Products · Coffee · Death Wish Coffee Company

Death Wish Coffee Organic Espresso Roast Ground Coffee (14 oz)

Organic arabica-robusta espresso roast listed by USDA. Mamavation’s lab found no pesticides, mold toxins or PFAS, and Lead Safe Mama found no metals in 2024 but 6.89 ppb cadmium in 2025. No roast date or farm named. About $1.43 an ounce.

Best for Strong-coffee drinkers who want an organic bag with outside lab results and can live without a named farm or a roast date.

Our rating: Good (3.5 of 5)
Price range: Mid-range
Verified marks: USDA Organic (QAI)
Size: 14 oz bag, ground (whole bean also sold)
Made in: Arabica and robusta beans from India, Peru and other South and Central American countries, made at its Round Lake, New York site, per the maker; no farm, co-op or harvest is named

approx. $19.99 for a 14 oz bag (ground or whole bean)

See it on Death Wish Coffee Company’s site → (opens in a new tab)

We are not affiliated with Death Wish Coffee Company. This link goes to the maker’s own page, with no tracking code. How we're funded.

Also sold at Walmart ($17.48 for the 14 oz ground bag), Amazon ($17.48 from Death Wish itself ($14.00 from the default third-party seller)) .

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How we evaluated it

How it scores Our rating, metric by metric Good, 3.5 of 5

Beans & farming 25% of the rating 3 of 5

USDA’s listing names Espresso Roast Coffee in ground and whole bean, and the maker says the beans are Fair Trade Certified, but no farm, co-op, region or harvest is named, only India, Peru and “other countries” in South and Central America.
Independent testing 35% of the rating 4 of 5

Two outside labs found it clean in 2024: Mamavation saw no pesticides, mold toxins, mold or PFAS, and Lead Safe Mama found no lead, cadmium, arsenic or mercury. A 2025 retest of another lot found no lead, arsenic or mercury but 6.89 ppb cadmium, about 0.09 µg in a cup, and the maker publishes no tests.
Roast & packaging 15% of the rating 3 of 5

Whole beans are sold, but none of the pages we read (maker, About, help, Amazon, Walmart) mentions a roast date or best-by date, or what the bag is made of.
Trust 10% of the rating 3 of 5

No Prop 65 notice or CPSC recall names it and it makes no mold-free claim; its one FDA recall (2017) was of canned nitro cold brew. It gives little detail on where the beans come from.
Value 15% of the rating 4 of 5

About $1.43 an ounce at the maker’s $19.99 for 14 oz, or $1.25 at Walmart, in the middle of the range here ($1.33 to $2.42 an ounce at the makers’ prices).

The rating, 3.5 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank coffee and our standard.

Where to buy Stores and the prices we saw 2 stores

Walmart (opens in a new tab) approx. $17.48 for the 14 oz ground bag. Sold and shipped by Walmart.com (a second seller, UI Wholesale Hub, lists it at $14.00 on the same page). About $1.25 an ounce, $2.51 less than the maker’s own price. The page says USDA Organic and Fair Trade Certified beans.
Amazon (opens in a new tab) approx. $17.48 from Death Wish itself ($14.00 from the default third-party seller). Death Wish Coffee Co. sells this listing at $17.48, shipped by Amazon. The default buy-box offer on 3 November was a third-party seller, SAFM Corp, at $14.00, and we could not tell how fresh that stock is. Death Wish’s help page tells buyers to check that the seller is Death Wish Coffee Company and says its money-back guarantee excludes unauthorized sellers.

Prices as we saw them on November 3, 2026. They change often. These links carry no tracking code and earn us nothing.

What’s in it Every ingredient, in label order 1 ingredient

Organic arabica and robusta coffee beans (the maker’s page says “USDA Organic and Certified Fair Trade arabica and robusta”; Amazon’s listing for this bag gives the ingredient as “USDA Certified Organic Coffee Beans”)

Who tested it What each test found, and who paid for it 4 tests

Paid certification USDA National Organic Program, through QAI (a certifier Death Wish pays) October 2026

Lists Death Wish Coffee LLC as a certified organic handler (status effective 20 January 2016, profile updated 31 October 2026, anniversary date 23 July 2027), with Espresso Roast Coffee in ground and whole bean forms among its products. Organic rules cover farming inputs and handling, not mold toxins, heavy metals or pesticide residue levels. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Independent Mamavation (a consumer site that earns affiliate income; it listed no discount code for this brand); EPA-certified labs August 2024

