The Best USA 🇺🇸 Grocery Store Coffee
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- čas přidán 18. 05. 2024
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Learn To Taste Coffee (Playlist): • How To Cup (Taste) Cof...
I have to say - I was thrown by how tricky this was, and by how much the comparative tasting messed with my head, and made coffees seem different compared to what they were being tasted alongside.
This episode was supported by my Patreon.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:55 Round 1
7:12 Round 2
10:22 Quarter Finals
12:02 Semi Finals
13:06 Final Round
14:20 The winner
15:30 The brain takes a delicious coffee bath
15:57 Notable coffees/Recommendations
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To address the Philz controversy: I didn’t realise they weren’t widely available. It was heavily suggested in the Patreon poll to pick the coffees, so I presumed it had decent distinction US-wide. My apologies! I also don’t think I understood the massive grocery variation by region (coming from a small island). Feel free to pick your own winner from the top 4! Regardless - I hope this was a fun video!
It's widely available in California, which is probably why they suggested it. Seems your Patreons skew heavily towards California haha
CANADA eh! 🇨🇦 runner up!😁
Cafe Bustelo is not widely available outside of South Florida (for good reason).
EDIT: I see I was wayyyyy wrong about Bustelo's reach in the US. I had no idea it was available nationwide. Living in Miami and knowing just how bitter it is, I thought it would only work in markets where "coladas" reign supreme.
I wouldn't consider Philz the same category. Philz started as an artisan coffee shop in San Francisco. It grew quickly and is becoming widely distributed. I've seen it across the US major cities. I was even surprised to find a shop open in Chicago.
Never heard of the winner either and i'm in the states (but on the East coast) but don't generally buy coffee from the grocery store. I commonly see New England Coffee though that wasn't represented here.
As a Starbucks employee who hates Pike Place, seeing James wince at a slurp of it is all I’ve ever wanted
I always recommended people get the Veranda blend in its place!
Tasting notes: fish, cigarettes
100% the correct reaction to Pike tbh
@@knickly OMG I swear I smell fish. I’m not alone!
I tried Pike Place years ago and was shocked how bad it was. Not at all pleasant to drink. I agree with James, Veranda Blend is decent.
I thought it was very funny that he consistently described the Canadian coffee as "friendly" 🍁
Yeah, and it also tastes of apologies, he just didn't pick up on that.
This was shocking! Never thought our "national" 🍁 brand would be the runner up.
@Phillip Banes It's common in the US, even available at Walmart. Much more common in the US than the other featured coffees are here in Canada.
@Phillip Banes You see it everywhere in the northern US(Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, etc)
First time I ever had Tim Hortons was in Niagara, New York.
@Phillip Banes Canadians rock! If you think it's a myth, then the problem is most likely with you LOL.
Wait can we just take a moment to admire the beauty of the cut from taste test James to editing James? That was amazing
yeah, went back to rewatch that a few times. so smooth 😂
@@JonNelsonCycling also note that instead of putting the gold play button behind the set to show it off to viewers, this button is in the editing suite. Like it’s a testament to the crew that makes this channel great. I might be reading too much into that, but I choose to believe that this is a classy channel
Many of these are available as whole beans. I’d love to see a remake with only the whole bean versions. Tip: 8 O’clock puts the roasting date on the bag. Get the freshest. If your favorite brand doesn’t have a roasting date, pick the bag with less air space. Air means old beans.
I definitely think Seattle's Best would fare better as whole bean. Their ground coffee has an abnormally fine grind and that makes it bitter.
@@pilotcriticI have been buying Seattle’s Best for a few years now and have been tasting a decline of flavor! I just read that Starbucks sold it to Nestle! Well I need to find a new coffee!
For the longest time, you could grind the 8 O'clock right in the store. That was my mom's favorite - and boy did that aisle of the store smell amazing.
@@jeandiatasmith4512 Brings back great memories, my friend.
As I work corporate for one of these manufacturers, I have been waiting for us to be trashed by James for so long :)
well today is your day, you go bask in it, have a prepackaged biscotti to celebrate
Thank You, had a good laugh on that comment, needed that.
Here's some cream, just in case they've run out in the break room.
"i have been waiting for us to be ROASTED by James...'
Out of interest, do you know if the stuff in the retail bags is the same coffee is served in stores?
Yeah I think that Philz coffee had an unfair advantage because it’s obviously a local whole bean roast, and was thus far fresher and better than all the blends. Not really a “grocery store coffee” there.
But I think it does make the point that the best grocery store coffee experience you’re likely to have is something locally produced and whole-bean. That’s been my experience where I currently live in Colorado, for sure.
@isaacgraham5727 what are your favorite coffees here? i’m in denver
@@yumitemple3507 That’s a great question! My favorites at the moment would probably be…. Ozo coffee, specifically their Isabelle espresso blend year round and whatever their seasonal blend is. I was really obsessed with their “Cozy Cabin” blend over the winter, and hope they bring it back.
Huck Coffee is another great local local micro-roaster I’ve had good experiences with. Also this new local brand of coffee called “Drive” packaged in gas cans has shown up at King Soopers lately and I’ve tried their Baja and LeMans blends with positive results.
dang that's so helpful thank you!@@isaacgraham5727
In the western US, there's a regional no-frills grocer called Winco Foods, and they sell private label coffee in bulk for $8 a pound. It's roasted in Portland OR, which is where I live, and moves fairly quick, so I've found it's one of if not the most reliable ways for me to get good whole bean coffee locally.
Philz may have, but it's some of the best coffee I've had.
I understand James' astonishment about Tim Hortons. I swear, they CANNOT be using their own coffee at their chain locations.
Yes they use their coffee, what I found on my trips to Olean , NY for work was this. If you order a large doubledouble you get the best ever cup of coffee, IMHO. But one morning on the way to work and a stop for a Lrg dbldbl, they said they were out of creamer and would put the creamer and sugar in the bag. No issue right? Wrong, mixed up a dbl dbl with what they gave me and guess what........................just a mediocre cup of cofffee. It's the creamer and 10 years later I still can't find out or mix things to make it taste so good.
