Balance Coffee vs Exhale Coffee vs Lavazza Coffee: Which Should You Choose

Deciding among Balance Coffee vs Exhale Coffee vs Lavazza Coffee is going to be tough.

Balance and Exhale are both health-focused speciality coffee roasters, while Lavazza is a 130-year-old Italian giant sold in nearly every supermarket.

The question is, which one deserves to be in your kitchen? 

I have drunk coffee from each brand.

By the end of this Exhale, Lavazza and Balance Coffee review…

You’re going to be clear on which is the best coffee for you.

Quick Comparison Table

Before going deeper, let’s see how Balance Coffee vs Exhale Coffee vs Lavazza Coffee stack up.

Why Trust This Comparison

I’m James Bellis, founder of Balance Coffee with 14+ years of experience in the coffee industry.

I have an SCA Coffee Skills Diploma and have built an SCA-adjacent framework, which all my tastings are based on.

And I’m frequently assisted by my taste testing team.

Other than that, I have sourced, roasted and reviewed enough coffee to know the difference between a great cup and an average one.

Balance Coffee is my company, and it appears in this comparison. 

But be assured that all three brands were assessed under the same level of scrutiny and protocol.

The goal is to help you find the best coffee beans in the UK.

If Balance is best for you, I have said so, and if it falls short somewhere, I’ve also stated that.

What Is Balance Coffee?

Balance Coffee launched in London in 2020.

After spending years in the coffee industry as a barista, I was convinced that…

Most coffee brands ignored what happened to beans between harvest and cup: 

Poor storage, long transit times, and sourcing that lets mould and pesticide residues linger.

I noticed no option that said, “Here are your clean coffee beans.”

So I built Balance Coffee to be that option.

Balance has since been featured in BBC Good Food and named “the best mushroom coffee” by the Independent.

And, in return, our feedback on Trustpilot is received with mixed feelings…

A 4.7/5 star rating from 600+ reviews makes me feel fulfilled and happy. 

Before moving forward with the Balance Coffee vs Exhale Coffee vs Lavazza Coffee comparison.

Take a closer look at Balance’s key features:

Who Balance Coffee Is Best For

Balance Coffee is a clean and organic coffee that gives you calm, steady energy.

Balance Coffee is best for you if you:

• Want mould and mycotoxin-free coffee that’s lab-tested by P.H. s.r.l. and TÜV SÜD.

• Want to explore a solid coffee range, from energy-focused roasts and pods to mushroom blends.

• Curious about cognitive-support ingredients like lion’s mane mushroom tinctures.

• Are tired of afternoon crashes, jitters, bloating, or stomach discomfort from regular coffee.

If you're ready to trade the jitters for calm, steady energy…

Shop Balance Coffee →

What Is Exhale Coffee?

Exhale Coffee was founded in October 2020 by a husband-and-wife team, Alex Higham and Kirsty Miller.

Both of them quit their corporate jobs to launch Exhale Coffee.

The catalyst behind this decision was personal.

Alex had spent seven years battling an autoimmune condition.

Exhale Coffee was built on what he learned rediscovering his health through lifestyle changes.

Which included switching to naturally healthier coffee.

Most roasting destroys the antioxidant compounds present in coffee.

Exhale tested 45 coffees and multiple roasting methods to find the combination that preserves the most antioxidants.

Since 2021, Exhale has been roasting speciality-grade, single-origin, some of the best organic beans in small batches at its Brixton roastery.

Before we go deeper into the Exhale Coffee review, take a closer look at Exhale’s key features.

Who Exhale Coffee Is Best For

Honestly, we all want the best organic coffee beans in the UK, and Exhale solves that problem.

Exhale Coffee is best for you if you:

• Want organic certified coffee that’s lab tested for purity.

• Are looking to get all the antioxidants Exhale Coffee offers. 

• Need a speciality coffee with a sustainable approach and a B Corp status.

• Don’t mind paying a premium price for a healthy coffee.

• Are happy with a limited coffee range of three single-origins.

If you’re ready to level up your antioxidants game…

Shop Exhale Coffee →

What Is Lavazza Coffee?

Luigi Lavazza founded Lavazza Coffee in Turin in 1895, and the family has run it for four generations since.

