As I previously mentioned, I am in the process of trying to determine the best inexpensive, pre-ground, mass-produced coffee on the market. A few weeks ago, when I reviewed Cafe Bustelo, my post generated a fair bit of commentary, from both Bustelo's supporters and its detractors. As ever, the incredibly generous Slashfood community was quick to weigh in with its suggestions for the best bargain-priced coffee on the market. While I might not get to all the brands that my readers proposed, I'm definitely going to give it a try.
I should point out, in the interests of total disclosure, that I am not a true beanhead. To begin with, I take my morning brew with milk and sugar, which counts as a major faux pas among the coffee cognoscenti. Additionally, while my palate is pretty solid, I am not one of those people who sips a cup of coffee, makes a pinched face and notes that "Fernando wasn't wearing his shoes when he mashed these ones." I don't detect notes of sunshine in my morning joe, and I'm not inclined to get effusive about the rich, rounded tones and terroir of this or that organic Hawaiian blend.
Then again, those people don't drink preground drip coffee. Let's face it, the quest for the best cheap coffee is the kind of thing that self-selects for a guy who is willing to put price on a par with flavor. That having been said, I can tell a good cup of coffee from a bad one, and I am willing to drink a lot of bad coffee in my quest for the ultimate morning brew.
Speaking of which, I recently tried Medaglia d'Oro. Produced by Java Cabana, the company that makes Cafe Bustelo, the coffee costs about twice as much as Bustelo, and is billed as an "authentic Italian-style espresso coffee." Aimed at a more upscale clientele, it claims to be America's top-selling espresso.
When I opened the can, I was immediately excited. Medaglia d'Oro is dark-roasted and finely ground, and the coffee that it produces is rich, dark and aromatic. Unfortunately, however, the flavor was horrific. The best way that I can describe it is to say that it tasted much like a chemistry classroom smells, with an aftertaste that was very artificial and alarmingly reminiscent of melted plastic. In fact, given how awful it tasted, I wondered if I somehow got a bad batch. Still, the container was vacuum-packed and completely intact, which suggests that the problem may have been on Medaglia d'Oro's production line. After making a couple of cups, I ended up throwing out most of the can. Even for a cheapskate, life is too short to drink horrendously bad coffee.
Regardless of the reason for its disappointing performance, at more than $7 a can, Medaglia d'Oro is a little too pricey to warrant a second shot. While most of my reviews will be paced a few weeks apart (as I work through each can of coffee), you can expect the next one shortly!
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