Best Coarse Ground Coffee (Top 11 Picks)

Searching for the best coarse ground coffee? Check out our top picks of coffee brands and a buying guide so you can make a perfect brew at home.

In a hurry? Our top choice is The Chosen Bean Premium Artisan Cold Brew Ground Coffee!

Buying a coarse coffee ground is a challenge.

Any coffee can be ground coarse. So how do you know which one will taste good?

I’ve spent many years trying all types of coffee as a barista and home brewer. So I’ve got a lot of thoughts about coarsely ground beans.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the best coarse-ground coffee beans on the market.

Then, I’ll give you a short buying guide with all the things I look for when buying coarse ground coffee.

Let’s jump right in!

Best Coarse Ground Coffee: Top 11 Picks

• The Chosen Bean Premium Artisan Cold Brew Ground Coffee (Best Overall)
• Lifeboost Biotics Cold Brew (Best for Sensitive Stomachs)
• Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Coffee (Best Dark Roast)
• Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee (Best for Only Brewing Cold)
• Stone Cold Jo Cold Brew Organic Coffee (Most Versatile Coffee)
• Cold Brew Lab Organic Dark Roast Colombian Supremo Coffee (Best Colombian Cold Brew)
• Primos Coffee Co French Press Specialty Coffee (Best Single-Estate Coffee)
• Inspired Coffee Co French Vanilla Flavored Cold Brew Coffee (Best Flavored Cold Brew)
• The Coffee Fool ‘Fool’s House Italian’ Decaf Coarse Grind Coffee (Best Decaf Coffee)
• Gevalia Special Reserve Guatemala Coarse Ground Coffee (Best Reserve Coffee)
• Java Planet Organic Cold Brew Coffee (Best Budget Buy)

The Chosen Bean Premium Artisan Cold Brew Ground Coffee

When I pick out flavor profiles for my cold brews, I tend to gravitate toward balanced coffees.

This Chosen Bean coffee is one of my favorite cold brews.

It’s a blend of Guatemalan, Sumatran, Ethiopian, and Mexican coffees. That means that it has a lot going on, but that it’s pretty balanced overall.

It features notes of nuts, chocolate, and orange, which is great for brewing summer cold brews. It has a lighter body while retaining a smooth and balanced finish.

Plus, it’s roasted in small batches. That allows Chosen Bean to ensure quality from bag to bag.

Speaking of roast, this is a medium roast. I prefer medium roasts in my cold brews because they offer a great middle ground between bold flavors and light bodies.

The only thing is that it’s a blend of so many coffees that sometimes the flavors get muddled if brewed for too long.

Pros

• It’s roasted in small batches, which means you’re more likely to get a freshly roasted bag each time you buy
• It’s a medium roast, so you get a nice balance of acidity and intensity, which is perfect for brewing cold
• It’s a blend of Guatemala, Sumatra, Ethiopia, and Mexico coffees, which makes for a unique and explosive flavor 
• Notes of nuts and chocolate are complemented by lighter notes of orange, which makes a rounded and interesting flavor profile

Cons

• Because it’s a blend of so many coffees, the flavors can sometimes get muddled if brewed for too long

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Lifeboost Biotics Cold Brew 

Lifeboost is a relatively new roaster making waves in the coffee world recently.

The Biotics Cold Brew is part of their cold brew lineup, and it’s a medium roast. The medium roast keeps everything balanced, smooth, and drinkable, especially when brewed cold.

But don’t be afraid to try this in a French Press! I just wouldn’t recommend a brew that needs a finer grind.

It’s a blend of 100% Arabica beans, which means it will taste better than a blend of Arabica and Robusta beans.

Plus, Lifeboost adds a blend of probiotics to this coffee. That ensures that even people who can’t normally drink coffee because of their stomachs can enjoy this cold brew.

Buying pre-ground is a great way to take some of the work out of brewing cold brew batches. Lifeboost actually grinds to order every time you purchase a bag. That means you’ll always get fresh ground.

The only downside is that this coffee is pretty plain. It doesn’t have any unique flavors or characteristics to it.

