Walmart/sams club Coffee

[jstutman]

Last couple months I have been drinking the Member's mark fair trade coffee and I think it tastes amazing. I recently purchased a grinder to start buying whole beans. What I am asking is what is the best whole bean coffee that is sold at walmart and/or sams club?

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/member...-ground-coffee-40-oz/201888.ip?navAction=push

 

[oldbluelight]

I'm a cheap ol' sunufagun and keep 2 or 3 bags of their French Roast whole bean in the pantry. I drink way too much coffee to be a connesuer (sp) and I'm not an English teacher either. Grind it up in a 100 year old Arcade Favorite and brew in a French press. Happy as a clam cause I don't know no better.

 

[jzuzphreek]

At risk of sounding snobby, I would say that the beans you buy from any grocery store really only vary by degree of roast and any flavors imparted to the beans post-roast. If you want your mind blown with a great cup of coffee, try sourcing some fresh roasted beans (2-3 days post-roast). Compare them to your standard grocery store coffee, and let your taste buds decide. To be honest, it will be a little more expensive, but you may find that it's worth it.

If you find it's not for you, then I would recommend Community Coffee if its available near you. Really only because it comes from Louisiana.

 

[Alacrity59]

My grocery does pretty well. They have a selection of about 20 different roasts of which about half are flavoured but the other half are nice beans from around the world. They roast on site using this Probat, sorry it is a slightly out of focus cell cam photo.

 

[jzuzphreek]

My grocery does pretty well. They have a selection of about 20 different roasts of which about half are flavoured but the other half are nice beans from around the world. They roast on site using this Probat, sorry it is a slightly out of focus cell cam photo.
View attachment 324228

Now THAT'S a cool grocery!

 

[StillShaving]

Last couple months I have been drinking the Member's mark fair trade coffee and I think it tastes amazing. I recently purchased a grinder to start buying whole beans. What I am asking is what is the best whole bean coffee that is sold at walmart and/or sams club?

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/member...-ground-coffee-40-oz/201888.ip?navAction=push

I am not sure you will find one best coffee there. If you can figure out the roast date codes, you might want to buy whatever is freshest, since sometimes they have a lot of stock on hand that can sit for awhile. Many years ago I enjoyed their Starbuck's breakfast blend, but you may like a darker roast.

 

[cb91710]

At risk of sounding snobby, I would say that the beans you buy from any grocery store really only vary by degree of roast and any flavors imparted to the beans post-roast. If you want your mind blown with a great cup of coffee, try sourcing some fresh roasted beans (2-3 days post-roast). Compare them to your standard grocery store coffee, and let your taste buds decide. To be honest, it will be a little more expensive, but you may find that it's worth it.

At least one of my local Costcos (I haven't looked for or noticed at others) roasts on-site. HUGE machine.

 

[slooby_doo]

There's no question fresh is better. I purchased a French Roast Columbian from my local coffee house/roastery and it was simply delicious. However, at $16 bucks a pound, and going through 3-4 pounds every two weeks, it's prohibitive to pay $100-$130 per month for coffee.

 

[garyg]

There's no question fresh is better. I purchased a French Roast Columbian from my local coffee house/roastery and it was simply delicious. However, at $16 bucks a pound, and going through 3-4 pounds every two weeks, it's prohibitive to pay $100-$130 per month for coffee.

There's the rub, Slooby hit it .. I love freshly roasted from Mighty Good Coffee in Ann Arbor, they write the roast date on the bag as they weigh it out for me .. but $16 a pound is expensive. The alternative is to go to CHXXXMart & pay $10, and get something that may have been roasted last year?

 

[jstutman]

Thank you everyone for your input.

So far I have tried columbian eight oclock, and I drank it all up. It was very strong. Tomorrow I am going to buy the Sams club whole bean and see how it tastes.

I will buy some online fresh roasted beans to compare but will save it for special occasion's due to the cost

 

[michiganlover]

I like gourmet coffee quite a bit, even frequented our local roaster quite a bit in the past. However, due to budget constraints I often times drink a canned coffee. Most of the major brands I think are totally gross. The three I have found to be acceptable are:

-Aldi coffee. It's what my church serves, and I probably drink at least 2 pots of it a week there.
-Sunrise Country Blend from Dollar General
-Wal-Mart/ Sam's Club 100% Colombian

 

[springerfever]

My personal favorite is PEETS..either the Major Dickasons or their French Roast....both available in whole bean. I grind my coffee every morning and then use an Aeropress to brew. Takes a few minutes but WELL worth the effort.

 

[jstutman]

The other week I purchased some whole beans from Aldi's. Damn fine coffee for $3.50

 

[Alacrity59]

The other week I purchased some whole beans from Aldi's. Damn fine coffee for $3.50

Was that one dozen magic beans?

 

[VeLoRoK]

I will buy some online fresh roasted beans to compare but will save it for special occasion's due to the cost

So, uh, saving it kind of defeats the purpose of it being freshly roasted. It starts to lose it's magic after a few days. You should use freshly roasted beans within 7 days of roast, if possible. For me, I can't get through a full pound of coffee within 7 days of roast, and I'm a fan of the 120z/350g size bags that most of the micro-roasters here in PDX use. So, yeah, since the cost is an issue to you, try to find something from a local roaster that will allow you to buy a smaller size and enjoy it while it's fresh. Otherwise, you are pretty much contradicting yourself and wasting your money.

Also, buying "fresh" coffee online isn't so great either. You're probably looking at missing out on about 50% of your ideal enjoy by date. You're also going to be paying a premium for shipping, particularly if you're doing next day or two day shipping, thus driving up the cost.

