Is there anything better than coffee? If you are a true lover of this beverage, your answer will probably be no. Knowing that a good cup of coffee awaits you every morning is in fact an enormously comforting thought, allowing you to face the working day with more energy.
Much of its effect, however, depends on the type of blend, as well as the origin of the beans that make it up. Did you know that some blends have become world famous precisely because of their particularly high quality? Tasting one of these coffees is therefore an experience that is more unique than rare, capable of making you discover flavours you never even suspected existed.
We coffee connoisseurs have therefore created for you a compendium of the world’s finest coffees. All you have to do is follow us on this fascinating ‘virtual tour’, at the end of which we will discover which is the best coffee in the world!
The world’s best coffees: our top 11
Deciding which is the very best coffee in the world is by no means easy, not even for us coffee experts. That is why we have preferred to leave this ‘task’ to you, by offering you a real ‘top 11’ of the most expensive and valuable blends on the planet.
To let you taste them all is obviously not possible, although we would like to do so very much. Consequently, we will endeavour to describe them to you in as much detail as possible and let your imagination and love of coffee do the rest. Are you ready to find out which are the 11 best coffees in the world? Then get started with the list!
- Arabica blend from Colombia;
- Brazilian coffee;
- Kopi Luwak, or civet coffee;
- Black Ivory;
- chocolate Mocha coffee;
- Mexican coffee;
- Jamaica Blue Montain;
- Facenda Santa Inez;
- Hacienda La Esmeralda;
- sour coffee from Ethiopia;
- Italian espresso.
For the sake of fairness, we would like to point out now that the coffees on this list are not in order of quality. If this were the case, in fact, we would practically have already decreed which is the best coffee in the world.
However, this is not the case at all: the order of these seven coffees is completely random, as they are all seven equally good and valuable blends, among which, as you will no doubt have noticed, our indispensable espresso also deservedly features. Could that be the world’s finest coffee? You be the judge!
Colombia’s finest coffee: the Arabica blend
Universally known as the world’s third largest producer of coffee, after Brazil and Vietnam, Colombia has become famous for the special quality of its coffee, a blend that is now widespread throughout the world and which you will no doubt have tasted: the Arabica quality.
More precisely, we are referring to the 100% Arabica blend, the result of careful cultivation in a particularly favourable climate, which has decreed its worldwide success. In fact, enjoying a Colombian coffee means savouring a blend that is pleasantly sweet, light and not at all bitter, capable of satisfying even the most delicate palates.
Brazilian coffee: the best in South America
As the world’s first coffee producer, Brazil had the merit of inventing the so-called ‘cafezinho’: a blend that, in some ways, is the opposite of the Colombian one, although they share an Arabica origin.
This blend, together with the robusta quality, arrived in Brazil back in the 18th century, where it began to flourish thanks to the favourable climate of the area. This resulted in the Brazilian ‘cafezinho’: a drink with a pleasantly strong and intense aroma, worthy of the best coffee connoisseurs.
Kopi Luwak and Black Ivory: two iconic coffees with ‘awkward’ origins
The reason why we have decided to present these two coffees together is due to their common origin. Both are in fact the fruit of the digestion of two animals: that of the civet and that of the elephant.
If, in fact, these coffees both turn out to be so good and valuable, the merit lies solely with the two mammals or, rather, with their intestines. The first, the civet, likes to feed on the red fruits of the coffee tree which, once naturally expelled, are cleaned, roasted, packed and… put in your coffee!
Black Ivory, on the other hand, is nothing more than an Arabica coffee whose beans are eaten by elephants in northern Thailand, which digest and expel them. In both cases, the resulting coffee acquires a flavour that is, to say the least, unique: strong, decisive and sweetened by exquisite aromatic notes. A coffee to be enjoyed, in short, as long as you don’t think about its embarrassing origin!
Chocolate Mocha Coffee: the favourite blend of gourmands
Mocha coffee, also known as ‘Sanani coffee’, takes its name from the city where it was originally grown: Mocha, located in Yemen. Here, the Sanan Mountains are located, whose peaks offer a particularly optimal climate for coffee cultivation.
