- Medium-dark roast gives balanced, full-bodied flavor
- 100% USDA certified beans
- Non-GMO, pesticide and chemical-free
- No bitter taste
- Roasted in small batches
Java Planet is great for people who want a perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness in their coffee with a full-bodied taste.
Things you need to know before selecting organic coffee
These reviews are aimed to help you pick your ideal blend. But there’s so much more you need to know about organic coffee before making your purchase. Some of them are also among the best coffee beans on the market overall.
Let’s dive right into some factors you need to know about organic coffee:
What is Organic Coffee?
The term “organic coffee” is high in trend, everybody is talking about it!
But what does it mean exactly? Is the notion merely limited to a tag that says “organic” on the pack? Or there’s more to it?
To summarize, biological coffee is crafted from beans that are precisely grown in a safe environment with uncontaminated soil, without the use of any chemicals or synthetic pesticides. The standards for the coffee to pass as “organic” varies from country to country, but it all comes down to the policy that most of the product must be originated from organic sources.
Why Pick Organic Coffee?
Stating the obvious, organic coffee will always overpower conventional coffee in terms of the health factors.
Opting for biological beans will save you from the risk of various diseases and pesticide and herbicide poisoning. That does not mean every conventional coffee comprise of these toxic elements, they may or may not. But, organic coffee is certainly good for our environment and our health altogether.
Not to forget, it is a rich source of minerals, vitamins, and nutrients than instant coffee. And since it is nourished in a healthy environment, it is more well-balanced and better in taste.
Organic Coffee Standards
For any coffee to be labeled as “organic”, it has to abide by certain rules and regulations. Here are the two most popular standards:
- USDA standards: USDA is short for U.S. Department of Agriculture. Their seal of approval signifies that the coffee is cultivated, roasted and packed under organic conditions and abides by their set plans and standards. A government-approved officer will inspect the farm where the coffee is being cultivated. This inspection is done annually and sometimes randomly to make sure all the USDA standards are being followed.
- European Organic Regulations: EU seal of approval indicates that coffee’s roasting and packing procedures are carried out in Europe and the coffee is aimed at European consumers. But, the coffee can be sourced from a different region.
There are also other recognized certifications such as GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standards), CAAQ, NPOP, etc. depending upon the country.
Organic Farming
Organic Coffee Growing is all about utilizing only organic substances to cultivate beans. The coffee with an “Organic Grown” seal means that the producer has strictly NOT used any kind of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers for the last 3 to 5 years on his soil to grow coffee beans.
There are some standards that do not require absolutely uncontaminated soil, but only demand coffee crops to be handled a certain way. Regardless of the country, coffee-growing must only utilize organic fertilizers such as remaining coffee pulp, animal dung, compost, etc.
Types of Organic Processing
As the name suggests, organic processing is when you inculcate healthy methods to cultivate, roast, and pack the coffee. And, all these procedures do not make use of any synthetic (non-organic) components or pesticides.
Widely, there are two main types of organic coffee processing:
- Dry Milling: In the process of dry milling, the beans are left to dry naturally on a huge rake under the sun for around 4-5 weeks. Direct exposure to the sun will allow the skin of the beans to peel off and bring out its natural aromas and flavors. For even heating, the beans are turned periodically by hand tools.
- Wet Milling: Wet Milling, as the name suggests, is when the coffee beans are immersed in water on a huge rake to loosen the seeds from cherries. Further, these beans go through mechanical processing for washing and full extraction of pulp. As compared to dry milling, wet milling is much more thorough, expensive, and produces the best-tasting coffee with a fruity flavor.
Organic Roasting
Organic coffee is generally roasted in small batches at an optimal temperature, in order to preserve its ultimate aroma and taste. Roasting in small batches will allow the roasting unit to have better control over the type and quality of the roast. Such a process also promotes a better lifespan of beans, as they do not become stale easily.
Roasting is carried out very precisely to make sure organic beans do NOT get mixed with non-organic ones. To ensure this, extra care is taken with the use of utensils, pots, roasting drums, and packaging equipment. Also, there shouldn’t be any addition of chemicals, artificial flavor enhancers, etc. during roasting.
Who is Organic Coffee ideal for?
It is ideal for anyone and everyone who wants to switch to healthier lifestyle habits, while also contributing towards the well-being of our planet.
Since it is rich in minerals, vitamins, and nutrients, it is an excellent option for people who are strict with their diet and want to avoid consuming fungicides, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers at all costs.
FAQs about Organic Coffee
What is Arabica Coffee?
Exclusively speaking, there are 2 main types of coffee species: Arabica and Robusta. While Arabica beans contain less caffeine content, they are sweet and have a good amount of lipids as compared to Robusta. The Arabica crop is chemically complex; so many companies find it innovative to use them for their best coffee beans.
On the other hand, Robusta is generally grown at higher altitudes and used to make instant coffee. It has a higher caffeine punch than Arabica and is quite tough in taste.
What does “Organic” mean? And what is Fair Trade?
Organic simply means good quality products, that are free from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
The Fair Trade notion was introduced to make sure farmers are guaranteed a minimum price for their coffee, so as to uplift poverty. If you purchase through a fair trade body or company, the farmers will get paid accordingly. To run this smoothly, there are many fair trades governing bodies that monitor, promote fair trade, and provide this certification to the products.
Farmers who produce exceptional, premium quality coffee certainly deserve to be paid higher for their products and NOT through the means of the Fair Trade module. It is better for such producers to directly deal with the importers/roasters- which is known as “Direct Trade”.
In short, the Fair Trade module is designed to support families of farmers. And ‘Direct Trade’ module focuses on the quality of coffee cultivated.
Why is organic coffee more expensive than regular coffee?
This might not be true at all times. Sometimes organic coffee may cost lesser than a regular one.
As for those coffees that are expensive, it might be due to the lack of subsidies provided to natural farmers. Also, organic farming is way more intense in terms of management and labor than conventional farming- which might result in its higher price.
How long does organic coffee stay fresh?
Organic beans can remain fresh for one month if sealed properly. But ground coffee tends to lose its quality very easily, so it is better to consume it as soon as possible. Before making a purchase, make sure you check its roast date and whether the bag provided is properly sealed or not.
Once opened, store the coffee in an airtight container to retain its flavor and aroma.
Does organic coffee taste better?
Coffee drinkers often wonder- organic coffee vs. conventional coffee -which is best?
Myriads of gourmet chefs across the globe believe that organic coffee is superior in quality and taste as compared to regular coffee.
Since it is grown in well-balanced, uncontaminated soil, the plants are healthier and therefore provide a better taste than conventional coffee. But it all comes down to your personal taste preference!
Conclusion
The time has come for organic coffee to become a mainstream market and be popular amongst gourmet coffee lovers for its aroma and flavor.
Choosing your coffee can be daunting as there are so many options flooding the market. Hope this guide helps you understand how to choose your ideal one and which are some of the best picks in the market. With experimentation, you will get to know which flavor really suits your taste buds.
