Best Colombian Coffee

By: Consumer Reports | TriCities.com
Published: February 20, 2009

Americans love their coffee. In fact, they drink about 400 million cups a day. Consumer Reports just tested 19 kinds of Columbian coffee from familiar names such as Folgers and Maxwell House…to much pricier ones from companies such as Starbucks and Caribou.

Testers analyze just how much caffeine each contains. Turns out, some had almost four times as much as other coffees. Two boutique coffees, Caribou and Bucks County, had the most caffeine.

To check for taste, Consumer Reports' experts spent weeks brewing…smelling…and sipping coffee. It turns out that buying 100 percent Colombian doesn't guarantee you'll get great taste. Take, for example, the 100 percent Colombian from Folgers Coffee House Series…the Medium Dark Roast. Consumer Reports' taste testers found that it tasted of wet wood, like a Popsicle stick and cardboard.

And buying pricier coffee doesn't always guarantee quality, either. Consumer Reports' tasters found that some boutique coffees such as Starbucks and Peet's tasted burnt and bitter.

But testers did find a very good coffee that was among the least expensive. It's the Eight O'Clock Coffee 100 percent Colombian. And at $6 per pound, the money you can save might make a cup taste even better!

Consumer Reports also tested decaf coffees, but none of them tasted as good as the best caffeinated coffees. However, testers found that a little milk and sugar might help. For the best combination of taste and price, Consumer Reports recommends Folgers Gourmet Selections Lively Colombian Decaf Medium Roast. It costs about $8.50 per pound.

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