Best coffee...okay, best coffee for the money

[battlemaiden]

We are trying to save a little money this month. We are set in our coffee ways. But we would like to know if there is a good off the shelf brand of coffee.

 

Do enlighten. :D

 

Thanks.

 

Jo

[happygrrl]

I am with you, but am such a snob that I can only drink a few kinds of coffee any more. My solution? Drink the expensive stuff but cut the # of cups in half (or more). For me, that means 2 cups a day now, soon to move to 1. It will make my oooooh so good coffee 75% cheaper to use.

 

(Until it rains for days on end, and I freak out and drink coffee all. day. long.)

 

Sigh. Not real helpful, I know. Sorry.

Edited June 3, 2010 by happygrrl

[Karen in CO]

I like Yuban - fair trade dark roast. Safeway puts it on special for $8 for 2 lbs once every 6 weeks or so. So I buy my limit. It is the only shelf brand I like and the only food I stock up on. Also the natural food store, sells bargain bags of their coffee grounds for about 30% less. I guess these are what's leftover before they put in fresh beans.

[Janie]

I usually find it for about $7.25.

 

We really like the rich taste without the bitterness.

 

It's the only kind I buy now.

[Tap]

We like Costco's Seattle's Best.

[MDMom]

I'm pretty picky when it comes to coffee. If you have access to a Costco, they have a Kirkland Signature brand of coffee that is roasted by Starbucks. It's really good and a little over $10 for a 2 pound bag. Yum! I'm drinking some now :)

[Margo out of lurking]

Consumer Reports last year rated Eight O'Clock coffee as the top taste with the lowest price, giving it a "Best Buy" award. Here's a link to an article. We've bought this for a few years, but I load up with enough creamer that I can never tell anyway. :)

[Country Mouse]

My dh prefers Eight O'Clock coffee and we get rave reviews when we serve it to guests. It helps to start with good tasting water - we use distilled.

[J-rap]

Melita. They don't carry it everywhere, because it's more considered a "specialty" coffee. You would likely find it in a higher-end grocery store, not a Walmart or Target. However, it really is not anymore expensive than many other coffees, and it's stronger -- so you don't need to use as much. It comes in a can.

[Jennifer in MI]

Do you have a Trader Joe's? They have an organic Breakfast Blend that is fantastic! It's very smooth. It's not super cheap, but I did what a pp did - I cut my coffee consumption so I could justify it!

[justamouse]

Costco or Trader Joe's.

[battlemaiden]

Thanks everyone! This was helpful.

 

Jo

[Guest Solid Ground]

For great coffee, it's in the preparation I believe.

I grind my beans fresh for my morning cup using whatever I can find organic or sometimes non-organic but flavored like hazelnut.

 

Then I use a Krups espresso machine to brew a cup. This fresh brewing of just-ground coffee results in a creamy, silky, golden top covering to the dark, full bodied delicacy below.

 

Follow up with chocolate and you have a satisfying start to your day!:thumbup:

[SusanAR]

I'm pretty picky when it comes to coffee. If you have access to a Costco, they have a Kirkland Signature brand of coffee that is roasted by Starbucks. It's really good and a little over $10 for a 2 pound bag. Yum! I'm drinking some now :)

 

 

I rreally became a coffe snob when we lived in Indonesia:001_smile: But we, too, have cut back on coffee expenses in the lasst year or so. Kirkland is what I use now too. I recently bought their coffee from Papua New Guinea- can't wait to try it.

[Georgia On My Mind]

We are pickey also but don't like the bitterness of the dark roast and only like Starbucks when it is frapped up with cream and sugar. Our home favorite is also "Yuban" for many many years and Publix in our area runs it BOGO about every 6 weeks or so. It has a smooth not bitter taste. I believe its Arabica beans. We are purest and don't enjoy flavored coffees. We use a drip maker and use 3-4 scoops per 8 cups. We only use half and half or sometimes black. I will try Trader Joe's when I can get there (hour drive away we make about 3 times a year) and the Costco (45 minutes away but worth a trip occasionally). Sometimes on Saturday or Sunday we use a French press for a stronger coffee flavor. Ummmmmmmm................. All this talk of coffee means I am going to have to make some soon. It's 6:00 AM in GA. I love the smell of brewing as much as the taste.:drool:

[Jyniffrec]

Melita. They don't carry it everywhere, because it's more considered a "specialty" coffee. You would likely find it in a higher-end grocery store, not a Walmart or Target. However, it really is not anymore expensive than many other coffees, and it's stronger -- so you don't need to use as much. It comes in a can.

 

:iagree: I can't find it here where I live so I drink Dunkin Donuts coffee, but I might try the Eight O'clock brand now.

[TXMomof4]

Consumer Reports last year rated Eight O'Clock coffee as the top taste with the lowest price, giving it a "Best Buy" award. Here's a link to an article. We've bought this for a few years, but I load up with enough creamer that I can never tell anyway. :)

 

I was suprised at how much I liked this coffee. We drink hazelnut coffee and this was the only one available whole bean. It really was pretty good. Not out of this world good, but not bad.

