Ground Coffee

Ground coffee reviews are mixed

Reviews for pre-ground coffee are mixed. Almost all reviewers prefer whole-bean coffee to ground, but grinding beans every morning adds an extra step to the process, and can be messy. One review likes pre-ground Dunkin' Donuts Original 100% Arabica (*est. $8 per pound), but we didn't find many other recommendations for it.

The Today Show's food editor, Phil Lempert, called Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend (*Est. $8 per pound pre-ground) smooth and mellow, and declared it not only the best coffee in America, but also a "best buy" 100% Arabica coffee. However, it's not clear whether Lempert was tasting the ground version, the whole-bean version or even the prepared coffee available at Dunkin' Donuts outlets. CoffeeReview.com's Kenneth Davids had reservations about the coffee, despite the numerous nominations he received to review the blend. He said that the product was inconsistent, with some batches tasting better than others. Most samples had a "classic American" taste.

In the eight-brand pre-ground roundup of coffee from Cook's Illustrated magazine, one only brand even passes muster -- Chock full o'Nuts 100% Colombian (*est. $4 for 12 ounces) -- which "tastes like diner coffee." The other seven ground coffee brands, including Folgers, Maxwell House and Starbucks, aren't recommended at all. Cook's Illustrated didn't test the pre-ground version of Dunkin' Donuts coffee, though they did try the whole-bean version.

There are two main types of coffee beans -- better tasting and higher quality Arabica and lesser quality, cheaper Robusta beans. Many less expensive ground coffees are a blend of the two. Some are all-Robusta. In reviews, coffee varieties using Arabica beans (usually Colombian Arabica) are higher rated overall.

Despite being outsold by Folgers, Maxwell House Original (*est. $4 per pound) is described by CoffeeReview.com as the best of the ground Robusta bean supermarket coffees. Kenneth Davids of the CoffeeReview.com says that Maxwell House escapes this characterization, and actually shows "at least a little nuance and no sewery taint whatsoever." It is deemed a relatively clean cup of coffee, with a sweet aroma. In a consumer poll on favorite coffee conducted by Money Magazine and AOL, Maxwell House came in second to Folgers. It is not hard to find brand loyalists debating whether Folgers or Maxwell House is the better coffee. In other reviews, Folgers and Maxwell House are interchangeable, both receiving average to low ratings compared to others. The 100% Columbian versions of both (as opposed to the Robusta original blends) are rated a bit better overall.