Lack of "excellent" coffee blends: Consumer Reports

Yahoo News/Reuters ^ | Tue Feb 2, 6:14 am ET | Marcy Nicholson;

[tflabo]

After tasting 37 different blended coffees, Consumer Reports couldn't find one that measured up to its "excellent" or "very good" ratings, the publication said Tuesday.

[tflabo]

Comments on how you Freeps like/drink your MoCo.

[ClearCase_guy]

I’m not a big fan of blends. I prefer Lagavulin.

[RoseofTexas]

Folgers works fine for me!

[ConorMacNessa]

French Market from Nawlins.

[svcw]

I wonder how they brewed the coffees.

My favorite coffee (currently) is Pike's. I am partial to South American coffees, Asians are ok, African coffees to earthy for me.

[B Knotts]

How can you rate something that is, at least to some extent, as subjective as coffee preference?

IMO, Peet’s Major Dickason’s Blend is “excellent.”

[bcsco]

Seldom visit the coffee stores, but when I do, it’s Caribou, not Starbucks. And even then, I’ve yet to find a coffee at one of their stores that’s better than Eight-O-Clock French Roast Whole Bean that we buy at our grocery for far less money.

Not to say the EOC is great coffee, but it suits us, and is as good as what the ‘elite’ shops offer.

[US Navy Vet]

McDonalds and Burger King Coffee works for me.

[Schnucki]

Lavazza!

[Aria]

I have a cup of Peet’s Major Dickason’s right next to me. My very favorite.

[printhead]

The NY Post ran a survey not so long ago. Eight O’Clock won hands down. At half the price of the designer blends and that whole ritual of grinding your own and finding a clear Pyrex percolator at a garage sale for $2, I tend to agree. Freegards,

[crymeariver]

Viva LaVazza!!!

[halo66]

Dunkin Donuts for me!

[AndyJackson]

For real men:

[tflabo]

Hey I like Eight O’clock brand too. I grind the beans in the store at purchase. Like coffee piping hot so after brewing it gets micronuked for 45 sec more. Add cream and voila....

[ctdonath2]

Blends? why? Get small-batch beans that have real character, not some lowest-common-denominator blend. There’s a whole spectrum of coffees out there, not just “coffee” full stop. Going with java blends is like going with “flowers”, while not caring about roses & carnations & lilies & etc. Homogenization destroys character.

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is really good.
Just finished a bag of Tanzinian Peaberry this morning.

Go to sweetmarias.com for a savory spectrum of options.
Target actually carries a good store-brand array of specialty/small-batch coffees.

Blends? No wonder Consumer Reports can’t find anything that stands out - high-volume blends by definition squelch anything that stands out. Go to Target and pick a small bag of beans with a name you can’t pronounce - that will be way better than industrial-grade monotony.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

I’m fond of Trader Joe’s French Roast. Very good coffee for those like the strong black blends, cheap, too.

[ClearCase_guy]

I just picked up a bottle of Laphroaig Quarter Cask. It sounds intriguing, but I haven’t sampled it yet.

[Matchett-PI]

"The NY Post ran a survey not so long ago. Eight O’Clock won hands down."

Eight O'Clock 100% Columbian, to be exact.

[Dinah Lord]

Community Coffee.