The problem with Tim's coffee is that they burn the ever living hell out of it in the stores.
Tim Horton's changed their coffee supplier years ago. I notice that the label on the coffee in this video said "Original Tim Horton's" (or something like that), suggesting that it is indeed the old variety and not the new variety served in the shops. According to a quick google, the old supplier is now the source for McDonald's, which helps explain why McD's now tastes so much better than I remember in my youth.
I've had to buy Tim' ground coffee in the store before, I found it quite different brewed at home.
@@mjdryden I suppose it would taste OK there if you got it fresh out of the coffee maker.
As a Canadian who doesn’t really like Tim’s, I still couldn’t help but shout “that’s my boy!” every time that cup went through
Brazilian owned brand.
It has to be different in the states, or in store they fuck it up because I was waiting for him to tear it apart.
Same!!!
same
@@mussdem I think it's both. I think the stuff in the bags is different by default from the stuff they serve you, and I suspect the blends are slightly adjusted for the differences in palates. The canadian store/resto brew is fully intended to be blended up as a double double.
As a Canadian watching tim horton's make it as far as it did really validates that the employee's in store just don't know how to make coffee
same in most dunkin and mcd's
That's bc the employee don't "make" the coffee. They just put beans in a large coffee maker and press start. It's likely the grocery store product is also different than what's made in much larger amount for the stores and also you have more control over how the coffee is made at home than at the restaurant.
Yeah, as someone who works at Tim Hortons, our coffee to me tastes like battery acid, I have to put butter and half a packet of salt just to drink it, when I don't have time to make my own.
I tried Tim Horton's in Leicester... about a week before UK hit lockdown! I was excited by it. But when I had it, was rubbish. As you say, they just don't know how to make it.
I never seen Timmy’s anywhere in the U.S
as someone who used to drink a lot of grocery store coffee, being whole bean 100% gave phil's a massive advantage
His critiques are sensitive but at the same time so brutal it's hilarious. Love the personality 🎉
This guy has brought me from interested in coffee to full on coffee nerd and I love him to death for it
Including beans vs pre-ground seems like a GIANT confounding factor
That surprised me as well. IMO it already had a step up because of that
Yeah I'd say the big takeaway for me is that grinding your own of any kind might be better than pre-ground of any kind.
If all the packages were freshly opened right before the tasting (and I see no reason to suspect otherwise), it really doesn't make that much of a difference. The real issue with pre-ground coffee is that it stales so much faster, like within days after breaking the seal.
(Also, did he say some of them were pre-ground? I thought what he said was that the winning brand was the only one that doesn't sell pre-ground. That doesn't imply that all the other ones were pre-ground.)
Especially when a lot of the brands sell beans as well. I think another video with all fresh ground would be interesting
From what I see on the store shelves. In the states the ground to whole bean ratio sold is about 50-50 and there is little in the way of instant sold at all. The verity of K cups is huge though. It has replaced the instant I suspect. I see he left the Costco, Sam's and the other big house brands off this list. maybe he cant get it? I don't think I have seen Phil's in the local Food Lion. BTW I always use whole bean.
That venomous "I know what you are" at the chicory imposter was everything! 🤣
I had to stop drinking caffeinated coffee because of a heart issue.
I looked all over for a decaf coffee that tasted decent. I tried a lot of different brands.
To my surprise, it was the Dunkin Donuts decaf that tasted the best.
My husband drinks Dunkin decaf nearly every day. I hate coffee, I'm up too late and I rooted for Dunkin!
It sure ain't Community decaf xD Tastes like *nothing* lol
Thanks for this. I also drink decaf and am always looking for suggestions.
Me not knowing anything about coffees went and grabbed a bag of Dunkin amongst the wall of daunting choices the other day at the grocery store. Glad I went with a solid choice.
@@kristinb5121. Decaf suggestions. Pete’s coffee decaf French roast. Starbucks decaf Italian roast in the individual instant coffee packets (crazy but true).
As a Canadian I'm pleased that Tim Horton's performed comparatively well... also because that's one of the few brands featured here that we even can get in supermarkets here. A Canadian version of this would also have to include a few store brands like Irresistables, No Name, and President's Choice, and for non-store brands, Nabob, Kicking Horse, Melitta, Lavazza, Illy, Ethical Bean, Van Houtte, and Timothy's. I tend to prefer Kicking Horse's darker roasts, like Grizzly Claw or Kick Ass. President's Choice West Coast Dark Roast is, surprisingly, quite good for those who like darker roasts, and is definitely the cheapest decent option.
Didn't realize that either Van Houtte or Timothy's are Canadian brands. Definitely my favourites in the grocery store
As a person who grew up in Canada, No Name has always been the course of great mirth to me, I just think the packaging and concept is really funny.
Not Canadian but tim hortons is still my go to
Also I'm pretty sure the canadian McDonald's coffee is different from the USA's, I think a bag of Canadian McCafe would be an important inclusion too.
Nabob is my personal favorite. Although at times my local timmies has got it down
As a person who hates acidic coffee, i appreciate you explaining the flavor profiles and not just saying good or bad
Same. I like roasty coffee. I hate acidic coffee
It's also helpful for me as an absolute freak who loves acidic coffee
Lol, hey somebody has to like it!
Same I hate acidic, also hate bitter, would prefer sweet and creamy and medium to full bodied all the way
@@mandywaynick8725which one do you pick I’m sort of in the middle as well
I laughed my ass off at the thought of the Tim Horton's winning and James sticking the American flag next to it at the end
Actually Tim Horton's is Brazilian (3G Capital) disguised as Canadian since about 2015.
@@cac2244 nah it's still Canadian, just owned by Brazilians.
@@cac2244 please!!! Saying that to a Canadian is like telling Argentinians that Lionel Messi is French.
My family in Michigan drinks Tim Horton. You can't get the bags in all grocery stores, it's kind of tricky in Wisconsin to find it, but it's a brand found in American grocery stores. Other than Hawaiian beans, all coffee isn't from America anyway.
Well Philz' won , not Tim Horton. Philz is indeed American
Cafe Bustello has been my go to for a VERY long time. I’ve tried every single one of these. I enjoy the dirt dark super toasty taste though.