The Qualità Oro blend was Lavazza's very first blend, created in 1956, and it has never been changed since. 

It's sold in supermarkets across the world. 

It's the blend that represents "Italian coffee at home."

Who Lavazza Coffee Is Best For

Lavazza Coffee is a great, affordable and reliable everyday coffee.

Lavazza Coffee is best for you if you:

• Want a reliable, affordable, easily available everyday coffee.

• Want a blend of different varieties, all of them Arabica beans.

• Don’t care for organic certification or toxin lab reports.

• Need some delicious espresso coffee beans.

If all of these sound like just what you need…

Shop Lavazza Coffee →

Balance Coffee vs Exhale Coffee vs Lavazza Coffee: Taste and Roast Profile

Flavour notes and roast profile are the most essential characteristics in a cup.

If the roast is done precisely and the flavour is ten on ten, other flaws can be ignored.

Balance Coffee Taste and Roast Profile

Stability Blend is Balance Coffee’s flagship blend.

It combines washed Mexican beans from Finca Guadalupe Zaju (Chiapas) with washed Ugandan beans from the Rwenzori Mountains.

When you open the bag, the aroma of milk chocolate and a light nuttiness engulf you.

In blind testing, on my Sage Barista Pro, with a 36g yield at 29s extraction, Stability Blend formed a delicious espresso.

In a Hario V60, at 15g of coffee, it produced a flavourful filter coffee.

Think of hazelnut through the mid-palate with a soft fig sweetness on the finish.

When I added a dash of oat milk to form a flat white, it performed exceptionally.

The roast is precise: developed enough to avoid grassy underdevelopment, restrained enough to protect the fruit notes.

The body is rounded and smooth, and the finish clears cleanly without bitterness.

Exhale Coffee Taste and Roast Profile

Exhale’s flagship House Roast’s current lot is sourced from Inza, Cauca, Colombia.

It has a smooth, syrupy body that carries honey sweetness, crisp green apple, and mango, with brown sugar rounding out the finish.

The medium-to-light roast preserves the fruit-forward profile and the antioxidants found in coffee.

If we are talking about Exhale Coffee vs Balance Coffee, House Roast is lighter and brighter than Balance's Stability Blend.

As an espresso, it’s good coffee for every day brew.

But for a delicious cup, try a filter-style coffee or drink black, as recommended by Exhale.

However, keep in mind that Exhale rotates its sourcing for House Roast so the tasting notes change between harvests.

Lavazza Coffee Taste and Roast Profile

Qualità Oro combines six varieties of Arabica beans and still manages to give us a consistent cup.

In my Lavazza Coffee review, it surprised me with its floral and fruity character.

Think of florals and light fruit up front, a smooth, medium body, and a sweet, refined finish.

It has none of the harshness or bitterness you find with commercial brands.

It’s not as surprising or complex as a single origin.

But having the same consistency with six varieties bag after bag is the real strength.

Great as filter coffee, as I personally prefer, but good as a floral flat white as well.

Taste and Roast Profile: Which Is Better?

For pure sensory thrill, get yourself a cup of Exhale’s House Roast.

For its brighter, honey-and-orchard-fruit character from its current Colombian lot.

Balance's Stability Blend is an all-rounder, food-friendly, healthier and forgiving across brew methods.

Balance also has a six-strong range that gives it the widest variety of flavour profiles to choose from.

If we compare Balance Coffee vs Lavazza Coffee, Lavazza is the most consistent but the least complex.

But still a great option for a good medium roast blend that has an appeal as an everyday cup. 

Balance Coffee vs Exhale Coffee vs Lavazza Coffee: Customisation and Subscription Flexibility

When you have a great subscription, life can throw a hundred problems at you…

But running out of coffee won’t be one of them.

Balance Coffee Customisation and Subscription Flexibility

Balance Coffee offers whole bean, filter grind, or espresso grind on every coffee.

Sizes include 250g, 500g, and 1kg bags.

Balance also runs a quiz to match you to a blend based on your taste preferences and health goals.

The 9-coffee range, including mushroom coffee and tinctures, gives you more to rotate through than either competitor.

With Balance Coffee subscriptions, you can save up to 15%, and you can skip, swap, or pause deliveries at any time.

Balance also rewards you with product samples and gifts.