Pros

• The medium roast keeps this coffee balanced, smooth and drinkable as a cold brew
• It’s a 100% Arabica blend, which means the beans are of higher quality than an Arabica/Robusta blend
• Lifeboost adds a blend of probiotics to this coffee, which helps people with sensitive stomachs drink cold brew
• The pre-ground bags make it easy to make cold brew in batches

Cons

• It’s a simple blend that doesn’t have many interesting or unique flavors or characteristics

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Stone Street Coffee Cold Brew Coffee

When I think of cold brew coffees, I usually think of darker roasts. They have the boldest and deepest flavors.

This Stone Street Cold Brew is a great example. The dark roast keeps the body and flavor of the coffee bean with a cold coffee brew. That helps make this a versatile cold brew that tastes great black or with cream and sugar

The notes of nuts and dark chocolate also make this a great coffee for adding flavors like vanilla or hazelnut.

The beans themselves are 100% Arabica from Colombia. Colombian beans are known for being rounded, balanced, and with a hint of sweetness.

Being a single-origin coffee, this coffee retains a lot of the unique flavors of Colombian beans. Plus, you can actually brew a pretty tasty hot French Press or percolator. You don’t need to stick to just cold brew.

Just note that you lose some characteristics when single-origin coffees are roasted dark.

Pros

• The dark roast keeps a lot of body and deep flavors when used as a cold brew, which is great for adding cream and sugar
• The beans are 100% Arabica from Colombia, which keeps the flavor profile rounded and balanced
• Notes of nuts and dark chocolate make this a great cold brew for adding syrups or other flavors
• This also works as a hot coffee if brewed in a French Press or percolator

Cons

• The dark roast does take away some unique flavors you would otherwise find in a single-origin Colombian coffee

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Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee

Normally, I don’t quite like blended coffees as much as single-origin. However, when it comes to coffee for cold brew, I sometimes prefer blended coffees.

Bizzy Organic Cold Brew is one such coffee.

It’s a blend of Guatemalan, Peruvian and Nicaraguan coffees. That blend makes the coffee smooth, sweet, and rounded. Especially when used for cold brew.

It’s a USDA Organic-certified coffee. That means that throughout the growing, roasting, and packaging processes, it was held to a high standard.

The coarse grind is consistent and easy to work with. That’s essential when whipping up a quick batch of cold brew.

And the medium roast brings out notes of caramel and hazelnut. I really like those flavors in cold brew coffees when I want to add a splash of cream.

The only downside is that these beans are batch-roasted. That means you might not get the freshest roast when you buy a bag.

Pros

• The blend of Guatemalan, Peruvian and Nicaraguan coffees makes this a smooth, sweet, and rounded cold-brew coffee
• It’s certified USDA Organic, which means it was held to a high standard throughout the growing and roasting processes
• The coarse grind is consistent and easy to work with, which makes brewing easier for you
• The medium roast brings out notes of caramel and hazelnut, which is great for drinking black or adding a splash of cream

Cons

• The beans aren’t roasted to order, which means you might not get the freshest roast when you buy a bag

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Stone Cold Jo Cold Brew Organic Coffee

Jo Coffee is a respected roaster that has been around for a while now.

Stone Cold Jo is the signature cold brew blend. However, don’t let the name fool you. It tastes amazing when brewed hot in a French Press, too. The versatility is why it makes my list.

The notes of toffee, caramel, and chocolate make it a flavorful and rounded cold brew, but also keep it mellow when brewed hot.

It’s a 100% Arabica blend of coffee. Arabica beans are simply better than Robusta, which means you’ll get consistently tasty brews.

Plus, this is USDA Organic, and Fair Trade certified. That means you can be confident that this coffee was handled properly throughout the supply chain.

The only downside is that Jo Coffee roasts in big batches. That means you might not get the freshest roast when you buy a bag.

