Coffee Reviews

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Coffee Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Coffee Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. Cook’s Illustrated >> Details/Subscribe	Coffee - Tasting Supermarket Whole Bean Coffee Editors of Cook’s Illustrated June 2003		Twenty-five kitchen staffers taste eight different samples of whole-bean supermarket coffees brewed at regular strength. Some coffee brands are deemed deep and smoky, others light and chocolaty, and some of them bitter and burnt-tasting. Dark roasts fare the worst, while light roasts Green Mountain Roasters and Eight O’Clock are chosen as the best coffees. Nearly two-thirds of the kitchen staffers normally drink coffee with milk, so the test was again conducted, but this time adding warm milk to the coffee. Results are strikingly different, with the dark-roasted Starbucks House Blend and Millstone’s Colombian Supremo ranking at the top. This article shows that how you drink your coffee and what roast level you prefer are lead determinates in what coffee you will like best.
2. Cook’s Illustrated >> Details/Subscribe	Is Supermarket Coffee Worth Drinking? Editors of Cook’s Illustrated June 2003		In the companion report to Cook's Illustrated's test of whole-bean coffee, editors also evaluate eight pre-ground supermarket coffees, including Starbucks, concluding that pre-ground coffee in general is barely worth drinking. For the test, all coffees are brewed at the same strength and tested black. The only coffee that scraped by as the "least offensive" was Chock full o’Nuts.
3. Consumer Reports >> Details/Subscribe	Coffee: In search of great grounds Editors of Consumer Reports Dec. 2004		Forty-two regular and decaffeinated Colombian and Kona coffees are taste-tested by two experts. Editors find that whole-bean coffee usually tastes best, and that not all coffees from the same label are good. Testers also say that high price doesn’t guarantee quality, and that coffee-shop brands aren’t necessarily better. Additionally, the Kona coffees tested didn’t live up to their expectations or their price tags.
4. Coffee Review	Pursuing Quality at the Supermarket Kenneth Davids June 2003		Kenneth Davids, co-founder of CoffeeReview.com, explores 40 coffee blends purchased in national chain and specialty stores in the New York City area. The highest-rated coffee, Bucks County Fair Trade Guatemala, is available for purchase in select specialty markets on the east coast. Detailed reviews are given to several well-known supermarket brands including Folgers, Maxwell House, Starbucks and Eight O’Clock coffee.

Coffee Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Coffee Ratings Comments on Reviews

5. Coffee Review	Supermarket Coffees Kenneth Davids May 1997		Kenneth Davids purchases both canned and bulk coffees from national supermarkets in the San Francisco Bay Area and Trader Joes, and subjects 12 brands to a blind tasting. In the end, he concludes that canned coffees can’t compete with bulk whole-bean coffees such as Millstone. He states that the commercial canned coffees don’t deliver the same dramatic flavor notes or intriguing depth as specialty coffees, but concedes that they also are devoid of any "dramatic fault." Folgers Coffee House French Roast tastes a bit better to Davids than the other canned/ground coffee varieties. Interestingly, Eight O'Clock is deemed the loser and of "wretched quality." Davids even found a small rock in the coffee.
6. Cook’s Illustrated >> Details/Subscribe	The Truth About French Roast Editors of Cook’s Illustrated May 2002		Editors at Cook’s Illustrated put to test nine of the most popular national brands in the French roast category. All of the beans are ground using the same technique and served immediately. The test was conducted three times, and reviewers were asked to rate aroma, body, flavor and acidity. Chock full o’Nuts was consistently liked, while Millstone was one of the only coffees rated consistently at the bottom.
7. Coffee Review	The Fair-Trade Cup: Quality and Controversy Kenneth Davids and Lindsey Bolger Sept. 2004		Twenty Fair Trade coffees are tested twice in blind taste tests by both Kenneth Davids and Lindsey Bolger. Of the 20, ten attracted ratings of 86 or better in reviews that read a lot like wine-tasting notes. Many of the coffee varieties sampled are unavailable in national supermarkets, but Green Mountain Yirgacheffe is among the top-rated. Green Mountain coffee is available in some national supermarkets, but there is no guarantee that a particular variety will be sold in all locations.
8. Coffee Review	Fair-Trade Coffees: The Controversy and the Cup Kenneth Davids Sept. 2007		This is another good article and roundup of Fair Trade coffee. Allegro Rwanda Karaba Fair Trade is highest-rated overall out of the 12 samples. The accompanying article is also helpful in explaining the latest controversies over Fair Trade labeling.

