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Best Costco Coffee: Our Top 5
Try the best coffee from Costco and learn how to pick your favorite.
Published January 30, 2022
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Yker Valerio
Coffee experts@The Coffee Lab
Getting the best coffee at Costco doesn’t need to be a challenge.
Buying coffee at Costco is quite popular. Some people like it because it’s cheaper to buy in bulks, and others have their favorite brands available at Costco.
Personally, I’m not a fan of buying coffee in bulks because we’re a small family, and we don’t drink in volumes. Now, if your family can drink more than a pound per week, Costco can be a good option. Especially if you don’t have local coffee roasters close or they’re out of your budget.
As part of Era of We Coffee Experts, I feel responsible for suggesting coffee that passes specific criteria. So, I won’t recommend you the cheapest coffee at Costco, but high-quality coffee beans, with certifications that provide evidence of ethical sourcing and sustainable practices.
Buying coffee at Costco: Some considerations
Before talking about my selection, it’s important to remember some aspects of Costco. Additionally, let me further explain my criteria for picking the best coffee from Costco.
Membership
Buying at Costco’s brick-and-mortar stores requires a membership. It’s possible to shop online without a membership, although there is an additional fee for non-members.
Whole beans, ground, or K-Cups
Buying whole beans is the best way to get the freshest cup of coffee possible. The only downside of purchasing whole beans is that you’ll need a burr coffee grinder at home.
The second option, and most popular, is to buy ground coffee. It’s awful if you purchase in bulks because you’ll store it for weeks or even months. I would avoid buying ground coffee at Costco.
For years, I rejected K-Cups because of sustainability concerns. However, I found recyclable options, so if you’re a Keurig fan, I got you covered. Some say K-Cups have the same problem as ground coffee, but they can be considerably fresher than regular ground coffee.
Quality vs. Personal preference
Coffee has some objective quality features, but preference can be very subjective. As much as I like a natural coffee featuring fruity notes, many people find it disgusting or simply not what they expect from a cup of coffee.
My recommendations in this list try to cover most palates, although it leans towards more conventional aromatic profiles: chocolate and nutty, with a thicker body.
Sampling
Buying coffee in large quantities that you don’t love is far from satisfying. For this reason, I suggest trying some samples of coffee in this list before getting them in large quantities.
Costco tends to offer samples at its stores, and they’re a great alternative to learn more about a specific coffee before buying it.
Coffee certifications
Quality used to be an essential certification criterion for most products, but that’s not enough. We care more about sourcing practices, sustainability, and health risks, so I picked coffee with at least one trusted certification aiming at all three aspects.
You’ll find below many coffee brands with a USDA organic certification, while some have a Fair Trade certification. In a few cases, I chose coffees without certificates because they are committed to working with third-party organizations that audit and control their sourcing practices.
Price vs. Ethical criteria
Some people would argue that certifications are fake, banal, or irrelevant. I strongly disagree with that point of view. Quality controls, ethical sourcing practices, and traceability make coffee pricier.
Certifications aren’t perfect, but they positively impact the coffee industry. However, large companies still following exploitative and abusive business practices are real. We have a long road ahead, and we have to make urgent changes to make coffee sustainable and more profitable for producers.
The difference between aiming to improve business for everyone and picking products based solely on price is crucial. It isn’t just about the taste. You might be looking for something that simply tastes like coffee, but it’s important to support companies that share values with you consciously.
Our selection: Best 5 Costco Coffee
Without further ado, find my selection of the best coffee from Costco.
Mayorga Café Cubano
A full-bodied cup of coffee in the morning is a precious treasure. Mayorga’s Cuban-style roast offers just that with some exciting characteristics.
Key features
- Whole beans and ground
- Roasted and packaged with 100% wind energy
- Dark-roast
- Direct supply chain
- Non-GMO certified
- Specialty-grade quality coffee beans
- Aromatic profile: bold, smooth, sweet
- The signature slow-roasting process to achieve a Cuban-style profile
Kirkland signature breakfast blend
Kirkland’s signature is Costco’s house brand, and it might seem surprising to recommend one of the most affordable options. But I’m not trying to be pretentious here, on the contrary!
Key features
- Light roast
- Recyclable K-cups
- USDA Organic
- Fairtrade certified
- Light and balanced body and aromatic profile
Mother Earth Coffee Organic Medium Roast
Mother Earth Coffee focuses on sustainability and quality. For that reason, the price tends to be slightly higher than my previous picks. In any case, it has an interesting aromatic profile and mouthfeel, and it’s worth trying.
Key features
- Whole bean or ground
- Medium roast
- USDA Organic
- Direct Trade
- Small batch roasted
- 91 point score from Coffee Review
- Blend from Central and South America
- Smooth mouthfeel
- Balanced body
Peet's Coffee Major Dickason Blend
Most people agree with the pioneering work of Peet’s Coffee regarding quality. Peet’s brought top-quality coffee industry practices to the US, and since they started, the industry has changed radically.
Still, Peet’s dark roast is a favorite for many and has a distinctive taste that combines old-school roasting profiles with high-quality coffee beans.
Key features
- Whole bean or ground
- Dark roast
- High-quality coffee
- Ethically sourced coffee
- Bright acidity
- Full-bodied
- Most customers praise freshness when buying directly at coffee shops and online.
Caribou Coffee
Caribou Coffee offers a classic medium roast blend with an enjoyable profile. Like Peet’s, you can visit their coffee shops and online store, but their selection at Costco is pretty good.
Key features
- Whole bean or ground
- Kosher
- Medium roast
- High-quality coffee beans
- Smooth and classic
- Small batch roasting
- Caribou blend
- Smooth and well-balanced
Closing the deal
Choosing coffee to buy in bulk comes with some risks. For that reason, I recommend sampling the most exciting coffees in the list above. Then, store your coffee far from the sunlight in an airtight container.
And remember to choose ethically sourced and sustainable coffee. It’s vital to trust both your palate and your heart.
Have a good cup of coffee!
About the author
Yker Valerio
Yker Valerio (he/him) is a freelance content creator. After more than 10 years of working as a management consultant, he started his blog Bon Vivant Caffè to share his passion for specialty coffee.
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