I imagine it's the only one here that stands up to a moka pot lol
We have been drinking Peets for 35+ years (lived near the original in Berkeley) so we panicked momentarily when you tossed MD. Glad to see it squeeeeked by. Ordered some Dunkin to compare.
I like that one too. But i always put milk in it, so that lowers the bitterness. It can be a bit on the bitter side when it's black.
MD has always been my favorite too. At the end of the day, it all comes down to your own preference. A good coffee is the coffee that you enjoyed❤️
While I work at Starbucks, we did little coffee tastings where corporate would pair coffees and pastries or we would just taste the different blends and try and distinguish notes. I swear to God, every time Pike Place was in the tasting, we would all become super quiet and awkward about it with our manager. We were all terrified to say that it is one of the worst-tasting coffee blends ever, since its the primary blend used during the afternoon & is supposed to be their "famous" blend lol
First time I tried Starbuck's in the store, I returned to the counter wanting a different cup because it tasted so horrible, I thought it was bad, for some reason. No fancy latte, cream, frosting or anything, just a regular brew with sugar.
Not to trash Starbucks, but I have given it second and third chances, at different locations and every time it tastes like an old man's smoking pipe. Like he emptied his ashes into the coffee - that's the only way I can describe the taste.
Later, I heard a rumor that Starbuck's intentionally burns the beans. In who's world is that a good thing, if true?
Dawn, have you ever heard of a similar complaint? Curious if it's just my taste and preference, or if I'm on the right track calling this?
@SomebodysPapa I have no idea if the beans are burnt intentionally or not. We didn't roast them in store. They were shipped to us in giant bags lol all I know is that it tastes awful. The cigarette ashes taste is spot on. If you want to get a good brew from Starbucks, you have to go early enough to get something other than Pike Place. Veranda is good imo, and the Christmas Blend during the holidays is super nice as well.
@@amethystdawn Ok, thanks for the reply! I'll try the Veranda next time! Glad someone else can taste the same ash flavor too.
😂 I wondered why they always act surprised when I order a "Grande Pike, no room" at Starbucks! 😂
I kinda like it😂
When I worked for Starbucks, we were allowed to take home a free bag of beans every week, and Veranda blend was basically the only coffee I drank for about 3 years because of that. It’s surprisingly drinkable, all things considered. James’s face on tasting the Pike Place roast definitely brought back memories though.
I've noticed that comparing those two blends goes the same in store vs buying beans/grounds. Veranda is just a better cup either way
When I used to drink the office coffee, my choices were generally either that Peet's Major Dickason's Blend, or Starbuck's Pike's Place.
This is what eventually forced me into bringing my own coffee into the office.
A few years ago, if you asked for a 'drip' (vs a 1,000 calorie coffee-themed liquid dessert) in Starbucks, they would ask you to choose from what they had brewed. Now they just pour you what they have. Maybe Pike Place ended up going down the sink.
I'm a dark roast kinda guy and to me Starbucks doesn't exist not because they don't exist but because most other dark beans give more flavor.
People actually drink Starbucks crap. They arrived in Sweden, being confident and just closed all their locations because European people actually like good coffee.
thank you SO much for doing this video! so informative and budget / availability friendly. would love to see this redone every year or so
The water makes a huge difference
I was a barista for a couple of years at Philz. They trained us to push Tesora on new customers, but I always recommended Silken Splendor instead. Looks like my personal taste checked out!
Silken Splendor and the Turkish were always my go to at Philz.
Tesora is what I had the first few times...very interesting that it's "pushed"
Same! Always been a Silken Guy! But as a Canadian living in the Bay, I'm happy to know that Timmies is a close second!
I personally gravitated toward Philtered Soul, but maybe I should give Silken Splendor a try.
I've personally never understood the appeal of Tesora in the bay area -- though I guess it fits with the "you might like really dark coffee" bit
Your quarter finals match up between Tim Hortons and McDonald's was by far the most interesting to me! Up here in Canada, it's like mythology at this point that Tim's always had the best 'fast food' coffee, and maybe 10 years ago McDonald's stole their coffee supplier and Tim's had to get a new one, which wasn't as good. I myself still prefer McDonald's coffee for something cheap and quick on the go (other than Starbucks Blonde roasts), but it was really cool seeing you taste each head to head!
Came here to say this
They could also be using entirely different suppliers in the USA vs Canada
The new Tim's roasting plant opened in Hamilton in 2009.
As a fellow Canadian, I think what I've come to is that it's very store dependent. McDonalds is always been quite a decent cup, but Tim's can vary from incredible to the worst, most sour thing, just by travelling half a km.
I've never liked Tim's (or McDonald's) in their places, but interesting to learn here that the coffee itself is decent. I just feel like how they brew and store it doesn't help it out in the stores.
In defense of Pikes, it isn't made to be consumed black. I was running a Starbucks when it was launched. Starbucks had done a ton of research and found most customers drank with a little cream and sugar, and it was developed and roasted for that.
The other selling point of Pikes was consistency. Before Pikes every Starbucks was serving different coffees from every other store, based on what the distribution plant sent you. The idea of Pikes was every store would be brewing it, and you could learn how to doctor it to your taste and get the same cup of coffee you wanted in any store nationwide.
Pikes isn't my favorite coffee, but it was a huge step forward for daily coffee drinkers having a little consistency, and through that, customers having a better experience.
this "defense of Pikes" explains a lot about Starbucks and American coffee consumption.. 👍🏻 lil' cream, and sugar. 😀 Okay..
I like the flavor of Pikes straight up, but only after it's cooled. Veranda is my preference of the Starbucks offerings but there's such variation between locations when they stop brewing it sometimes I miss the window.
I was gonna say that a lot of darker roasts he was more critical of are mostly used as a vessel for creamer from what i've seen. As someone who enjoys all kinds of coffee, 3rd wave coffee shop coffee and a familiar dark roast with vanilla creamer that my dad makes men when i visit are very different experiences but each is honestly good in its own way.
