# What's a good cheap brand of coffee? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 30, 2002, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702 "2002-12-30T17:14:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702/21 "2003-01-02T15:10:21Z")
I kinda hate to say it, but I use plain ol’ Kroger brand. Their 100% Columbian. I add cinnamon to it, maybe that helps. ---
**Author:** ![tarragon918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@tarragon918](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarragon918)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702/22 "2003-01-02T17:20:17Z")
I just made the switch to fresh ground – got a new coffee maker and a bean grinder. So far, I’ve only tried the Safeway house brand beans, and surprisingly have found the coffee quite tasty. 🙂 My next experiment will be 8 o’clock beans; I’ll also try adding a bit of the fresh ground to my Folger’s breakfast blend (which is what I’d mostly been drinking before now). I have to say, it was amazing to me how delicious the fresh ground coffee tastes! If I’d had any idea, I would have switched a -long- time ago. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702/23 "2003-01-04T03:41:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Slainte \* > \*\ ***8 O’Clock Colombian** (Brown bag) About $3.50 for 12 oz. bag. > > Get a $15.00 Bean grinder at Wal\*Mart (Mine is a Braun I think) > > Unbleached filters \*\* I’ll second that. 8 O’clock Columbian is one of the best coffees at any price. Maxwell House Columbian is pretty good too. Maxwell House’s 1890 blend is really good too, with a flavor unlike any other coffee, but I haven’t seen it around lately. Jon ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702/24 "2003-01-04T03:56:33Z")
Comunity…There is no other coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702/25 "2003-01-04T05:41:05Z")
We’ve been drinking 100% Columbian for about ten years now, and nearly always buy Food Lion (a local supermarket chain) house brand, which appears to be as tasty as most name brands and more so than some, and costs $1.79 per 12-oz vacuum pak (occasionally on sale for $1.39 or $1.59). ---
**Author:** ![tarragon918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@tarragon918](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarragon918)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702/26 "2003-01-04T08:50:27Z")
I just want to report back in to the thread that I bought some 8 o’clock beans (red bag) and tried them Friday morning. Perfectly delicious coffee! And at Safeway, they were only $2.25 a bag! 🙂 That may have been a “with the Safeway savings card” price, though. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702/27 "2003-01-04T09:02:45Z")
Second Cafe Bustelo. I have to support the evil empire(s), but CostCo carries a Starbucks blend that’s cheap and not bad. ---
**Author:** ![yawndave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/43a26b/32.png) [@yawndave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawndave)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702/28 "2003-01-04T16:02:16Z")
I agree that how you make (grind and brew) your cuppa ‘joe’ has a lot to do with the taste. Unfortunately for me, I have become a coffee snob, and can only drink Peet’s. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702/29 "2003-01-04T19:00:31Z")
Another vote here for Chock Full o’Nuts. I’m a little sad they quit putting the measuring scoop inside the can, though. ---
**Author:** ![Tiburon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e36b37/32.png) [@Tiburon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tiburon)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702/30 "2003-01-04T19:48:54Z")
I have a subscription to _Cooking Illustrated_ and this past year, they did taste tests on french roast coffees. Chock Full o’Nuts came in first. Starbucks was near the bottom. I’m a big fan of Trader Joe’s coffees - especially the Bay Blend. Haven’t tried CFON yet because I haven’t seen it in the grocery store but I’ll give it a try now after reading so many glowing endorsements. Tibs. ---
**Author:** ![Lure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@Lure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lure)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702/31 "2003-01-04T22:24:03Z")
> [@](#): > > I just want to report back in to the thread that I bought some 8 o’clock beans (red bag) and tried them Friday morning. Perfectly delicious coffee! And at Safeway, they were only $2.25 a bag! That may have been a “with the Safeway savings card” price, though. Wait til you try the colombo if the red label satisfies you.I’m working my way thru a “red label”-they’re arabica beans,so I can get to a new 2 lb.bag of 8 o clock colombo that I bought for abt.6.50 on sale. Where do all you people get these prices? I have only one outlet for 8 o clock,Smith’s (bought by Kroger a few years ago) and their reg.12 oz.price is abt $4.50.Had some on special abt a month ago for $2.98,but as usual there wasn’t a bag to be had at the 3 Smith’s I checked thru the week. Found an acceptable alternative,tho,in their house premium brand.That would be Krogers house brand,whatever they call it,something like Select special.Coincedentally on sale, at the same $2.98 price.Talk about bait and switch 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702/32 "2003-01-05T02:24:04Z")
I like Yuban. I find that with really cheap coffee you have to add more of it, so it costs the same in the long run. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702/33 "2003-01-05T02:50:41Z")
You could always [grow your own!](http://www.greenstranger.com/catalog97.htm) (You’ll have to scroll halfway down the page to find it, or do a “find in page search” for “coffea.” ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702/34 "2003-01-05T03:07:04Z")
‘Nother rec for Chock Full O’ Nuts. Also, if you drink decaf, as I do, you might wanna try Starbucks House Blend decaf. Nice. One thing we do is make our coffee about half heated milk with Girardelli Cafe Mocha (gotta be that exact flavor, the oters don’t go so well with coffee) chocolate mix added (1 heaping teaspoon) for a 12 oz. cup. Prolly most purists wouldn’t call it coffee, but it’s SOOO good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-cheap-brand-of-coffee/145702.md?page=1)