The 5 Best Green Coffee Beans For Home Roasting [2024 Review]

#1 Pick

Primos Coffee Co. Unroasted Green Coffee Beans

Runner-up

Fresh Roasted Coffee Unroasted Green Coffee

Best Budget

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Green Unroasted Coffee Beans

If you’re a true coffee lover, you know how the types of roasts impact the overall taste of your coffee. Not only do they offer a different flavor to your coffee, but they also determine its acidity level.

The green coffee beans you get from the roasters fall into three categories: light, medium, and dark. What you choose depends on the flavor and acidity you want your coffee to have. But you can’t underestimate the aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans, which is why I recommend you start roasting your coffee beans at home to find out yourself.

If you’ve recently bought a roaster but don’t know where to start, this article will be of great help. I have provided you with a list of recommendations for the best fresh green coffee beans you can get to start your home roasting journey. Let’s dive right in!

#1 Pick

Primos Coffee Co. Unroasted Green Coffee Beans
Primos Coffee Co. Unroasted Green Coffee Beans
Score 9 OUT OF 10
Runner-up

Fresh Roasted Coffee Unroasted Green Coffee
Fresh Roasted Coffee Unroasted Green Coffee
Score 9 OUT OF 10
Best Budget

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Green Unroasted Coffee Beans
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Green Unroasted Coffee Beans
Score 8.8 OUT OF 10
Coffee Bean Direct Green Unroasted Columbian Supremo
Coffee Bean Direct Green Unroasted Columbian Supremo
Score 8.8 OUT OF 10
Anthony's Organic Unroasted Whole Green Coffee Beans
Anthony’s Organic Unroasted Whole Green Coffee Beans
Score 8.8 OUT OF 10

1. Primos Coffee Co. Unroasted Green Coffee Beans

Score 9 OUT OF 10
Primos Coffee Co. Unroasted Green Coffee Beans

Primos Coffee Co’s unroasted beans are my top pick because they come from a homegrown farm in Nicaragua. The enhanced sweetness of these beans is because of the addition of chocolate and citrus acidity. It is advisable to roast the beans until a medium profile to balance flavor, taste, and acidity.

The harvested Arabica beans come from Caturra farms used as a standard in Central America to measure all the other beans in that region. The coffee harvesters first handpicked these beans, then thoroughly wash and dry them to ensure that there’s no compromise on the quality of the beans. The moisture level of these beans is between 11-13%.

Pros

  • Provides balanced taste and flavor
  • Well-defined first crack
  • Suitable for medium roast profile
Cons

  • Leaves chaff inside the bean

2. Fresh Roasted Coffee Unroasted Green Coffee

Score 9 OUT OF 10
Fresh Roasted Coffee Unroasted Green Coffee

If you prefer a dark roast, then these unroasted green beans can be a perfect fit. They’re suitable for a medium to dark roast, providing an excellent bold-flavored coffee. If you’re keen on trying out different origin beans, you might want to add these Columbian-sourced beans to your list.

What sets these beans apart is the slight taste of almond and caramel. French Roasted Coffee also believes in fair trade, which means that the people who harvest these coffee beans get fair pay. So you can rest sure that these coffee beans adhere to natural and ethical norms.

Pros

  • Suitable for medium to dark roasts
  • Perfecr for espressos
  • 100% organic and fresh
Cons

  • Slightly bitter for the range

3. Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Green Unroasted Coffee Beans

Score 8.8 OUT OF 10
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Green Unroasted Coffee Beans

If you’re a home roaster, you know that Ethiopian coffee beans are a prevalent choice for unroasted green beans. The family-owned farms in the Kochere district are the source of these Ethiopian unroasted beans. Morning Hills Coffee claims that its beans are 100% organic made from naturally organic practices.

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffees are famous for their rich and flavorful cup of coffee with herbaceous floral tones and a crisp aftertaste. The company is fully committed to emitting low levels of carbon. That is why their packaging is unique, with a compact size that contains less air.

Pros

  • Suitable for a medium roast profile
  • Bright citrus acidity with a complex taste
  • Smooth, silky texture and fruity floral notes
Cons

  • Produces a fair amount of chaff

4. Coffee Bean Direct Green Unroasted Columbian Supremo

Score 8.8 OUT OF 10
Coffee Bean Direct Green Unroasted Columbian Supremo

If the options mentioned above don’t fit your taste, then these Columbian sourced unroasted beans will prove you wrong. Not only do they give your coffee a sweet flavor, but they can also be enjoyed with any grind.

A unique feature of these unroasted beans is that they don’t have a specific roast profile. So, you can roast them according to your preferences. The packaging is such that it ensures that your coffee beans will not lose their freshness on the journey to your kitchen.

