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Europe may not be able to grow its own coffee beans, but that hasn’t stopped them from establishing a long tradition of roasting world-class coffee blends.
In this article, we’ll introduce you to several of the best European coffee brands from Austria, Spain, France, and Germany.
Austrian Coffee Brands
The first coffee shop opened in Vienna in 1865, but it wasn’t until the 1980s before coffee was able to be produced more economically. The 1980s was when coffee quickly gained in popularity and was produced on a more regular basis. Amongst all the options, though, Helmut Sachers and Julius Meinl are easily our picks for the best Austrian coffee brands.
Helmut Sachers Kaffee
Helmut Sachers is a popular Austrian brand of coffee that many people in the city of Vienna enjoy drinking in their homes as well as in local coffee shops. People are attracted to the rich and robust flavor of this delicious brand of coffee.
Julius Meinl
Julius Meinl is another sought-after choice of Austrian coffee that also originated in Vienna. The company was established in 1862, and it has only become more sought after and loved over the years.
Italian Coffee Brands
Coffee was first introduced in Italy in the 1500s, and from then on, it has become an extremely popular drink that people began to rely on and still do. There are many popular Italian brands of coffee, and here are some of the most popular Italian coffee brands currently on the market.
Illy Caffe
Illy is an extremely popular brand of Italian espresso that coffee lovers often compare to similar brands. Illy is produced using 100% Arabica beans and is roasted in a manner that makes the taste unforgettable. Founded in 1933, Illy continues to be a top contender for Italian espresso.
Lavazza
Lavazza is often referred to as Italy’s favorite espresso because of its supreme taste, and this brand is often in competition with other Italian brands because of key similarities. Lavazza uses a combination of Arabica and Robusta beans. Robusta beans have a different and distinctive flavor that many coffee drinkers prefer. This brand of coffee originated in the late 1800s in Piedmont, Italy, and it has remained popular for many decades.
Many Italian coffee lovers often compare Illy and Lavazza because they’re both delicious coffees, but when it comes to Illy vs Lavazza, the results are usually tied. A large number of Italian coffee drinkers prefer Illy, while an equally large number choose Lavazza.
Caffe Vergnano
Illy and Lavazza may be the household names in Italian espresso now, but they weren’t always. Vergnano has decades of tradition on both of these brands, dating back as far as 1882. Their balance of innovative roasting methods and generation-spanning traditions represents everything great about European coffee.
Vergnano’s signature blend is their Espresso Crema, known for its sweet, chocolatey flavor. They’ve branched out to several other blends over the years, though, and now they even offer Nespresso-compatible capsules.
Spanish Coffee Brands
Spanish coffee has tremendous flavor, and ever since its origination, coffee has been an important aspect of Spanish culture. These are just a sample of the best-tasting, most popular Spanish brands of coffee.
Catunambú
Catunambu was started by a Colombian coffee roaster, Juan Ferrer, who moved to Seville in 1897 to start his own coffee shop. More than 120 years and four generations of master roasters later, they are still producing some of the best coffees that Spain has to offer.
Ferrer probably wouldn’t recognize the modern techniques used by the company he founded. They’ve introduced Nespresso pods and Dolce Gusto capsules to their lineup, amongst several other innovations. Despite all the changes, though, tradition still drives the high quality of their coffees.
Tupinamba Grup
The same year that Ferrer was bringing Colombian coffees to Seville, one of Spain’s other long-lasting coffee empires was rising up in Barcelona. Tupinamba Grup has always had a more progressive take on coffee, from their avant-garde branding to their constant technological innovations.
These days, Tupinamba Grup is very focused on their compostable Nespresso coffee capsules, but they’ve also branched out into a range of teas and herbal teas.
French Coffee Brands
The French are serious about their coffee, just maybe not as serious as they are about wine and cheese. Any of these French coffees are well worth a try, whether you are planning a trip to Paris or just want to place an online order.
Jacques Vabre
Jacques Vabre is one of the most popular brands of Coffee in France. Its thick, spicy, and aromatic coffee is unique because it’s produced using Robusta beans instead of the Arabica beans found most anywhere else in the country. Just the smell of this coffee is enough to make you start craving a sip of this well-known brand of French coffee.
Legal Le Gout
Legal Le Gout made its debut in 1851, and from the time it was introduced, consumers fell in love with it. Not only does Legal Le Gout refrain from using GMOs in their beans, but they pride themselves on going above and beyond to ensure that they’re producing the highest quality and best tasting coffee possible. You can’t go wrong by drinking a cup of Legal Le Gout.
German Coffee Brands
The quality of German manufacturing isn’t limited to automobiles. German coffee companies have created some amazing roasting processes and blending procedures that rival any of the other major European coffee producers. Here are two of the best German coffee brands currently on the market.
Dallmayr Prodomo
Dallmayr Prodomo became a popular brand in Germany by focusing on quality in every step of its roasting procedure. It all starts with 100% Arabica beans, carefully processed to maintain a naturally sweet taste. That unique flavor keeps people coming back for more again and again.
Jacobs Coffee
Jacobs coffee has been around since 1895, and that’s given them a lot of time to tweak and refine their beans. They didn’t really start to blow up until the 1970s, though, when Klaus Johann Jacobs took charge. The following decades saw the company expand rapidly, merging with or buying other companies to create a broad portfolio that complements their coffees.
What’s Next?
Your tour of European coffee is going to be an enjoyable one. If you want a break along the way, though, you should check out America’s native Hawaiian Kona coffee or some of the most popular coffee roasters in California. And for a bit of that European energy mixed with American coffee ingenuity, I have to recommend my hometown’s Chicago coffee roasters.