Pros

• It tastes great as a cold brew or as a hot French Press brew, so you can choose whatever you prefer
• It’s certified USDA Organic and Fair Trade, which means it was held to high standards throughout the supply chain
• Notes of toffee, caramel, and chocolate make this a smooth and deep cold brew
• It’s 100% Arabica coffee, which is better and tastier than a blend of Arabica and Robusta

Cons

• It’s batch-roasted, which means you might not get the freshest possible roast when you buy a bag

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Cold Brew Lab Organic Dark Roast Colombian Supremo Coffee

Cold brew coffees aren’t always that different from coffees produced for hot brews. But sometimes, beans are sourced specifically for cold brewing. Like this Cold Brew Lad Colombian Supremo.

Colombian Supremo beans are really high-quality and a favorite in the cold brew world. They keep their rounded and bold flavors really well when brewed slow and cold.

The dark roast also helps to keep the rounded boldness of this cold brew. Sometimes lighter roast cold brews can get too acidic or too sour.

Cold Brew Lad is USDA Organic certified to make sure you know that you’re getting quality coffee with every purchase.

Plus, these bags are roasted to order. That means you can be sure you’re getting as fresh a roast as possible every time you buy.

The only downside is that you do sacrifice some of the unique characteristics of Colombian beans when you roast on the darker side.

Pros

• The Colombian Supremo beans are really high-quality and some of the best in the world, great for cold-brew
• The dark roast keeps the brew full-bodied and rounded, not acidic like a lighter roast
• It’s USDA Organic certified, which means the coffee was held to healthy standards throughout the production process
• These bags are roasted to order, so you will always get a fresh roast when you buy a bag

Cons

• The only downside is that dark roasts take away from the unique characteristics of single-origin coffees

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Primos Coffee Co French Press Specialty Coffee

It’s rare that a smaller roaster creates a specifically French Press or cold brew coffee.

But Primos has done just that with this single-estate Nicaraguan coffee. Single-estate means that all the beans come from the same farm in Nicaragua, and this isn’t a blended coffee.

On top of that, it’s a medium roast. That keeps the coffee mild and gives it notes of citrus while maintaining a smooth and low-acidity brew.

But it’s also great when brewed hot. Primos designed this blend and grind for use in a French Press. But they also had both hot and cold brews in mind when they created this coffee.

They are a smaller roaster, however. And smaller roasters are notorious for not having great consistency from bag to bag. 

That said, all single-estate coffees will have that problem, so it’s still worth a try!

Pros

• The medium roast allows more of the natural flavors of the coffee to make it to your cup
• It’s a milder coffee with low acidity, notes of citrus, and consistent smoothness, which makes it a really drinkable cold brew
• It’s a single-estate coffee, which means all the beans come from the same Nicaraguan farm
• Primos created this blend specifically for the French Press, either hot or cold brew it still tastes amazing

Cons

• Primos is a smaller roaster, so sometimes they lack consistency from bag to bag

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Inspired Coffee Co French Vanilla Flavored Cold Brew Coffee

Sometimes drinking plain coffee gets old. Especially when you’re drinking a lot of cold brews.

Personally, I like to add cream to my cold brews. But sometimes, I want a flavored coffee without adding anything else.

Enter Inspired Coffee Co’s French Vanilla cold brew.

It’s roasted in small batches, so you will always get a freshly roasted bag no matter how many times you order.

Plus, the French Vanilla flavor makes it easy to get a sweetened cold brew without adding any extra sugar.

It’s a dark roast, which keeps the coffee flavor rounded and balanced. The dark roast helps the coffee not overpower the French Vanilla.

And Inspired uses Colombian Supremo beans. Colombian Supremo beans are the preferred coffee beans for a cold brew for their bold flavor.

The only thing is that Inspired Coffee Co isn’t especially known for its consistency. So you’ll get a lot of variance from batch to batch.

Pros

• It’s roasted in small batches, which means you will always get a freshly roasted bag each time you buy
• The French Vanilla flavor makes it easy to get a sweet brew without adding a lot of sugar
• The dark roast keeps the coffee rounded and balanced, which doesn’t overpower the French Vanilla flavor
• It’s Colombian Supremo coffee, which is the preferred bean for roasting for cold brew

Cons

• Inspired Coffee Co isn’t known for the highest quality, so you might not get the most consistent flavors or roasts from batch to batch

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The Coffee Fool ‘Fool’s House Italian’ Decaf Coarse Grind Coffee

Let’s talk decaf coffees: they are usually not good cold brews. It’s just a fact.