 

[jzuzphreek]

So, uh, saving it kind of defeats the purpose of it being freshly roasted. It starts to lose it's magic after a few days. You should use freshly roasted beans within 7 days of roast, if possible. For me, I can't get through a full pound of coffee within 7 days of roast, and I'm a fan of the 120z/350g size bags that most of the micro-roasters here in PDX use. So, yeah, since the cost is an issue to you, try to find something from a local roaster that will allow you to buy a smaller size and enjoy it while it's fresh. Otherwise, you are pretty much contradicting yourself and wasting your money.

Also, buying "fresh" coffee online isn't so great either. You're probably looking at missing out on about 50% of your ideal enjoy by date. You're also going to be paying a premium for shipping, particularly if you're doing next day or two day shipping, thus driving up the cost.

1 week off roast isn't exactly stale. Many coffees out there are just reaching their peak at 7 days. My rule of thumb is 2-3 weeks off roast, although I've been known to use coffee older than that if I have a bunch left and am waiting for a shipment.

Also, most specialty roasters ship via priority mail at flat rates. Most coffee needs a day or 2 of rest after roasting to allow for degassing. I would also be willing to bet, many local roasters are selling 2-3 day old coffee as well (I'm sure milage varies greatly on that, it's just been my experience).

If buying an amount of coffee greater than your immediate consumption needs (>2-3 weeks), it's best to freeze the bulk in small mason jars, sealed tightly. When ready to brew, take out only one jar at a time, and let it come to room temperature still sealed. That's the most reliable way to preserve coffee, but don't be mislead, coffee can still go bad frozen. There just aren't many other options.

 

[VeLoRoK]

1 week off roast isn't exactly stale. Many coffees out there are just reaching their peak at 7 days. My rule of thumb is 2-3 weeks off roast, although I've been known to use coffee older than that if I have a bunch left and am waiting for a shipment.

Also, most specialty roasters ship via priority mail at flat rates. Most coffee needs a day or 2 of rest after roasting to allow for degassing. I would also be willing to bet, many local roasters are selling 2-3 day old coffee as well (I'm sure milage varies greatly on that, it's just been my experience).

If buying an amount of coffee greater than your immediate consumption needs (>2-3 weeks), it's best to freeze the bulk in small mason jars, sealed tightly. When ready to brew, take out only one jar at a time, and let it come to room temperature still sealed. That's the most reliable way to preserve coffee, but don't be mislead, coffee can still go bad frozen. There just aren't many other options.

I wouldn't recommend freezing coffee. Expansion and contraction, oxidation, condensation…there are a lot of ways the flavor gets destroyed. The only way to enjoy it at its peak is to do so within that window after roasting. (I'm aware that coffees need a few days to rest after roast. I am assuming this person would walk into a place where most coffees on the shelf would be in the 3-7 days old range. Just trying to keep it simple.)

this is all probably a moot point anyway, as I doubt someone who wants to buy sam's club coffee has the know-how to appreciate the finer points of freezing, age, degassing etc.

 

[jzuzphreek]

I wouldn't recommend freezing coffee. Expansion and contraction, oxidation, condensation…there are a lot of ways the flavor gets destroyed. The only way to enjoy it at its peak is to do so within that window after roasting. (I'm aware that coffees need a few days to rest after roast. I am assuming this person would walk into a place where most coffees on the shelf would be in the 3-7 days old range. Just trying to keep it simple.)

this is all probably a moot point anyway, as I doubt someone who wants to buy sam's club coffee has the know-how to appreciate the finer points of freezing, age, degassing etc.

Plenty of home baristas (professional and amature) would disagree with you on the freezing. Sure, it's not ideal, but it's the best way to preserve coffee when buying in bulk (to save shipping costs and time). Plenty of notable roasters of good reputation recommend it as well (as opposed to other methods).

Oxidation does not happen when the coffee is frozen (by my understanding, willing to be corrected if it is proven), and condensation on the beans can be reduced significantly by keeping the container sealed while coming to room temperature (presumably a few hours).

 

[aimsport]

I have a $3k espresso maker, actually two. I love my coffee. I have at times had regular contact with great micro roasters in the area. I was a coffee snob.

But one day a few years back on business I found myself in the 8o'clock coffee HQ. Curious, I got a bag of French Roast on the way home. Must be fluke, I said to myself as it made unbelievably good coffee. So I got another. Different state, different batch... same taste. Double fluke I thought. Then a few more month and then some blind taste tests with my friends... clear winner: 8'O French Roast.

It's been years.

Drip, pressed or shot with hot water under high pressure... it's the 8'O French Roast for me.

YMMV.

 

[Jasonian]

So, uh, saving it kind of defeats the purpose of it being freshly roasted. It starts to lose it's magic after a few days. You should use freshly roasted beans within 7 days of roast, if possible. For me, I can't get through a full pound of coffee within 7 days of roast, and I'm a fan of the 120z/350g size bags that most of the micro-roasters here in PDX use. So, yeah, since the cost is an issue to you, try to find something from a local roaster that will allow you to buy a smaller size and enjoy it while it's fresh. Otherwise, you are pretty much contradicting yourself and wasting your money.

Also, buying "fresh" coffee online isn't so great either. You're probably looking at missing out on about 50% of your ideal enjoy by date. You're also going to be paying a premium for shipping, particularly if you're doing next day or two day shipping, thus driving up the cost.

I'm going to go with Jessy on this one. Of course, if you'd like to explain why you advise as you do so that we can all learn something, I'll respond in kind and explain why it's not as black and white as you appear to imply. I once thought like that. Roast, grind, cup, and learn.