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Kirkland Coffee - Costco's Store Brand of Beans


Choirgirl21

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In an effort to spend less I'm evaluating all of my spending to see where I can save money. One thing I am not willing to compromise on is good coffee, but I'm wondering if I can find a more affordable option that will still taste great. I had been ordering from Blue Bottle, but have recently switched to primarily buying from Whole Foods, which saves me some money, but I'm wondering about what's available at Costco - both the Kirkland brand and the others they sell. Has anyone tried them that can share their experiences?

I tend to like medium roasts - Guatemalan & Mexican beans seem to be good options when I'm trying a new roaster so I got interested in the Kirkland Guatamalan, but though its labeled as a medium roast, the reviews seem to indicate its very dark. 4-6 lbs of coffee is no small commitment for someone living alone who generally drinks one cup a day so input is appreciated!

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On 2/10/2017 at 3:33 PM, pras said:

They carry at least one or two Mayorga varieties.  Haven't bought it in a while, but when I was buying whole bean, I remember it being very good and sold at a very good price.

Definitely this.  I have the last bit of a 2 lb. bag of Mayorga Honduran coffee in the freezer right now.  It was even on additional sale at the time and ended up somewhere around $5/lb.  I still buy smaller bags from other local roasters, but use Mayorga whenever I'm making bigger batches in the press pot, and it makes great cold brew concentrate for the summer.

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Sadly there was no Mayorga when I went yesterday. :( They do have it available online, but I have noticed that online prices are often higher than store prices. Online the Mayorga came in at $8-10/lb so I will have to watch for in store/sale pricing. 

So I decided to try the Kirkland Guatemalan. And by try I guess I mean drink it for months since its a 3 lb package, lol. It's labeled as a medium-dark roast, and I would say that's fairly accurate if you err on the dark side of medium-dark. Its fine, reminds me of a Starbucks dark roast with a slightly less burnt taste, which doesn't sound like a glowing review, but for $5/lb I think it's pretty good coffee. For anyone who enjoys a darker roast I would actually recommend it. 

I don't know why I didn't choose the Columbian since I prefer a lighter roast. I'm going to see it I can pawn some of this off on a friend so I can try that next. :P

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On 2/22/2017 at 2:06 PM, Choirgirl21 said:

Sadly there was no Mayorga when I went yesterday. :( They do have it available online, but I have noticed that online prices are often higher than store prices. Online the Mayorga came in at $8-10/lb so I will have to watch for in store/sale pricing. 

So I decided to try the Kirkland Guatemalan. And by try I guess I mean drink it for months since its a 3 lb package, lol. It's labeled as a medium-dark roast, and I would say that's fairly accurate if you err on the dark side of medium-dark. Its fine, reminds me of a Starbucks dark roast with a slightly less burnt taste, which doesn't sound like a glowing review, but for $5/lb I think it's pretty good coffee. For anyone who enjoys a darker roast I would actually recommend it. 

I don't know why I didn't choose the Columbian since I prefer a lighter roast. I'm going to see it I can pawn some of this off on a friend so I can try that next. :P

If you don't like it, return it.  They will take it back no questions asked. You don't even need a receipt.

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2 hours ago, pras said:

If you don't like it, return it.  They will take it back no questions asked. You don't even need a receipt.

Agreed - there's no sense in being caffeine-miserable for three months: The money isn't even the primary issue here. The problem is, sometimes going to Costco is an "event" for people, depending on where they live, because they stock up on things and drive a bit further than normal - that's why I post about my sometimes-awful Whole Foods experiences here, but almost never return things. 

Nov 13, 2010 - "The Caffeine Addict: Costco Coffee Fail" by Proximal.Kitchen on biteclubeats.com

Feb 11, 2013 - "Review: Kirkland House Blend 'Roasted by Starbucks' Coffee" on nearof.com

Oct 23, 2013 - "Kirkland Coffee - Any Good?" on chowhound.com

Jun 22, 2015 - "Is Costco Coffee Any Good? We Bravely Discover" by Mrs. Frugalwoods on frugalwoods.com

Dec 8, 2015 - "Reader Tip: Costco Brand Roasted by Starbucks - BIG Savings" on hip2save.com

Jul 6, 2016 - "Kirkland Coffee: Seven of Costco's Best Coffee Beans for Your Cup" by Kenneth on purelycoffebeans.com

Interestingly, I had the *worst* cup of coffee yesterday morning that I've probably had in a couple of years - I got it at Pan American Bakery on Columbia Pike, and it tasted like someone had put out their cigarette in my cup, and then left it sitting out overnight. I found the cup this morning, and despite the desperation caffeine-run, there was about 1/3-cup left: It was literally undrinkable. They use Mayorga beans, to the best of my knowledge, so it shouldn't have been *this* bad. I'd say this was vending-machine level, but honestly, vending-machine coffee is a small step above what this was.

