Best whole bean coffee

Top pick: Bulletproof Original Medium Roast whole bean. It's the safest everyday cup here — a balanced medium roast with cocoa, plum and orange notes that works in a drip machine or pour-over, and it's the one with a large, steady body of ratings behind it.

Who the others suit:

• POCILLO Signature Blend — chocolate-caramel smoothness with mellow acidity; the easy crowd-pleaser if you like a rounder, less bright cup.
• FLOW Original Medium Roast — the most-loved by ratings; pick it if you want a slightly fruitier, high-grown bean.
• Lavazza Espresso — if you also pull espresso shots, this doubles as a strong everyday option.
• Sermon (Verve) and Seven Weeks Hope Blend — for anyone who wants a smaller-roaster, single-origin-style cup and doesn't mind a lighter roast character.
• Farmer Brothers 5 lb bag — for a household or office that goes through coffee fast.

Buy whole bean, grind just before brewing, and keep it sealed and away from light for the best everyday results.