Tested the ground Espresso Roast in its original retail packaging (Mamavation says the coffees were purchased between January and May 2024, some of them donated by readers) and had the dry coffee, not a brew, tested: not detected for 40 PFAS compounds, 500+ pesticides, aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, mold and yeast. One bag, size and lot not stated. Its heavy-metal numbers are behind a free sign-up we did not use. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Independent SimpleLab, for Lead Safe Mama (community-funded; the site earns affiliate income) August 2024

Report A4XJWU on the 14 oz ground bag (collected 23 July, reported 1 August 2024): arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury all not detected, at detection limits of 6, 3, 1.5 and 1.5 µg/kg (USP 232/233 method). Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Independent Purity Laboratories (Lake Oswego, Oregon), for Lead Safe Mama (retest, not crowd-funded; the site earns affiliate income) September 2025

Case 2509168 on lot 2025-209 (received 11 September, tested 16 September, completed 18 September 2025): cadmium 6.89 ppb; arsenic below 10, lead below 5 and mercury below 5 ppb (ICP-MS). Lead Safe Mama took the coffee off its “safer choices” list over the cadmium but called the level very low, just over the 5 ppb detection threshold it uses for most of its testing. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Who paid, and why it matters

Independent The tester took no money from the maker for it: a consumer group, a journalist, a university or a regulator.
Paid certification An outside lab or certifier tested or listed it, and the maker paid for that.
Maker’s own test A lab report or certificate of analysis the maker commissioned and published.

A certification is a floor, not a verdict: it checks what its program checks and nothing else. We weigh tests by someone with no stake in the result most.

What people ask Worries raised online and elsewhere, and what we found 7 questions

Is it mold-free or toxin-free?: Death Wish does not claim it, and its pages mention no testing. Outside labs did look: Mamavation’s 2024 test of this coffee found no aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, mold or yeast (Mamavation (opens in a new tab)), and ConsumerLab’s answer on mold in coffee repeats that result and names Death Wish among the brands (ConsumerLab (opens in a new tab)). That was one bag. For scale, a 2024 systematic review (opens in a new tab) found ochratoxin A in 54.6% of 3,256 coffee samples, and only two of its 40 studies reported a roasted-coffee average above the EU limit. See our mold-toxin guide.
Why did Lead Safe Mama take it off its safer list, and does the cadmium matter?: Its first test (July 2024) found none of the four metals. Its retest of lot 2025-209 (September 2025, Purity Laboratories) found cadmium at 6.89 ppb and lead, arsenic and mercury below 5, 10 and 5 ppb. Lead Safe Mama keeps only products with no detections, so it dropped the coffee while calling the level very low (retest post (opens in a new tab)). Per cup: Death Wish’s caffeine figure assumes 2½ tablespoons of grounds in 6 oz of water (Amazon listing (opens in a new tab)), about 12 g at the 5 g a tablespoon that Peet’s directions (opens in a new tab) use, so a cup holds about 0.09 µg of cadmium and a 12 oz mug about 0.17 µg, even if every bit reached the cup, which it does not. No limit that we found applies to cadmium in roasted coffee: Clean Label Project (opens in a new tab) says the US and its states set no contaminant limits for coffee and lists no EU limit for cadmium in it. Lead Safe Mama’s 5 ppb yardstick comes from the proposed Baby Food Safety Act of 2021, a baby-food bill (2024 post (opens in a new tab)). For scale, California’s Prop 65 level for cadmium and reproductive harm is 4.1 µg a day by mouth (27 CCR 25805 (opens in a new tab)), more than 20 times what a 12 oz mug holds. No lead was detected in either test. See our lead guide.
Is organic coffee free of pesticide residue?: No. Clean Label Project (opens in a new tab) found AMPA, a glyphosate breakdown product, in every organic coffee it tested in 2025. It tested Death Wish’s Medium Roast, not this Espresso Roast, and that coffee is not among its 16 cleanest (list (opens in a new tab)). Mamavation’s 500+ pesticide screen of this one reported none.
Is the cheaper Amazon seller the real thing?: On 3 November the Amazon listing’s default offer was a third-party seller, SAFM Corp, at $14.00, while Death Wish Coffee Co. sold the same listing at $17.48, shipped by Amazon. Death Wish’s help page (opens in a new tab) says to check that the seller is Death Wish Coffee Company and that its money-back guarantee excludes unauthorized sellers. We cannot tell whether SAFM is authorized or how fresh its stock is; Walmart sells the bag itself at $17.48.
Is it really “the strongest coffee”?: The Espresso Roast page gives about 170 mg of caffeine in a 6 oz cup and says it blends robusta, which is naturally higher in caffeine, with arabica. Our coffee page covers who should limit caffeine.
Has the company had recalls or lawsuits?: FDA lists one recall: Death Wish Nitro Canned Cold Brew (11 oz) in October 2017 over possible Clostridium botulinum, since terminated (openFDA (opens in a new tab)). We found no California Prop 65 notice naming it and no CPSC recall (checked again on 3 November 2026). We did not search court records.
Where do the beans come from?: The maker’s About page (opens in a new tab) says its everyday roasts use USDA Organic and Fair Trade Certified arabica and robusta from India, Peru and other South and Central American countries. It names no farm, so the Fair Trade claim is its own word; we did not open a Fair Trade registry.

