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I realize it's very difficult to make a video like this, but I'd like to point out that there's more than one way to make a cup of coffee, and one brand might be great for one method and terrible for another method. For example, I used to love the Costco espresso blend 6:02 in one of my moka pots (not to mention the difference between results from different moka pots, LOL). There's just so much variance in methods... and honestly I suspect there's a huge amount of variance in taste of the same brand from year to year -- coffee seems to be anything but a fungible commodity... so these kinds of tests are a vague snapshot in time, at best. On the other hand, your results seem to be extremely plausible, matching my own experiences with the Columbian Supremo and Peet's being among the best of the bunch (haven't yet tried the PRC or Mexican, but I probably will soon, depending on stock). And also with the Kirkland house blend, Starbucks French Roast and Kirkland French Roast being pretty terrible (I rate the Starbucks as the worst coffee I've had from Costco, at the moment, although I think it was better a few years ago). I guess a general rule of thumb is that it's impossible to make a good cup of coffee from bad beans, but it's also _possible_ to make a bad cup of coffee from good beans (this can make it difficult to distinguish between the two).
A heads up for anyone curious: For videos like these where a large amount of coffee/product is purchased, it always finds a home afterwards either through donating, gifting, or repurposing!
Keep in mind CostCo also GUARANTEE all their products. This has always been my fear of buying those huge bags. And yeah I was quite pleased with The Coffee Farmer's Co-op that I kept the box hoping it would return again, as they are also seasonal.
Fun fact: Kirkland beans were known to be roasted at Starbucks until recently, there are rumors that this arrangement has ended and Costco no longer puts Starbucks branding on Kirkland coffee packages. All Starbucks "at home" products are produced by Nestle, including all coffee beans sold in supermarkets, so that Starbucks-branded French roast was roasted by Nestle.
Really! That’s fascinating, the Canadian Kirkland roasts as of May still proclaim the Starbucks partnership, I wonder if those are just old bags being cycled out. I must look closer next visit.
Costco usually stocks coffee in 4 quality tier groups from what I've seen. -The 1st tier, lowest quality, is the standard Kirkland branded cheap bulk beans that are in every store. These are usually rebranded charbucks (edit: I guess not anymore?), best to avoid. -The 2nd tier is 1-2 large company, non-Kirkland, cheap bulk beans. Looks like yours was Peets, and San Francisco. Mine stocks Peets and Jose's. These are usually a bit higher quality than the Kirklands. -The 3rd tier is one brand (...maybe 2) of higher priced non-Kirkland "specialty" coffee, usually a local roaster but not always. They're always in smaller bags and the brands tend to change a couple times a year. These are legitimately good beans, but they can be weird like flavored coffees and what not. -The 4th tier is the Kirkland limited edition specialties. This is what the Kirland organic Mexican is. They're sold in that black 2lb bag with the shiny looking label with actual coffee nerd info on it, like elevation, processing method, etc. These are stocked EXTREMELY sporadically and without schedule (think a single PALLET a year). These are far and away the highest quality beans so make sure to grab one (or a couple) if you come across them. My local Costco had a single shipment of organic single origin Ethiopian light roast that was a legitimate city roast. I was shocked, bought two bags of it.
Just a plus ,has a Mexican if you're looking for high quality coffee please do not come to Mexican Costco either, all of the Kirkland brands have the same problem, they're charred, have an oily texture and though wonderful smell, can't say the same goes for the taste. No other brand is safe even the Mexican-Colombian designated ones. DO NOT FALL for any coffee that claims to be "medium toasted" technically they do fit around the medium toasted scale but they can be nearly categorized has dark roast. Under any circumstances NEVER BUY farmer's co-op, i consider it the worst coffee because the toast is all over the place, there's dark,medium and light roasted beans all mixed up. The only amazing high quality coffee existent in Mexican Costco is the GARAT brand, though they sell their coffee already grinded on costco(Decaf and caffeine), their actual coffee beans are sold in smaller quantities on other markets. Best option is to go to a coffee outlet or coffee shop(In here we call them expendio de Cafe which does roughly translate has an outlet but they're coffee shops, these are mostly cafes that sell their own toast from a completely different provider, mostly Oaxaca, Veracruz, Chiapas and sometimes from Hidalgo or Guerrero) you can also get coffee on Mexican fruit/spices markets since some sell their own roasted coffee.
Did you have a roast date on what you’ve found? I picked up an organic Guatemalan coffee that’s been pretty decent but unfortunately had no roast date besides a best by date which I usually guess (hope) is one year from roasting.
For anyone who doesn't have roasting experience, many of these beans were seconds away from busting into flames. Like - not metaphorically - literally.
