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Consumer Reports Picks the Best Cup o' Brew

Our top-rated Colombian coffee is also a CR Best Buy
By ConsumerReports.org

Folgers, Maxwell House, and Starbucks are America's best-selling ground
coffees. But all three were iced by Eight O'Clock Colombian coffee in our
taste tests. As for Starbucks, it didn't even place among the top regular
coffees and trailed among decafs.

Our tests of 19 coffees also show that some of the best cost the least. At
about $6 per pound, Eight O'Clock costs less than half the price of Gloria
Jean's, Peet's, and other more expensive brands.

Like your joe without all the caffeine? Dunkin' Donuts and Millstone were
the front runners among the decafs. But Folgers Gourmet Selection Lively
Colombian came in close behind and costs up to $3 less per pound. But even
the best decaffeinated coffees couldn't match the best regular brews in our
taste tests.


What we tasted

Our coffee experts focused on 100 percent Colombian - a best-selling bean -
for regular coffee. Most of our decaffeinated coffees are a blend of
different beans.

What makes a great cup of Colombian? Lots of aroma and flavor, some floral
notes and fruitiness, a touch of bitterness, and enough body to provide a
feeling of fullness in the mouth. Woody, papery, or burnt tastes are
off-notes.

Weeks of sipping and swirling confirmed that even 100 percent Colombian
coffee and its Juan Valdez logo don't guarantee quality. Our trained testers
unearthed other surprises:


Still so-so after all these years

Chock full o'Nuts and Maxwell House have pushed coffee that's "heavenly" and
"good to the last drop" since 1932 and 1907, respectively. But off-notes,
little complexity, and, for Chock full o' Nuts, variable quality put both
behind Eight O'Clock.


When boutique isn't better

Midwest-based Caribou and Kickapoo beat an array of larger players among
regular coffees. But Bucks County Coffee, from Langhorne, Penn., tasted only
OK, and Peet's, from Berkeley, Calif., was burnt and bitter, despite costing
$14 per pound. Peet's, Archer Farms, and Kickapoo also varied from batch to
batch.


Caffeine differences

None of our decaffeinated coffees had more than 5 milligrams of caffeine per
6-ounce serving. But among regular coffees, Caribou and Bucks County had
roughly four times the caffeine (195 milligrams) of some of the lowest-level
brews. Medical experts say up to 600 milligrams per day is probably safe for
most and can help keep you alert. But heart patients and women who are
pregnant or nursing should stay below 200 milligrams, which might mean
sidestepping those brands among the caffeinated coffees we tested.


How to choose

Several of our top coffees could save you $25 to $70 per year over pricier
brands even if you drank just one 6-ounce cup per day. Here's what else to
think about:


Consider how you take it

Coffees judged very good taste fine black. Milk and sugar can improve a
mediocre coffee, but not even cream is likely to help the lowest-scoring
decafs.


Choose a good coffeemaker

The best coffeemakers from our January report reached the 195º to 205º F
required to get the best from the beans and avoid a weak or bitter brew. A
top Michael Graves model costs just $40.


Consider grinding for fresher flavor

Even the best pre-ground coffee can't beat the best fresh-ground when it
comes to taste. One top grinder from our January report, the Mr. Coffee
IDS77, costs only $20.


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