Coffee Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Coffee Ratings Comments on Reviews

9. Food & Wine Magazine	Taste Test: Coffee Ray Isle Lily Barberio Feb. 2006		Food & Wine editors present a list of favorite coffee varieties, though it's not clear how many were tested or how many taste testers were involved. Only boutique coffee blends are listed and none of these are available nationally in supermarkets. The only supermarket coffee noted is Starbucks, which editors say is their “hands-down favorite." But it's not clear if others were tried.
10. TheNibble.com	The Best Organic Coffees: What you drink can change the world Editors of TheNibble.com Nov. 2006		Editors at foodie website TheNibble.com conduct blind taste testing of several Fair Trade and/or organic coffees. Coffees were freshly ground and brewed in a machine with a gold filter. Green Mountain Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is deemed "one of our favorites," but none of the coffees are ranked. There's good information here on organic and fair trade policies and designations.
11. Today	How to Perk Up Your Morning Cup of Coffee Phil Lempert Jan. 2004		The Today Show’s food editor Phil Lempert gives a short but interesting overview of types of coffee, along with the results of personal taste tests and preferences. The most important advice here is to avoid Robusta beans, which are of lesser quality than Arabica beans. Lempert's top pick is the harder-to-find Illy brand, followed by Dunkin’ Donuts Original Blend, both of which use all-Arabica beans. However, it's sometimes not clear if Lempert is testing beans that are ground and brewed at home or prepared coffee.
12. Real Simple	The Best-Tasting Supermarket Coffees Editors of Real Simple Dec. 2003/Jan. 2004		Real Simple editors taste test non-flavored coffee, grouping the results into four categories: 100% Colombian, Blends, Decaffeinated and Dark Roast. Two of the three categories are won by Starbucks coffee varieties. No information is given regarding how many coffees are tested, who the judges are or what the judging criteria is.
13. The Nation	The Results Are In… Liza Featherstone Aug. 2006		The article reveals the results of a taste test of Fair Trade coffees judged by four panelists of differing backgrounds. The blind taste test was conducted by brewing each coffee in a French press for four minutes and then consuming it black. Judges were asked to rate each coffee based on its body, acidity and balance. Though none of the coffees judged are available in supermarkets, the results are interesting because the top two coffees were of the same variety as Green Mountain Organic Fair Trade Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, top-rated in a separate review.
14. Farsiu.com	Cheap Coffee Ratings Sina Farsiu Not Dated		Sina Farsiu says she decided to post coffee ratings based on her own personal experience because she felt other review sites were tainted by their business affiliations. Some of the coffees she reviews are not available in national supermarkets. Peet’s Major Dickason’s Blend was the only one of 21 coffees reviewed to receive an "A" rating. This is an interesting site, but the reviews are primarily for Peet's and Trader Joe's coffee, so it is very limited in scope.

Coffee Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Coffee Ratings Comments on Reviews

15. Money/AOL Online Poll	Best Coffee: Home Brews Put to the Vote Online reader poll Not Dated		Money Magazine and AOL poll readers on their favorite supermarket coffee brand. Poll results confirm industry sales data, with Maxwell House ranking second and Folgers ranking first. These results, however, are not supported in other taste tests and reinforce the notion that brand recognition plays a major role in coffee selection.
16. RateItAll.com	Coffee Reviews Contributors to Rateitall.com As of Feb. 2008		Readers are invited to rate products here. Some coffee varieties, such as Dunkin’ Donuts, receive more than 50 ratings while others receive only a single review. Peet’s, Eight O’Clock and Caribou all receive good reviews, though these reviews do not differentiate between specific blends from each company.
17. Amazon.com	Reviews of Eight O’Clock and Millstone Coffees Contributors to Amazon.com As of Feb. 2008		Consumer reviews at Amazon.com provide information that can be used to reinforce expert opinions. However, not many coffee brands are sold at Amazon.com, and readers haven't yet left many reviews. Furthermore, individual preferences vary, and most readers compare coffee to only one or two other brands.
18. Epinions	Coffee Reviews Contributors to Epinions As of Feb. 2008		Reviews for coffee at Epinions illustrate the prevalence of brand loyalty among consumers, but sometimes the individual reviews are helpful.