The Best Coffee Prices 2019. Research done By www.yourbestdigs.com. They spent 4 weeks brewing 50+ pots and drinking 400+ cups of coffee to find which brand was best tasting and the The Best Cheap Coffee Brands of 2019. After over four weeks commandeering the office coffee pot, brewing over 50 pots and consuming about 400 cups to find that Verena Street – Mississippi Grogg is the best cheap coffee brand. This light-roast, fair trade and kosher brand out-brewed the competition, pleasing even our pickiest taste tester and receiving complements such as “creamy” and “strong, but not overpowering.” For a bolder flavor profile, they recommend Marley Coffee medium roast or Koffee Kult dark roast on the best cheap coffee brands search

Their Top Choices

Table of contents

• How they selected products to test
• Compare the best cheap coffee brands
• Important features to consider
• How they tested
• Tasting
• Well-known brand
• By roast
• The bottom line

How they selected products to test

Their search began at the local grocery stores to see what was widely available to shoppers. They noted the ubiquitous blends and recorded their price per ounce. They then went to the reviewers on Amazon.com where coffee was available in all varieties. They considered options on Amazon,Prime Pantry and Amazon Fresh to find the best-rated cheap coffee options.

They narrowed their list to 20 brands total: 10 brands you know and 10 brands you want to know. Through Their research They found that people are branching out to try more coffee flavors, sources and strengths.

Their research was then directed towards the price point and determining what classifies as a “cheap” cup of coffee. If you are heading to Starbucks to grab a grande cup of regular coffee, it will put you back $2.10. McDonald’s premium roast coffee will cost $1.29. Dunkin’ Donuts medium coffee is $1.89. Frappuccinos, lattes and mochas will double your coffee cost.

Their research has shown that the average ounce of coffee beans costs $0.51. Given a typical water to bean ratio, the average home-brewed mug costs $0.33 per cup. On the inexpensive side you can brew a cup for $0.15, or with pricey beans you will still only pay $0.57 per cup.

Compare the best cheap coffee brands

Read our 1st post about Well known coffee brands here

They found that there are a few major differences between coffee brands you know, and ones you don’t. The first being price. Coffee brands you know had an average per-cost-ounce of $0.51, twenty cents cheaper than unknown brands of $0.73. They first thought this might have been due to production costs from big farms and large processing facilities.

However, they quickly learned about two other factors that affected price: the source and batch size. Most brands you know are Arabica coffee sourced from Ethiopia. Unknown brands had more diverse sources and were a combination of small batch, organic, sustainable, fair trade and/or ethically sourced blends.

Something that kept coming up in their research was “conscious consumerism,” or awareness of the impact your coffee makes on the community, environment and overall quality of life of those who harvest and grow it. Campaigns for products free from animal testing, bee friendly pesticides, compostable packaging and sustainable farming are all part of conscious consumerism.

Sustainable farming is the production of food using techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities and animal welfare. Seven out of ten of the unknown brands we chose listed organic, fair trade and sustainable farming methods, which is a major reason for the 20-cent increase in average price.

To further our research, we asked all of our coffee testers if they would spend an extra $1.00 on a product if it was proven that the company directly benefited the community or environment. Each tester said yes. In addition, when looking at overall ratings online, organically and sustainably-sourced coffee rated higher overall compared to your typical Arabica coffee.

As a result, the biggest factor affecting your coffee price is not the big brand name but the batch size, sourcing and farming techniques used to obtain it. When choosing a sustainable brand, you can rest assured knowing that while you will be spending a small amount more, you are also doing a small part to help the world.

Important features to consider

Coffee source

Your favorite coffee connoisseur might have an argument for single origin vs blended origin beans, but the average coffee drinker will not taste the difference. Each origin has a unique attribute that is added to the bean, but the taste is not the main reason to look into blended or single origin. There are very few regulations that mandate disclosure of type, or percentages, of the blends in your bag of coffee. As a result some expensive blends may be a low percentage of a desirable origin and the majority could be from a less desirable origin.

The important factor to consider with your coffee source is the processing procedure in the location from which it came. For example, coffee beans that are sourced from Ethiopia or Brazil are processed naturally and result in bold and fruity flavors. Africa processes their beans in a washed process that produces more well-balanced and complex flavors with noticeable acidity when roasted. On the other hand, coffee that is sourced from Central and South America tends to be more expensive due to the processing method that reduces mold on the beans.

Arabica vs. robusta beans

Coffee can be compared to wine in terms of flavor because it is also affected by soil, altitude and the region in which it’s grown. The two types of coffee bean options are Arabica and Robusta: But what does this mean? The easiest way to categorize the two is by the altitude in which they grew. Arabica beans are grown in the mountains at an altitude above 2000 feet, while Robusta coffee is found below that, typically on flat plantations.