Pros

  • 100% Columbian sourced unroasted beans 
  • High-quality coffee with great flavor and aroma
Cons

  • Inconsistent bean size

5. Anthony’s Organic Unroasted Whole Green Coffee Beans

Score 8.8 OUT OF 10
Anthony's Organic Unroasted Whole Green Coffee Beans

These unroasted coffee beans are high grown in the southern ranges of Mexico in rich volcanic soil. This adds to the flavorful body and the nicely balanced acidity of these coffee beans.

Anthony’s unroasted green beans are suitable for any roast and grind profile. The pungent aroma that the beans give off is a treat in and of themselves. Their quality is verified and confirmed as gluten-free, indicating that the company does not skimp on the quality of beans. 

Pros

  • 100% organic
  • A rich and bold flavor
  • Gluten-free
Cons

  • Bad packaging
  • Not preferred for city roast

Things You Should Know Before You Buy Green Coffee Beans for Home Roasting

There are a few things to keep in mind when looking for the best green coffee beans to roast. These factors will help you make the best possible decision, as they all impact the quality and flavor profile of your coffee beans.  

Origin

The circumstances in which coffee beans are grown affect the flavor and scent of your coffee. Humidity levels, climate, and soil are all examples of these conditions. Coffee plants generally thrive in environments with frequent rainfall, good soil, and moderate temperatures. 

So, it’s best to try out unroasted coffee beans from different countries and regions. That way, you can compare the similarities and differences of each before you settle on a taste you like. 

Altitude

Even if coffee beans are from the same region, they can differ significantly if their altitude is different. As a general rule, the higher up you go, the lower the temperature gets. As the height grows, it takes longer for the coffee to ripen, resulting in more sugars and acidity. 

Meanwhile, coffee beans that grow in warmer areas cultivate quickly and have little to no acidity. It would be best to keep this in mind when comparing coffees from the same countries and regions.

Variety

Coffee beans come in many different species and types, but the two most common ones grown worldwide are Robusta and Arabica beans. Robusta beans are recognized for their chewy flavor and caffeine concentration, whereas Arabica beans tend to have a more pleasant taste. 

Different coffee bean varieties differ in bean size, coffee content, and the production of the coffee fruit. As a result, even if the altitude and origin are the same, your coffee may still taste different due to the various types of coffee beans.

Processing 

Initial processing is how the seeds of your coffee beans are removed from the fruit. Harvesters use different methods for this initial processing of coffee beans. These include natural/dry, washed/wet, and honey processing. 

In natural and dry processing, the fruit gives a sweeter flavor as the drying of the entire cherry occurs before you remove the fruit. On the other hand, coffee beans that have had the fruit removed before drying in the wet and washed process are less sweet. They are, however, cleaner than the natural method. Honey processed coffee is a mixture of the natural and wet processes. 

There are various ways of processing, each producing a coffee bean with a distinct flavor and odor.

How to Figure Out Which Coffee Bean Is Right for You

If you want to find the best unroasted green coffee beans for yourself, you will have to experiment a bit. We discussed several aspects that may influence your selection, but the best approach is to keep trying new types! You’ll have to try a lot of different coffee beans before you find the one that tastes the best to you. 

The best way to approach this is to keep a notepad with you while you taste the varieties of coffee. Write down what you like and dislike about each one. Right next to it, try to include details about the acidity, flavor, and aftertaste so that you can easily compare different beans. 

In addition to trying various green coffee beans, it’s a good idea to experiment with different roast levels. They can significantly change the flavor and aroma of your brewed coffee.

FAQs

Where can I buy the best unroasted green beans?

Unroasted beans are harder to find than roasted ones. An average home roaster purchases its beans from wholesale buyers. Although you can get them from a local shop, most don’t have enough options for you to choose from. But with the availability of a large variety of options online, many people have shifted to buying it from an authentic website, like Amazon.

How do I store green coffee beans?

As coffee beans are more susceptible to four factors, including oxygen, light, heat, and moisture, they should be stored properly to ensure they last for a longer time. The best way to keep green coffee beans is to put them in an airtight, opaque, non-toxic container. Place the container in the dark and cool area of your home. 

For how long can I store unroasted green coffee beans?

If you keep the unroasted beans in the proper conditions, your coffee beans should last for about a year. You can preserve them for a long time without the beans losing their aroma or flavor.

Conclusion

Although professional roasters have a greater understanding of roasting coffee beans, doing it yourself can be a lot of fun. Not to mention, it is a fantastic way to save money while enjoying fresh, delicious coffee at home. It may take some trial and error before you can get satisfactory results, so don’t give up and keep roasting!