Every Costco around me exclusively sells dark roasts. I've always assumed it was because it is what people around me purchased, maybe it's all they know lol.
@pannoncannon I think you are right. If you looked at the reviews on the Costco website for the coffee Morgan chose as the winner, people complain that it has a strange color and some even assume the beans are rotten LOL. If Hyper dark roast is all people know they just assume everything else must have something wrong with it. As a coffee lover I find it hard to understand how people actually buy and drink coffee at Costco. That said I’m curious to try that Mexican single origin.
@@Caffeinatedtechnerd it's so weird when you see people complain about a roast not being burnt. It just goes to show most people don't drink coffee for the taste, but the caffeine. They also drown it in cream and sugar/syrup so they don't get to taste the coffee. I came to the conclusion that most people don't like coffee, what they like is the sugar and cream part.
The reproachful glare after the Starbucks cracked me and my wife up. Thanks for this one! It's always interesting to get a baseline of easily accessible coffees! I've been eyeing your top pick for a while and might just have to pick it up.
I have a Costco near me that sells a decaf Major Dickason’s blend that has “water-treated” on the bag, and it actually tastes really pleasant! I am happy to have found a decaf option that doesn’t have that odd chemical taste. The fact that they sell it whole bean is even nicer to me
The Major Dickason’s Blend makes a really nice ristretto. Fun fact, if a Peet’s bag doesn’t contain the roast date, look for the “best by” date and subtract 4 months. If it says it is best until 9/17, it was roasted on the 17th of May.
Could've been a fluke, but I ordered some straight from Peets website and it wasn't roasted as dark as what I got from the supermarket a couple times. Still dark, though. Really like making a concentrate with the Aeropress and diluting with milk over ice. Nice faux iced latte (i do believe that style has a name, but its escaping me).
As a Mexican I can say people sleep on Mexican coffee but the Oaxaca and Chiapas coffee are amazing. I like the Oaxaca coffee but it’s usually more expensive so right now I am buying green Chiapas coffee directly from a producer and it’s amazing, I’ve tried multiple different types but nothing comes close to beating it. The other coffees especially Veracruz, Jalisco and Nayarit are ok but for my personal taste nothing beats Chiapas/Oaxaca.
Fellow Portlander here, The Mexican single origin just barely beating out my daily driver Portland Coffee Roasters blend blew my mind! I’m gonna have to try that one, especially in an Espresso brew. Great video!
As a dark roasted coffee lover, Peet’s has been my go-to “grocery brand” coffee whenever I needed a bag in between speciality coffee orders. I’ll definitely have to try that Kirkland signature bag some time.
Thanks for the warning, but the slurping and your facial expressions are worth it :) also thanks to you and others, I have ditched my old Keurig and went strictly to pour over and found a kettle that is temp controlled, I had no idea what i was missing, thanks Morgan for all your content
Ta for this! I'm a light roast guy surrounded by dark roast fans. Having a good 'company' coffe that is darker is a perfect idea. That it hits like that (single origin mexico) is awesome!
Turns out if the roaster cares about where the coffee came from, the coffee tastes better! Our Costco had a single-origin Kirkland Ethiopian that sounds like it was in the same quality range as the mexican single origin here.
@@roryjineffect Go for it! best ‘dollar to taste’ ratio I’ve ever had. I still buy from my local roaster most of the time, but Costco costs half as much so is great when I’m hosting a bunch of people who don’t care as much
As the person that roasts both of these products, I can vouch for our dedication to the coffee and treating it the way it should be. I'm pleased to hear you like them!
@@nicholasscott552 The Kirkland Signature Organic Ethiopia Whole Bean Coffee has been our daily driver for 2ish years now. Any tips for drip brewing? Grind size? Temp? I wish there were more info on the bag, but if you're the guy roasting the beans I might as well go right to the source! Thanks!
Morgan is psychic! I was at Costco yesterday and debating about grabbing some coffee and decided against it because I thought I would be disappointed but now I have an actual experiment to find out if it’s all crap. Thank you Morgan! ❤
The single origin Mexico from Kirkland is one of the go-tos in my house. That and the Sumatran are the main coffee we do recently that's relatively affordable. Glad to see it ranked high!
My Costco sells a Mayorga organic Cafe Cubano dark roast that wasn’t too bad. I bought between visits to my roaster and gave it a try. It was about a 6 or 7.
In S Florida Costco carries a Blue Mountain blend, and Majorga whole been cuban roast. They're both good but the Majorga is my favorite Costco coffee so far.
