Consumer Reports Ranks the Best Ground Coffees
Eight O'Clock Coffee beats out Starbucks and Folgers in Consumer Reports' coffee taste test
Great tasting ground coffee doesn't have to cost a bushel, according to a new taste test by Consumer Reports.
Eight O'Clock Coffee 100 percent Colombian bested Folgers and Starbucks to take the top spot in the magazine's coffee taste test of 19 ground coffees. The results can be found in the March issue of Consumer Reports.
"At the very top was Eight O'Clock -- Eight O'Clock Coffee -- your grandmother's A&P brand," Bob Markovich, the magazine's home and yard editor, tells AOL Food. "And it was also the least expensive, and by that I mean that it was like half the price of the other two that scored at the top."
Testers found the fruity and earthy tastes of Eight O'Clock coupled with its price -- $6.28 per pound and 15 cents per cup -- makes it the best value overall. Markovich said coffee lovers can save about $350 a year just brewing their java at home.
Caribou Coffee Colombia Timana -- $11.76 per pound, 36 cents per cup – and Kickapoo Coffee Organic Colombia -- $14.33, 40 cents -- followed in second and third. Both were noted for their fruity flavors.
"What made them good is they tended to be fragrant with floral and earthy notes, so this is the kind of coffee you can drink even when it's black," Markovich said. "When you start to go down the list of stuff that isn't as good, you're going to probably want to add milk or sugar or cream."
Starbucks and supermarket staples Maxwell House and Folgers disappointed testers.
Testers were surprised to find that the caffeine amounts among the brands varied wildly. Folgers Coffeehouse Series, which fell flat among the caffeinated brands, had only 50 mg per cup, while number two ranked Caribou topped the caffeine scale tying Bucks County Coffee Co. at 195 mg per cup.
"It could be an issue if you're a heart patient or a woman who's pregnant or nursing because the medical authorities tend to say that you should pretty much keep it below about 200 mg intake per day of caffeine," Markovich said.
Among decaffeinated brands, Dunkin' Donuts Dunkin' Decaf came out number one, but only ranked "good" on the taste-test scale.
"Three of the decaffeinated were only fair, and that's pretty lousy," Markovich said. "When we say something's fair, it's really unimpressive."
Well, there YOU have it coffee lovers. Don't know about YOU, but, I will try the Eight O'Clock Coffee. Right now, we drink Dunkin' Donuts regular ground coffee. Sometimes, we get a pound or so of a Barnies Blend .
Personally, I probably drink more tea than coffee. Green, red, oolong, black and white tea are the pick of the litter for teas. A little honey or cinammon and they are good to go.
"Coffee or Tea, Drink The Best",
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