If you’re a true coffee enthusiast you’ve most likely tried whole bean coffee you grind yourself, and ground coffee bought at the store. If this is the case, you’ve noticed that whole-bean coffee costs a bit more when you’re doing your shopping than a can of your favorite pre-ground coffee in a can. If you’re a thrifty shopper, you may wonder why whole-bean coffee is more expensive than ground coffee? Well, that answer is simple. The whole bean makes better coffee.
You may think coffee is coffee and it’s all the same. That’s not exactly true. To learn more about the differences between whole-bean coffee and ground coffee, read on below. We’ll take a look at both of these coffees and why the whole bean is the best choice.
The Advantages of Whole Bean Coffee
While whole-bean coffee is more expensive, there are reasons behind this price. Let’s take a look at a few of the advantages of whole-bean coffee to help make your decision between this type of coffee and ground coffee easier.
Bean Quality
When you pop open a can of ground coffee, you can’t tell a lot about the quality of the coffee itself. Opening up a bag of whole-bean coffee is completely different. You can peer inside the bag and see the quality of the beans themselves. This transparency makes it practically impossible to hide any of the negative aspects whole bean coffee may have. Companies that offer whole bean coffee work diligently to ensure only the best beans make it to market.
Flavor and Aroma
The aroma when you open a can of ground coffee is nice, but it doesn’t compare to what teases your nose when opening whole-bean coffee. The big question is why? The answer? Coffee loses some of its aroma and flavor following the grinding process. Therefore, sellers of ground coffee aren’t as concerned with using the most flavorful and aromatic beans if they are simply going to grind them. Whole bean coffee holds its flavor and aroma due to the state it’s in when it is packaged.
One Variety
Another big advantage of choosing whole-bean coffee is that you receive the same type of bean in the bag. This isn’t necessarily the case with ground coffee which uses multiple types of coffee beans during the process. Often, whole-bean coffee even comes from the same farm when you purchase it.
Why Whole Bean Coffee Is More Expensive
As we’ve mentioned above, whole-bean coffee is of a higher quality than ground coffee, but this isn’t the only reason it is more expensive. As it turns out, roasters who sell whole-bean coffee can only sell coffee. This avoids issues with using lower quality beans and using any types of fillers that ground coffee sellers are known to do.
One of the biggest reasons whole-bean coffee is more expensive is the shipping. To be delivered to customers in its freshest state, whole-bean coffee must be shipped quickly. Once coffee beans are roasted, they do start losing their freshness. Luckily, however, this type of coffee does stay fresher than the ground coffee you may buy. If stored correctly, whole-bean coffee can stay fresh for months. In attempts to get the best coffee possible to their customers, whole-bean coffee roasters must ship quickly. Unfortunately, the price for this shipping must be passed along to us, the consumers.
Final Thought on Whole Bean vs Ground Coffee Prices
Is it cheaper to buy ground coffee or beans? To help your bank account, ground coffee is the cheaper option. However, if you want great flavor, aroma, and quality then whole-bean coffee is the way to go. You can easily grind your beans when you’re ready and keep your coffee tasting great for longer lengths of time.
Featured Image Credit: Andrii Horulko, Shutterstock