Men should never drink any coffee with vanilla creamer! :)
American coffee was absolutely shit before Starbucks
I searched for years for a flavorful but not bitter coffee and finally stumbled upon Peet’s House Blend. I have it shipped to me in the bean monthly and have been for years. I do try others to see if something else is better but I still love my Peet’s House Brent. Please add it to your next tasting.
I'm surprised how emotionally invested I got when it was Tim Hortons vs Dunkin. Even though DD lost I think that's the most patriotic I've felt in decades.
Dunkin’ forever! Coffee Regular baybeee!
Repent to Jesus Christ “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Colossians 3:2 NIV
ht
“O CANADA, WE STAND ON GUARD FOR THEE” 🍁🍁🍁🍁 🇨🇦
Here near the Canadian border, that's all the coffee we have: Tim's and Dunkin. I think he picked correctly, but it's definitely a personal preference! 😅
HA ha!
As a Canadian, the Tim's and Dons matchup was absolutely thrilling
I was on the edge of my seat.
Sorry
I think James should have had the Tim Hortons on the counter at the end with a smaller sized Canadian flag next to it. Then he should have apologized in kinsmanship.
I was shocked that Tim's did so well. They must do something tragically wrong to it in the stores. Like he said in the video too, I've haven't enjoyed their coffee from the store either
It was like re-living an Olympic gold medal hockey game vs the USA.
I would love to see another update to this, maybe one around the holidays to celebrate the year anniversary of this video.
Thank you James for the amazing content and the great time your provide to all your fans and fellow coffee lovers.
Seeing Timmy get how far it did is encouraging. I use their whole bean as my daily driver and I absolutely love it.
It's interesting to see that each of the major coffee house chains (Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Dunkin) got at least one through to the semifinals
It's good to know that they don't skimp out on quality beans though. How good their baristas are, that could be a different story.
Except for Seattles best.
All the final choices were chains. I've had coffee (and been underwhelmed) at all of them except Timmy's.
@@lizcademy4809 Yeah, being underwhelmed is kind of the default with chains. They'll always favor sameness and repeatability over excitement.
@@lonestarr1490 Tbf, they are totally right about that. The people who watch this channel have a pretty big bias toward excitement, novelty and how do coffee compare. While most people consuming coffee just want a standard good cup to start their day, not a nuanced interisting taste experience every morning. I say that as someone who only likes coffee for the taste experience, I can't drink much cafeine daily sadly :/
The big Italian supermarket brands like Lavazza, Illy, Segafredeo etc. would be great to compare and test.
Yes Europeans coffee would be great
hell yeah
He did a UK version of this video that included Illy and Lavazza :)
@@cm4688 Do you remember what it was called? I haven't been able to find it.
@@archaeopteris I checked. They're part of the Supermarket Instant Coffee video. Hoping he'll do one for the beans soon too.
Good afternoon from Canada. Fun FYI, the Tim's coffe you tried is a new kind for them. The McCafe (Macdonald's) is what Tims was using prior to 4 years ago. Macdonalds bought the supply contract from Tim Horton coffee when they wanted to improve their terrible coffee. Made Macdonalds an acceptable choice when in a limited area for choices. Really enjoy your content BTW.
I’ve been drinking McDonalds coffee for many years and I’ve not noticed any change in its flavor… tastes the same as it did 30 years ago.
For the Americans confused by this comment, this only applies in Canada. McDonald's in order to compete with Tim Horton's up here (which has more locations than McDonalds in Canada) had to step up their coffee game because Canadians drink lots of coffee. I believe they only changed the McDonalds coffee to the old Tim's roast in Canada. Found that out by ordering coffee from McDonalds in the States several times and it was dreadful!
I'm very grateful for this video, thank you so much!! Exactly what I was looking for.
I’ve long said that Dunkin’s original blend is some of the best of the basic coffees you can get from a grocery store, and now I am so glad that you have affirmed that.
same here and the dunkin decafe is very good too imo
It would have won if he used whole beans such as Philz 😢
Many decades ago the Dunkin Donuts was the best. Somehow and why they changed it several years ago. It is not the same as it was 45 years ago. Just saying.
TLDR; You can get close to making it taste the same at home, but not quite.
I have tried my best to replicate the taste of Dunkin's hot coffee original, made regular at home and I can't get it right, but close:
1) Bought a BUNN Commercial VP-17 coffee maker. Same brand and brew method as in the stores, just smaller. Water at 200 degrees, fast pour-over brew style.
2) Bought whole beans in store.
3) Filtered water.
4) I've heard it's between 3 and 3.5 ounces of coffee per 64 ounce pot, so I tried 3.25oz of coffee for 64 ounces of water.
5) Ground the coffee coarse, like they do.
6) A medium regular has 45ml of light cream (1.5 ounces or 3 tablespoons NOT half-n-half), and 3 sugars (3 teaspoons). I put that in mine, then topped it with coffee until getting to 14 fluid ounces total (dunks medium hot size).
It tastes very good and is close, but the aroma and taste is not the same. Further research suggests that the dunks beans sold in grocery store and in their own coffee shops are not the same sourced beans that they make their coffee with. Also the beans they make the coffee with are very freshly roasted (no more than 3 days old).
just tried it myself and after years of not enjoying Dunkin's in-house coffee, I gotta say: can confirm! it's downright delightful.
Wow that meta-edit at 9:07 was one of the smoothest transitions in a youtube video!we all know how excellent your taste in coffee is, but your taste in video production deserves credit too, between this, the brad pitt commercial, and the portable espresso videos, I nominate you for an oscar!
Yesss. I had to rewind several times to enjoy that again and again
I really loved the squarespace promo during the makita coffee maker episode. It was fantastic
Totally agree.
I also appreciate when they get their horizontal lines perfectly straight.
Though they did miss applying the color/log adjustment @10:58
I indeed rewinded a couple of times... awesome edit!
That edit was Satoshi Kon level. Seriously!
I use the caribou medium roast for my turkish coffee. Definitely my favorite from the store.
I personally enjoy peet’s coffee, but I also buy the whole bean. It’d be interesting to see if that would affect its ranking. Though, the dark roast can be a bit dark.
