Best Coffee Beans for Espresso: Most Searched (2026)
Ranked by what people actually search
The best coffee beans for espresso, according to what people actually search for: Lavazza leads, then Starbucks, with illy, Costco and Intelligentsia Black Cat tied next. They’re ranked by how many people search for each one every month, not by who pays us.
“Best coffee beans for espresso” is searched about 60,500 times a month, and “espresso beans” another 33,100.
Last updated: November 3, 2026
Espresso beans, ranked by monthly searches
| Rank | Brand | Searches/mo |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Lavazza “lavazza espresso beans” | 3,600 |
| 02 | Starbucks “starbucks espresso beans” | 1,900 |
| T3 | Costco (store) “costco espresso beans” | 590 |
| T3 | illy “illy espresso beans” | 590 |
| T3 | Intelligentsia Black Cat “intelligentsia black cat” | 590 |
| 06 | Blue Bottle “blue bottle espresso beans” | 480 |
| 07 | Stumptown “stumptown espresso beans” | 320 |
| 08 | Trader Joe’s “trader joes espresso beans” | 260 |
| 09 | Café Bustelo “cafe bustelo espresso beans” | 210 |
| 10 | La Colombe “la colombe espresso beans” | 170 |
| 11 | Kimbo “kimbo espresso beans” | 110 |
| 12 | Peet’s “peets espresso beans” | 70 |
| 13 | Cameron’s “camerons espresso beans” | 40 |
| 14 | Death Wish “death wish espresso beans” | 30 |
| T15 | Koffee Kult “koffee kult espresso beans” | 20 |
| T15 | Segafredo “segafredo espresso beans” | 20 |
Searches/mo = average monthly US searches for the exact keyword shown under each name. Source: Semrush Keyword Overview, US, average monthly searches, Nov 3, 2026.
T = tied. Semrush rounds search counts into buckets, so tied names are listed A to Z.
The 16 most searched espresso beans, with where to buy
1.Lavazza
Lavazza is the Italian roaster from Turin, founded in 1895. Super Crema is its whole bean medium espresso roast, a blend of arabica and robusta.
Super Crema also gets its own searches: about 8,100 a month for “lavazza super crema,” counted separately, not added to Lavazza’s number.
2.Starbucks
Starbucks sells its Espresso Roast, a dark roast made from 100% arabica, as whole beans, and it also makes a lighter Blonde Espresso Roast.
T3.Costco (store)
These are searches for espresso beans at Costco. What’s on the shelf varies by warehouse, so check your local Costco or Costco.com.
“kirkland espresso beans” is its own search, about 140 a month, not added here.
T3.illy
illy, from Trieste, Italy, roasts 100% arabica coffee. Classico is its medium roast.
T3.Intelligentsia Black Cat
Black Cat Espresso is Intelligentsia’s espresso coffee, sold as whole beans.
6.Blue Bottle
Blue Bottle sells several espresso blends, including Hayes Valley Espresso and 17ft Ceiling Espresso, plus espresso subscriptions.
7.Stumptown
Stumptown Coffee Roasters, from Portland, Oregon, sells Hair Bender, its best-known espresso blend, as whole beans.
8.Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s sells its own Shade Grown Espresso Blend in a 14 oz bag. It’s sold in Trader Joe’s stores, not online.
9.Café Bustelo
Supreme by Bustelo is an espresso-style whole bean dark roast from the Bustelo brand, sold in a 32 oz bag on Amazon.
10.La Colombe
La Colombe is a Philadelphia coffee roaster that sells espresso blends as whole beans.
11.Kimbo
Kimbo Napoli Original is Kimbo’s classic dark roast whole bean espresso, and Napoli is the name Amazon sells it under. Some people search for it as Kimbo Napoletano.
12.Peet’s
Peet’s Coffee, founded in Berkeley, California, sells espresso roasts as whole beans.
13.Cameron’s
Cameron’s Coffee sells an organic espresso roast as whole beans.
14.Death Wish
Death Wish Coffee is known for its high-caffeine dark roasts and sells an espresso roast.
T15.Koffee Kult
Koffee Kult is a Florida roaster that sells dark roast whole beans.
Also popular: espresso bean searches
- Espresso beans: about 33,100 searches a month (Nov 3, 2026)
- Best espresso beans: about 14,800
- Best espresso beans for home brewing: about 8,100
- Decaf espresso beans: about 2,900
- Best espresso beans for Breville: about 1,600
- Blonde espresso beans: about 1,300
- Dark roast espresso beans: about 880
- Best espresso beans for lattes: about 590
Espresso beans vs. coffee beans
This is the easiest question in all our coffee data: “difference,” “vs” and “same” searches add up to about 19,000 a month. The short answer: they’re the same kind of bean. Espresso is a brewing method, not a type of bean, so any bean can be pulled as espresso. Beans sold as “espresso” are usually roasted and blended with that method in mind, and the roaster’s label tells you the roast level and the beans in the blend. Lavazza Super Crema, for example, blends arabica and robusta.
Do espresso beans have more caffeine?
Caffeine questions get about 4,000 searches a month. Per ounce, espresso is stronger: Mayo Clinic lists about 63mg of caffeine in a 1 oz espresso and about 96mg in an 8 oz cup of brewed coffee. So a single shot has less caffeine in total than a regular cup of coffee. Decaf espresso has about 1mg.
Chocolate-covered espresso beans
Chocolate-covered espresso beans get about 17,900 searches a month, but they’re a snack, not brewing beans. Popular picks include the SweetGourmet blend of white, milk and dark chocolate on Amazon and Trader Joe’s Coffee Lover’s Espresso Beans in its stores. They also make an easy stocking stuffer: see stocking stuffers for men.
Shop chocolate espresso beans on Amazon
FAQ
What are the best coffee beans for espresso?
Going by monthly US searches for “[brand] espresso beans,” Lavazza is the most searched (about 3,600 a month), followed by Starbucks (about 1,900), then illy, Costco and Intelligentsia Black Cat (tied at about 590).
What is the difference between espresso beans and coffee beans?
There isn’t a different bean. Espresso is a brewing method. Beans labeled espresso are roasted and blended for it, often darker.
Can I use regular coffee beans for espresso?
Yes. Any bean works. Espresso blends are just roasted with that method in mind.
Does espresso have more caffeine than coffee?
Per ounce, yes. Mayo Clinic lists about 63mg in a 1 oz espresso and about 96mg in an 8 oz cup of brewed coffee, so a cup of coffee has more in total.
Is Lavazza Super Crema arabica or robusta?
It’s a blend of both.
How is this list ranked?
By average monthly US searches for one exact keyword per brand (Semrush Keyword Overview, US, Nov 3, 2026), not by sales or affiliate payouts.
How this list is ranked: average monthly US searches for the exact keyword shown with each name, one keyword per brand, nothing added together. Source: Semrush Keyword Overview, US, average monthly searches, Nov 3, 2026. Any other numbers on this page come from our October 2026 Semrush pulls. Search interest is not sales.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links, including Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate, What Are People Buying earns from qualifying purchases. That never changes the order, which comes from search data, and brands we can’t earn from stay on the list. Read our affiliate disclosure.