Tasting every Trader Joe’s coffee was a fun assignment. Caffeine genuinely puts me in a good mood (I was positively high on life after our Monster energy drink taste test) and coffee tastes good, especially when it’s affordable. And if there’s one thing Trader Joe’s coffee absolutely has going for it, it’s affordable. But this ranking comes with a disclaimer: I am aware that you can grind your own beans at Trader Joe’s, but I didn’t do that for this taste test. How could we be sure we used the same coarseness setting and would get the same result upon brewing? I like keeping things simple as much as I like caffeine, so I stocked our cart with all the ground coffee I could find on the shelves at our local Trader Joe’s as of mid-May, 2023.
Still reading? Great! I picked up eight bags of coffee and brewed them one by one in our humble one-cup drip coffee maker (two scoops of grounds and 8 oz of water). You probably have a better coffee maker at home, so the best Trader Joe’s coffee will be even better when you brew it yourself. Good news all around! Can you tell I’m still high on caffeine? Well, let’s get to it before I crash. Here’s all the Trader Joe’s coffee, ranked.
- Joe’s Dark Coffee
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This bag of Trader Joe’s coffee says, “No frills. Nothing fancy. Just good coffee at a great price.” They don’t make any bones about what this is or isn’t—this is coffee you drink because you need a cup of coffee and want it dark and strong. It’s a little bitter, but if you are accustomed to drinking dark roast, you’re probably okay with that. My beef with this coffee is that as it cooled, it started tasting a little chemically to me. Then when I smelled the grounds, they smelled a little chemically, too. Anyway, this landed in last place for a few reasons. It is not the best coffee at Trader Joe’s. You can do better.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Gingerbread Coffee
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I’m not entirely sure why Trader Joe’s still had holiday centric coffee in stock in May, but I’m sure people who are perverts for all things Christmas are thrilled. These grounds are spiked with cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. I really, really dislike nutmeg in coffee (miss me with that pumpkin spice nonsense), but luckily when this brews, ginger takes the lead. Still, it’s a very seasonal and very specific flavor profile. I wouldn’t personally reach for this Trader Joe’s ground coffee again, although ginger fans may disagree with me!
Credit: Liv Averett
- French Vanilla
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I didn’t hate this Trader Joe’s coffee as much as I thought I would. The grounds smell like flavored pipe tobacco—nostalgic but not necessarily something you want to swill. But the vanilla vibes mellow out a lot when it’s brewed. You mostly just get a little bit of a marshmallow creaminess on the finish, which isn’t unpleasant but also struck me as a little bit artificial tasting. According to the bag, the coffee is infused with “French vanilla flavor oil,” and I wonder if there was perhaps a better approach ultimately. There’s better coffee at Trader Joe’s—buy one of those and spike it with a good flavored creamer.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Joe Medium Roast
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This Trader Joe’s coffee has the same “no frills” schtick on the bag as Joe’s Dark Coffee, but this is much more pleasant to drink. Still, as you’ll discover when you read on, their light roast is the way to go. And if you insist on having a medium roast, scroll down to the best Trader Joe’s coffee on this list.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Wintry Blend
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Yup, another seasonal blend in spring at TJ’s. Luckily, this one is much better than the gingerbread. The smell made me nervous—it doesn’t list nutmeg as an ingredient, but it smelled suspiciously nutmeggy to me—but the flavor was a pleasant surprise. This coffee has little flecks of a few spices in it, among them red and green peppercorns, which give it a little bit of zing. Once it’s brewed, you get the cloves big time, both on the nose and in the cup, and they add a nice fruitiness that complements the fruitiness of the coffee beans. This Trader Joe’s coffee is probably too weird for some people—especially people who don’t like mulled cider—but I think it’s unique and enjoyable.
Credit; Liv Averett
- Shade Grown Ground Espresso Blend
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I didn’t really give this espresso blend Trader Joe’s coffee a fair shake; I brewed it in our regular drip coffee maker instead of my espresso machine at home. But here’s the thing: It was still good! Not the best Trader Joe’s coffee, but good if you’re an espresso fan, like I am. Brewed in the drip coffee machine, it was rich and flavorful, but still smooth drinking rather than acidic. I brought this bag home to brew the way god intended and I’m excited to try it.
- Joe Light Roast
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Of Trader Joe’s line of Joe’s Joe coffee, this was my favorite. I know. Light roast sounds lame, right? It’s not! While the other two lean a little bitter and acidic, this Trader Joe’s coffee is much smoother but still rich tasting. Still no frills. Still nothing fancy. But a much more crowd-pleasing coffee.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Organic Fair Trade Wake Up Blend Ground Coffee
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The best Trader Joe’s coffee we tasted is organic. It’s fair trade. This is a coffee you can feel good about drinking (even if coffee makes you feel a little bit bad). To my palate, this was far and away the best Trader Joe’s coffee. It’s rich and fruity and not acidic. Goes down like black velvet (I’m sure it goes without saying, but I tasted all of these black). If you’re buying ground coffee at Trader Joe’s, this is the one to buy.
Credit: Liv Averett
Coffee!
Coffee!
Coffee!
Coffee!
Coffee!
Coffee!
Coffee!
Coffee!
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