Why we chose it What put it on our list 4 points

Two independent labs tested the dry coffee in 2024 and found it clean: Mamavation for 500+ pesticides, mold toxins, mold, yeast and 40 PFAS compounds, and SimpleLab for Lead Safe Mama for lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury.
We report the retest too: a 2025 lot had 6.89 ppb cadmium, about 0.09 µg in a 6 oz cup, and no lead above the 5 ppb the lab could detect.
USDA’s Organic Integrity Database lists Death Wish Coffee LLC (certifier QAI) with Espresso Roast Coffee, ground and whole bean, among its products.
It makes no mold-free or toxin-free claim, and sells the same coffee as whole bean.

Trade-offs What to weigh before you buy 4 points

It publishes no test of its own. The outside results are single bags: 2024 clean on every measure, 2025 with a trace of cadmium that took it off Lead Safe Mama’s list.
No roast date, farm, co-op or harvest is stated, only “India, Peru and other countries”. Fair Trade is the maker’s claim.
It is an arabica-robusta blend with about 170 mg of caffeine in a 6 oz cup, per the maker.
Amazon’s default seller is a third party at $14.00; Death Wish’s own Amazon offer and Walmart both charge $17.48, $2.51 under the maker’s price.

What to know Details worth knowing first

Death Wish is best known for very strong coffee, and this organic Espresso Roast is a dark arabica and robusta blend. USDA’s organic database lists it, and outside labs have tested it for pesticides, mold toxins and heavy metals.

In 2024 Mamavation’s lab found none of 500+ pesticides, no aflatoxin or ochratoxin A, no mold or yeast and no PFAS in the ground coffee, and Lead Safe Mama’s lab found no lead, cadmium, arsenic or mercury. A September 2025 retest of another lot found cadmium at 6.89 ppb, which is why Lead Safe Mama no longer lists it, though it calls the level very low. By our arithmetic a cup holds about 0.09 µg of cadmium, and we found no limit for cadmium in roasted coffee; no lead was detected in either test. We show both results rather than the better one.

What is missing is the maker’s own paperwork: no test of its own, no farm or roast date. Organic does not mean residue-free either (see organic vs. conventional). If you want a roaster that names its farmer co-ops, look at the Peace Coffee page; for the lowest price per ounce, Peet’s.

What we checked Each claim, and how sure we are of it 6 checks

How Death Wish Coffee Organic Espresso Roast Ground Coffee (14 oz) measures up against our coffee criteria
What we checked	What we found
Published lab tests Verified	None from the maker. Mamavation (2024) and Lead Safe Mama (2024, retest 2025) tested it; both reports are linked under sources.
Organic or residue-tested Verified	USDA’s listing for Death Wish Coffee LLC (NOP ID 5520267556, certifier QAI) names Espresso Roast Coffee, ground and whole bean. Mamavation’s lab also found none of 500+ pesticides.
A roast date Not verified	Not stated on the product, About, caffeine, help, Amazon or Walmart pages we read. We have not held a bag.
Chemical-free decaf Maker’s claim	Not applicable: this is a regular coffee.
Hot coffee kept off plastic Not verified	Sold as ground or whole bean in a bag, so nothing hot touches the packaging. We could not find what the bag is made of.
Notices and recalls Verified	One FDA enforcement record (2017, canned nitro cold brew, terminated). No Prop 65 notice or CPSC recall found on 3 November 2026.

What the labels mean

Verified We opened an independent record that confirms it: a certifier’s listing, a regulator’s list or a lab report. It is linked under Sources.
Maker’s claim The maker says so on its own page or label. We read it but found no independent record.
Not verified We looked and could not confirm it, or the maker does not say. Treat it as unknown.

