1: Intelligentsia House Blend
Intelligentsia is a Chicago-founded roaster that’s become a widespread specialty coffee brand in grocery stores coast to coast. At $20 for a 12-ounce bag of whole beans at my local Brooklyn grocery store, Intelligentsia House Blend coffee can be considered an investment. The lack of a “roasted by” date on the bag, however, means freshness is a gamble. This tester ended up with a whisper of flavor with three months left on the “best by” date. It lacked any noticeable tasting notes, potentially due to an overstay in the grocery aisle. The Intelligentsia House Blend bag also lacks any tasting note descriptors or instructions whatsoever on the packaging.
Even with low expectations, the beans still produced a bland cup of coffee, firmly placing it in the “low” category. If you’re interested in drinking Intelligentsia coffee, I’d recommend heading to the brand’s coffee shops or purchasing a fresh bag straight from the roaster.
What to try instead: Groundwork
For specialty coffee from the grocery store, instead look for brands that include a “roasted by” date, such as Verve or Partners coffee. The closer to the roast date, the better, but because packaging helps protect coffee, it could take three to six months before flavor degradation results in a lackluster brew. Otherwise, Groundwork Organic Bitches Brew was a standout for deep flavor and its notes of dark chocolate and caramel even without a roasted date. It also includes a ratio of coffee to water on the bag for anyone who wants a launching point.
2: Maxwell House House Blend
The first sip of Maxwell House House Blend was bitter, and the progressive sips didn’t improve. Like other value-driven blends, this one tastes as if the manufacturer never expected anyone to drink it without copious amounts of cream and sugar. I don’t believe you should need to drown out the notes of burnt beans and organic fillers to make it drinkable.
The Maxwell House instructions recommend only 1 tablespoon for 6 ounces of water. Once the Maxwell House started to cool, the flavor was milder and less offensive, but I didn’t find it more enticing since any true tasting notes fell flat. I also noticed an acidity that made me nervous about a stomachache. For a household brand, I had hoped for a better showing.
What to try instead: Chock Full O’ Nuts Original
Avoid the kind of coffee that makes people say, “bean juice is not for them.” If you want an affordable, approachable can of coffee, reach for the original Chock Full O’ Nuts for a slightly sweet, mild variety. You could also reach for Lavazza Tierra Organic for a similarly priced medium roast or Café Bustelo for a more robust roast in a familiar canned packaging.
3: Great Value Classic Roast by Walmart
The Great Value Classic Roast brand is a generic offering akin to Folgers, where value and quantity are top priorities. I wanted to test this option since Walmart is one of the largest grocery store chains in the US and a staple at my parents’ house. That said, I’d best equate the flavor of this blend with church-basement or airplane coffee. The beans offer a burnt yet bland flavor that begs for extra creamer. Still, the sheer volume is hard to beat at 25.4 ounces per can. When it comes to coffee, I’m a pragmatist, not a purist, so I understand that some of us treat it as fuel rather than a specialty beverage. I’m here to say there’s a better way forward.
What to try instead: Whole Foods Early Bird Blend
Anyone looking for value should consider subscribing to Whole Foods Market coffee deliveries for an additional discount and savings on both time and gas. Great Value Classic Roast isn’t 100% arabica, so it likely contains cheaper, more caffeinated robusta beans. Another option is Café Bustelo espresso grounds for a rich cup that still packs plenty of kick thanks to its robusta blend.
4: Chock Full o’ Nuts French Roast
Chock Full o’ Nuts is, for many, an iconic grocery store coffee brand, yet it doesn’t have the ubiquity of Folgers or Maxwell House. My taste test revealed a slightly sweet finish and a very mild flavor. I anticipated a more robust cup of coffee; however, that wasn’t the case, despite the French Roast descriptor. The “best by” date on the can I purchased had five months remaining. Based on that alone, I can’t recommend buying this one if you’re expecting something hearty and deep-roasted, as the packaging suggests. The fact that it’s still quite drinkable means it’s a safer option than some others on this list.
What to try instead: Café Bustelo
If you’re looking to try a dark roast, then grab a can of Cafe Bustelo, which I detailed in full in the “best” grocery store coffee list above. It’s versatile, smooth and a true dark roast as an espresso blend. Of course, you can also stick with the original Chock Full O’ Nuts blend for a sweet yet nutty flavor in a canned grocery store coffee, too.
5: Eight O’Clock Original Blend
The Eight O’Clock Original blend ground coffee was passable, though uninspired. The medium roast shares a certain sweetness with Chock Full O’ Nuts but offers a more robust finish. I started with a small, half-batch since the bag recommends 2 to 3 tablespoons of coffee to 12 ounces of water. I then tried a full 2.5:12 oz ratio. The resulting brew was somewhat flat and acidic, with a thin body and a flavor profile that was immediately forgettable after each sip. The “best by” date on the bag was eight months out, suggesting that despite the manufacturer’s optimistic shelf-life projection, the quality had not held up.
What to try instead: Lavazza Tierra Organic
For something reasonably priced and available at big-box stores, try Lavazza Tierra Organic coffee. A ratio of 1 tablespoon of coffee to 6 ounces of water provided a robust flavor without bitterness, maintaining a heavier roast profile than the light roast, with full-bodied descriptors noted on the bag. Alternatively, you can rely on Caribou Coffee Daybreak Blend in the Midwest or Peet’s Coffee House Blend at most big-box grocery stores.
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