The Best Dominican coffee 2024

In case you’ve just heard about the Dominican Republic as a maker of top whole bean coffee products, know that you’re not alone. Most haven’t heard, much less tasted this single origin.

Below, we run through our favorites for this nation. But, if you’re in a rush, here’s our top pick when it comes to Dominican coffee:

Alternative Dominican Beans At A Glance

Dominican Coffee History

You rarely see “Dominican Republic” among the most in-demand coffee origins. In fact, you’re more likely to have tried ground coffee from Puerto Rico. Or even arabica beans from Jamaica.

To understand what it is today, we need to go through a short history of how coffee came to be in the Dominican Republic.

While the exact year differs for each account, but it was introduced in the 1700s by Spanish colonists. From here, coffee became one of the more popular crops for farmers in the region. By the 1800s, the Dominican Republic began to trade and export their coffee products at a larger scale.

Some accounts claim that Arabica was initially grown in Cibao, while later on, it spread throughout the region. Barahona followed, and now they’re part of the coffee-growing territory of the Dominican Republic.

You would think that for such a high-quality producer of rich, organic, arabica coffee beans, the Dominican Republic would be more well known. It’s incredible to note that while they do have quietly amazing whole beans, the country as a whole enjoys their products themselves vs export.

I believe that it’s awesome how the farmers know the taste of their own coffee. Dominican Republic roasted coffee isn’t one of the most famous sources for packed beans. But it is classified as perfect by many who have tried as some of the best coffee they’ve ever tasted.

Coffee has become so ingrained in their culture that they end up savoring their own coffees year in and year out. 

But hey, if you look hard, you can find some for yourself too! Below we take a look at some of our picks of the best Dominican Republic, organic, and direct trade beans we’ve come across!

4 Best Dominican Coffee Brands 2024

1. Volcanica Coffee – Dominican Roast Coffee, Red Honey, Organic

If you’re in a hurry, in our opinion, these are the best Dominican Republic coffee beans on this list.

The red honey processing method is used to bring out a brightness from fruity flavor notes when you brew. The farmer leaves some of the fruit on the bean as it drys on a raised bed. It then turns into a sticky mucilage that looks like honey. The result? Complex bright flavors that balance out the tasting notes mentioned above.

This medium roast coffee is great brewed black, but the nutty and chocolatey flavors also cut through milk quite well.

The best brewing method to really extract the flavor notes out of your ground coffee? Pour over. Want it a bit thicker? Try using it with your French Press for a rich and bold flavor from this single origin quality coffee.

2. Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC – Organic Dominican Republic Roast Coffee

One of the distinguishing characteristics of Dominican coffee is pleasantly light acidity. This pick is great sipped as black coffee because of the well-rounded acidity and sweetness of baked apples you’ll taste. This is likely a result of the processing method used for these coffee beans.

Grown in Cibao, these Arabica coffee beans have been produced and harvested sustainably. The family that runs the farm uses natural gas from fermenting discarded cherries. It’s knowing tiny, important details like this that make direct purchase transactions worth the effort!

I would use these at home or in a café to introduce a worthy sample of the Dominican Republic coffee industry.

3. Induban – Santo Domingo Roast Coffee 16 Oz Bag

For those of us who enjoy milk with our favorite cup of joe, this could be your next “best coffee” pick. It’s hard to go wrong with vanilla, hazelnut, and caramel flavors in your latte. These are typical flavors you can expect from Dominican coffee.

The Santo Domingo coffee 16 oz bag is available in case you’re quick to make a habit out of good coffee beans. This selection of medium fresh roasted coffee from the Dominican Republic is balanced and will work well with various recipes and brewing methods. 

Yes, even a long espresso shot can be as tasty as a cup from a french press.

If you’re the type to check out customer reviews, you’ll quickly find that this is a good, consistent product from the Dominican Republic coffee production industry.

4. Fresh Roasted Coffee – Unroasted Organic Dominican Republic Green Coffee

The market for people buying green beans isn’t as large as those buying fresh roasted coffee beans. Nonetheless, It is growing. And these beans are one example of why many home brewers might want to consider slowly getting into roasting.

Use these beans to play with the light acidity found in coffee originating from the Dominican republic. It’s somehow maintained even with a good body and a lingering, strong finish. This makes it able to satisfy many types of coffee drinkers.

Why get into roasting? 

Versatility. 

Imagine being able to enjoy the rich taste of these beans from your own roast! 

You get to be a coffee maker, choosing between light and medium roasts. Imagine the other side! What if these were dark roasted? You would lose the bright flavor notes you’re supposed to be tasting from the beans!