This blend is known not only for being the oldest in the world, but also for its unique aroma: round, full-bodied and with a very pleasant chocolate aftertaste, perfect for the sweet tooth.
Mexican coffee among the best in the world
Still on the subject of particularly mouth-watering coffees, mention must be made of Mexican coffee, whose history is lost in the mists of time. To this day, in fact, its origins have not yet been fully clarified: some claim that coffee landed in Mexico in the 18th century, thanks to French traders from Martinique. Other scholars, on the other hand, identify the Count of Oñate, viceroy of Naples, as the one really responsible for the spread of this drink.
Be that as it may, the Chiapas area has become particularly famous for its fabulous coffee, prepared in a pot with the addition of cinnamon and panela, a special unrefined cane sugar. The result, needless to say, is a coffee with a pleasantly spicy aroma: a true nirvana for the taste buds!
Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee
As is clear from its name, this Jamaican coffee is characterised by the fact that it is grown high in the mountains: more precisely on the heights of the Blue Montain volcano, at an altitude of 2500 metres. Its peculiar aroma is characterised by the presence of strong and persistent notes, but also by the total absence of bitterness: a quality that makes Jamaica Blue Montain the coffee of choice for the Japanese, who import as much as 80% of its production. Underlying the flavour of this coffee is the mist, which, thanks to its thick curtain, protects the beans from the sun’s rays, slowing their ripening.
Fazenda Santa Ines: coffee that tastes like cherries
This exquisite Brazilian coffee is also grown in mountainous areas, more precisely on the slopes of the Mantiqueira Mountains. Characterised by a distinctive taste reminiscent of cherries and berries, it costs a whopping 130 euros per kilo. This is because it is only harvested by hand, using cloths that protect the berries in order to preserve their peculiar aroma.
Hacienda La Esmeralda: the rarest coffee in the world
This coffee grown in Panama, at an altitude of about 2000 metres, has the distinction of being one of the rarest coffees in the world, if not the rarest ever, to the extent that it is sold exclusively at annual auctions. Its quality is Geisha Grand Reserve and is prized for its delicate flowery notes of peach and jasmine.
The sour coffee of Ethiopia
Ethiopia is one of the largest coffee producers in the world, so much so that 200 to 250 tonnes of beans are harvested each year, concentrated mainly in the southern regions of Yirgacheffe and Gedeo. These areas, moreover, are responsible for one third of the coffee production, which is characterised by a unique acidic aroma.
Italian espresso: one of the world’s finest coffees
It may sound absurd to you, but among the world’s finest blends is our much-loved espresso. After all, if it is normal for you to go to the bar and drink a cup, it is much less so for foreigners in our country, so much so that drinking an espresso at the bar for them is a real travel experience to be recounted when they return home.
What makes our espresso so memorable, in fact, is not so much the production of the coffee as the techniques used to prepare it. It is certainly no coincidence that the inventor of the moka is Italian, just as it is no coincidence that Italy is world famous for possessing a true ‘coffee culture’.
Some of our bartenders, in fact, can deservedly be considered artists, precisely because of their masterful way of preparing coffee, as well as the tools they use to do so. Tools that include the ever-present coffee machine, which, fortunately for you, is not reserved for bars, but you can easily own one yourself.
Conclusion: what is the best coffee in the world?
Now that you know which are the seven finest coffees in the world (but the list would still be long!), the time has come to declare the winner: not an easy decision to make. The truth is that a lot depends on your personal taste and how you like to make coffee.
If, in fact, there are people who would never give up espresso from the bar, there are others who prefer to have it at home, after having prepared it with their faithful coffee machine. After all, it is no secret that if you want to drink good coffee, you should do it with the right machine. It may not be one of the finest blends in the world but, from your point of view, it will certainly be the best coffee you could wish for, precisely because it was you who prepared it, with the help of the perfect machine.
Those of us who know about coffee have several excellent products at our disposal that are ideal for this purpose. What you have to do, therefore, is to find out which coffee machine is best suited to you and give yourself the pleasure of an exquisite cup of your favourite beverage every day, prepared the way you want and when you want. And it is this feature, without a doubt, that turns a simple coffee into the best coffee in the world!