[Ellie]

Mr. Ellie just buys Folgers. He's tried all the fancy-schmancy brands and keeps coming back to Folgers. He gets compliments all the time from our guests, too, who are surprised that they're drinking Folgers.

[hornblower]

Kicking Horse whole bean - organic, fair trade. 1lb is usually around 14 but I often get it on sale for $10.

 

Dh likes KickAss. I like Three Sisters & Pacific Pipeline.

 

http://kickinghorsecoffee.com/store/products.php?cPath=41

 

I don't like any of the ground supermarket stores in a can (or the hard brick). If I can't have good bean coffee, I just go straight to instant Maxwell House Original. Much cheaper & honestly tastes the same as the cheapie drip brands.

 

I'm hearing good things about Starbucks instant but it's not as cheap as good ole Maxwell House.

[Baseball mom]

Chase & Sanborn coffee is good in my opinion. I had never tried it until my mom was talking about it being on sale at Walgreens. She said it was good. So I tried it and it was.

[Unicorn.]

Mr. Ellie just buys Folgers. He's tried all the fancy-schmancy brands and keeps coming back to Folgers. He gets compliments all the time from our guests, too, who are surprised that they're drinking Folgers.

 

:iagree: Folgers family here too. Tried others, keep coming back like Mr. Ellie! It comes in different Roasts, and is a lot cheaper than what others here have mentioned.

[Surlygirlie]

I'll back up others suggestions of Yuban--the dark roast. I'm not an ultra coffee snob, but this one is pleasant but dark tasting without being acrid.

 

I can score 33oz for $5.99 when stores have a sale and I have a coupon.

[cjbeach]

Since our financial pinch I've taken to buying the Mega size Folgers in the Blue tub and doctoring it up with spices (I love pumpkin spice ANYthing so that's my usual). During the holidays I bought cheap coffee and doctored it up with Gingerbread spices.

I have scored "better" coffees cheaply at Big Lots. I love some of the coffee samples they sell and have purchased the flavorings there in the past.

 

Oh, Hillbilly Housewife has a lot of cool make-at-home recipes of convenience items. And somewhere I have saved a Pumpkin Spiced Latte recipe.

Edited June 4, 2010 by cjbeach

[Lilymax]

I was trying to cut back on my Starbucks at home habit, and tried Folgers Black Silk. I didn't like it at all!

 

Surprisingly, my favorite cheap coffee is Pilon. Not every store carries it, but it's nice and strong without that bitter edge. It's all my husband drinks and he was a serious coffee snob for years! It's a finer grind, and the package says "espresso" but it is not bitter like other dark roasts.

[LizzyBee]

I really like Folger's Columbian Blend. To me, it's better than many much more expensive varieties we've tried.

[Liz CA]

My dh prefers Eight O'Clock coffee and we get rave reviews when we serve it to guests. It helps to start with good tasting water - we use distilled.

 

We like various choices from TJ's.

[Desert Rat]

My dh drinks Yuban. It's at Costco for a reaonable price. I don't drink coffee. :)

[LuvToRead]

I admit we drink Maxwell House most of the time. It's not great, but DH and I drink a lot of coffee and would go broke otherwise. I could not cut down to 1 cup a day. :)

 

Eight O'Clock is the most premium brand you can find in my area. I buy Eight O'Clock whole bean for special occasions. We tried Duncan Donuts but didn't really care for it. I did pick up some a bag of Sam's Choice at Sam's that was actually pretty good.

 

I, too, agree that great coffee has a lot to do with preparation. I prefer to grind my own beans. Plus, the hotter the water in your coffee maker, the better. I've heard French Presses make the best coffee, but I've never tried it.

[yslek]

Costco's Seattle Mountain Blend (or their special limited-time blends--some of these have been just fabulous!) or Trader Joe's. Dh and I prefer Medium roasts. I always buy whole bean coffee and grind right before brewing. I use an Aeropress, which makes delicious coffee in single-serving sizes. :)

[Tutor]

My dh recently started roasting his own coffee to safe money. However, he does not use his self-roasted coffee exclusively when brewing. He'll line the bottom of the filter with the "good coffee" then measure out the proper amount of "cheap coffee" (he used the decaf WalMart brand) to make a pot. Before the started roasting his own, the "good coffee" was either Starbucks or a free trade coffee he'd get from the farmer's market.

 

He gets quite a few compliments on his coffee... and I compliment his thriftiness. :)

[Sumiller]

My dh prefers Eight O'Clock coffee and we get rave reviews when we serve it to guests. It helps to start with good tasting water - we use distilled.

 

:iagree:

 

I buy the smaller bags (11oz) of Eight O'Clock Columbian whole beans. I use spring water and grind the beans fresh for each pot. I get compliments from all coffee lovers! :001_smile:

[kalanamak]

My dh recently started roasting his own coffee to safe money.

 

You can roast your own in a hot air popcorn popper. You can find one of them cheap at a used store.

[Lilymax]

French presses do make a huge difference in the flavor! It's all we've used for years, and everyone who has a cup becomes a convert. :)