A Brief Guide on Buying Coffee Beans Online

Today, you can buy almost everything online—including the world’s premium specialty coffee beans. Before the eCommerce boom, you could only buy coffee beans from supermarkets or hard-to-find specialty stores. Fortunately for coffee enthusiasts, you no longer have to travel far and wide to try luxurious coffee from all over the world!

Buying coffee beans from the supermarket is a very different experience compared to buying them online. One advantage of buying coffee in a grocery store is that you get a good feel of the product, you can touch it, smell it and get an idea of the freshness. This is something you won’t be able to do when you buy specialty coffee online. 

On the other hand, most grocery stores stock their products for way too long, so you will likely end up with old, stale beans. A guarantee of freshness is easier to ensure when purchasing directly from online specialty stores. Since you’re directly purchasing from the roaster, you can expect the product’s quality to be more consistent.

Considering these pros and cons, is it worth it to buy coffee beans online? Continue reading to find out.
 

Buying Coffee Beans from a Grocery Store 

Because of the significant quantities of the items they’re selling, most grocery stores don’t really pay close attention to their coffee aisle.

Coffee beans are at peak freshness between about two-four weeks after roasting. If the beans stay too long inside a package, the freshness will slowly fade. And while the best-before label will tell you when the beans will go bad, there’s no way to ensure true freshness, which will give you a delicious cup of coffee each time.

Below is a guide for buying coffee beans from a grocery store compared to an online store considering these factors: freshness, variety, and convenience.
 

Coffee Freshness 

Generally, buying coffee beans online guarantees freshness and quality of taste better than what you can get from an average grocery store. On the other hand, bigger supermarkets have relatively more comprehensive selections to suit many people’s tastes. 

So, if there are more choices in a grocery store, is there a possibility that you could get higher quality products from there? The short answer is likely no. Like previously mentioned, grocery chains only switch out coffee beans when they’re expired—months or even years after they’re past ideal freshness.

When you buy coffee beans online, these products are typically roasted, packaged, and shipped in less than 48 hours. That means that you are assured of a product well within its freshness window, which allows you to enjoy the best quality cups!
 

Coffee Variety

Some grocery stores have massive coffee aisles with several roasters, but those bags of beans are rarely freshly roasted. A large variety isn't necessarily a good choice.

Coffee shops and online specialty roasters, like Kunjani, offer various product selections, though some brands can be difficult to track down either way. Note that online stores generally offer a more comprehensive range of seasonal coffees. And if you’re looking for the best quality coffee beans from specialty roasters, online is the way to go.
 

Coffee Convenience

Everyone knows that buying things online is incredibly convenient. From the comfort of your home, you can expect that when you purchase coffee beans, they’ll be delivered right to your doorstep with no issues! 

If you often visit the grocery, purchasing online may not be more convenient. However, if you love having items mailed to you since it cuts down on your physical shopping list, purchasing items online will be another minor strain relieved.
 

Final Thoughts 

Buying coffee beans from online specialty stores takes the win in freshness, variety, and convenience. All you need to do is add products to your cart, check out, and a bag of fresh coffee beans will be at your door in no time. 
 

Enjoy High-Quality, Ethically Sourced Coffee 

Kunjani is a specialty coffee shop that provides premium consistency when roasting by demonstrating ethical practices from sourcing to roasting. We roast our specialty coffee in small batches to extract consistent and precise flavors for a quality cup of coffee every time. Check out our online store today!