As a Canadian, I was weirdly proud of how far Tim Hortons went compared to the other popular brands even though I rarely go to Tim's xD
Same! I am in no way patriotic but I got very excited when Tim's made it so far
tims coffee used to be so good before they sold thier soul to a american company. its honestly pretty bad now. but still pretty cool
Same!! I also found it amusing when he described the Tim Hortons coffee as "friendly" several times during the tasting. Even our coffee ascribes to the stereotype! ☺️☕🇨🇦
We have some here in Spain and I have never been in one. I guess I'll try it the next time I'm in Madrid.
@@lialowe266 I was thinking the same thing! Haha! We would have hit Canadian coffee bingo if he had referred to it as “polite” at any point!
As a New Englander with Canadian relatives, Dunkins vs Tim Hortons felt like when the Canadiens play the Bruins, I wasn't sure which way I should be cheering!
The never-ending war between New Yokers and New Englanders over coffee preference.
Nowadays, Dunkin's basic coffee is overpriced and if I do buy it, it's usually in frozen coffee drinks or the occasional $1 coffee special in the app.
I would love to see this head to head again but with Lavazza and La Columbe coffee included! I love Lavazza coffee the best as far as grocery coffee goes, but La Columbe is getting some traction here in the US as well. Also, I am so happy to not be the only one that thinks Pikes coffee tastes like trash and am so surprised Dunkin was a top contender!
Firstly - thanks so much for your balanced, accessible, thoughtful and entertaining content! In this case I think having beans vs. pre-ground was probably an advantage for the beans that probably helped when things were close (obviously it wouldn't help lesser coffee enough). I'll wander through your other vids to see if that was a later video. Thanks again!
I think you should do a comparison light roast only, medium roast only and dark roast only. I think that would be a more fair comparison especially since you favor light roast, your natural bias will always tend make it impossible for a dark roast to come out on top! Additionally some people like me prefer dark roast and would like your opinion on the best dark roast!
I was never much of a coffee person until I started watching James Hoffmann, who I found via his collab with Tom Scott. I was _sure_ after bingeing his channel that I'd be an interesting, fruity, acidic, complex light-coffee person, like he is. Totally certain!
So, on his recommendation, being a very poor person who can't even fathom spending a thousand dollars or more on an espresso setup, or even a few hundred on a good grinder for pourovers, I got a subscription to Cometeer, figuring they'd do better than I could anyway.
Lo and behold, I hated every single light roast they sent me the first month. The mediums were "fine". But the dark roasts... oh my god, they're like magic! To be fair, I like lattes and cappuccinos, and without the milk and Splenda to mellow them out, most (but not all) of the darks are too bitter for me. I almost exclusively drink iced coffee here in Arizona, and I do add _more_ milk and sweetener for the darker roasts, but there's something magical that happens when bringing up a really developed roast that just isn't there with the mediums.
Anyway, point being... at first, I, too, wished James would give his recommendations on the best dark roast, but then I had an epiphany. Why on Earth would I want _that?_ That would be like asking an off-road rock crawling enthusiast what the best track race car is. Being steeped in the car world in general, they might have _some_ more knowledge than a random person off the street, but it's going to be inherently biased.
So I decided if I want recommendations on darker roasts, I needed to find me a coffee expert who _likes_ medium and dark roasts. That lead me to Morgan Drinks Coffee, and honestly I love them both, so I couldn't be happier!
@@living-wellon-less5669 Thanks! However, I probably won't get into roasting my own... I'm disabled, and am mostly looking for very portable, small-footprint setups that I can keep in my office where I spend most of my time, rather than going out to the kitchen. I'm looking into an Aeropress, a stand-alone milk foamer, and a decent hand-grinder at the moment (I already have a really nice pourover kettle I use to melt my Cometeer).
Gonna ask for some of it for Christmas, and then I'll fill in the blanks myself, and I think I can get a decent-ish setup for hopefully around $200.
So much respect for you my friend. I like your politeness even though you are criticizing him. We need this kind of attitude on the internet.
@@gorodgorod9584 Me, or Living-well on-less?
Exactly there are two people in the world Light Roast and Dark roast. We tolerate medium lol
I've never seen James Hoffman express as much energy as he does exclaiming, "Tim Horton's!"
NO WAY
Tim Hortons eh
4:05 "Like a nice vegetable soup with a twist of lemon". Just how you want your coffee to taste!
Absolutely amazing video and comparison! Please do more of this for local stores brands like Trader’s Joe
All trader Joe's coffee tastes like soap
This video was surprisingly touching for me! I used to watch my mother drink Eight O’Clock coffee, but I remember it being quite bitter since I was so young. Now, as an adult, I drink Starbucks Veranda. To hear they’re so similar and I accidentally grew into my mother’s taste makes me feel very close to her. I should probably give Eight O’Clock another shot!
When money is tight, Eight O'Clock is a good choice. It is best if you buy whole bean.
Eight o'clock is my choice because I was raised on it. Only the A&P grocery store sold it back in the day and when A&P closed their stores eight o'clock went on the market to all grocery stores to sell... so glad or it would have been history.
Did you give it another chance? How was it? 😄
@@efglux2425 yes eighth o clock now owned by Indian tea company
All I can say about Veranda is it tastes less burnt than the other Starbucks offerings.
the fact that you described tim horton's coffee as "friendly" consistently makes me happy as a canadian
Do you buy the Tim’s coffee from the store and the restaurant? Are they the same?
@@STEVEARABIA1 marginally different and depends heavily on the location. I find a good tim hortons that cleans the machines properly and cares abiut the customers will have better coffee in store. Where as a shitty tim hortons in a mall where they have "too much" traffic to clean as often tastes like wet socks after being burnt on a firepit. Whereas the home grounds are cobtrolled to how you woukd prefer brewing it.
That coffee will always say "sorry."
@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 You mean "sorey."
@@mikeslovak5589 oh ok. Good point. I've only tried Timmies a few times and hated it. It was at the busy locations though.
Would love to see a comparison of Trader Joe’s coffees, although they tend to roast everything to within an inch of its life.
