Everyone Drank This Coffee In The '80s — Now It's The Lowest Rated On Consumer Reports
Home coffee brewing has come a long way in the past few decades, and Consumer Reports' lowest-rated coffee pick really proves it. The veritable consumer watchdog tested dozens of blends from popular supermarket coffee brands, and scored each one based on a blind taste test.
Consumer Reports determined Maxwell House has the worst coffee blend in the country
There was only one other coffee blend that came anywhere near Maxwell House's low score, and that was — sorry, Costco lovers — the Kirkland Signature House Blend. As the only other poorly scored coffee, it was also described as harsh, bitter, and strongly burnt. It seems like some coffee roasters are toasting their beans way too long to try and cover for subpar quality, but Consumer Reports isn't being fooled.
Other old-school coffee brands didn't fare much better. Folgers may have been deemed average, but it was still one of the 10 worst grocery store coffee brands evaluated by Consumer Reports. Café Bustelo was also part of that group, ranking as the third-worst coffee tested. Second-wave coffee brands didn't fare much better, with Starbucks' Pike Place Roast being ranked as the fifth-worst, and Caribou Coffee's Caribou Blend falling around Folgers.
If you are looking for a lower-cost coffee to make at home that scores pretty well, Consumer Reports thinks Tim Hortons or Dunkin' offer better blends. The Canadian powerhouse Tim Hortons was actually one of the cheapest blends tested, and came in third place overall; it was also one of only six brands that landed in the truly excellent range. Dunkin' didn't rank quite that high, but still scored well and landed in the top 10. While there are probably still a lot of dedicated Maxwell House drinkers out there, fans of its House Blend may want to consider switching brands to upgrade what's in their cup without spending extra money.
