- Today we are looking for the best American grocery store coffee. Which of these big brands should you buy if you're stuck in the supermarket and you don't know which one to choose? The way it's gonna work is this: we're gonna run a giant
head-to-head tournament. We've got 32 coffees here, so across five rounds we will get to an ultimate winner, and I have no idea what it's gonna be. Now, when you're watching me taste these I won't know what I'm tasting. You might see these
little alphanumeric codes on the glasses. That's kind of the process of
a kind of blind taste testing, so I have no idea what it is, but we'll make sure you can
see what it is I'm tasting. And I've gotta tell you,
I'm incredibly excited. I have wanted to taste a bunch
of these brands for years. I've never had Folgers. I've never had Chock Full o'Nuts. I've never had Eight O'clock Coffee. There's loads here I've yet to try, so I'm excited to try them. And I don't really know what to expect, so I guess we should get on with it. Get on with round one
and begin the tasting. Now, if I don't like the
coffee that you like, and you've bought that coffee for ages, please don't think that's me saying you've got bad taste in coffee. The only takeaway I would say is, like, maybe there's a coffee here or elsewhere that you could enjoy more
of that kind of a style. But I'm not out to offend people who like the coffee brands
that I really don't, even if I have very strong
negative reactions to them. Now, before we dive in, I should probably tell you
what I think good coffee is. I will tend to prefer coffees that have a natural sweetness to them, that are complex tasting, that have very limited negative flavors. Again, the other way, I probably won't enjoy
things that are harsh or very bitter, that have kind of rubbery, earthy, kind of woody flavors to them. I just don't enjoy those as much. Now, at the end of this, you'll work out my favorite coffee, but I'll also, at the end of it, give you some recommendations from everything we tasted
across different roast levels. So it's not just maybe what I think is the best
light tasting coffee, but also the best medium, the best dark roasted coffee here too. But it's time to begin, and I have no idea where we're beginning. Wish me luck. (James slurps) A difficult first round. This one, more bitter,
kind of rougher tasting, but this one kind of weirdly papery and not really that enjoyable. So surprisingly, I might push
through the darker roast. Yeah, something about this is
just kind of weird and empty. (James slurps) This one, just way darker, way harsher. This one, much more
pleasant in comparison. An easy win. (James slurps) Vegetables. (James slurps) Also vegetables. Probably this is the winner for just being a little bit less harsh, that tiny fraction sweeter, but they taste actually very similar. (James slurps) Super harsh, really no sweetness. Much, much, much better than this. Just like more sweetness, a little bit more complexity, kind of okay. (James slurps) Little chocolate, little roasty, but a little chocolate. Ugh. No, I know what you are. You're the one with chicory. You're the chicory one. Not for me. If you really enjoy this
coffee, that's okay. I just really don't
like this taste profile. Personally, I much prefer something with a bit more sweetness. This is really kind of weird. I can imagine maybe with a
lot of cream it would be okay, but as black coffee, I'm not having a nice time. (James slurps) Heavily bitter. Okay, it's a lighter roast. It's kind of vegetabley though, like peas, green peas, but I think I'd rather
drink this than that, so this is the winner. Okay, a little bit of sweet, kind of nice (slurps). Slightly darker. This one is the sweeter of the two, and for me, a little bit more complex. It's the winner. (James slurps) Pretty harsh, pretty bitter. (James slurps) Very roasty. Very, very, very bitter. This one also dark and roasty, but not as dark and roasty. Not loving either one, to be honest. Really not having a great
time with either one. Begrudgingly, I will put this
one through as the winner. (James slurps) Like a nice vegetable soup
with a twist of lemon. (James slurps) No, no, I was a little harsh to this one. This one is lighter. It's got more complexity.