I personally believe that over roasting is a way to hide poor quality beans. Once they get that dark flavor, it seems to just dominate the whole taste profile.
Trader Joe's has a medium roast that is their store brand, quite inexpensive, and pretty tasty. It's available in while bean, too.
Everything we’ve buried from Tj’s is either way too roasted and bitter or it has zero flavor. That tropical looking round container of beans made me curious- that was the 1 w/zero flavor.
Big Bang by Pete's (which says medium roast but is definitely on the dark side) has become my go to for a dark roast. I like specialty and lighter roasts but it has the best parts of a darker roast with its chocolate flavor without having too harsh of a downside. Would highly recommend- it pulls a mean shot and even blends well when you toss a bit in with your specialty coffee.
You might find it interesting that Tim Hortons and McCafe are roasted by the same company. The husband of one of my coworkers is the district manager for Tim Hortons in Western New York and used to be the same for McDonald's just north in Ontario and she brought this up in a previous conversation about coffee. I greatly enjoyed this video!
That is interesting! It seems like the type of thing that wouldn't bother a McCafe drinker but might bother a Tim Hortons drinker.
I’m guessing out of the Rochester plant? Just curious, grew up in that area.
McCafe was quite good when they used to have a higher portion of coffee in their lattes. Now they water it down with milk.
@@ZM-jb6gc This is a local choice by your specific nearest McDonalds restaurant, tho. Some MsDonalds restaurants haven't changed their coffee proportions even thru the pandemic
That is pretty interesting. Since you said in Western New York, you may know what this is. Jamacian Me Crazy and Witches Brew are the same thing; and both terrible.
Absolutely loved the fact that Tim hortons and Dunkin’ went head to head as I feel like those are the two breakfast/donut places that have cult followings. Reminds me of the Sheetz vs Wawa rivalry.
I didn't even think about it, but those two totally do have cult followings! I was indoctrinated into the Cult of Dunkin and I wouldn't want it any other way XD
Well said!
ugh, sheetz doesn't compare to wawa, maybe sheetz vs. turkey hill
Never had Tim Horton's (I think it's a Canadian chain?), but I really like Dunkin' Donuts out of all coffee I can get at the grocery store. So I almost always have it on hand for a brew.
I was waiting through the rest of the video for this match-up.
Happy to see that 3 out of 5 of his recommendations what I typically drink when I want a light, medium or dark roast.
Glad I watched this again. I've learned more since my last comment. What you have taught me is to find coffees I like better. My best friend has tastes that run acid and fruity.....no accounting for taste. In the meantime I succeeded in contributing to Patreon but have had technical difficulties there and with the discord....
Impressive that McDonald's, Dunkin, Tim Horton's, and Starbucks all made it to the quarterfinals. Very impressive on all of their parts.
I’m surprised too. But come to think of it they are designing “least offensive coffees” on purpose, so I guess it could make sense. Their game is consistency.
Also their scale of operations probably allows for a lot of investment in consistency of the product.
They probably have a HUUUGE research&develop team behind all those coffes, going through all kinds of different test groups to find the one that upsets the least amount of people. Especially McDonalds with their McCafe nowadays kinda wants to sell the coffeeshop vibe and back it up with okayish coffee.
they have the most money to do tasting research
His reaction to Pikes place 🤣🤣🤣🤣I agree!!
As a Louisiana native, the Cafe du Monde reaction was PERFECT. Working in New Orleans for many years, I think I’ve had black chicory coffee requested once. It is basically always served as Cafe au Lait (milk coffee). If you’re lucky, there are beignets involved and the bitter, smoky chicory stands up against the fried dough and mountain of powdered sugar.
Lol Lousiana native as well. As soon as I saw that pop up, I knew what was about to happen.
Not a LA native, but I love chicory coffee HOWEVER it is the only brewed coffee I don't drink black. I always add milk and a bit of sugar to it.
Fellow Louisiana native. I totally agree with you, although I was a bit surprised that he picked Starbucks over Community. Neither are great coffees, I always buy local whole bean when I can, but I never thought that a blind test would be that close between those two in particular.
@@beunice I actually like Community. Its my daily drinker because its decent tasting and cheap here in Louisiana.
I’ve seen a few Thai iced coffee that prefer to use cafe du monde as the base.
Yes, do this again. Great learning experence for us the viewers.
I assume that a drip coffee-maker was used to cook all of these coffees for this particular tournament. If that is indeed the case, the Bustelo coffee is designed to be prepared in a moka pot. I come from a coffee growing family and we use a moka pot for Bustelo or Pilon espresso coffee, and a drip coffee-maker for our 8 o'clock and Horton's coffee. Utilizing the proper cooking equipment is the most effective means to a delightful cup of coffee. My two cents!
Trader Joe’s, a smaller novelty grocery store has many, many coffees, which I think are mostly theirs. I would love to see you do taste testing on those! I enjoyed this taste test. Thanks!
Their organic breakfast blend is great.
I’ve never heard it described as a ‘novelty’ grocery before but I guess that’s a way to describe the fact they rotate items quite often?
Their coffee is quite nice.
They do have great coffees, AND you can grind it right in the store.
Yep. Trader Joe's does a great job with their coffees.
Peet’s Major D had always been my go to Grocery store brand. Though I usually buy whole bean. It broke my heart when he eliminated it initially, but then, by some type of divine intervention, he corrected himself, and then it showed up at the end! ❤
Major Dickason is very popular at my local grocery, and as Peet's actually prints roast date on the bag, I can purchase it within a month or so of roasting. It's a good daily driver, and often on sale.
Same here! I think it holds up to cream and sugar well, being so dark. Definitely suitable for a big American cup of joe.
Major D’s is my favorite too! Whole bean only.
@@fronthole_guacamole He has a wife, you know...
Major D is my daily cup, love it black. I find it chocolatey and sweet. Certainly there are bitter notes, but I like the contrasts.
I also don't eat carbs or sweets, so it might be I'm more sensitive. The other night I tasted some sphagetti sauce (not store bought, no added sugar) and was immediately hit by hiw sweet it was.
