Quality is right
Coffee beans in a product test: two Italians achieve a dream grade
Buy coffee whole beans? The product testers have no objection, the quality is right.
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Coffee as a whole bean or do you prefer ground coffee? Stiftung Warentest has tested espresso and crema beans – and raves about two Italians.
Fully automatic coffee machines and the good old grinder are on the rise. Many coffee lovers therefore rely on the whole bean and grind fresh before brewing. More than every third kilo of roasted coffee sold in Germany now goes over the counter ungrounded. Most of them in the variants caffè crema and espresso. But are the beans really as good as their reputation? “Stiftung Warentest” tested 21 products between 8 and 34 euros.
The crema beans are the all-rounders among the coffee beans and are suitable for both the preparation of a strong coffee with foam and for espresso. They are roasted lighter than espresso beans, offer more fruitiness and acidity, and are slightly milder. Usually only Arabica beans are used, sometimes there is also a portion of Robusta among them. And: they taste very similar. According to the product test, the crema beans only differ in nuances – “Body, bitterness, acidity and roasted aroma are almost always medium-strong”. According to the testers, this “mainstream taste” arises because the roasters are geared towards consumer expectations.
Coffee in the test: cheap beans score
The bottom line is that the test result is still impressive: the testers can recommend all 15 caffè crema beans tested, but none of the products is outstanding – especially not a branded product. The top places are occupied by the cheap homes, especially Netto. His “Cafèt Caffè Crema Barista” beans are already available for eight euros per kilo, making them one of the cheapest in the test. With the overall rating (2.0), the discounter beans outperform the competition – including the Italians. Ironically, they deliver the worst result in the crema division. The “Caffè Crema Classico” from the renowned Lavazzo brand costs almost twice as much as the test winner, 15 euros per kilo, but it has to be fobbed off with a “satisfactory” rating.
The result is completely different with the long and dark roasted espresso beans. There Lavazzo shows the competition how excellent roasting works. The testers give a dream grade of 1.0 during the tasting. A rating that Segafredo can also look forward to. According to the product test, both are “very good” in taste, in the overall assessment the espresso beans from Segafredo cut a touch worse from 1.9 to 1.8 (Lavazzo), but at nine euros per kilo they cost six less than the test winner. But that’s still nothing compared to the most expensive beans in comparison. Illy wants a crisp 34 euros per kilo for his “Classico” espresso beans and that for a rating of 2.3. That is “good”, but also the worst in comparison.
Conclusion of the coffee test
According to the product test, there is nothing wrong with the beans in terms of quality, but definitely in terms of taste and price. Although all beans pass the taste test with at least “good”, there are points of criticism. One is that most crema beans hardly differ in taste. If you are looking for a special taste, the testers recommend that you seek advice from local roasters. And as is so often the case, buyers shouldn’t be misled by the price. More expensive is not always better. Since the prices vary between 5 and 34 euros, it is worth taking a second look – especially with the crema beans.
You can read the entire product test for a fee test.de.