ICold Brew

Best Coffee Beans for Cold Brew 2026Pre-Ground, Fruit-Forward, Dark and Decaf

Coffee for cold brew in 2026, by what you have at home: pre-ground coarse bags, whole-bean picks by roast, and decaf. Roast, notes and grind options checked.

Research roundupupdated Oct 4, 2026eight picks

Illustration of five whole roasted coffee beans graded from light tan to dark brown, one bean split lengthwise to show its tan interior and central crease, a small pile of coarse grounds, and a tall glass of iced cold brew at the right.
Illustration of a plain paper coffee bag beside whole roasted beans and one bean cut open in cross-section.
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Cold Brew Blend, Fair Trade Organic

Equator Coffees · beans

A medium-roast blend from Equator, sold whole bean or ground coarse for cold brew. It’s Fair Trade Organic, and the notes are chocolate ganache and orange peel.

See it on equatorcoffees.com

Specs from the manufacturer’s page, checked Oct 4, 2026

or one of these

A research roundup from the roasters’ own pages, not hands-on tasting.

Start with what you own. With no grinder, buy coffee that’s already ground coarse. With one, any whole bean works, and you’re choosing by taste: fruit-forward, chocolatey or dark. The roast, origin and tasting notes below are each roaster’s own.

Makers are in the best cold brew makers and the starter kit. To have coffee arrive on a schedule, try a subscription. The gift guide has a few more cheaper bags.

Jump to: Already ground · Whole bean · Decaf

Already ground, no grinder needed

Illustration of a plain paper coffee bag beside whole roasted beans and one bean cut open in cross-section.
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Cold Brew Blend, Fair Trade Organic

Equator Coffees · beans

who it’s for
Someone with no grinder, or who'd rather skip the grinding on brew day.
why it’s here
A medium-roast Mocha Java blend from Ethiopia and Sumatra, with the grind options whole bean and Coarse Grind (Cold Brew). Equator's notes are chocolate ganache, candied orange peel and raspberry. The bag is 12 oz (340 g), Fair Trade Organic.
the tradeoff
Pre-ground coffee goes stale sooner than whole bean, so buy it for the batches you'll brew soon.
See it on equatorcoffees.com

Specs from the manufacturer’s page, checked Oct 4, 2026

Illustration of a plain paper coffee bag beside whole roasted beans and one bean cut open in cross-section.
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Cold Brew Coarse Ground Coffee

Colipse · beans

who it’s for
Someone who wants a coarse bag made for jars and pitchers, with the grind named on the product page.
why it’s here
A 100% Arabica medium-roast blend that Colipse says is coarsely pre-ground for cold brew makers, overnight mason jar recipes and homemade concentrates. Its notes are chocolate, toffee and floral. The grind menu also has medium, fine and whole bean.
the tradeoff
It's ground at one coarseness, labelled French press, so you can't tune the grind to your maker, and it goes stale sooner than whole bean.
See it on colipsecoffee.com

Specs from the manufacturer’s page, checked Oct 4, 2026

Illustration of a plain paper coffee bag beside whole roasted beans and one bean cut open in cross-section.
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Cold Coffee Blend

Intelligentsia · beans

who it’s for
Someone with a grinder who wants fruit in the glass, or a bag ground to a named cold brew size.
why it’s here
Intelligentsia says this Guji (Ethiopia) and San Marcos (Guatemala) blend is curated for cold brew and flash chill, and it lists caramel, citrus and dried apricot as the notes. The grind menu includes whole bean and a Hario Cold Brew (no. 10) setting.
the tradeoff
It's built to be bright, so anyone after chocolate and low acidity should look at the Onyx below. At 12 oz (340 g) the bag holds a quarter less than Peet's pound.
See it on intelligentsia.com

Specs from the manufacturer’s page, checked Oct 4, 2026

Whole bean, by roast

You’ll need a grinder for these. Our starter kit has a hand grinder and an electric one at different prices.

Illustration of a plain paper coffee bag beside whole roasted beans and one bean cut open in cross-section.
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Baridi Blend

Peet's Coffee · beans

who it’s for
Someone who wants a dependable medium roast and doesn't want to choose.
why it’s here
Peet's calls Baridi its medium roast of choice for cold brew in its coffeebars. The blend uses washed coffees from Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Rwanda, and the notes are citrus flower, blackberry syrup and cocoa. The bag is 16 oz (454 g), and the grind menu is whole bean, drip or French press.
the tradeoff
It tastes the same by design, which suits a daily habit better than exploring. For a bag that changes from one purchase to the next, pick one of the single origins below.
See it on peets.com

Specs from the manufacturer’s page, checked Oct 4, 2026

Illustration of a plain paper coffee bag beside whole roasted beans and one bean cut open in cross-section.
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Ethiopia Mordecofe

Stumptown Coffee Roasters · beans

who it’s for
A black-coffee drinker who wants cold brew to taste like fruit.
why it’s here
A single-origin Ethiopian (Guji) coffee with notes of nectarine, melon and jasmine. Stumptown's cold brew FAQ names it for a fruit-forward profile, especially if you drink it black. The bag is 10.5 oz (298 g).
the tradeoff
It's a single origin, so the next bag may taste different, and at 10.5 oz it's a small bag for a big batch.
See it on stumptowncoffee.com

Specs from the manufacturer’s page, checked Oct 4, 2026

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Cold Brew

Onyx Coffee Lab · beans

who it’s for
Someone who wants cold brew dark and sweet, with little fruit.
why it’s here
A dark-roast Colombian coffee, with notes of cocoa, dates and brown sugar, that Onyx says is roasted for cold brew and designed for cold extraction only. It's a washed Caturra from rotating microlots. The bag is 10 oz (283 g).
the tradeoff
Onyx designed it for cold extraction only, so it won't double as your hot-coffee bag. At 10 oz it's the smallest bag on this page.
See it on onyxcoffeelab.com

Specs from the manufacturer’s page, checked Oct 4, 2026

Decaf

Illustration of a plain paper coffee bag beside whole roasted beans and one bean cut open in cross-section.
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Decaf Cold Brew Coffee, Coarse Ground

Colipse · beans

who it’s for
Someone who wants the evening glass without a grinder.
why it’s here
Medium-roast Peruvian beans, decaffeinated by the Swiss Water process, with notes of salted caramel and citrus. Colipse says the process removes 99.9% of the caffeine, and the coarse grind is labelled French press. The bag is 12 oz (340 g).
the tradeoff
It's ground at one coarseness, labelled French press, so you can't tune the grind to your maker.
See it on colipsecoffee.com

Specs from the manufacturer’s page, checked Oct 4, 2026

Illustration of a plain paper coffee bag beside whole roasted beans and one bean cut open in cross-section.
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Trapper Creek Decaf

Stumptown Coffee Roasters · beans

who it’s for
Someone with a grinder who wants a sweeter decaf.
why it’s here
A blend with notes of citrus, graham and cocoa and a dried-fruit sweetness, decaffeinated with the Swiss Water process, which Stumptown says leaves the coffee 99.9 percent caffeine free. Its FAQ says decaf cold brew follows the same ratio and steep time as regular. The bag is 12 oz (340 g).
the tradeoff
It's whole bean only, so you need a grinder.
See it on stumptowncoffee.com

Specs from the manufacturer’s page, checked Oct 4, 2026

The rest of the shopping list