It's quite sweet. It's got a little acidity going on here. This is the more interesting of the two. I feel a bit mean kicking
this one out this early, 'cause it's actually not that bad compared to a lot of other stuff that might have made it through so far. But this is the winner. (James slurps) Acidity. This is a lighter roast. This is kind of interesting. It's weird, I don't know
how light it really is, but in the spectrum of
things today so far, it's pretty light. This one (slurps), weird. Super bitter for not super dark roasted. It feels dark roasted, but it has this additional bitterness that is quite surprising. This is just a much more interesting cup of coffee all around. The winner. (James slurps) Little dark, little diesely, like upper end of medium to me. Not fully dark roasted, but pretty dark. (James slurps) Super woody, like, super, super woody. Nothing else, like slightly burnt wood, and that's kind of it. This, I don't really enjoy it, but it's definitely the better of the two. (James slurps) It's burnt and it's woody. (James slurps) Oh no, it's burnt, and it's woody, and it's nutty, and it's slightly like musty tasting too. So again, worse coffees
have been knocked out than this winner, but this is the one that's gonna
progress to the next round. (James slurps) Little acid. Little acidity in there. Little complexity. Not necessarily the
favorite flavors of mine, but okay (slurps). We're back to kind of peanut shells. Harsh, bitter. This is kind of weird, but it's definitely a more
interesting cup of coffee than this one here, so for that reason, I will put it through. (James slurps) It's that classic, classic
dark roast profile. Just all roast flavor. That's kind of it. That's
the problem for me. This is really interesting. This feels like a very
similar cup of coffee, but fractionally lighter roasted. So this is the one that's
gonna go through this time. (James slurps) Okay, lighter roast, little bit of caramel in there, little bit of vegetables. (James slurps) No, it tastes like straw and jute. Tastes a little old and agey in terms of the old, sort of the raw coffee
was a little bit old. This is a better cup of coffee, but this is more complex, some acidity, some sweet. This just tastes like the
green coffee's had its... You know, had better days. (James slurps) I don't how to say this, but it reminds me of burnt
ice cream in the worst way. Really like a creamy texture, but very harsh and bitter. (James slurps) Kind of the same. This is a tough one. Tough decision. I'm gonna put this one through
for just being a bit weird. There's something about its texture, it's got a slight sort of spiciness to it and a creaminess, and that's really unusual and confusing in a cup of coffee. Which brings us to the end of round one. And I'm feeling a little bit weird, but we're doing okay. I've probably offended
most people at this point who buy coffee from the grocery store. That isn't really the intention. But now we're gonna get
into more interesting head-to-heads, more competitive. Let's see what happens. Let's hope everything gets
better from here on up. (James slurps) Okay, you're still pretty roasty. (James slurps) Little bit kind of like peas, little bit vegetabley, but much sweeter, much more enjoyable, much less bitter cup of coffee. You proceed. (James slurps) Okay, little developed. Caramelly though (slurps). Ooh, now, very similar cups of coffee. Surprisingly similar cups of coffee. I wonder what they are. I don't know what the
brands involved here are, but these are staggeringly
similar cups of coffee, shockingly similar cups of coffee. I'm really kind of struggling
to pick them apart. Okay, this is the winner. It's fractionally sweeter. That is less bitter. It is more sweet. It's a little bit more
enjoyable and complex, but they're really quite close. (James slurps) Okay, little bit of vegetables, (James slurps) little bit more bitter. Difficult call. I'm gonna go with the one
that's a little less bitter, little bit sweeter, which is you. I'm not a huge fan of
either, if I'm honest, but this is probably
the better of the two. (James slurps) Ooh. It's surprising you made it through. Really super dark. Not a lot else going on there (slurps). Vanilla, caramel, interesting, friendly. An easy, easy win for this cup here. Okay, that's the one that
had some acidity to it. (James slurps) Also some acidity, but less. This one is a light roast or lighter in the great scheme of things. This one is also light, but
it's got a bit more brightness, acidity, complexity there. This one is not unpleasant, but actually lacks a
little bit of character in comparison to this one here. So my winner. (James slurps) Back to more developed
roasts again (slurps). Ooh, surprising that both