I'm so glad you liked Peets coffee! That is the only coffee I have in the house. My fiancee and I used to be Folgers drinksrs until we tried Peets and we have never gone back. We now have a purple bag of Peets, not sure whoch kind it is, since the coffee is jist in a container and the bag is gone but it is very tasty!
I'm glad the Kirkland single origin got high marks - I really enjoy that one even though it's a huge bag from Costco. It's a bit tough to dial in for espresso since it's a lighter roast but I really enjoy it. I will say the Peru single origin is my favorite of the product line but I almost never see it available. Thanks!
Thank you for this video! I have been searching for this exact video concept and was just planning on going through as many bags as I could until I found my favorite.
Just found your videos today. Watched a couple and subscribed with this one! Also, I guessed all of your scores correctly just by your reaction and descriptions.
great video! love to see these kind of "Every" videos on your channel. I'm pretty lucky in Seattle to get bulk bags of Cafe Vita "Caffe del Sol" and Olympia Coffee Roasters "Big Truck" in our Costcos
Down south in Ukiah CA the Costco here stocks both Ukiah's Black Oak Med. Dark Roast and Humboldt Bay Coffee in a Medium and a Med. Dark roasts. The locals are my favs, though I may do Peet's Holiday Blend for variety.
Big fan of Peets Major Dickason here! Just can't use it in our automatic espresso maker because of the bean oil. :( SO, FYI, we have a subscription to Stumptown Hairbender.
Funny enough, a Walmart brand Colombian Supremo a college roommate introduced me to, ground in store before I had a coffee grinder of my own, was what got me into brewing coffee. I've had better options for it since then, but I'll admit I'm nostalgic for it. Glad to see something similar is still holding the torch to this day.
I saw the single origin Mexico Kirkland whole beans last year, but I had so much coffee that they sold out before I needed to restock. If I see it again I'm grabbing a few bags - don't care what the wife says!
Kirkland House Blend being labeled as a Medium/Medium Dark Roast is humorous - it has a dominant flavor of smoke/acrid burnt rubber. I enjoy the Major Dickason, but in So Cal there is a "Jose's Organic Mayan blend" that hits the notes I like best - chocalatey but not too dark, hint of acid, medium mouthfeel.
We agree completely with these reviews. We regularly use the Supremo beans, inexpensive yet decent. The Portland roast is very good. And the single origin coffee is really, really good. Smooth. We bought three bags because it is selling out fast.
While at university I survived of Kirkland Columbia single origin; it certainly can't be described as complex but for a daily driver it's inoffensive and much better than anything I could get local to me (read: corner shops) at the time. I'm very happy to be drinking specialty coffees again though
Morgan, thank you for doing this for us. I just can’t do French Roast! I keep tasting smoke and folks tell me I’m nuts. Thank you for the validation. ❤
Hi Morgan, what are your thoughts on Bustelo coffee? I’ll be able to gauge your ratings as to how you evaluate Bustelo? Everyone’s palate is different. Thanks, I like your videos
There is a roaster local to me in Billings, MT that has a lot of coffee shops in the area, called City Brew, and their beans are also sold at Montana Costco locations. Their Cool River is what Costco sells, and is also what the coffee shops use for their espresso. If you were interested in trying it I would send you a bag.
This is so helpful as I'm working my way through trying Costco coffee. I have enjoyed Peets in the past. I tried that first San Francisco coffee when I saw it on sale thought it was okay. Then tried Kirkland French Roast and it was just barely okay enough to drink (it has to be pretty bad for me to not drink it at all.) I'm now on the Kirkland Columbia and I really like it. I'm definitely getting the Mexican one next.
I'm glad you didn't hate Peet's too much, I feel like as far as dark roasts are considered, they do a great job. I think it's pretty good quality raw coffees going into it, they're just very "traditional" in roast level, even their mediums taste quite dark. I used to be all about dark roast until I really got into brewing and technique, then I only drank light to mediums for awhile, after that you reeeeally notice the charcoal like notes in dark roast lol.
Went through a (budget dictated) phase of buying the big ol whole bean dark roast bags from TJ Maxx that had been there for who knows how long. I wouldn't have guessed that preground "aired-out" beans would have been more paletable. "A little bit immature" about Major Dickason made me chuckle.
Bay Area native here 👋 Peet's is known as a third wave coffee pioneer. One of the most known "commercial" companies that is also a roaster. They have a cool origin story. The founder mentored one of the original founders of Starbucks.
I super appreciate this video lol! I have been eyeballing that columbo blend because of the cat, but like.. WOMBO SIZED bag of coffee versus one of me is quite intimidating
This is very helpful. Thank you. I definitely want the KS Organic Mexico coffee. I hope my Costco has it. BTW, i received a bag of Starbucks French Roast and strongly agreed with you.