Until The Coffee Fool’s decaf.

It’s an Italian roast, which means it’s pretty dark. But for a decaf coffee, that works really well when brewing cold. You keep a lot of the rounded and deep flavors.

The fact that this is an Arabica and Robusta bean blend helps those bold flavors come through in the cup, too.

And the boldness of this coffee actually means it pairs really well with cream and sugar. That helps you keep the chemical flavor of decaf coffee at bay. 

Finally, this is a USDA Organic-certified coffee.

The only downside is that it is a chemically decaffeinated coffee. That means you lose a lot of the rounded coffee profile of a non-decaf or water-decaf.

Pros

• The dark roast keeps the flavors of the coffee in the brew rather than the classic chemical decaf taste
• It’s a blend of Arabica and Robusta beans, which means you’ll find a bolder and more intense coffee flavor in your cold brew
• The boldness of this coffee means it works really well when adding cream and sugar to your drink
• It’s USDA Organic certified, which means that it was held to a good standard throughout the roasting and packaging processes

Cons

• It’s decaffeinated with chemicals, which does take out a lot of the coffee flavors and leaves you with a flatter profile

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Gevalia Special Reserve Guatemala Coarse Ground Coffee

My first love of coffee was Guatemalan coffee. And I’ve remained partial to Guatemalan coffees ever since.

This Guatemalan is a great one for a coarse grind. The medium roast helps keep a balance between the classic chocolatey notes and a smooth and rounded brewing drink.

You still get the classic Guatemalan profile of dark chocolate and caramel, just in a more drinkable and balanced brew.

All the beans are 100% Arabica, which ensures that you’ll get some of the highest-quality Guatemalan beans available.

Plus, the coarse grind is perfect for French Press coffee. It doesn’t matter if that’s brewing hot or cold. You’ll get great results either way.

The only downside is that this is a batch-roasted coffee. That means you might not get the freshest possible roast from bag to bag.

Pros

• It’s a single-origin Guatemalan, which means you get a more specific and focused flavor profile
• The medium roast is a great balance between classic Guatemalan flavors and a smooth drinking and brewing experience
• All the beans are 100% Arabica, which means you’re getting some of the highest-quality Guatemalan beans available
• The coarse ground is perfect for brewing hot in a French Press or brewing cold

Cons

• It’s batch roasted, so you might not get the freshest possible roast every time you buy

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Java Planet Organic Cold Brew Coffee

Java Planet has been around since 2009. And their lasting power in the coffee world is due to consistency.

Java Planet produces great coffees at scale. And this cold brew is no exception.

It’s a dark roast cold brew coffee. That means you get a rounded, bold, and flavorful experience throughout the cold brewing process.

But it’s roasted in small batches. That means that Java Planet checks each small batch for quality before sending it to you. It also means that you’re much more likely to get a freshly roasted bag each time you buy.

The beans they use are all high-altitude. That means that the beans are hearty and flavorful. You’re getting really high-quality beans for your cold brew.

Plus, it’s a USDA Organic-certified coffee.

The only downside is that it’s a blend of a bunch of different coffees. This means you lose some of the characteristics you would otherwise find in a single origin.

Pros

• The dark roast helps keep this coffee bold and flavorful throughout the cold brewing process
• It’s roasted in small batches to ensure that you get a fresh roast every time and that each roast can be checked for quality
• The blend of high-altitude beans means you get a flavorful and robust profile without sacrificing a smooth experience
• It’s USDA Organic certified, which means it was ethically sourced, roasted, and packaged

Cons

• It’s a blend of a lot of coffees, so you lose some specific flavor characteristics you would otherwise have in a single-origin

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Best Coarse Ground Coffee: What I Look For

Let’s go over how you can go about making a decision when looking for a good coarse-ground coffee.

The main things to look for are: 

• The roast level
• The type of bean
• The freshness

In this section, I’ll go over what I look for and how I decide on coffees to try.

What roast level is best?

In all honesty, this comes down to personal taste.

If you generally like darker roasts, then it’s pretty safe to assume that you’ll still like a darker roast coffee when it’s coarse ground.

