10 Best Ground Coffee in 2023 [Tested and Reviewed]

Death Wish Coffee Co.'s Dark Roast is made with a blend of Arabica and Robusta beans, delivering a smooth and robust flavor. When enjoyed black, it reveals hints of dark chocolate and nuts, with a pronounced bitterness and sweetness. The lack of acidity and rich taste make it very easy to drink.

Whether served black or with milk, the coffee's rich flavor shines through. You can savor the sweetness of the milk and the strong bitterness without losing the balance. Testers loved the unique dark roast flavor in both forms. This coffee is a great choice for those new to coffee or those who prefer a strong, rich flavor.

Illy's Ground Espresso Classico Coffee Medium Roast is made exclusively with Arabica beans, offering a mild and well-balanced flavor. When sipped black, it has flavors of milk chocolate and citrus, with a balanced mix of fruity acidity and the perfect touch of bitterness. It's not overly acidic, so it's a good option even for those who usually avoid acidic flavors.

When prepared as a café au lait, the fruity acidity blends beautifully with the sweetness of the milk, creating a creamy and inviting taste. The medium roast also brings out a lively aroma, adding to the subtle flavor experience. Testers were drawn to the pleasant aroma and taste that reminded them of black tea with milk. If you're a fan of fruitier, more acidic coffee or enjoy bitterness but want to explore something with a slight tang, this product is worth trying.

Starbucks' Veranda Blend is a medium roast made with 100 percent Arabica beans, promising aromas of toasted grain and baking chocolate. Drinking it black, this coffee has a sweet and tangy fruity flavor, like ripe cherries. There's also a hint of bitterness, creating a clean and enjoyable taste experience. The aroma is pleasant, with a gentle sweetness that may even have a calming effect. 

Served as a café au lait, the acidity mellows, and the sweetness becomes more pronounced. However, the flavor of the coffee seems to get lost in the milk. Some testers found the sweetness of the milk too strong, feeling that it overshadowed the coffee's flavor. With its striking fruity acidity both black and as a café au lait, this coffee is ideal for those who favor acidity over bitterness or prefer a coffee with a light taste that's easy to enjoy.

Folgers' Classic Roast Coffee, with its distinctive red can, is a medium roast offering a smooth and robust flavor. When you drink it black, bitterness is the main sensation, accompanied by chocolate-like flavors and a smoky aroma. But with little acidity or sweetness, it might not appeal to those who like their coffee with a more tart flavor.

Adding milk for a café au lait introduces a toasty, nutty flavor, but the coffee's strong bitterness doesn't quite harmonize with the milk. Some testers felt the bitterness was too overpowering, masking the creaminess of the milk. Whether drunk black or with milk, the robust bitterness is what defines this coffee, making it a top pick for those who crave a stronger cup or want a jolt of bitterness to kick-start the day.

Starbucks' French Roast is a dark roast made entirely with Arabica beans and known for its intense and smoky flavor. Served black, you'll taste dark chocolate and burnt caramel, along with a strong bitterness. The roast's aroma is potent, contributing to an overall deep and heavy flavor profile. Some testers found the strong bitterness appealing but felt it was so overpowering that they couldn't detect any sweetness, resulting in lower ratings.

Adding milk to create a café au lait softens the intense bitterness, making it more approachable than when drunk black. Testers noted that the milk's sweetness tempered the otherwise too-strong bitterness. If you find the roast aroma or bitterness too overpowering when drinking it black, you might prefer this coffee as a café au lait.

Dunkin's Original Blend Ground Coffee is a medium roast made with 100 percent Arabica beans, offering a rich and smooth flavor. You'll notice a strong, fruity acidity when brewed black, with little bitterness and a hint of chocolate-like aroma. If you're not a fan of acidic coffee, you might find this one hard to enjoy.

As a café au lait, the acidity becomes creamy and sweet, resulting in a smooth flavor. Testers who found the black coffee too acidic enjoyed the creamy sweetness when milk was added. If you're drinking it as a café au lait, this coffee could be a great option.

Lavazza's Classico Ground Coffee Blend is a medium roast blend of Arabica and Robusta beans, described as having a rich flavor and sweet aroma. Flavors like chocolate and grape come through when served black, with a gentle sweetness and a sharp, pronounced acidity. The fruitiness is intense, making the bitterness and richness somewhat hard to detect. 

Some testers felt that while the crisp acidity was present, it didn't balance out the bitterness. The coffee's flavor seems to take a backseat to the sweetness of the milk when prepared as a café au lait. If you're looking to savor the coffee's unique flavor, this blend might not fully satisfy.

McCafe's Premium Roast Ground Coffee is a medium roast made with 100 percent Arabica beans, boasting a rich aroma, smooth body, and clean finish. Drinking it black, the acidity is prominent, while bitterness and sweetness are hardly noticeable. The coffee itself is on the lighter side, which might appeal to those who prefer a less intense brew.

When prepared as a café au lait, the sweetness of the milk adds a buttery richness. While the black coffee tasted a bit thin, milk brought out its sweetness and created a more robust flavor, which was well-received by testers.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters' Holler Mountain Ground Coffee is a light roast, blending beans from Central and South America and East Africa. It's described as having a creamy caramel aroma with flavors of citrus and berry jam. When enjoyed black, you'll taste the citrus flavor as promised, along with something akin to cherry tomatoes. There's almost no bitterness, and the fruity, bright acidity is the dominant impression. 

The coffee is also on the lighter side in terms of concentration, so it won't be the best choice for those who prefer a stronger bitterness. As a café au lait, the coffee's flavor is overshadowed by the milk, throwing off the balance. Testers noted that they could hardly taste the coffee, commenting that it was more like milk with a tinge of acidity.

AmazonFresh Colombia Ground Coffee is a medium roast made with 100 percent Arabica beans. It's described as having a faint citrus aroma, along with hints of cocoa and brown sugar. Drinking it black, you'll notice this citrus aroma and a bright, herb-like scent. While there is some acidity, the bitterness, sweetness, and richness are not very pronounced.

As a café au lait, there's a subtle sweetness, but the coffee's flavor is lacking and less satisfying. Testers found the black coffee to be a bit on the watery side, but the café au lait provided a smooth and pleasing sweetness.