12 Best Coffee Beans for Superautomatic Espresso Machines

I don’t know about you, but I love having the best coffee beans for my superautomatic espresso machine. This machine does everything for me (hence the “superautomatic” in the name), so all I need to do is load in the coffee grounds, place my espresso cup under the spout, and turn in on.

But, before I can drink a cup of tasty espresso, I first need to choose my coffee.

Here’s a list of what I think is the best coffee beans for superautomatic espresso machines.

IMAGE PRODUCT PROS CONS   
Editors Choice Kicking Horse Whole Bean Coffee
  • Rich with earthy tones
  • Canada’s #1 organic Fair Trade coffee
  • Shade grown for perfect taste
  • Fresh taste and strong aroma
  • Some complaints of a burnt taste
Top Rated Death Wish Ground Coffee
  • Smooth taste
  • Dark roast
  • Strong aroma
  • Ground perfectly for an auto-drip coffee maker
  • Roast not dark enough
Budget Pick Raven’s Brew Whole Bean Deadman’s Reach
  • Kind and easy on the environment
  • Always packaged for a fresh taste
  • High-quality
  • Perfectly roasted beans
  • Some complaints of freshness
Stumptown’s Hair Bender
  • Roasted fresh in small batches
  • Portland Made
  • Great mixture of flavor and taste
  • Great for espresso
  • Some complaints of freshness
Blue Horse 100% Kona Dark Roast
  • 100% Kona
  • Fresh single serve
  • Excellent aroma and taste
  • Rain-water washed Kona
  • Complaint of dry beans
Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC, Octane Italian Roast Coffee
  • 100% Kona
  • Freshest Single Serve 100% Kona
  • Hand picked and sun dried
  • Tastes too strong
Koffee Kult Thunder Bolt French Roast
  • Full flavor coffee
  • Tastes like it is right from the coffee shop
  • Organically Sourced
  • Great source of caffeine
  • Lots of Caffeine
Lavazza Super Crema
  • Lavazza Super Crema Italian whole coffee beans
  • Mild and creamy
  • Blended and roasted in Italy
  • Notes of hazelnut
  • Darker than listed
Dark Sumatra Organic
  • 1 Lb resealable Bag
  • Organic Sumatra ‘gayo Mountain
  • Sweet notes
  • Micro-roasted Coffee
  • Resealable bag doesn’t always seal
Camano Island Sumatra Dark Roast
  • Premium fresh roasted coffee
  • USDA certified organic
  • Dark roast
  • Satisfaction in every roast
  • Complaints of freshness
Two Volcanoes Guatemala Dark Roast
  • Premium gourmet coffee guaranteed
  • High quality blend
  • Fruity wooden notes packed into delicious flavor
  • Exclusively On Amazon
  • Packaging is not resealable
Jo Coffee Wild Jo
  • Fair Trade Certified Coffee
  • USDA Certified
  • Organic Coffee
  • Complaints of darkness in roast
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91S93HnqVpL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

1) Kicking Horse Whole Bean Coffee

Why is it the best?

  • Indonesian, heavy bodied coffee rich with earthy and cocoa tones
  • Canada’s #1 organic Fair Trade coffee
  • Shade grown Arabica beans
  • Whole beans for the freshest taste

Deep, Dark Roasts are the Best. One of my favorite dark roasts that are perfect for espresso is Kicking Horse Coffee’s 454 Horse Power blend.

It’s a mix of beans from South American, Central American, and Indonesia, and it packs quite a punch where caffeine is concerned. It also tastes great and has some hints of chocolate and cinnamon in it, thanks to how the beans are processed.

Plus, it’s organic! This is one of the best coffee beans, in my opinion.

2) Death Wish Ground Coffee

Why is it the best?

  • Affordable price
  • Can be used to make more coffee beverages
  • Automated milk frother
  • Parts are easy to clean

Look to the Dark Side. Another has a bit of a wild name – it’s from Death Wish Coffee Company.

They claim that this is the world’s strongest coffee, so you don’t want to drink a lot of it, which makes it perfect for espresso. The Death Wish Coffee Company makes this from a blend of Robusto beans with a little bit of Arabica beans added in for good measure.

The results are one of the darkest coffee blends around, one that will definitely get you moving in the morning. It’s a little on the bitter side, but that’s the point, right?

