The Great Coffee Experiment

I love coffee. You’ll see it front and center on this site, so that likely comes as no surprise. Since I started exploring specialty coffee back in 2016, during my freshman year of college, I’ve loved the process of making great coffee and discovering roasters who put out fantastic products. My passion for finding new roasters, combined with my job at Instacart and my love for grocery, inspired me to start an experiment: finding high-quality, everyday coffee beans that you can easily pick up at your local grocery store.

The goal of this experiment is to dive into the world of grocery-store coffee roasters. Are there beans on those shelves that taste great, are budget-friendly, and readily accessible? Each week, I’ll pick up a new bag of whole-bean coffee and put it through a 3-day trial using a grading rubric I created, with metrics I think are approachable and relatable.

To give each bag a fair shot, I’ll brew with three different methods over the 3-day period: immersion, pour-over, and espresso. I’ll be using my Aeropress, V60, and Bambino for this. For grinding coffee, I’m using my Baratza Encore ESP and using a respective grind setting (for espresso, I'll also give a few "test shots" to dial in properly). That’s 9 tasting sessions per bag (3 brewing methods x 3 days), where I’ll score Flavor, Smoothness, and Aftertaste—details on these metrics are below.

My taste grading rubric can be broken down like so:

• Flavor: 

  • Score of 1: No flavor at all

  • Score of 10: High notes of fruitiness, chocolate, or other flavors

• Smoothness:

  • Score of 1: Incredibly bitter

  • Score of 10: Incredibly smooth

• Aftertaste:

  • Score of 1: Bitter or unpleasant aftertaste

  • Score of 5: Consistent, nothing special 

  • Score of 10: Pleasant aftertaste, memorable

Beyond taste, I’ll also be including a grade for each bag as part of the total score covering:

• Cost:

  • Score of 1: Overpriced for the quality.

  • Score of 10: Outstanding value for the quality.

• Availability:

  • Score of 1: Difficult to find; limited to select stores.

  • Score of 10: Widely available at most large and small grocery stores.

Whether you’re new to coffee or a seasoned specialty coffee enthusiast, I hope this series helps you discover a new go-to bag that’s worth adding to your rotation. I also strongly believe in the value of “resetting the palate.” It’s the same idea behind heading to a local diner, recognizing the cup of coffee you’re drinking doesn’t quite live up to your cup at home, but ultimately appreciating everything about it. Tasting coffees outside of my usual preferences helps me better appreciate my favorite bags—and who knows, I might even stumble upon an unexpected gem along the way.