Maxwell House Decaf Original Roast

Maxwell House Decaf Original Roast is a good -- if basic -- decaf coffee, according to taste tests. It's the top scorer in one test of seven decaf coffees, and tasters generally praise its smooth, mellow flavor that lacks the chemical aftertaste present in some decaf coffees. Maxwell House's Original Roast used to include robusta beans, which are cheaper and regarded as inferior in quality, but Maxwell House switched to using arabica beans in 2007. It's sold in pre-ground cans, and while it gets high marks when compared to other decaf coffees, reviewers say that decaf coffees generally don't taste as good as their caffeinated counterparts. If you prefer a caffeinated brew, we found good reviews for Eight O'Clock Coffee 100% Colombian (*Est. $6 for 12 oz.), which is also relatively affordable and contains caffeine.

The Maxwell House Decaf Original Roast is included in two quality taste tests conducted by Cook's Illustrated magazine and ConsumerReports.org. Both publications pit the coffee against other decaf coffees. Though its testing methodology is less detailed, Real Simple magazine also includes the Decaf Original Roast in its taste test of caffeinated and decaf coffees.