CATEGORY

Coffee Pods

2007 CHEFSBEST® AWARD FOR BEST TASTE WINNER

Folgers

What Makes a Great Coffee Pod?

Brewing freshly ground coffee is not always easy since a perfect grind and the ideal coffee/water ratio are necessary for a consistently good cup. Coffee pods — pre-ground, pre-measured coffee wrapped in a filter pouch — provide a quick cup of coffee and a consistent experience. They are ideal for coffee lovers who like to keep things simple.

Our chefs define high quality coffee from a medium roast coffee pod as having a dark and rich coffee color that is not light like black tea. The coffee aroma should be bold, and its character should be complex. Nutty, woody, leathery and roasted notes are components that would add to the complexity. There should be no inappropriate off notes in the coffee’s aroma or flavor, which could include burnt or stale notes.

The coffee’s overall taste balance will be anchored by bitterness — the predominant basic taste — followed by a low but discernible sourness from the coffee’s acidity.

The woody, leathery and roasted coffee aromas should carry over into the flavor, delivering clear and complex coffee character.

The coffee should also have a smooth, moderately long and slightly bitter aftertaste. It should not spike, turn sharply bitter or leave a sour burn. The coffee should have a full-bodied mouthfeel, like espresso. It should also be astringent, making the mouth pucker slightly.

Vanilla coffee pods should have similar attributes, except that there should be a complex and natural vanilla note in the aroma. The vanilla aroma should be strong, but it should not be stronger than the coffee notes. These aroma characteristics should be reflected in the overall flavor, with the vanilla being discernible but not overpowering the coffee flavor.

The category judged was defined as Senseo-style coffee pods for the consumer market. Both Medium Roast and Vanilla Pods were tested.

Other Leading Brands:

Douwe Egberts