Exhale Coffee Customisation and Subscription Flexibility

Exhale Coffee subscriptions offer whole bean, medium ground, or fine ground, in 225g or 450g bags. 

Subscribers get 20% off for life, tracked next-day delivery, and can change coffee, grind size, or frequency.

You can delay a delivery or cancel outright, all from the account dashboard.

However, you have to send an email reminder three days before renewal.

Exhale also offers new customers a free 21-day trial bag before committing to a subscription price.

It is a lower-risk entry point than Lavazza or Balance.

Lavazza Coffee Customisation and Subscription Flexibility

Lavazza Coffee subscriptions are available through its site.

It offers 20% off on beans, ground coffee, and capsules.

Lavazza offers the flexibility to choose your order, adjust frequency and quantity.

You can also change, suspend, and resume your subscription whenever you want.

However, due to its scale, Lavazza is mostly bought off the supermarket shelves, so few customers use its subscription.

Customisation and Subscription Flexibility: Which Is Better?

Balance Coffee offers the most control with customisation: 

With three grind types across three sizes, 9 products to rotate through, and a quiz-led onboarding. 

Close behind is Exhale, with a similarly flexible subscription and the added safety net of a free trial.

And, between Exhale Coffee vs Lavazza Coffee, Lavazza works fine as a subscription, but it wasn't built around the subscription model.

So Exhale wins here, and Lavazza comes third specifically for flexibility.

Balance Coffee vs Exhale Coffee vs Lavazza Coffee: Price and Value

All three blends are at different price points, so it comes down to what you are optimising for in your day-to-day life.

Balance Coffee Price and Value

A 250g bag of Stability Blend costs £14.99 on a one-off purchase; it’s around £1.00 per cup.

It drops to around £12.32 per bag and £0.85 per cup on subscription.

A 1kg bag brings that down to around £0.57 per cup on subscription with free shipping.

Balance’s price is premium over supermarket coffee. 

Thinking about the value it provides, Balance Coffee prices are justified. 

For £14.99, it buys you ethically sourced, sustainable, speciality-grade organic beans and independent lab testing on every batch.

Exhale Coffee Price and Value

House Roast comes in two sizes: 

A 225g standard bag at £12.50 and a 450g double bag at £20. 

Subscribers get 20% off for life, but delivery charges apply.

However, ordering more than one bag in one delivery saves further on postage.

Which brings Exhale Coffee prices to around £10.00 on subscription. 

That's around £0.42–£0.67 per cup cost depending on size and subscription tier.

The free 21-day trial lets you test the product before paying anything at all.

For organic, antioxidant-rich coffee that’s also flavourful, it’s a steal.

Lavazza Coffee Price and Value

Qualità Oro gives the most value if you’re after an affordable coffee by a wide margin. 

It costs £6.50, which works out to roughly £0.20–£0.26 per cup.

With subscription discounts, Lavazza Coffee prices are even lower.

But Lavazza doesn’t have organic certifications or lab reports for mould free coffee when comparing Lavazza Coffee vs Exhale Coffee.

If you don’t care about toxin lab reports and certifications, that's a significant saving.

Price and Value: Which Is Better?

Value depends on what you need: 

If lab-verified purity and organic coffee matter to you, Balance and Exhale are solid choices.

Both reward subscribing and buying in bulk with lower per-cup pricing.

Exhale gives you a 21-day free trial, and Balance offers a 60-day money-back guarantee.

If pure cost per cup is your priority, Lavazza is the obvious choice.

Balance Coffee vs Exhale Coffee vs Lavazza Coffee: Health and Purity

Lifestyle choices shape your health, and coffee with its health benefits provides antioxidants.

So if you are drinking clean organic coffee, it’s good for your overall health.

Balance Coffee Health and Purity

Balance Coffee is known and praised for its speciality-grade, best clean coffee. 

It’s lab-tested for mould, mycotoxins, pesticides, and heavy metals by independent labs, including P.H. s.r.l. and TÜV SÜD.

Exhale Coffee Health and Purity

Exhale carries Soil Association organic certification and puts every batch through 9 rounds of independent lab testing.

For the same contaminants as Balance's, along with an antioxidant level check.

Exhale’s published lab comparison claims one brewed cup has the antioxidant power of 600 blueberries, 55 oranges, or 1.2kg of kale.

