Coffee Beans vs. Espresso Beans: The Truth Behind a Common Misconception

Bre Forgione
Jan 6
2 min read

Walk into almost any grocery store or café and you’ll see bags labeled coffee beans and espresso beans, neatly separated as if they’re entirely different things. It’s one of the most common misconceptions in the coffee world—and one we love clearing up at House of Plenty.

So let’s set the record straight: there is no such thing as a coffee bean versus an espresso bean. They’re the same beans. The difference lies in how they’re roasted, ground, and brewed.

The Bean Is the Bean

All coffee starts the same way—as seeds from the coffee cherry, typically from either the Arabica or Robusta plant. These beans don’t come off the tree destined to become “espresso” or “drip coffee.” That distinction happens much later, and it’s entirely human-made.

In other words, espresso isn’t a type of bean—it’s a brewing method.

Why the Labels Exist

If espresso beans and coffee beans are the same, why are they labeled differently?

Most beans sold as “espresso beans” are roasted slightly darker than those marketed for drip or pour-over coffee. Darker roasts tend to produce flavors that hold up well under the intense pressure of espresso brewing—think chocolatey, nutty, and caramelized notes.

But this is a preference, not a rule.

You can absolutely pull a great espresso shot using a light or medium roast, just as you can brew a dark roast in a French press. The label is more of a suggestion than a hard boundary.

Espresso Is About Technique, Not Beans

What truly makes espresso espresso is:

Finely ground coffee
High pressure
Short extraction time

That’s it.

The same beans you brew in your morning coffee maker can be ground finer and used in an espresso machine. Conversely, “espresso beans” can be brewed as regular coffee if ground appropriately.