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1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

Agreed - there's no sense in being caffeine-miserable for three months: The money isn't even the primary issue here. The problem is, sometimes going to Costco is an "event" for people, depending on where they live, because they stock up on things and drive a bit further than normal - that's why I post about my sometimes-awful Whole Foods experiences here, but almost never return things. 

True that for most a trip to Costco isn't an every week experience.  I make a trip weakly (about 10 minutes from my house) and I can walk to Whole Foods in less than 10 minutes.  I am not afraid to try something and return it if it sucks!

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Hit Costco on Wednesday late afternoon, and they again had the Mayorga.  The special this month is the Cafe Cubano (whole bean/$13.99) for a 2lb bag.

The product of the month is Organic Cafe Cubano! A bold dark roast with hints of sweetness and warming peppery notes

FWIW - I drink a lot of espresso 7-days/week.  I found come Kick Ass Coffee, yes, that is the name, at Giant recently and on sale it was like $5/lb.  It was excellent.  Their regular price is typically a lot more than that.

see link here: https://www.kickinghorsecoffee.com/en/coffee/kick-ass-whole-bean

 

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On 2/23/2017 at 5:53 PM, pras said:

If you don't like it, return it.  They will take it back no questions asked. You don't even need a receipt.

Thanks, this is great to know. I like the coffee well enough to keep it, but I'm also testing out a more cost effective shampoo that I'm on the fence about so good to know they will take back opened products. I wouldn't have thought that. I also intend to try the Columbian at some point and may find it hideous, who knows. :P

 

After drinking the Guatemalan for a bit, I will say one thing I appreciate is that it packs quite a punch. I thought darker roasts tended to have less caffeine, but perhaps that's a myth I heard somewhere. Regardless, this one certainly gives me some pep in my step so while it's not as good as my Blue Bottle coffee, for the cost and the caffeine kick I can see keeping it in my rotation.

On 2/23/2017 at 7:44 PM, DonRocks said:

Agreed - there's no sense in being caffeine-miserable for three months: The money isn't even the primary issue here. The problem is, sometimes going to Costco is an "event" for people, depending on where they live, because they stock up on things and drive a bit further than normal - that's why I post about my sometimes-awful Whole Foods experiences here, but almost never return things. 

Nov 13, 2010 - "The Caffeine Addict: Costco Coffee Fail" by Proximal.Kitchen on biteclubeats.com

Feb 11, 2013 - "Review: Kirkland House Blend 'Roasted by Starbucks' Coffee" on nearof.com

Oct 23, 2013 - "Kirkland Coffee - Any Good?" on chowhound.com

Jun 22, 2015 - "Is Costco Coffee Any Good? We Bravely Discover" by Mrs. Frugalwoods on frugalwoods.com

Dec 8, 2015 - "Reader Tip: Costco Brand Roasted by Starbucks - BIG Savings" on hip2save.com

Jul 6, 2016 - "Kirkland Coffee: Seven of Costco's Best Coffee Beans for Your Cup" by Kenneth on purelycoffebeans.com

 

Thanks. I will check out some of these articles. It was actually the post from the Frugalwoods blog that inspired me to start this thread and ultimately try the Kirkland coffee. They've inspired a new level of frugality in me in general. I'm already good at saving quite a lot (in the process of looking to upgrade my condo to a single family home), but what I hadn't considered was where I could be saving money on things like toothpaste, shampoo, and coffee where I thought it was worth paying for the brand I prefer when it may not be, or may not be worth the price difference.

And I am lucky in the sense that I have Costcos within 15-20 minutes of me in either direction, with one of those being about 10 minutes from my office though those Costcos do not sadly sell alcohol. I recently had a Kirkland Rioja that I thought was quite pleasant for the price so I see a trip to DC in my future to stock up on liquor/wine. :)

On 2/24/2017 at 8:43 AM, Ferris Bueller said:

Hit Costco on Wednesday late afternoon, and they again had the Mayorga.  The special this month is the Cafe Cubano (whole bean/$13.99) for a 2lb bag.

The product of the month is Organic Cafe Cubano! A bold dark roast with hints of sweetness and warming peppery notes

FWIW - I drink a lot of espresso 7-days/week.  I found come Kick Ass Coffee, yes, that is the name, at Giant recently and on sale it was like $5/lb.  It was excellent.  Their regular price is typically a lot more than that.

see link here: https://www.kickinghorsecoffee.com/en/coffee/kick-ass-whole-bean

 

Thanks! I rarely go to Giant, but if I happen to I will keep an eye out.

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