Coffee Review

Introduction to Coffee

Blind taste tests are the basis for the most credible taste tests of supermarket coffee. The best reviewers, including Consumer Reports and Cook's Illustrated magazines, take pains to prepare coffee the exact same way with each coffee -- grinding the beans in the same grinder and brewing coffee using the same coffee maker, with the same water.

Consumer Reports tests the largest sampling of nationally available coffee varieties, including 42 regular, decaf, whole-bean and ground coffees. However, only two taste testers contributed to the ratings. Cook's Illustrated doesn't test nearly as many coffee varieties (eight whole-bean coffees plus eight pre-ground supermarket coffees), but 25 taste testers are used. Furthermore, Cook's Illustrated tasted whole-bean coffees black, but also with added milk.

We found several reviewers that treat coffee like wine, adding tasting notes referring to a coffee's smokiness and citrus notes. One such expert is Kenneth Davids; author, consultant and co-founder of CoffeeReview.com, Davids conducts two separate review-roundups in search of the best supermarket coffee brands. These reviews are clearly aimed at coffee aficionados, and the opinions are those of just one or two expert testers rather than a larger group of coffee drinkers, but the reviews are balanced and critical.

As you might expect, not all reviewers liked the same coffee, and sometimes, different varieties within a brand achieved different ratings. Consumer Reports found that high-priced coffee wasn't necessarily favored by taste testers. Expensive Kona coffee (from the Big Island of Hawaii) didn't rate as well as many non-Kona coffee varieties. Another common thread in reviews was a mixed response for Starbucks coffee (now available as beans or pre-ground in supermarkets). Whole-bean Starbucks coffee (*Est. $10 for a 12-ounce bag) (*est. $10 for a 12-ounce bag) generally finishes higher in taste tests than pre-ground Starbucks coffee (*est. $10 per pound). At Cook's Illustrated, testers liked Starbucks Original Roast whole-bean coffee. Several testers liked its chocolaty flavor and smokiness, but others found it to taste burnt. The pre-ground Starbucks coffee, however, did far worse in tests at Cook's Illustrated and elsewhere. At Cook's, testers found it to have a ''burnt plastic flavor,'' and that it ''smells like a forest fire.''

At the other end of the price spectrum, the best-selling coffee in the U.S. is Folgers (*Est. $4 per pound) . However, Folgers wasn't a standout in tests. Cook's Illustrated's tasting panel found it to be ''bursting with charcoal flavors, and nothing else.'' In Kenneth Davids' test of 40 supermarket coffee varieties, Folgers finishes at the bottom of the pack, flanked by Starbucks and Maxwell House (*est. $4 per pound). Folgers is called "at best nutty, midtoned, rather monotoned" by Davids.

Eight O'Clock coffee (*est. $5 for a 12-ounce bag) is another coffee that gets mixed results, and like Starbucks coffee, the scores for whole-bean Eight O'Clock coffee are much better than ratings for its pre-ground coffee. But even the bean version polarizes experts. While Eight O'Clock is one of only two coffees rated "very good" by the two Consumer Reports testers, Eight O'Clock Original finishes dead last in the opinion of Kenneth Davids. Similarly, Chock full o'Nuts (*est. $4 for 12-ounce bag) is the least favorite whole-bean coffee (out of eight tested) at Cook's Illustrated -- but the same publication also judged Chock full o'Nuts pre-ground coffee to be the "least offensive" among eight brands, including Starbucks and Folgers.

The conflicting results aren't too much of a surprise; every office seems to be as full of Starbucks fans as detractors. And as with most foods and beverages, your own taste buds make the ultimate call. For our report, we've worked to identify those coffee brands that usually rise above others in taste tests. Many specialty, small producers and regional coffee brands aren't included in this report. It's worth trying locally roasted brands, which in many articles are said to taste better overall than any national-brand coffee.