I made two identical espressos with $5 coffee beans and $20 coffee beans: and yes, the coffee snobs are right

The Coffee Lab

the smeg emc02 mini pro manual espresso machine in jade green — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

I'm Erin, and welcome to the tenth episode of The Coffee Lab, the series where we forget coffee snobbery. The Coffee Lab is all about making coffee fun. Join me as I help you kickstart your coffee journey!

This week in the Lab, I'm answering the age-old question: Are coffee beans actually that important? Do you need to buy $20 coffee beans grown in treacherous, remote mountainside farms and massaged every day by angels? Or can you get away with the oil-coated shells seen at Starbucks, Dunkin', and the like?

Well, I'm going to give you a little spoiler — yes. It does matter which beans you use. Although we try to forget coffee snobbery here at The Coffee Lab, in this case, coffee snobs are actually correct. If you want genuinely delicious, barista-beating brews at home, unfortunately, it's gotta be those fancy premium beans. But — they'll cost you, and, for that reason, I don't even buy expensive beans often.

Even so, it's not about the destination; it's about the journey. So buckle up as I take you through exactly which beans I used, exactly how I made the espressos, and my overall thoughts. Coffee snobs — you're actually right on this occasion (but here's why I don't buy $20 coffee, and why you don't need to either).

The beans

a photo of expensive espresso beans — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

I live in the U.K., so I went to my local grocery store, Sainsbury's (which I would say is closer to Trader Joe's or Target than Walmart), and bought the cheapest beans on offer. £3.60 ($4.85 at time of writing) for 227g, espresso blend, with tasting notes of "STRONG". They are Fairtrade, though!

Then, I went to a local independent coffee shop and bought some guest roastery beans, £16 ($21.55) for 200g, with tasting notes of tropical, lime, and mango.

This works out to 1.58 pence per gram versus 7.1 pence per gram — making the fancy beans almost five times the price.

The machine

As always, I ground the beans to espresso-fine using my Mazzer Philos ($1,500) and used my Fellow Tally Pro ($189) to weigh out 18g of espresso.

Then, I used my Breville Bambino ($299) to pull two identical shots of espresso.

Image 1 of 2

a shot of espresso made on the breville bambino — Cheap beans(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Both have a lovely, thick crema, although the expensive bean is lighter in color — you would hope, as it's medium roast. Now, it's time for the most important part: the taste test!

The taste test

I tasted both espressos immediately after brewing. No milk, no water, just espresso. I wanted to get the full depth of flavor without any interference.

The cheap espresso just tasted like coffee. I know, I know, I got a degree in Creative Writing just to describe something as tasting like coffee? But seriously. There was no nuance. No exciting juiciness at the back of my tongue. No caramelly richness to round it out.

In a latte, with some vanilla syrup, though, it would be delicious. It's the perfect baseline espresso flavor to build out a Starbucks-style cup.

Now, the expensive espresso. It had a lovely, bright zinginess that made my mouth water. I could taste the lime notes, and I could drink it straight. Usually, I drink Americanos or flat whites, but this espresso was delicious. Not too intense at all.

The bottom line

a photo of an espresso made on the breville bambino / sage bambino — (Image credit: Erin Bashford)

If you have the money to spend on artisan coffee beans, you won't be disappointed. There's a whole world of fancy, jargon-loaded coffee for you to discover — anaerobic, washed, natural, so on and so forth.

But it doesn't come cheap, and when you have to "dial in" espresso (effectively waste a shot or two while finding the perfect grind size), it's a lot to ask. I very, very rarely buy coffee this expensive. Usually, I grab the £8 ($10.78) bag from the grocery store — I know, I know. Please don't take away my coffee snob badge.

If you can afford it, sure, get the artisan beans. But in this economy, I know it's a big ask. I'm happy to continue buying my generic £8 beans and wishing I could indulge in the £16 nuggets of delight — and I wouldn't judge you if you do the same.

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Erin Bashford is a senior writer at Tom's Guide, focusing on reviews. She has a Masters in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from the University of East Anglia. As an ex-barista, she knows her way around a coffee machine, and as a music lover, she's constantly chipping away at her dream of having a multi-room home sound system. In her spare time you can find her reading, practising yoga, writing, or stressing over today’s NYT Games.