Lavazza Coffee Health and Purity

Lavazza doesn’t get its coffee lab tested when comparing Lavazza Coffee vs Balance Coffee.

Qualità Oro has no organic certifications or lab-tested purity.

Lavazza follows international food safety laws, and it's produced at a commercial, high-volume scale.

But it doesn’t work on a lab-verified coffee model.

Health and Purity: Which Is Better?

If you prioritise health and purity, Exhale Coffee and Balance Coffee are your best choices.

Both care about your health as much as flavour.Lavazza is behind on this criterion, but it’s still a solid cup.

Balance Coffee vs Exhale Coffee vs Lavazza Coffee: Pros and Cons

Balance Coffee: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Speciality-grade Arabica beans.

• Independent lab testing for mould and mycotoxins.

• Flexible subscription with exciting discounts, free shipping and 60-day money-back guarantee.

• Praised by BBC Good Food and the Independent.

• Sustainable and ethical practices.

• Works across almost every brew method.

Cons

• Ships to the UK and Ireland only.

• Priced more premium than supermarket coffee.

• Smaller brand with a shorter track record than Lavazza.

Exhale Coffee: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Organic and B Corp certified.

• 9 rounds of lab testing for contaminants and antioxidant levels.

• Free 21-day trial.

• Strong customer service reputation.

• 150,000+ direct customers.

• Media coverage including The Times and the Independent.

Cons

• Only three coffees to choose from.

• Priced at a premium.

• Antioxidant marketing claims need context to interpret correctly.

• Guarantee limited to one bag.

Lavazza Coffee: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Very low cost per cup.

• Available almost everywhere around the world.

• Over a century of brand consistency.

• Works across every brew method.

Cons

• No organic or toxin-free certification.

• Less complex flavour than Exhale or Balance.

• No direct sourcing transparency at the farm level.

• Subscription and customisation options are an afterthought, not the core model.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Balance Coffee worth it?

Yes, Balance Coffee is worth it for its speciality-grade Arabica beans sourced from the top farms. Balance runs its operation ethically, uses recyclable packaging, and gets coffee lab-tested for hidden mould, mycotoxins, pesticides, and heavy metals that are harmful to health.

Is Balance Coffee good for health?

Yes, Balance Coffee provides calm, jitter-freeenergy. Balance Coffee has toxin-free coffee and mushroom coffee that supports cognitive health and is gentle on the stomach. It’s for coffee drinkers tired of jitters, bloating and energy crashes looking to switch to a healthier coffee.

Where can you buy Balance Coffee?

You can buy Balance Coffee directly from its site at balancecoffee.co.uk with amazing subscription offers and discounts.

Is Exhale Coffee worth it?

Yes, Exhale Coffee is worth it for the taste, organic certifications and lab testing. 

Is Exhale Coffee good for health?

Yes, Exhale claims to have preserved a high number of antioxidants in its coffee, and according to research by C Zehiroglu, antioxidants are great for health.

Where can you buy Exhale Coffee?

You can buy Exhale directly from its official site at exhalecoffee.com and get a 21-day coffee subscription trial.

Is Lavazza Coffee worth it?

Yes, for a dependable everyday cup that’s highly affordable, Lavazza is worth it as it has Arabica beans.

Is Lavazza Coffee good for espresso?

Yes, Lavazza is good for espresso. Qualità Oro works well in a moka pot and is an everyday cup that you can rely on. At 5/10 intensity, its floral profile suits filter coffee just as well.

Where can you buy Lavazza Coffee?

You can buy Lavazza almost anywhere, including UK supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury's, Amazon, and directly through its official site at lavazza.co.uk.

Conclusion

In Balance Coffee vs Exhale Coffee vs Lavazza Coffee testing, all three delivered strong results.

Lavazza Qualità Oro is a sensible, affordable everyday coffee.

Exhale and Balance offer healthier choices to health-conscious, UK-based drinkers.

Exhale is organic certified but falls short on product range.

Balance offers more product flexibility and a broader range, including mushroom coffee and tinctures.

If you just want a dependable cup, Lavazza remains a safe choice.

If health, purity, traceability, and founder accountability matter more to you than price…

Go with Exhale’s House Roast or Balance’s Stability Blend.