4 espresso beans compared: cost per shot, roast and bag size
A small bag suits someone who pulls a few shots a week. A household making several doubles a day can put a kilo bag to better use. Here’s what four blends cost at the same 18 g dose.
Quick verdict
Coffee Bros. suits a sweeter, fruit-led espresso, while Hair Bender offers citrus and dark chocolate in a blend Stumptown also recommends for drip. Choose Big Trouble for caramel and nutty notes in a smaller bag. Borbone Miscela Blu makes sense if you enjoy a full-bodied dark roast and make enough espresso to work through a kilo.
At a glance
| Option | What does the roaster say it tastes like? | What does one 18 g double cost? | How quickly will two doubles a day finish this bag? |
|---|---|---|---|
 Coffee Bros. Espresso Roast | Strawberry, sugar cane and vanilla in a medium-roast Arabica blend. | $1.06 from a $19.99 12 oz bag. | 18 full doses, enough for 9 complete days. |
 Stumptown Hair Bender | Citrus, dark chocolate and raisin. Stumptown uses it for café espresso. | $1.01 from a $19.00 12 oz bag. | 18 full doses, enough for 9 complete days. |
 Counter Culture Big Trouble | Caramel and nuts in a round, medium-dark roast. | $1.03 from a $19.50 12 oz bag. | 18 full doses, enough for 9 complete days. |
 Caffè Borbone Miscela Blu | Dark-roasted Arabica and Robusta with chocolate and toasted-nut notes. | $0.52 from a $28.99 2.2 lb bag. Excludes shipping, tax and dial-in waste throughout. | 55 full doses, enough for 27 complete days plus one double. |
Sources for the comparison
What does the roaster say it tastes like?coffeebros.com · stumptowncoffee.com · counterculturecoffee.com · caffeborboneamerica.com
What does one 18 g double cost?coffeebros.com · stumptowncoffee.com · counterculturecoffee.com · caffeborboneamerica.com
How quickly will two doubles a day finish this bag?coffeebros.com · stumptowncoffee.com · counterculturecoffee.com · caffeborboneamerica.com
Which option fits you?
Coffee Bros. Espresso Roast
Coffee Bros. is the fruity choice for someone who enjoys sweetness in straight espresso. The small bag also makes sense if you like switching coffees.
A medium roast with strawberry, sugar cane and vanilla notes according to Coffee Bros. Choose the red Espresso Roast bag; the black Dark Espresso Roast is a different blend. The roaster prints the roast date on the bag. Roaster’s product details.
Trade-off: Highest bean cost per dose of these four.
Stumptown Hair Bender
Hair Bender suits a household that pulls espresso on weekdays and brews a pot on weekends. Both uses are explicitly recommended for this blend.
Stumptown uses Hair Bender as its café espresso and also recommends it for drip, pour-over and French press. Its citrus, dark chocolate and raisin notes make it the pick here for a household that wants some brightness but also likes a chocolate note. Roaster’s product details.
Trade-off: Only about five cents less per dose than Coffee Bros.; flavor preference matters more than that saving.
Counter Culture Big Trouble
Big Trouble gives caramel and nut lovers a medium-dark option without buying a kilo. It has the same modeled yield as the other 12 oz bags.
Counter Culture describes Big Trouble as a medium-dark blend with caramel, nut and chocolate notes. Choose it if the darker profile appeals to you but you make too few drinks to want a kilo of beans. Roaster’s product details.
Trade-off: Costs almost twice as much per dose as the larger Borbone bag.
Caffè Borbone Miscela Blu
Miscela Blu serves a household going through several doubles a day. If your machine is super-automatic, Borbone suggests checking its guidance for dark roasts.
Borbone describes Miscela Blu as a dark Arabica–Robusta blend with chocolate and toasted-nut notes. Look for the whole-bean bag. At two doubles a day you can use it in about four weeks. Roaster’s product details.
Trade-off: At one double every weekday the bag lasts eleven weeks. Borbone advises checking dark-roast compatibility for super-automatic machines.
Bag price and cost per double
| Blend and source | Bag | Price | Per 18 g double | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee Bros. Espresso Roast | 12 oz | $19.99 | $1.06 | Bright, fruit-led espresso |
| Stumptown Hair Bender | 12 oz | $19.00 | $1.01 | One grinder for espresso and drip |
| Counter Culture Big Trouble | 12 oz | $19.50 | $1.03 | Caramel and nutty notes in a smaller bag |
| Caffè Borbone Miscela Blu | 2.2 lb | $28.99 | $0.52 | Lowest bean cost; dark Italian-style espresso |
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
What changes the cost per double?
