The Definitive Guide to the Best Grocery Store Coffee

Roast: Medium

Price: $18.95 for a 1lb bag ($1.18 per ounce)

Where to buy it: Online and in most national grocery stores (i.e., Target, Whole Foods or Kroger)

To be honest, most of the Peet’s coffee beans you’ll find at the grocery store are solid contenders (the brand has a lot of options). But the Café Domingo blend, made from three Latin American beans, stands out as a great middle-of-the-road, medium-roast coffee, especially if you like your medium roast to taste kind of like a dark roast. By that we mean, it’s very smooth and medium-bodied, with nutty, chocolatey vibes and an overall balanced taste, but might be too bitter or dark if you prefer a lighter roast. We’d happily take a cup of this over a bougie $5 latte any day.

Roast: Light

Price: $24 for a 1lb bag ($1.50 per ounce)

Where to buy it: Online, in most national grocery stores and at Starbucks stores

If you prefer your coffee on the bright, fruity side (as opposed to nutty or chocolatey), Starbucks’ blonde roast fits the bill. It’s flavorful without being too bold, with soft notes of citrus and no bitterness at all. According to the brand, the coffee beans are sourced from Latin America and it gets its mellow profile from a shorter roasting process. Considering the coffee chain is known for its burnt-tasting beans—to be honest, we find most of its medium- and dark-roast coffees far too bitter to be enjoyable—this light-roast option is a refreshing change of pace. It’s also readily available in almost all national grocery stores, as well as online through Starbucks and Amazon. (And FYI, both this and the Peet’s coffee are available pre-ground as well as whole, but we prefer the whole variety in both.)

Roast: Dark

Price: $19.30 for a 1lb bag ($1.21 per ounce)

Where to buy it: Online and in most national grocery stores

As if the name didn’t say it all, Death Wish Coffee Co. claims to offer the “world’s strongest coffee,” and if you like your cup as black as midnight on a moonless night, this is your roast. Despite the deep roast (and containing more caffeine than the average coffee), it yields a surprisingly smooth brew with notes of cherry and chocolate.

Roast: Extra Dark

Price: $12.08 for an 8.8-ounce tin ($1.37 per ounce)

Where to buy it: Online (Amazon) and in most national grocery stores

We admit that at about $12 for just eight ounces of coffee grounds, this option is kind of a splurge for grocery store coffee. But hear us out: The Italian brand makes a damn fine cup of coffee. According to the brand, the blend is sourced from nine different beans “worldwide” (it doesn’t specify the country of origin). While this one is definitely a much darker, bolder roast than our other choices on this list, it’s not bitter or overly acidic. We think even cream-drinkers would enjoy this coffee black. It brews up caramel-y and roasty with a full body, and the air-free packaging ensures that it’s fresh when you buy it, unlike most bagged coffee grounds, which allow air to degrade the beans. (Note that we don’t classify this coffee as “canned” even though it *technically* comes in a can, because it’s a much higher quality than most supermarket canned coffee brands.)

Roast: Light

Price: $13.49 for an 18-ounce bag ($0.75 per ounce)

Where to buy it: Online and in most national grocery stores

This Vermont-based coffee company is best known for dominating the coffee pod market, but we prefer its bagged coffee grounds instead (better for the environment, right?). This light-roast coffee is clean, bright and easy-drinking, not to mention surprisingly good even after a quick warm-up in the microwave. It’s not going to blow you away with nuanced flavor notes or anything innovative on the palate, but it performs well in the “standard cup of coffee” category, which is exactly what we need when our alarm sounds.

Roast: Medium

Price: $6.84 for a 12-ounce bag ($0.57 per ounce)

Where to buy it: Online and in grocery stores nationwide

Self-proclaimed coffee snobs may turn up their noses, but when it comes to the golden arches, we say don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it. For a widely available, extremely affordable and universally appealing coffee, it’s hard to beat the McCafé medium roast. It brews a smooth, balanced cup with a hint of acidity and little bitterness. Bonus, it’s available in K-cups and canisters too.

Roast: Medium

Price: $7.86 for a 30.6-ounce can ($0.26 per ounce)

Where to buy it: Online (Amazon) and in any national grocery store

Look, we’re not saying this stuff is gourmet by any means—it’s in a plastic tub, what do you expect? But if you’re looking for something really, really budget-friendly that also actually tastes like coffee, it’s definitely your best bet. It’s dark and rich without being too bitter (it’s definitely a little bitter, though) and with a splash of cream, you wouldn’t even know it came from a plastic tub. Look at it this way: When a 30-ounce package costs the same as that gourmet cup we bought from the café down the street this morning, we can’t really complain.

Roast: Medium

Price: $14.19 for a 33.7-ounce can ($0.46 per ounce)

Where to buy it: Online and in any national grocery store

If you’re less concerned about nuanced flavors and more about getting caffeine in your body, stat, then Folgers is a good second option in the canned coffee category. It’s mild, relatively uncomplicated and overall inoffensive, a lot like an average cup of diner coffee. It’s a little more expensive than Maxwell House, and we find it slightly less robust.

Roast: Medium

Price: $9.98 for a 24-ounce bag ($0.42 per ounce)

Where to buy it: Online (Amazon) and in grocery stores nationwide

Just because you’re cutting down on caffeine doesn’t mean you should suffer in silence. We find most decaf coffees to taste, well, off. But this one has a smooth, rich taste that lacks bitterness or any chemical undertones, and it comes at a relative bargain to boot.