In the wake of rising coffee prices along with coffee producers changing their recipes, we consumers of the brew need to keep our eyes open for that reasonably priced, tasty blend. While trying to be frugal without going cheap for cheap’s sake, Tori and I will try different brands now again. The goal is to save a few bucks a can without having to sacrifice what we enjoy.
We used to drink Folgers and we enjoyed it. Then, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, coffee prices soared. At the time we were in a financial position where if we could save a few bucks a can, we would. Not to mention, we’d probably save about $1,000 a year. (Not really, but it’s humorous so roll with it). We found a brand at Costco, I can’t remember the name, that gave us more bang for the buck and was good. At least I liked it. Tori didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t satisfying her palette.
So we did some looking around and tried an old staple: Yuban. While Yuban had been around for many moons, I had never tried it before. What a pleasant surprise! It was a decent price and it was good coffee. There’s was peace and happiness for a few years, until it happened:
“Does this taste funny to you?”
Thinking we had a bad can we tossed that one and picked another from our stash. Upon breaking the seal, we found the aroma was a tad different from what we were used to. We brewed a new pot and to our astonishment, it too, tasted weird. Confused we did a little research and sure enough, the producers of our well enjoyed coffee decided to change their formula. No sir, we didn’t like it.
Again, while shopping at Costco, we saw their Kirkland brand and decided to give it a try. Not only was it cheaper than the other coffees, it tasted better than what were previously drinking. Eureka! Good coffee, good price, good vibes! There was much rejoicing and we danced a little jig.
We enjoyed the Kirkland brand up until last year when we moved to Tennessee. This change in locale made getting to Costco a little less convenient and the coffee was also more difficult to order online. When you compound that with the fact that the price went way up, it was the perfect recipe to have us look elsewhere for a good cup of joe at an acceptable price.
Our next experiment was another old, tried and true staple in the coffee world: Maxwell House. They’ve been saying “it’s good to the last drop” since I can remember, so why not? Another pleasant surprise: it was definitely good coffee! We’ve been drinking Maxwell House for about the past 6 months or so, and thus far, we’re happy with it.
Side note: we tried a brand that I won’t mention here just because it was much cheaper than our “name brand”. Upon opening the can we noticed that the aroma resembled coffee, but it was coming from very far away. We brewed a pot and after it was poured into my mug, it smelled like tires. It didn’t taste any better either. Cheaper isn’t necessarily better, folks.
I know that the coffee connoisseurs who read this will turn away in disgust. How can anyone drink such swill? I bet if we changed the label to read: “Maison Chapeaux. Made from the finest beans to ever be passed by a panda.” the java snobs would find it quite exquisite.
(Photo by: Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash)