Arabica is the more desirable bean, and you will find it in nearly all your daily coffee blends. Arabica beans are more popular because they are grown in richer soil that allows the bean to become naturally mild and aromatic. Arabica is a fragile, oval-shaped bean that needs to be grown in cool and subtropical climates. Arabica beans contain about 60% more sugar content than Robusta, adding to their delicious taste.

Robusta plants can carry as much as three times the caffeine  of Arabica, and they are known to have a stronger and harsher taste when roasted. You won’t find Robusta coffee in many blends today as it only comprises 25% of the market, which is mainly restricted to instant black coffees and Italian espresso blends.

Both beans have a range of grades suitable for coffee drinking, but there is a substantial price difference with Arabica beans; they cost nearly double Robusta. This is partly due to the less labor intensive and higher yield harvest. If given a choice, nearly all experts agree that Arabica coffee is the way to go.

All beans we tested were Arabica beans and still fell under the “cheap” category.

Roast type

Did you know that lighter roasted coffee actually has more caffeine than darker roasts? The purpose of the coffee-roasting process surprised us. Before roasting, coffee beans are soft with little taste. The roast starts the process of adding flavor. Age, processing method, grind and brew type will also play a role.

Light roast beans and grounds are light brown in color with minimal oil on the surface of the beans. This retains most of the caffeine and tends to be more acidic. Lightly roasted beans reach an internal temperature of 356°F – 401°F, where they crack just a little and expand in size.

Medium-roasted coffees will show no oil on the surface and have a balanced flavor, aroma and acidity, again with more caffeine than dark roasts. They are roasted to an internal temperature of 410°F – 428°F, allowing the beans to expand but not past a second crack.

Dark roasts are easily identified with their rich dark brown or black color. Dark-roast beans will have noticeable oil on the surface and taste more bitter, smoky or even burnt. As a coffee roast gets darker, it loses the origin flavors and takes on the flavor mainly from the roasting process. These beans are largest of the three, reaching an internal temperature of 464°F – 482°F, just past the 2nd crack.

Ground vs. whole beans and freshness

Once purchased, the most important factor for brewing your own coffee is the freshness. It’s not a question of whether your coffee will go bad, but when. When making your first cup of coffee in the morning most people would agree that making it quickly and easily is the key, which is the biggest benefit for ground coffee, but you may be sacrificing freshness and taste for convenience.

We love opening up a bag of ground coffee, enjoying the aroma, then easily scooping it into the coffee maker to brew. But, if you have a little bit more time in the morning and a coffee grinder, you will benefit from a bolder-flavored coffee by grinding your own coffee beans.

Coffee beans hold their taste in the bean oils, and once beans are ground, the oils will evaporate and the taste can go flat. The vacuum seal on ground coffee only holds the oil until opened. So as the grounds of coffee go down in the bag, so will the taste. Be sure to reseal the bag after each use.

The question remains, once a bag is open, how long does it last? There are a few factors to consider. The first usually depends on the roast date, the closer to the roast date the fresher your coffee is going to to taste. Next is the coffee bean type, ground coffee doesn’t maintain its fresh taste very long. Seattle Coffee Gear says that ground coffee sealed in a cool, dark place will stay fresh for about two weeks, while properly stored whole coffee beans will stay at best quality for about four weeks after opening at room temperature. Oxygen is your biggest enemy here.

All experts agree that no matter the bean type, ground or whole, they recommend storing your coffee in an airtight container in a cool and dark place. If storing unopened coffee in the pantry, you can expect ground coffee to last up to five months and whole bean coffee to last for up to six months.

How they tested

In search of the best beans overall, which can take into account many factors, they also wanted to see which were the best tasting coffee beans as well.

To ensure that no tester had a biased view of any cup they drank, for each test they opened a fresh bag of coffee and prepared in a separate room. Each pot of coffee was prepared based on the coffee instructions and brewed a full pot before anyone was able to have a taste. Each drinker was asked to rate the following categories on a scale of 1-10:

• Coffee aroma
• Coffee taste (Drinkers were asked to taste it black before adding any cream and sugar to their cup. They asked those who mixed the coffee for further feedback on how the coffee tasted with the mix-ins.)
• Coffee finish or aftertaste
• Overall quality

They also asked tasters to guess the brew type (light, medium or dark) and include any flavor notes before anonymously leaving their feedback to later analyze. They have a very diverse group of coffee drinkers, but most tend to drink stronger and bolder coffee. When analyzing the results, They found that the taste testers overwhelmingly liked the stronger tasting light and medium roasts, which matched their pre-testing preferences.

WE will Bring You more on their research on Less know coffee Brands . Read the entire article by www.yourbestdigs.com clicking her

Bryan Vu, Editor

Bryan is cooking and kitchen expert, with more than 15 years of experience of cooking and testing kitchen products. When outside of the kitchen, he enjoys woodworking, photography, videography and figuring out how to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. He thoroughly enjoys discovering the best, whether it’s ingredients or equipment, and finding products that can stand the rigors of daily use.