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What’s the best supermarket coffee?

Even the most committed brokavore has an achilles heel. Schmancy ice cream, farm raised this or that, deep-fried anchovy skeletons. Mine is coffee: oily, aromatic, dark roast, whole bean, utter, hopeless snobbery. I’m so pathetic I recently bought a junky little milk frother to elevate the experience. But after running out of the good stuff for the first time in my adult life this week, it was time to suck it up and embark upon a long-overdue Brokelyn taste test: supermarket coffees.

We hereby kick off a weeks-long tour of all of the brands fit for C-Town shelves. Surely there are some tasty discoveries hiding amid the Folgers cans. Right? Pilones sounds exotic and sumptuous. How about Café Bustelo, with its stylish font and the promising word “Espresso” on the can? Even Chock Full o Nuts (but why nuts?) has an Automat-ish nostalgic appeal, though I’m not personally nostalgic for diners with watery coffee. Do you drink supermarket joe? Which is your favorite? And are there any brewing secrets that can turn a cuppa Maxwell House into a Stumptown sip-alike?

Faye :Faye Penn is the founder of Brokelyn and publisher of the Brooklyn and Queens Beer Books, the Brooklyn Cocktail Book and other stuff you ain't seen yet. She lives in Ditmas Park. Get at her at brokelyn@gmail.com

View Comments (18)

  • We're Bustelo fans in our house. As soon as we buy a can, we transfer the coffee into a plastic container so it doesn't taste too metallic. It's especially good if you sprinkle in some cinnamon before brewing. Yum!

  • I took after my parents, though I prefer Food Bazaar, Folger's Gourmet Dark french pressed. 

  • Martinson's Colombian Supreme is my top pick for those without a grinder or a car to get to Fairway. It's dark, aromatic and tastes like fancy cafe coffee.

  • I lived in the Dominican Republic for a few years, and I drank Cafe Bustelo every day while I was there. It has a very authentic taste. I still buy Cafe Bustelo in the grocery store in the States because I haven't found another coffee that tastes as crisp. 

    Bill Graze
    http://socialgraze.com

  • I agree wholeheartedly.
    I use half Chock Original and Half Bustelo, brewing in a stovetop espresso pot. Delicious!