of these made it through. This one is less dark, bit sweeter, bit more kind of soft and
enjoyable in comparison. Winner. So this decision I just
need to talk about, because I got it wrong, and I think it's the only
one that I got wrong, but I do think I got this wrong. And I don't really understand why. I don't really understand what happened. But of all the judgements
I make in this whole video, this one I think I messed up, and I just wanted to
interject and say that. I think I was definitely struggling with tasting so many coffees
of such different roast levels, that was surprisingly tricky. But yeah, I just couldn't
let this one mishap go free. (James slurps) Little dark but not too harsh actually, kind of developed (slurps). Much harsher. No, no, no. Yes, this is, for like a medium, fully developed medium roast, a little acidity. It's got some stuff going on. This is definitely my preference. (James slurps) Okay, friendly (slurps), weird. Okay, I know it did well 'cause it was weird last time. This is the better cup of the two for me. A bit more acidity, a bit more complexity, and, frankly, just kind of less weird. If you have made it this far, and you wanna know more about how we're brewing these coffees, how we're tasting, the
process of tasting coffee, I'll leave you a playlist
on how to taste coffee, how to develop that skill down below, so you can learn more. That's the end of this round. On next to the quarter finals. Still like a little
presence of roast there, but not too dark, nicely
developed (slurps). Softer, spicier. Is it better? Difficult matchup. You know, they're kind of
at a level, I would say. There's not a lot between them. I'll give the edge to this one here, but know that it wasn't a big victory. (James slurps) This one's lighter,
brighter, bit more acidity, but it's not truly better in
terms of flavor and complexity. There's something I like
about this in comparison. It's caramelier, it's kind of sweeter. This has a little bit more zing, but I'm not sure I like it. I'm gonna put this one through. Controversial decision, perhaps. That's just a more approachable,
enjoyable cup of coffee. A bit friendlier. (James slurps) Okay, little peanuty, little harsh. Much more interesting as a cup of coffee. It's a much lighter roast, but I think it's just a
cleaner, sweeter cup of coffee. This one, I kind of have
some issues with still. So this is a pretty easy win. (James slurps) Light, bright, clean, sweet (slurps). Similar, interesting these
matchups are still happening. This has a slightly kind of grassier, straw-like quality to it that makes it just slightly less enjoyable than this one here. It's just a bit more kind of put together and enjoyable and balanced. That's the winner. It's semifinal time, and now I'm kind of curious whether, you know, this semifinal might be the actual final or not, but I'm probably more curious which coffee I've said nice things about that I'll be kind of shocked
I said nice things about. I still don't what I've tasted yet. This has been so interesting, and a journey, a journey. Anyway, semifinals time (slurps). Nice, sweet kind of chocolate. (James slurps) Got a little fruit suddenly. I don't think I've noticed that before, but it's got a little bit
of black fruit in there that this one does not have. This is so interesting. This now tastes kind of
roasty in comparison to this, and this tastes fruity
and juicy and enjoyable, so that's my winner. It's just amazing how these have changed by having different
coffees to compare them to. Comparative tasting is so, so interesting. (James slurps) Okay, sweet, caramels, friendly, nice. (James slurps) More acidity, bit lighter, bit brighter. This is tricky. This is lighter and I'm
drawn to lighter roasts, but it just feels a little bit
empty in comparison to this. I would say maybe 85, 90 people out of 100 would probably prefer
this one to this one, and that is in the back of my head. Yeah, I'm gonna put it through. I'm gonna put this one through. This one has some nice fruit. It's interesting, but I think this one's probably just a little bit more complete
and balanced in comparison. Gotta tell you, I'm curious and stressed. I honestly don't know what's
gonna be a winner here. I don't know which one
I'm gonna say is the best of the grocery store coffees. Anyway, let's taste the last two. (James slurps) Some acidity, friendly, caramelly, not a bad cup of coffee (slurps). Doing kind of black fruit kind of nicely. It's a bit darker as a roast. I'd call that a medium
and I'd probably call that a light actually, in the scheme of this
whole tasting anyway. (James slurps) I'm torn. Now it's like this, it's
really hard to pick. There's issues I have with both of them. This one feels a little underdeveloped. This one feels a little
