Quest for the Best
May. 13, 2009 8 Comments Posted under: coffee review
I’ve recently read a few articles on which coffee is “the best.” There’s this article in Food and Wine magazine on the Top Ten Boutique Roasters. And then I read this from Consumer Reports and I got to thinking…
Now y’all know I love my coffee. I’m always trying different bags of beans in search of the perfect taste. So I decided to chronicle my taste test adventures as I go. This is all in the interest of science, you understand. 
Here are the ground rules. I don’t have the money to buy any fancy equipment and probably wouldn’t be able to figure out how to use it if I did, so I’ll be using my Mr. Coffee machine with plain tap water. I do put a fresh charcoal filter in the machine every month. I use whole beans and a portable home grinder and unbleached filters.
First up is Consumer Reports favorite, the Eight O’Clock Bean 100% Colombian (by coincidence it was B1G1 last week at Publix, so one bag cost me approximately 3 bucks, a great deal if the coffee lives up to its billing).
The good: A great nutty flavor and low acidity. It’s not astounding in its flavor, but there’s definitely nothing to complain about.
The bad: It gets stale quickly. I find this to be the case with all mass produced coffees…they’re not necessarily roasted any time recently and have a long shelf life, so you may or may not be getting a fresh product. I try to use a bag in a few days (not really a problem in our house).
Final thoughts: Consumer Reports didn’t lead me astray. The coffee was good. I tend to like a richer explosion of flavor, but at $3 for this bag of beans, I’d definitely buy it again.
Thanks to my sweet friend Jill for my new red mug! She knows me well…
This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 at 5:12 am and is filed under coffee review. You can leave a comment and follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Sierra Donovan said:
May. 13, 2009
Steph,
So, are there more coffee reviews coming? I’ll be looking for the next installment!
I’ll admit to being a coffee lowbrow — I buy mine pre-ground. In a further confession … I actually like WalMart’s store-brand “Great Value” Arabica blend. I’d be curious to see how it would fare in your taste test…?
Stephanie Newton said:
May. 13, 2009
Hey Sierra,
If you like it, that’s what matters!
I’m definitely planning more installments! I’ll add the GV brand to my list. And really, it’s all my opinion, totally subjective.
Jennifer Shirk said:
May. 13, 2009
I think 8 O’clock bean is good. But I’m always looking for a great cup of coffee, too.
Stephanie Newton said:
May. 13, 2009
Hi Jennifer! Glad to hear you’re another coffee lover!
I’m so pumped about these coffee reviews…a great excuse to buy mooooore coffee!
Hollie Hunter said:
May. 13, 2009
New England Coffee is really good. You can catch it on sale at Bruno’s from time to time. The Hawaiian Macadamia Nut is great and even better when you mix it with the Chocolate Cappuccino.
Squid said:
May. 13, 2009
My mum is FAMOUS!! Wahoo!!
- syd
Stephanie Newton said:
May. 14, 2009
Hollie,
I’m pretty sure we have New England Coffee at my corner store…I’ll check it out! Thanks for the rec. Does it come in whole bean?
Cecelia Dowdy said:
Jun. 1, 2009
Hmm. I don’t have a bean grinder at my house. If I can get it already ground, I might buy Eight O’clock when I go to the store the next time. You’re the second person who’s mentioned the consumer report – about Eight O’clock being good coffee- so I might try it.