Sources Where our facts come from 16 sources

Death Wish Coffee: Espresso Roast Coffee product page. Maker’s page. Seen 2 and 3 November 2026: $19.99 for a 14 oz bag, ground or whole bean; USDA Organic and Certified Fair Trade arabica and robusta; about 170 mg of caffeine in 6 oz. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Death Wish Coffee: About. Maker’s page. Source for the India, Peru and South and Central America sourcing statement and the Round Lake, New York site. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Death Wish Coffee: help and FAQ. Maker’s page. Opened 3 November 2026. Its notice on unauthorized sellers says to buy from the seller named Death Wish Coffee Company and that the money-back guarantee excludes unauthorized sellers. No mention of testing or roast dates. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
USDA Organic Integrity Database: Death Wish Coffee LLC. Certifier or regulator listing. Re-opened 3 November 2026. Certified handler, QAI, status effective 20 January 2016; the product list includes Espresso Roast Coffee, Ground and Whole Bean. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Mamavation: premium coffee tested for PFAS, mycotoxins and 500+ pesticides (August 2024). Test report. Independent test of 11 retail coffees at EPA-certified labs; Death Wish’s ground organic espresso roast is in its “best” list. Mamavation earns affiliate income. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
ConsumerLab: Is it true that most coffee is contaminated with mold? (updated 24 June 2024). Test report. Free answer page that summarizes Mamavation’s study and names Death Wish among the coffees tested. It is a summary, not a second test. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Lead Safe Mama: Death Wish Organic Ground Espresso Roast lab report (August 2024). Test report. Re-opened 3 November 2026, with the SimpleLab report image (A4XJWU, collected 23 July, reported 1 August 2024). Lead Safe Mama earns affiliate income. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Lead Safe Mama: 2025 retest of Death Wish Espresso Roast (December 2025). Test report. Re-opened 3 November 2026, with the Purity Laboratories report image (case 2509168, lot 2025-209, tested 16 September 2025) and Lead Safe Mama’s two-year comparison table (the 5 ppb cadmium row is labeled a proposed 2021 action level for items ingested by children). Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Clean Label Project: coffee study, August 2025 (57 coffees, 45 brands). Test report. AMPA in every organic coffee. States that the US federal government and all states have no contaminant regulations for coffee and lists the EU limit for cadmium in coffee as none established. Death Wish’s Medium Roast was tested; the Espresso Roast was not named. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Clean Label Project: coffees tested in its 2025 study. Test report. Lists Death Wish Medium Roast (bag) among the 57; it is not in the Clean Sixteen. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
California Code of Regulations, title 27, section 25805: Proposition 65 specific regulatory levels. Certifier or regulator listing. Opened 3 November 2026. Cadmium, reproductive toxicity: 4.1 micrograms a day (oral). Used only for scale. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
A worldwide systematic review of ochratoxin A in coffee products (Massahi et al., 2024). Independent source. PMID 39259858. Abstract opened and checked again 3 November 2026: 40 of 254 articles; OTA found in 54.6% of 3,256 samples; two studies had roasted-coffee averages above the EU limit. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
openFDA: food enforcement reports, recalling firm Death Wish Coffee. Certifier or regulator listing. Searched 2 and 3 November 2026: one record (F-0028-2018), a 2017 recall of canned nitro cold brew for possible Clostridium botulinum, terminated. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
California Attorney General: Prop 65 60-day notice search (violator “Death Wish”). Certifier or regulator listing. Searched 3 November 2026: 23 loose matches (such as Deathgrip, Three Wishes and Swish), none naming Death Wish. An earlier search by the first pass for “Wish” and “coffee” also found no notice. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Walmart and Amazon listings for the 14 oz ground bag. Independent source. Opened 3 November 2026. Walmart $17.48, sold and shipped by Walmart.com. Amazon (B09XGB219K): default offer $14.00 from SAFM Corp; Death Wish Coffee Co. sells it at $17.48, shipped by Amazon. Amazon’s ingredient line: USDA Certified Organic Coffee Beans; directions: 2½ tablespoons. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Amazon listing: Peet’s Organic French Roast ground, 10.5 oz (directions). Independent source. Opened 3 November 2026. Directions: 2 tablespoons (10 g) of ground coffee per 6 oz of water, used only to turn tablespoons into grams. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Alternatives Other options to compare 3 options

Peace Coffee Birchwood Organic, with three named farmer co-ops. Ranked among Clean Label Project’s 16 cleanest of 57 coffees, but no result is published by the maker.
Peet’s Organic French Roast Ground Also clean in Mamavation’s 2024 test, at about $1 an ounce, with a Freshest By date that Peet’s sets 365 days after roasting; no metal figures.
Purity Coffee FLOW Publishes a lab report for mold toxins, but costs about $29 for 12 oz.

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