Best Supermarket Coffee

Among supermarket coffee, Eight O'Clock squeaks in front

Almost without exception, experts and taste testers prefer freshly ground coffee to pre-ground products. Though these drinks require a coffee grinder (which start at about $20), and this extra step can take more time, a near-unanimous conclusion in reviews is that whole-bean coffee is far superior. Experts also recommend coffee made with 100 percent arabica beans, which produce better-tasting brews than products made with robusta beans.

Among supermarket coffees, the clear winner is Eight O'Clock Coffee 100% Colombian (*Est. $6 for 12 oz.). This medium roast is made from 100 percent arabica beans, and it is available in whole-bean and pre-ground varieties. The Eight O'Clock 100% Colombian is the top scorer in one major independent test, where it's described as "earthy," "fruity," and one of the best values for your money. Among the 19 coffees tested, Eight O'Clock's coffee beat out pricey Colombian roasts from Starbucks, Gloria Jean's Coffees, Peet's Coffee and Millstone. In addition, Eight O'Clock 100% Colombian gets a high score of 90 out of 100 at CoffeeReview.com, where Kenneth Davids describes it as having "balanced and well-integrated acidity" with a "silky mouthfeel."

User reviews are also positive. At RateItAll.com, a user-review site, the 100% Colombian coffee gets a rating of 4.25 stars from over 60 raters. "It brews up a rich, full-bodied cup with a slightly sweet edge and absolutely no bitterness," writes one reviewer. Most prefer the whole-bean variety, saying it provides a richer and more flavorful cup of coffee than the pre-ground version. Eight O'Clock Coffee's 100% Colombian roast gets only a handful of reviews at Amazon.com, but it enjoys a 4.5-star rating. Reviewers say the coffee is incredibly smooth and a great value. However, those who prefer dark roasts may find this coffee a little mild.  

Eight O'Clock coffee gets mixed ratings for its Original Blend (*Est. $6 for 12 oz.), a medium-roast arabica coffee that is available ground or as whole beans. It wins a blind taste test of five store-bought ground coffees conducted by The Evening News, a newspaper in Clark County, Indiana, where testers prefer the Eight O'Clock Original Blend to similar roasts from Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and Folgers. However, Kenneth Davids of CoffeeReview.com possesses a different opinion of Eight O'Clock Original, saying it "combined bitterly sharp mildew tones with rotten, compost-pile ferment." The Original Blend is not included in as many reviews as Eight O'Clock's 100% Colombian, and it attracts few user reviews.

One medium-roast coffee that is gaining popularity is Caribou Coffee's Colombia Timana whole-bean coffee (*Est. $13 for 16 oz.). Caribou Coffee is the second-largest coffee roaster in the U.S. after Starbucks, according to Caribou, and it recently began offering its products in various supermarkets across the country. Though it is relatively pricey for a supermarket coffee, especially compared to Eight O'Clock Coffee, reviews are good. The Colombia Timana roast performs very well in a recent independent test, where it's one of only three recommended coffees out of 19 tested. Kenneth Davids at CoffeeReview.com gives it an overall score of 89 out of 100, calling it "simple," but with a "round, rich aroma." Another selling point for this coffee is that it is a Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee, meaning that its production meets standards set by an independent coalition of nongovernmental organizations that aim to sustain the environment by limiting soil erosion, water pollution, and the use of harmful agricultural chemicals.

Tully's Coffee also gets good reviews for its House Blend (*Est. $8 for 12 oz.), a medium-roast coffee available ground or as whole beans. Tully's is a coffee roaster owned by Green Mountain Coffee. Real Simple magazine names Tully's House Blend the best whole-bean medium roast in its coffee taste test. Testers describe the roast as "buttery and silky." Tully's House Blend is also a favorite of testers at the San Francisco Chronicle, which conducts an informal taste test of five supermarket whole-bean coffees. Kenneth Davids at CoffeeReview.com gives Tully's House Blend a very high rating of 90 out of 100, recommending it for "those who appreciate subtle nuance in a satisfying, moderately dark-roasted blend."

For those who prefer the richness of a dark roast, Peet's Coffee Major Dickason's Blend (*Est. $14 for 16 oz.) is a top pick. This coffee, which is available in whole-bean or ground varieties, includes a blend of several types of coffee beans, although the beans' exact origins are not disclosed. In a taste test at Real Simple magazine, Peet's Coffee Major Dickason's Blend is named the best dark roast, with testers praising its "earthy, robust punch." Major Dickason's Blend earns an overall rating of 89 out of 100 at CoffeeReview.com, where Kenneth Davids gives the coffee good marks for body, flavor and aftertaste. He describes the coffee as smooth, saying he detects flavors of cocoa and cedar. Major Dickason's Blend also performs well in an older test of supermarket coffees at CoffeeReview.com, and Saveur magazine rates it one of the nine best coffees in a review of more than 100 brews.

However, some drinkers find Major Dickason's Blend's flavor to be too strong . Doug Cadmus, a coffee roaster who runs the blog Bloggle.com, describes it as a "pleasantly round-bodied cup," that "dances on the edge of too damn dark." Reviewers at Epinions.com, where the coffee earns a 4.5-star rating in only four reviews, describe it as strong and rich, without burnt notes or overpowering acidity. However, one reviewer here complains about an overwhelming earthy taste.

For those who like their coffee on the lighter side, Newman's Own Organics Nell's Breakfast Blend (*Est. $8.50 for 10 oz.) gets good scores in three taste tests. Nell's Breakfast Blend is roasted by Green Mountain Coffee under the Newman's Own brand, using a combination of Peruvian and Indonesian coffee beans to produce a light roast that is available ground or in whole-bean varieties. The coffee uses 100 percent arabica beans, and it's Fair Trade-certified and organic.

Saveur magazine tests 100 coffees before settling on nine favorites, including Nell's Breakfast Blend. "This excellent standby held its own against the pricier competitors we tested," notes one editor. Real Simple magazine also likes Nell's Breakfast Blend, naming it the best whole-bean light roast. Testers note hints of citrus and describe the coffee as "mild" and "refreshing." Nell's Breakfast Blend earns more praise from TheNibble.com, which lists it as one of its favorite Fair Trade-certified coffees. Reviewers like the smooth flavor, detecting traces of chocolate, but they note that it lacks complexity. Those who enjoy their coffee black might wish for a more complex flavor, according to this review. A number of reviewers at Buzzillions.com also note that Newman's Own coffee can be harder to find than some supermarket brands; it's available at some larger supermarkets and specialty stores like Whole Foods.

Another lighter roast, Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend (*Est. $8 for 16 oz.), was a Best Reviewed pick in our last report, but current reviews for this coffee are less positive. The Original Blend is made with 100 percent arabica beans and it's available in ground or whole-bean bags. Testers at one respected cooking magazine find the Original Blend to be thin and bitter.

Kenneth Davids at CoffeeReview.com is also disappointed in Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend, saying that the coffee is inconsistent, with some batches tasting better than others. "Some cups were flat and musty, others seemed additionally green and astringent, and some were rich with a rather pleasant apricot-toned sweet ferment," Davids writes. Dunkin' Donuts is also included in an informal taste test of five supermarket coffees conducted by the San Francisco Chronicle. The newspaper tests house blends from Tully's, Peet's Coffee, Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and Seattle's Best. Dunkin' Donuts comes in last in this review, with testers describing it as "thin, weak and lackluster."