A $19 bag and a $29 bag can tell the opposite story once you fill the basket. Calculate bean cost as bag price × 18 g ÷ net bag weight in grams. Hair Bender is $19 × 18 ÷ 340, or about $1.01. Miscela Blu is $28.99 × 18 ÷ 998, or about $0.52. The 18 g dose is our comparison assumption; use your own basket dose and checkout total for a delivered-cost estimate.
Shipping can matter more than the difference between the three smaller bags. A $5 delivery charge adds about 26 cents per double to a 12 oz bag, or 9 cents to a 2.2 lb bag. If you use 36 g to dial in a fresh bag, subtract two doubles from its usable yield. For grinder and machine choices, see our burr grinder comparison and home espresso machine guide.
One weekday coffee or two doubles a day?
For one double each weekday, Miscela Blu is a 10.6-week commitment once you allow 36 g to dial in the grinder. Any of the three 12 oz bags lasts 3.2 weeks on that routine. In a household pulling two doubles every day, the same bags last 26½ days and 8 days respectively. These are consumption estimates, not shelf-life limits.
The earlier chart prices the beans you put in the basket. This one prices the doubles you can actually serve. We subtract the dial-in allowance, round down to whole doses, and divide the full purchase cost by that yield. That is why Miscela Blu moves from $0.52 per dose to $0.55 per usable double.
| Blend | Full doubles | One each weekday | Two every day | Cost per usable double |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee Bros. Espresso Roast | 16 | 3.2 weeks | 8 days | $1.25 |
| Stumptown Hair Bender | 16 | 3.2 weeks | 8 days | $1.19 |
| Counter Culture Big Trouble | 16 | 3.2 weeks | 8 days | $1.22 |
| Caffè Borbone Miscela Blu | 53 | 10.6 weeks | 26.5 days | $0.55 |
The biggest price difference also changes how long you keep the beans
At five doubles a week, a 12 oz bag lasts about three and a half weeks. The Borbone bag yields eleven weeks at that pace. For a household making four doubles every day, the same kilo lasts under two weeks. Compare the roast you want and your rate of use before letting the lowest cost per shot choose your bag.
coffeebros.com · stumptowncoffee.com · counterculturecoffee.com · caffeborboneamerica.comFrequently asked questions
- Which espresso beans should I buy for the way I drink coffee at home?
- We Tried It All recommends Coffee Bros. for fruit-led espresso, Hair Bender for a household alternating between espresso and drip, or Big Trouble for a caramel-and-nut profile. Caffè Borbone Miscela Blu costs about $0.52 per 18 g double before shipping, but its almost-kilo bag takes eleven weeks to finish at five doubles a week.
- How long does each bag last at two double shots per day?
- At 18 g per double, each 12 oz bag supplies 18 full doubles, or nine days at two per day. The 2.2 lb Miscela Blu bag supplies 55 full doubles, or about 27½ days. Dialing in the grinder reduces both yields.
- Which smaller bag costs the least per double?
- At the checked one-time US prices, Stumptown Hair Bender costs about $1.01 per 18 g dose, Counter Culture Big Trouble $1.03, and Coffee Bros. Espresso Roast $1.06. Shipping can change that order.
- How should I compare bags when one has free shipping?
- Use the delivered one-time price for your actual order. Divide by net grams and multiply by the dose you use. A free-shipping minimum only helps if the extra bags fit your normal consumption.
- Does my 16 g basket change the ranking?
- Using 16 g instead of 18 g lowers each per-dose cost proportionally if price and usable yield stay the same. It also changes how long the bag lasts: 340 g gives 21 full 16 g doses before dial-in losses.
- What do tasting notes like strawberry or vanilla mean?
- For Coffee Bros. Espresso Roast these are sensory descriptions from the roaster. They describe the intended flavor impression. Check the ingredient label separately if added flavorings are a concern.
- What if several shots are used to dial in a new bag?
- Subtract the beans used for setup before estimating drinks served. Spending 36 g on two trial shots leaves 304 g from a 340 g bag, enough for 16 full 18 g doubles rather than 18.
- Which blend should I choose if I switch between espresso and drip?
- Stumptown Hair Bender is the guide’s dual-use pick for a household keeping one blend. If the second brewing method is rarely used, prioritize the espresso flavor and the bag size you can finish instead.