Yes James, please do this video again, it's awesome
I like that the famously Canadian coffee brand made it this far in the best USA coffee comparison
Anyone else pleased that he called the Canadian coffee “Friendly”? Lol, love it
YES! I knew this one Canuck, OMG, he was the complete opposite of friendly and it was then that I realized....🤔
Lmao…. Me too! I laugh so hard when Tim made it so far. :))))
@@David_Watts... that he was actually an American?
Actually, the word "boring" comes to mind first!
Canadians are less and less seen as "friendly" and increasingly as "nuts", tho.
I live in Italy and I don't know any of these brands. What I find extremely interesting is that, in the first round, on many occasions the more expensive, sometimes way more expensive coffee was eliminated straight away when confronted with a much cheaper competitor. This shows how cost does not necessarily relate with our own personal taste, and one doesn't necessarily get more when one pays more. I find this to be very true also in other fields such as beer, gin and vodka.
A lot of that has to do with his personal preference for lighter roasts, I think. The cheaper, more readily available stuff tends to be of lighter roasts.
@@hymefly more like they like local and fresh roasted coffee which wonton come from a big brand name.
I work for an Italian company and they provide free coffee from Lavazza. I think it's OK, not bad, but prefer a brand called Intelligentia that is brewed in Chicago
Lavazza is what I buy. Because it's the best in store. I don't see it here.
People prefer flavour profiles they are familiar with. Specialty coffee might be too acidic or may have flavour notes they aren't used to
Fascinating comparisons! I did something similar when I was trying to find something I could easily drink black.
I settled on McCafé as my go-to black coffee. I quite enjoy it.
But you've given me a few more to (re)consider. Surprisingly, they're mostly the big drive-thru brands.
I'll also take a good look at Philz.
Yes please make more videos like this. If you could do one on better coffee form whole beans and even some organic coffees.
Philz is the reason I have become a weird coffee person. They are more known for their mixed coffee drinks, but they do a pour over for every drink in their cafes and list the flavor profiles of all their roasts.
Yes such an interesting place. Amazed he had it here.
Me too. I worked next to one and Julie's Ultimate converted me.
I've never heard of this brand before I thought I had tried all the grocery store coffees we have. Where are you in the US? Like is it a west coast thing or something like that?
Philz is my favorite coffee. But nothing beats it made fresh in the Cafe. Pour over heaven. I miss it since I moved away from SF and I'm not driving 30 min to Sacramento for a cup. Well......maybe I will some weekday...I miss it that much.
@@Cordelia0704p Yeah, Philz is big in California and evidently nowhere else (though someone on here mentioned a location in Chicago)
I think it would have been fun to have a random specialty coffee thrown in to see if James could catch it
Philz was the speciality coffee.
out of 25+ coffees the only coffee that wasn't pre-ground came out on top, I feel like that shows something
@@iggywow Agree, you can't compare beans to pre-ground. Grinding releases the volatile terpenes that start to break down immediately.
In a sense, he did - the only whole bean coffee won.
@@EggEnjoyer Yes, the main terpenoids in coffee are kahweol and cafestol.
Awesome video, and fun to watch you work.
I love Chock Full o Nuts. It’s cheap, smooth, and rich. It also comes in a metal can which means I have lots of free cans to use for stuff.
Oh and it blends well with other coffee.
I've tried CFoN regular, New York Roast and Columbian. I prefer Columbian.
I've tried CFoN regular, New York Roast and Columbian. I prefer Columbian.
Another fan of Chock full o' nuts here but I in a place it's not available here. My favorite coffee of all time was Gevalia Costa Rica Peaberry
The coffee that was the WORST THING EVER was Jamaica Blue Mountain
The Netherlands has a huge coffee culture, with many old Dutch brands. It would be very interesting to see a tasting of those coffee's, i.e. Douwe Egberts, Kanis en Gunnink, Max Havelaar, etc.
Douwe Egberts is kinda popular in the USA as well.
It seems that Gevalia (a Swedish roaster and not one of my favourites) is owned by Douwe Egberts.
We get Douwe Egberts here in Aus too. I'm not sure how widespread they are now but they used to be common in my childhood
I’m not a sophisticated coffee drinker, but I drink it black and prefer light to medium roast. Whenever I’m traveling and grab a quick convenient cup of McCafe, from the drive through, I find myself surprised about half way through and muttering “not a bad cup of coffee”. I have been mocked by others for sharing this, but watching the McCafe get mildly positive feedback was hugely satisfying and weirdly therapeutic for me.
I honestly find it to be the best of the fast food coffees.
Definitely the best fast food drive thru black coffee
Funnily enough, Economic Ninja (YT channel) also raves about McDonald's coffee which I always thought was weird until I kept seeing people like you comment otherwise. I guess I need to give it a shot, haha.
Epic. I loved watching you taste all these. Ty
Loved the video & I hope you make a round 2. The only two additions I’d make is at least one Green Mountain blend preferably the Vermont & Peet’s French Roast instead of Major Dickason because it’s a superior dark roast IMHO.
It’s so funny that you described Tim Horton as “friendly” multiple times! James, maybe you could do a world tour of grocery coffee.
As a Canadian I can't believe how proud I am of tim Hortons coffee making it to the finals
As a Canadian, i'm actually sad that tim hortons made it this far. No problem about enjoying Timmies, i just think its overrated.
The fuck? Tim's has been trash for years.
I loved them growing up but a bit after RBI bought them I started having to skip some stores because it would just be filth water in my cup. That and doughnuts not being made in store anymore.
Now if it's not dark roast double double I can't even stomach it. I'm actively trying to give Tim's 0 dollars any given year.
I laughed every time he described it as 'friendly', definitely playing into the trope of friendly, polite Canadians. As for the fact that James didn't enjoy his previous Tim's coffee I can say that I agree. A good Tim's cup of coffee is very good and enjoyable, but not every Tim's cup is a good cup. For some reason the coffee lacks consistency, perhaps not every Tim's filter their water or something, producing a different taste depending which Tim's you buy it.
@@AnonymousMod. perhaps its the brewing method not necessarily the beans that’s faulty than
I have a feeling the ratios James used is way different from what the stores actually brew, since the store brews taste like water with a slight hint of mud.
