In one issue, Stiftung Warentest examined a total of 21 coffee beans from different manufacturers – including six espresso beans and 15 caffè crema beans. Read here which coffees are the best. You can also see tips for preparing coffee in the video.
Stiftung Warentest has made coffee: the consumer organization has 21 products made from espresso and caffè crema beans output prepared and tasted in their magazine “test” (issue 01/22). The coffees were not only tested for taste, smell and appearance, the laboratory also checked the products for critical ingredients, declaration and user-friendliness of the packaging.
The roasters were guided by the expectations of consumers: “This is how a mainstream taste is created,” is the verdict. Above all, coffee made from crema beans hardly differs in taste. Body, bitterness, acidity and roasted aroma are almost always moderately pronounced. With espresso beans, on the other hand, the differences in taste are greater.
Coffee beans at Stiftung Warentest: These are the winners
Both espresso beans According to the testers, two Italian brands stand out with clear roasted and bitter notes, an intense aftertaste and a stable crema:
- Lavazza Espresso Italiano Cremoso – overall rating “good” (grade 1.8)
(view at Amazon) - Segafredo Intermezzo – overall rating “good” (grade 1.9)
(view at Amazon)
Both Caffè-Crema-Bohnen cheap discounter products can place themselves at the top. These are the best crema beans at Stiftung Warentest:
- Net Cafèt Coffee Cream Barista (view at net online)
- AldiNorth Moreno Caffè Crema
- Lidl Bellarom Caffè Crema Gustoso
The cheap winners are priced at eight to ten euros per kilogram. This makes them significantly cheaper than Lavazza’s branded espresso beans at around 15 euros per kilogram. In the last section you can read why the price alone should not determine your choice of coffee.
Popular products and shops
Lavazza Creamy Espresso, Bohnen ganze, 1kg
Segafredo Espresso Intermezzo, whole beans, 1kg
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Whether expensive or cheap: no problems with pollutants
The price differences in the test are large: the beans cost between 8 and 34 euros per kilo. Overall, there is hardly anything to complain about in terms of quality. All of the test candidates fell below the guideline value set by the EU Commission for the pollutant acrylamide, which is produced during roasting and can change the genetic material and possibly cause cancer. It is 400 micrograms per kilo.
Furan, also a by-product of roasting, which in animal experiments led to cancer and liver damage, does not pose a problem in the coffee prepared by the test candidates: only a small amount of the volatile substance that the testers found in the bean gets into the cup: “No coffee scores worse than satisfactory in the pollutant assessment,” was the conclusion. The overall rating is “good” for 20 products, only one scores “satisfactory”.
Sustainability before price savings
However, the foundation advises problem-conscious consumers against making their coffee purchases dependent only on the price. Only nine products in the test carry an organic or sustainability seal. Because coffee plantations are moving to higher altitudes due to climate change, rainforest is being cut down there for cultivation. “If you care about all this, you shouldn’t look for the cheapest offers, but buy sustainably grown coffee.” Coffee from companies that rely on direct trade can also be a good choice.
In the current test, however, Stiftung Warentest found only a few products with the EU organic seal and the common sustainability seals Rainforest Alliance, Utz and Fairtrade. The latter certification guarantees the growers a minimum price for the green coffee and a premium.
With the right machine for the perfect coffee
In the following table you can see the most exciting fully automatic coffee machines. All details on the individual products and further information can be found in our detailed purchase advice.