overdeveloped, little dark. I would say though, as like a paper filtered brew, this will probably clean
this up a little bit. Before I tell you the result,
I'm telling my favorite. Don't forget, I'm gonna tell you the best of which I think are the light, medium, and dark roasts that we have
disqualified and knocked out. So there'll be a few
recommendations after this one. I'm gonna go with it, I'm gonna go, this one has the most character. It has the most fruit. It's not a perfect cup of coffee, but I think it's kind of interesting. It tastes of somewhere, and that for me is a win. So I'm gonna say of the
coffees we've tasted today, this is gonna be my pick. I don't what it is. Can I have this one please? Can you let me know what
the disqualified coffee was? Oh, oh, destroying the place. Tim Hortons, no way! Okay, that's genuinely astonishing. That's shocking to me. I feel like that's genuinely surprising. I had a cup of Tim Hortons
coffee some years ago, and I did not have a very good time. That's astonishing. I'm shocked. (James laughs) Let me find out what the winner is now. Oh, Silken Splendor. Philz, interesting. Is there any information (coffee beans rattling)
on what I've tasted here? As you can hear, this
is the one exception, and this is interesting, the one exception to everything, which is we could buy almost
everything pre-ground, this, however, came as beans. So it was grounded in
an appropriate level. Did this give it an advantage? I don't know, but it definitely tastes like there's some
interesting coffee in here. I am stunned by the results. I really wanna know how
everything else kind of came out. I don't know what this means, but you can watch back, I guess, and know what tasted like what. Let me now go and taste
everything one more time and give you some recommendations
for the best dark, the best medium and the best light. So it turns out I needed
a little bit more time and a haircut to think
about these coffees, taste them again, and come back to you
with some good advice. But before that, I can't help mention we have new Weird Coffee Person merch. We have this designed by Taylor Naoko, which I think is wonderful, if you need a brain taking
a bath in delicious coffee, and I think that's what
we all do every day. There's a Loveramics mug, there's a T-shirt, there's a print. Those are available now. There's a link down below. These are, of course, limited edition, so be quick. Let's talk about the coffees. Now, going back and tasting these again was definitely, definitely interesting. The Caribou, this was the lightest, I think, coffee here, and I think it kind of was
made to feel a bit empty in comparison to everything else. But if you like light roast, if you don't like any
roast in your coffee, then I think this is probably
the lightest thing we tasted. I feel it was just maybe
missing a bit of sweetness, a bit of complexity. But if you want light,
light, light roasted coffee, this would be it. In the medium roasted category, it was kind of interesting. I think Dunkin' showed really well. I'm genuinely impressed by this. Tim Hortons, also, a
little bit of a surprise. Both much more complex
coffees in these bags than I've perhaps experienced
in the stores over the years, but I haven't been to either one recently, so maybe I'm missing out. Starbucks, just kind of solid, dependable, very medium, medium roast. You know, I don't think
I disliked anything about it particularly. You know, they buy good
coffees, generally speaking, so, you know, this was a decent showing. The controversial final recommendation would be for a dark roast. I ended up thinking this was
probably the best thing there. I think in the head-to-heads it lost out by being fractionally darker than the stuff it was up against, but I think the raw coffees
in this are probably better, and so if you really
like dark roasted coffee, this might be the better recommendation of the dark roasts that I tasted, even though I kicked it out a little bit early, I
think, perhaps unfairly, which I think I mentioned in the video. But as for our winner, congratulations to Philz. A surprise to me. I don't really know their coffee. This was probably the most
kind of specialty tasting of everything that we tasted. It had the most kind of character. What do you think though? Am I way off? Do you totally disagree
with my assessments? Do you have a very different opinion? Should I do this again? Should this be a kind of a regular thing to check in on the state of
grocery store coffee in the US? I would love to hear
your thoughts on this. Did I miss anything out too? Is there a coffee that
absolutely should have been here, but somehow was not? Let me know down in the comments below. But for now, I'll say thank
you so much for watching, and I hope you have a great day.
