Consumer Report-Coffee

Consumer Reports: There's a lot of coffees out there

In lieu of the brew itself, perhaps these facts about coffee will prove stimulating:

· Americans drink more coffee per capita than the people of any other nation.
· There are two main types of coffee beans: robusta and arabica. Robusta plants are hardier, while arabica beans can make higher-quality coffee.
· Caffeine can be removed from coffee via a solvent, liquefied carbon dioxide, or a hot-water process. Even so, decaffeinated coffee isn't necessarily free of the stuff: It generally has 5 mg or less caffeine per 6 ounces, vs. 50 to 90 mg for regular coffee.
· Coffees labeled as being "100 percent" beans of a type or region are supposed to consist only of those beans. Sometimes such a claim is certified, as by the Colombian Coffee Federation's Juan Valdez logo on 100 percent Colombian coffees.

We recently tested 33 Colombian coffees (caffeinated and decaffeinated), along with nine caffeinated Kona coffees produced from beans grown in the rich volcanic soil of Hawaii's rainy highlands. Among the 42 brews were national and store brands, as well as those sold in specialty shops and online.

In blind tests, our expert tasters looked for such desirable flavors as "floral" (like the scent of a mixed-flower arrangement) or "earthy" (think clean, moist soil), while noting negative attributes including "cereal" (a grainy flavor common to cheap beans), "burnt" (a taste redolent of charred beans) and "astringent" (it might make your mouth pucker).
We tested whole-bean and ground coffees, preparing them according to manufacturers' instructions. When those instructions allowed, we made adjustments to improve flavor.
Some of our findings:

· Whole beans usually bested ground. Three of our four best-tasting coffees are whole bean.

· Decaffeinated can be first-rate. Some decaffeinated versions of coffees outshine or nearly match their regular brandmate

· Kona coffees can be second-rate. They're especially expensive (two we tested cost $30 per pound) and billed as smooth and full-bodied, with a winy, spicy flavor. Yet eight of nine Konas we tested are woody, bitter, sour and astringent.

· Coffee-shop brands may not shine. Whole-bean coffees from Gloria Jean's, Seattle's Best and Starbucks scored no better than "good" in our ratings. Starbucks' ground was the lowest rated of 25 caffeinated Colombian coffees.

Overall, we found a far lower percentage of very good or excellent brews than when we last rated coffees in 2000, even though we tried many of the same brands. The winners, however, made for an interesting mix.

There are only two excellent products in our lineup was Caribou Colombian, a whole-bean caffeinated coffee sold in Caribou stores, by mail order or over the Internet for $11.25 a pound. (With mail-order coffees, you'll likely pay an extra $5 or more for ground shipping.) It is fragrant, with complex, well-balanced floral, fruity and earthy notes or various Willoughby’s coffees, which is a small roaster and have some of the finest coffees in The USA. www.willoughbyscoffee.com

For the best combination of taste and price, we recommend Eight O'Clock 100 percent Colombian whole-bean -- both caffeinated ($5 per pound) and decaffeinated ($5.85) -- and Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend 100 percent Arabica ground caffeinated ($7.66, sold at the company's outlets). All three are CR Best Buys.

Our tests revealed that coffees with the same brand name may not be equally good. For example, the whole-bean version of Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend 100 percent Arabica and the ground version of Eight O'Clock Colombian scored lower in our ratings than their very good brandmates. And Eight O'Clock's Royale Kona Delight is so musty that it barely tastes like coffee.
Some so-so coffees can be salvaged with milk and sugar. If you don't take yours black, consider Berkley & Jensen 100 percent Colombian Batch Roasted ($1.80 per pound, at BJ's) and Kirkland Signature 100 percent Colombian Supremo Bean ($1.76, at Costco), two good ground caffeinated brews. For an inexpensive-but-good decaffeinated coffee, try Great Value 100 Colombian ground ($2.44 per pound, at Wal-Mart).