I’ve been visiting Canada for over a month, and been missing my specialty coffee so dearly. Unable to find a coffee to enjoy, this competition will get help me get some options I may enjoy in the supermarket. Your variety of videos is genius! Love your content!
I'm so happy you said vegetable notes from the Starbucks roast because even their espresso has tasted like green vegetables to me
I love that he describes the coffees as vegetables. When I couldn't taste from COVID, I kept saying coffee tasted like can vegetable water.
I would absolutely watch this as a recurring series!
I love coffee with chicory, & Bustelo is my favourite cheap coffee (black or otherwise)
I had no idea how much I needed this video in my life. You are a magnificent coffee nerd and I’m loving these videos.
Found it very impressive how consistent your choices were. Basically every head to head was guessable. Your ability to distinguish profiles and judge the quality is really impressive.
Worked at Philz for 5 years and can definitely say that the coffee is different. Each blend of coffee has 2-7 roasts of beans all sourced from around the world. Each bean is roasted to the correct profile and then blended together creating each unique coffee blend. When visiting a store you are presented with a very full-bodied cup of coffee that is crafted one cup at a time via a special Philz version of pour over.
As a Canadian, was definitely happy seeing our creation battle its way through 🤣
It also depends on which region as well the brand. Some regions have "older" coffee like the West coast in the 70's and 80's
I just wanna give props to Dunkin for always having batch brew filter on whenever I go. Starbucks batch brew filter is quickly becoming the new McDonalds milkshake machine in that they rarely have it on, and when asked they say it’s ‘being cleaned / broken’
What does this mean?
@@StucklnAWell I think he just means the regular coffee machine isn't being used. I'm experiencing this too. They always look around like you asked if their coworker might be on break, like they haven't answered that 28 times already. They USED to go whoops and start a batch, not anymore.
The point is double, to save money because most people are there for the coffee-flavored milkshakes anyway, and to drive the few remaining actual coffee drinkers to expensive alternatives. I'm usually okay with the more expensive pour-over drip coffee.
Andy I hear you but I will ALWAYS pick a starbucks pourover over a DD. I just have a personal distaste for DD, always tastes like peanut oil and napkins to me.
@@StucklnAWell check out the McDonald's milk shake machine scandal and you'll understand
I work at a Starbucks and we stop doing the brewed dark and blonde in the afternoon because it doesn't sell as much. You can ask for a pour over of any kind if you don't mind a wait. I do recommend going inside to get a pour over.
@@SmolPotatowo That makes total sense but I've been running into it in the morning in some places. Like inside a target on a weekend morning.
I don't drink coffee. I watch this channel because it's such a pleasure to see someone take such pleasure in all the particularities of his "hobby". (and the good hair!)
Hi james, thank you for producing this video.
Would love to see a Decaf version. Cheers
Very morning I make a freshly ground pour over for me and a decaf for my spouse. I solely use Peet’s whole beans on line and alter the roasts from Peet’s too. BUT every time I make Peet’s Decaf House Blend, I am SHOCKED how great it tastes and it’s just as enjoyable as most of the caffeinated beans I make for me.
I live in California and went to a Philz cafe recently for the first time and it really impressed me how good their coffee was. After watching this I'm absolutely picking up some of their beans to try at home. Our current day to day staple is the starbucks pike place
One good thing to know is that Philz charges $20 per pound of coffee in their stores yet you can buy it at Safeway for 13.99
@HorizonMelt I'm assuming the stores is more fresh than the grocery one
@@cheder6Hmm. Hard to say. I'll look at the bags next time I'm in either place to see the roasting date.
The most impressive thing about this is his ability to keep the sip sound consistent in tone and duration
Imagine if it gotten longer every slurp
Sounds like im zipping my jacket
He looks lesbian
James Hoffmann: Has never tried Folgers
Also James Hoffman: Has tried several almost century old coffees.
So he’s basically already had Folgers
That's because it's not sold in the UK
@Jack Spearman 😆👌 I've never appreciated anything from Folgers either haha . They even sometimes give free coffee away at work and I always know if it's folgers.
Folgers , one of the burnt roasted coffees along with hills brothers and maxwell house. You could see the his pain.
@@Ambrosianite I once got some Folgers on reduction from an American sweet shop who were closing my local branch, and it was pretty instant regret - just tasted totally burnt, whether I used filter or Aeropress
FWIW: I would like to see you do this again with whole bean coffee. I've had Dunkin', 8 O'Clock and Community both whole bean and pre-ground, and they're all pretty good coffees when you grind them yourself and mediocre-at-best when you purchase them pre-ground.
I'm just glad Dunkin made a good showing. I know that in store it's kind of a different taste in the northeast vs the rest of the US, but my grandmother moved down south like 20 years ago and I think she cried when her local grocery store started selling the Dunkin bags.
I was devoted to Dunkin's original coffee until James taught me the virtues of freshly ground coffee. Nice to know I wasn't too hopeless back then.
I've been able to find Dunkin' in bean form at Kroger and Tom Thumb (part of Albertson's). I live not too far from a local coffee roaster, but if all else fails I will drink Dunkin'.
You can get Dunkin whole beans...
@@iocat I’ve not seen it in Alaska yet but I’ll keep looking. Thanks!
Born and raised in Boston. Dunkin is life.
I love Dunkin coffee, AT Dunkin Donuts, but their bagged coffee definitely doesn't taste anywhere near as good, or even similar. Folgers Black Silk for me, I don't do any grinding or fancy brewing, I'm entirely too lazy for that, but I'd actually like to get into it, just don't know if I ever will 🤣
I loved this, would love to see Australian, New Zealand, UK etc versions of this
Seconded. Also UK / Continental / Japanese / Korean. Would be a wonderful way to get a sense of different coffee cultures.
And dont forget african and indian
He has done UK you may have to dig to find it but it’s equally a great watch!
The veranda blend medium roast from Starbucks is my favorite grocery store coffee by far. Good to know i like one of jamses picks.
James i really liked this video. I hope you or others would so a series of other countries supermarket coffees.