And if you tend to prefer medium roasts, then I’d recommend staying with medium roasts.

The truth is that the grind size doesn’t matter too much when talking about roast levels. You can have a light roast or a super dark roast coarse ground.

What matters more is your preferred brewing method. If you swear by brewing in a French Press, then you might want to try a darker roast if you usually prefer medium.

But if you swear by pour-overs, you probably usually use a light roast. A light roast gives you these subtle flavor notes, which stand out even more with a pour-over. But, going darker, especially with the coarse ground, will give you a rich and bold flavor.

BOTTOM LINE
It doesn’t matter much what roast level you get when buying coarse ground coffee. It’s up to your personal taste.

What type of bean is best?

This might not be a satisfying answer: but it’s up to you.

The truth is that it’s hard for me to give you any hard and fast rules about types of beans.

If we’re talking about cold brew specifically, the industry standard is Central to South American coffees.

Those regions have a great balance between acidity and rounded smoothness. Those characteristics are perfect for cold brews that need a balanced flavor.

One thing you should look for?

Arabica beans.

Arabica beans are generally of higher quality and tastier than Robusta beans. So, unless you want an extra caffeine jolt, go for a 100% Arabica blend.

BOTTOM LINE
Country of origin is down to personal taste, and I wouldn’t feel good making that decision for you. For cold brew, Central or South American coffees are the industry standard because of their roundness. Look for Arabica beans.

How fresh should the coffee be?

As always: the fresher, the better.

Once beans are roasted, they have a time limit on their tastiness.

Heat, oxygen, and light are the things that will start to erode your coffee’s fresh taste. So, the way to beat that deterioration in flavor is to get as fresh a roast as possible.

You can also store your coffee in an airtight and opaque container to keep the beans fresher for longer.

But the reality is that you don’t need to be too uptight about roasted dates. As long as the roast date is within the last couple of weeks, you will still get the freshest possible taste.

Of course, if you are grinding coffee beans on your own, you will have maximum fresh coffee. But, if you don’t own a coffee grinder, or you don’t have time for grinding, you will find that pre-ground coffee can still be pretty satisfying.

BOTTOM LINE
Fresher is always better. But don’t get hung up on the roasted date, and look for dates within the last couple of weeks. Try to always buy bags of beans roasted to order instead of in big batches.

Why is coffee grind size important?

The grind size is one of the biggest factors in determining extraction speed and how your coffee tastes in your cup.

Basically, the finer the grind size, the faster your coffee will extract when you brew. But extract too quickly, and you’ll be left with a light and watery coffee.

Extract too much, and you’ll get a bitter and tarry coffee.

What you’re looking for is a middle ground between speed and extraction. That’s where the grind size is especially important.

The coarser grind allows you to brew slower without extracting too much. That’s why when you do cold brew, you want a coarse grind.

What is coarse-ground coffee ideal for?

So, now that we know coarse-ground coffee is ideal for slower brewing, what brewers work best with coarser grinds?

French press

The French Press is the classic coarse-grind brewer.

That’s because it’s one of the slowest brewers out there. But don’t let that fool you, French Presses can make some fantastic coffees.

But you do need a rather coarse grind to get the best results.

French Presses use metal filters. Metal filters simply aren’t as fine as paper ones, and you need a coarser grind to make sure you don’t get grounds in your cup.

Percolator

When brewing with a percolator, you need to use a coarse grind.

That’s because you use a much higher water temperature with a percolator than with other brewing methods.

And a higher water temperature means a higher extraction. To keep that under control, you use a coarser grind.

Cold Brew

Cold brew is maybe the most famous example of a coarse grind brew. 

That’s because it’s a really slow extraction. And if you do anything other than a really coarse grind, you will over-extract your coffee, and it will taste bitter and tarry.

Final Verdict

I’m sticking with The Chosen Bean Premium Artisan Cold Brew Ground Coffee as my top choice.

It’s a medium roast that balances smooth and rounded flavors with bright notes of chocolate and orange.

It’s roasted in small batches to ensure freshness.

And it’s a great coffee for brewing cold or hot, despite what the name implies!