3) Raven’s Brew Whole Bean Deadman’s Reach

Why is it the best?

  • Sustainable And Kind To The Environment
  • Packaged For Freshness
  • High-quality Beans, Perfectly Roasted
  • The Art Of Roasting

I appreciate this coffee company’s dedication to their brand, all the way down to the graphics on the package that exemplify the name of this coffee: Deadman’s Reach.

To make this espresso blend, Raven’s Brew mixes together beans from India and South American to create coffee with just a hint of hazelnut and chocolate. Deadman’s Reach has plenty of caffeine in it, and will add another dimension to your morning espresso.

And of course, you can also display the package, which has a skeleton on it, in your kitchen just for fun.

4) Stumptown’s Hair Bender

Why is it the best?

  • Roasted fresh in small batches in Portlan
  • Complex, sweet & savory
  • Flavors of milk chocolate, caramel, jasmine, meyer lemon, apricot and pineapple
  • Great for espresso

Last but far from least, there’s Stumptown’s Hair Bender coffee. This is proof that not all espresso beans are dark, bitter, and fully caffeinated.

This blend is known for its sweetness and it contains a mix of beans from Africa, Latin America, and Indonesia.

While it may be a bit lighter than traditional espresso, it’s flavor profile more than makes up for it.

5) Blue Horse 100% Kona Dark Roast

Why is it the best?

  • 100% Kona with complex fragrant notes and a lingering sweetness
  • Freshest Single Serve 100% Kona
  • Hand picked, sun dried, rain-water washed Kona coffee

When you hear Kona coffee, you think of one of the loveliest places on earth—Hawaii. Grown in the slopes of Mauna Lopa and Hualalai, Kona beans are exclusively produced within the 40-mile radius of an active volcano.

Only 15 pounds of beans are harvested from a tree per year, which is why roasted Kona beans are very expensive, ranging from $15 to $20 per pound.

Blue Horse is government certified and guaranteed to contain 100% Kona coffee, and only produced by one family-owned plantation. The beans are also organic, as they are purely hand-picked and sun-dried, without herbicides and pesticides.

The flavor is super-smooth, clean and punchy. While it contains lower caffeine content than other beans, the heady aroma of cherry is distinct and pleasurable.

Because it is less oily, they are great for super-automatic espresso machines.

6) Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC, Octane Italian Roast Coffee

Why is it the best?

  • Affordable price
  • Can be used to make more coffee beverages
  • Automated milk frother
  • Parts are easy to clean

My friends got that one from a cheaper roast coffee and found it was actually better. The flavor is very strong and this one definitely made our top 12 list.

A little extra punch can be tasted if you choose to add a little bit of ground coffee to it as well. Octane Italian Roast Coffee is definitely a keeper!

7) Koffee Kult Thunder Bolt French Roast

Why is it the best?

  • Packed With Flavor
  • Bring The Coffee Shop Home
  • Organically Sourced
  • The Beans That Give Back

If you’re looking for a strong, robust and punchy cup of dark roasted coffee, Koffee Kult is a thunderous choice. Certified as 100% organic, this brand contains a special combined Sumatran, Guatemalan, Colombian and Brazilian beans, making these beans a favorite amongst connoisseurs looking for the exotic and the unique.

Expect the French dark roast to be heavy and strong with a sweet finish, and while Thunder Bolt markets their coffee to be the world’s strongest in caffeine content, it is still kicked behind by the second on our list, the Death Wish coffee.

The bright and smooth flavor has hints of a cinnamon finish, which makes the coffee a perfect match for after dinner pastries and desserts.

The beans are not very oily, so it is another strong choice.

8) Lavazza Super Crema

Why is it the best?

  • One 2.2 pound bag of Lavazza Super Crema Italian whole coffee beans
  • Mild and creamy medium espresso roast with notes of hazelnuts and brown sugar
  • Blended and roasted in Italy
  • Best used with espresso machine

Another super-automatic espresso choice is the Lavazza Super Crema, which is a blend of washed Indonesian Robusta and natural Central American and Brazilian Arabica. This unique blend produces balanced acidity and sweetness and earthiness. The washed Robusta provides a mellowed down taste profile leaning towards deep chocolate, instead of the usual bitter and woody flavor.