The Dominican Coffee Buyers Guide

Be it Cibao, Barahona, or Jarabacoa, let’s look at some additional information on why this coffee product from the Dominican Republic is little-known but world-class.

Why Is Dominican Coffee Popular?

Coffee from the Dominican Republic is popular because of its distinct flavor. Coffee beans grown in the Dominican Republic have characteristic light acidity, a full-body, and some spices like vanilla. They can be earthy or chocolatey, depending on the method and region they were grown in.

You can imagine how these flavor notes come together. Your cup of coffee should be good taken black or with milk.

These are capabilities only of high-quality coffee beans. This is an origin that could work perfectly in a café or a home setting. Their packed medium roasted beans would also work on everything from an espresso machine to a drip coffee maker.

And since the country’s climate and terrain are ideal for coffee, the Dominican Republic makes good coffee all year round. Whether ground or whole bean, you can trust their supply for a flavorful experience.

Typical Dominican Tasting Notes

Dominican Republic coffee, as mentioned above, is known from the distinct taste of their beans. They bring a distinct flavor relative to the coffee’s usual way it’s roasted – a medium roast.

The perfect Dominican cup has light acidity, nuttiness, chocolatey-ness, packed in a full-body, with a lingering finish for many coffee drinkers.

The coffee product of the Dominican Republic delivers all of this perfectly. The bonuses are that they’re also usually organic, and purchased by suppliers via direct trade. 

They have systems in place to protect their known producers. They’re as close to a coffee country as it gets, given production and consumption is both mostly internal. 

Primary Growing Regions In Dominican Republic

I briefly mentioned earlier that after coffee arrived in the country, it all really started in the region of Cibao. Barahona followed, with a few other coffee growing regions, and formed what is now known as Santo Domingo Coffee.

Dominican Republic organic coffees have good flavor because of the weather. The entire country experiences heavy rainfall and shade. This contributes to the slow-growth of coffee trees. 

Altitude also helps with high elevations helping to create the perfect conditions for allowing acids, carbohydrates, and other compounds in the Dominican Republic’s coffee to develop.

These conditions work together to produce what we know was the full-bodied, rich brew that we’ve come to love and appreciate. The consistency of the coffee product of the coffee growing regions in the Dominican Republic is world-class. 

The country’s fresh roasted coffee beans deserve more facetime in cafes and homes around the world, hand-picked and packed.

Brewing This Single Origin Whole Bean

To fully enjoy your medium roasted Santo Domingo Coffee throughout the year. Below are some guides on how o brew, but think of your preferences on your own for each coffee maker.

Method: Espresso Machine

Medium Roasted

Grind: Fine

Water Temperature: 92-94 degrees Celcius

You’re free to experiment with using milk or taking your Dominican coffee black this way. I’d imagine that the vanilla flavor note makes it pair nicely with full cream milk. Use mineral water to help your coffee maker extract the right flavors from the ground coffee.

Method: French Press

Medium Roasted

Grind: Medium-coarse

Water Temperature: 91-93 degrees Celsius

This method lets your boiling water cool down a bit more than others, mainly because of the 4-5 minute immersion. The chances are that your ground coffee product from the Dominican Republic will be able to handle the immersion and give you a tasty cup of coffee!

Method: Drip Machine

Medium Roast

Grind: Medium, medium-fine

Water Temperature: depends on the machine, but if free input is possible, use 90-92 degrees Celsius

There’s nothing like getting a Santo Domingo coffee 16 oz bag for your office. Once you share this coffee product from the Dominican Republic, it’s highly possible that you’ll pass on the appreciation of Dominican coffee. Make sure to get an even roast, so your ground coffee gives you good extractions.

Method: Pour Over

Medium Roast

Grind: Medium

Water Temperature: 94 degrees Celsius

Since this is the most manual brew method on this list, I suggest maybe getting a Santo Domingo coffee 16 oz bag to help you perfect your free pour. That’s enough ground coffee to help you familiarize yourself with Dominican coffee.

The Final Verdict

I personally prefer Volcanica Coffee’s Dominican Coffee Product from the Jarabacoa region. It’s organic, and you have the option of ordering whole or ground coffee.

Ensure that you buy fresh roasted coffee beans so that they’re primed (ideal for brewing) by the time they get to you!

Coffee beans are best brewed 10-14 days after roasting. Go for organic grown, high altitude, medium roasted variants of this product from the Dominican Republic.

Regardless if you choose Volcanica or Santo Domingo, you’re going to truly enjoy an often underrated product from the Dominican Republic.