CATEGORY
Premium Ground Breakfast Blend Coffee
2007 CHEFSBEST® AWARD FOR BEST TASTE WINNER
Starbucks
What Makes a Great Breakfast Blend Coffee?
First thing in the morning, a cup of coffee shouldn’t be too overwhelming. Milder breakfast blends are ideal for early risers and commuters, offering a nutty, toasty and warm brew to help you ease into the day. Try adding a little whipped cream and sugar on a cold Sunday morning for a hot, rich treat.
Our chefs define a high-quality premium, ground breakfast blend coffee as having a dark, rich coffee color that isn’t light like black tea. Oil droplets may appear on the surface, but they should be minimal. The bold coffee aroma should have a complex character with nutty, woody, leathery and roasted notes adding to its complexity. There should be no inappropriate off notes in the coffee’s aroma or flavor, including burnt or stale notes.
An appropriate taste balance will feature pronounced levels of bitterness as the predominant taste, followed by a lower but discernible sourness from the coffee’s acidity.
The strong coffee notes in the aroma should carry into the coffee’s flavor, resulting in pronounced coffee flavor with a complex character. The nutty, woody, leathery and roasted aroma notes should also be discernible in the flavor.
Coffee should have a full-bodied mouthfeel that isn’t thin or watered down. It should also be slightly astringent, making the mouth pucker after a sip. Its aftertaste should be smooth and slightly bitter, but it should not spike with sharply bitter notes or a sour burn. This aftertaste will be moderate, not lasting too long.
Product Category Definition
The product judged was defined as premium ground breakfast blend coffee for the consumer market, not including regular ground, instant or whole bean coffee, prepared coffee drinks or flavored coffee mixes.
Other Leading Brands:
Millstone, Folgers Gourmet Selections, Seattle’s Best Coffee
ONE-STEP IDEAS
Store ground coffee in an airtight container at room temperature in a dark place. NEVER freeze or refrigerate it.
For a cooling pick-me-up, pour hot coffee over a tall glass of ice and stir in sugar and milk.
Make Creole coffee by sweetening with molasses and perking up with a shot of rum.
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TASTING
TERMINOLOGY
PRODUCT
FUN FACTS
- The first French café opened in the late 1700s. Prior to that, street vendors sold coffee.
- In some parts of Africa, raw coffee beans soaked in water and spices are eaten like candy.
- Only about 20 percent of harvested coffee beans are considered premium beans.
The ChefsBest Award for Best Taste is awarded to the brand rated highest overall among leading brands by independent professional chefs.