Founded in 1895, the Lavazza brand is highly popular in Italy, with its rich, velvety, creamy and delicate chocolate flavor, paired with aromas of almonds and honey. Their street credibility is solid, with more than a century of history being one of the best espresso coffee beans in the world.

The beans are evenly roasted to dark brown perfection, and the Lavazza Super Crema is a top choice for espresso and cappuccino lovers, with a 4.2 out of 5 stars on Amazon.

The nitrogen-packed bags ensure a longer shelf-life, and the beans are not as oily as others, so this coffee brand is great for your super-automatic espresso machine.

9) Dark Sumatra Organic

Why is it the best?

  • 1 Lb Resealable Bag
  • Dark Organic Sumatra ‘gayo Mountain
  • Tasting Notes
  • Fresh Specialty Micro-roasted Coffeelean

Stone Street is a New Yorker coffee artisan popular amongst Wall Street and Brooklyn coffee connoisseurs. Their Dark Sumatra Organic is a top gourmet choice, grown in the highlands of Indonesia and noted for its heavy and rich body, herbal aroma, complex and bold flavor, and syrupy smooth finish.

It is 100% organic; the beans are grown, harvested and processed naturally, without pesticides and chemicals.

The flavor might seem over-roasted (smoky for some), there are heavy hints of chocolate, but the acidity is very low.

Because the beans are dark and slightly oily, super-automatic espresso machine users should take extra care when using Dark Sumatra, but yes, it’s all worth it.

10) Camano Island Sumatra Dark Roast

Why is it the best?

  • Premium Fresh Roasted Coffee
  • USDA Certified Organic Sumatra Dark Roast
  • USDA Certified Organic, Shade Grown, And Fair Trade Certified
  • Pride And Satisfaction In Perfecting Every Roast

Camano Island coffee beans are 100% organic and shade-grown, free of any chemicals and pesticides. It is not overly oily, so it is a perfect choice for super-automatic espresso machine enthusiasts.

Expect the dark roast to be heavy and full-bodied, featuring hints of nuttiness, fruity flavors, and a bit of sweetness. It is warm and spicy and has low acidity.

The beans are non-GMO, and according to the makers of Camano Island Sumatra Dark Roast, their products are extremely high grade, and they only use environmentally friendly farming methods.

11. Two Volcanoes Guatemala Dark Roast

11) Two Volcanoes Guatemala Dark Roast

Why is it the best?

  • Great Tasting Premium Gourmet Coffee Guaranteed
  • Quality Like No Other
  • Delicious Flavor Mixed With Fruity And Wooden Notes Is An Experience You Don’t Want To Miss
  • Great Price Exlusively On Amazon

Guatemalan coffees are known to be one of the most aromatic and fragrant coffee beans in the world. Shade-grown in the base of two volcanoes—Tajmulco and Tajana—located in the Guatemalan highlands, the Arabica beans retain their natural earthy aromas and flavors enhanced by the rich minerals of the fertile volcanic soil.

This gourmet coffee roast is highly flavorful, but the caffeine kick and acidity are lower than your usual dark roast. There is an underlying sweetness to each sip, with strong hints of dark chocolate and cherry.

The beans are roasted in small batches so the coffee is evenly roasted, and this process guarantees that the coffee is of superior quality and the best possible flavor is drawn in each batch.

12) Jo Coffee Wild Jo

Why is it the best?

  • Fair Trade Certified Coffee
  • USDA Certified Organic Coffee

Produced by Specialty Java, Wild Jo used to be called “Wicked”, but the new name does not make it less wicked on your taste buds. The flavors are rich and strong, with hints of brown sugar and dark cocoa, which is perfect for espresso iced coffee and black coffee lovers.

Jo Coffee Wild Jo is 100% certified organic, gluten-free and kosher, so it is widely preferred by health and environmentally conscious consumers.

The coffee is coarsely ground and less oily, so it is great for percolators, French press, and super-automatic espresso machines.

Takeaway

Whichever of these coffee brands you choose to use, it is important to remember that super-automatic espresso machines do not work well with oily coffee beans.

The darker the beans are, the oilier they tend to be. They are also softer, which means they come out super fine when ground, and as such, they can result in damaged espresso machine grinders after just a few years of use.

Now, if you like one of the recommendations above, see if you can include it in one of the coffee gifts next time you visit a friend or loved one.

Share this: