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What Coffee Beans Should Beginners Use for Brewing? Don't Be Confused About Coffee Bean Flavor Selection - Read This Guide

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). FrontStreet Coffee - Beginner's Coffee Selection Guide. Unlike siphon pots or moka pots that each have their suitable coffee beans, the advantage of pour-over coffee is that it's not picky about coffee beans at all. Moreover, unlike moka pots with shorter extraction times, if your taste buds are less sensitive, it's not easy to taste the layered flavors. Hand

FrontStreet Coffee - Beginner's Coffee Selection Guide

For more professional coffee knowledge and coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

Compared to siphon pots or moka pots, which each have their suitable coffee beans, the advantage of pour-over coffee is that it's not picky about coffee beans at all. Moreover, unlike moka pots which have shorter extraction times, making it difficult to taste layered flavors if your taste buds are less sensitive, pour-over brewing allows you to experience the pure taste, aroma, and layers of any coffee bean from any country. However, there's one important note: coffee has a freshness period, and once coffee is ground into particles or powder, the increased surface area exposed to air accelerates oxidation, causing the loss of aromatic compounds. Unless you're traveling and unable to bring your complete pour-over equipment, it's highly recommended to grind fresh—grind only when you're ready to drink. This is the only way to truly appreciate the wonderful flavors of coffee.

Do You Prefer Floral Notes or Rich, Mellow Flavors?

So, how should you choose coffee beans? Are there principles for selecting coffee beans? Facing the various coffee varieties from around the world, few people don't feel lost in coffee shops. Ding Xiaoyu, store manager of OKLao Coffee Farm's Dunnan Flagship Store, suggests that when purchasing, you can choose according to your personal taste preferences. If you prefer stronger floral notes, you can select Ethiopian, Guatemalan, or Colombian coffees. Among these, the Emerald Manor Geisha coffee beans from Geisha Mountain in southwestern Ethiopia possess jasmine, rose, and bergamot aromas. Drinking it cold enhances the acidity layers and offers a unique flavor experience.

If you prefer rich, mellow flavors, coffee beans from island nations are most suitable. Due to climatic conditions that often create fog, these environments tend to cultivate coffee beans with excellent layers and aroma. For example, Hawaiian Kona offers moderate acidity blended with subtle wine notes and nutty aroma, making it one of the favorites among coffee connoisseurs. Meanwhile, the Turtle Coffee from the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador's waters is praised as a rare pearl among specialty coffees. As for those who enjoy heavier-bodied coffee, Ding Xiaoyu suggests trying Kenyan or Peruvian coffee. Kenya is currently one of the few places in the world still using the ancient natural drying method to produce coffee. Kenya Kaji AA TOP has heavy coffee pulp aroma followed by slight acidity, which has also won the hearts of connoisseurs.

Do You Prefer Dark Roast or Light Roast?

In addition to selecting coffee varieties, you should also consider the roast level. The lighter the roast, the closer it is to the original fruit flavor, so the fruit acidity is stronger, and consequently, the fruit aroma is also more pronounced. The darker the roast, the stronger the bitterness and richness of the coffee. As for medium roast, the flavor naturally falls between the two. However, each coffee bean has its optimal roast level. If the coffee bean itself carries lemon fragrance, dark roasting might overpower this characteristic. Therefore, it's advisable to ask the shop staff more questions when purchasing.

Knowledge Point: Arabica is one of the two very important varieties in the commercial coffee industry, with the other important variety being Robusta.

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research house that loves to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation, hoping to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Every month, we hold three coffee promotion events with significant discounts because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years!