Selection is so interesting at Costco. On the West Coast of Canada, we get all of the same Kirkland Signature options, as is standard. But also MANY regional specialty options: 4 Level Ground options, 2 medium and 2 dark - and all of those are single origin; plus Salt Spring Coffee, medium and dark, and seasonal blends in early fall and at Christmas. Additionally, we have 4 from Ethical Bean which is a Canadian roaster, 2 dark, a French, and a medium. And all of those except KS are fair trade. I've been pretty strictly a Costco whole bean customer, bagging and freezing my beans into 2/3 pound portions, for a few years. In town, it's $30 CAD for 3/4 pound bag, and it's a blend, and not fair trade. Meanwhile, Costco bags are $20 for 2 pounds. The coffee alone makes the membership worth it!
The KS bags with the old design were Starbucks. House was Pike, and the KS Espresso as named, and KS Decaf the Decaf Espresso. They didn't outright say they were the same on the bags, because Costco used to sell those Starbucks options alongside the KS branded bags for any loyal customers. (Who paid more for no reason.) Now, Costco doesn't carry those Starbucks roasts any more, but does carry Starbucks French and specialty blends year round in whole bean.
I'd love to see a video on the good old-fashioned stovetop percolator. You know, the one with the glass knob on top? My father used to use one, and the aroma of Folgers brewing was intoxicating.
I know this must have been a lot of work (and quite the Costco bill), but I'm so glad you did this episode! At my local Costco, we're lucky to have them selling Charleston Coffee Roaster's Signature Blend Whole Bean, which I typically purchase and really enjoy (I also love that company in general and their other coffees are fantastic - I recommend them if you ever get the chance to taste them; the Holiday Blend is a winter staple in my house). What I found fun and interesting is that my reaction to the Kirkland Dark Roast was nearly identical to yours and I consider myself a dark roast fan; there's just something about that coffee or how they roast it that does not work for me and, selfishly, I'm glad to see I'm not alone there. Great episode! Cheers! ☕
I watched this to see you review the kirkland pre-ground coffee. I drink it regularly and the only thing about it that is weird is how finely it is ground. I make my coffee in a jar and it's crazy how a thick layer of fines accumulates on the bottom of the jar from a pour over. I don't shake it up any more but leave the fines on the bottom. Seems to improve the taste. It's not too stale. I still get some Co2 bubbles when I make it after first opening.
@@morgandrinkscoffee I'll be in Portland again a few months from now, looking forward to some more coffee tourism. Was lucky enough to visit the original Stumptown location last time, felt like sipping history ☕
I actually am going to go get coffee from costco today. I already figured out the costco coffee I like, which wasn't featured here, but now I am going to give the organic mexican a try. Thanks!
Costco has Deathwish coffee available pre-ground for French press. I re-grind it for espresso, makes an excellent cup with plenty of crema. Morgan, have you tried a Circle K coffee? It would make a great video.... revolution in American road coffee. You select from among 6 bean choices ranging from decaf to an Arabica/Robusta blend. The machine grinds and brews your cup... no more pump-thermos coffee. It seems like an automated aeropress style of brewing. For a couple bucks, you get an awesome coffee. Circle K installed the machines in all their locations last year.
The united dairy farmers also got a cool new machine that grinds the beans does something similar to an expresso machine. We actually had to have someone stand there and explain not the crema on top is not soap
Those are Schaerer Coffee Art machines, they had them at Circle K, as well as Lassus stations in Indiana when I lived there. Back home, in Nebraska they are all over the place at different stations. They major Truck Stops have switched to them as well. I think it’s closer to an extended espresso shot rather than Aeropress personally, based on the amount of “crema” that gets produced. But the point still stands that it is VASTLY superior than gas station coffees of the past.
@@zoommiesbay The worker who showed me how to use it assured me that it was not milk! :):) You can stop the machine anytime for a more concentrated brew.
Major Dickson is our favorite coffee to make at home. I bought it for the name because I am also immature and I very pleasantly surprised and kept buying it. It's also always on sale at target so that's a huge bonus.
I’m so relieved you liked Major Dickinson as it is my go to favorite! They also put out a Decaf Major Dickinson which surprisingly tasty for a decaf. ❤
Those coffee bags are huge. I usually buy mine in 250g bags... from my local roaster. Corde Coffee from Geneva, can't recommend them enough. Really nice people and really good coffee!
I still can't get over the fact that SF Bay still packages their beans in clear plastic. The part about Costco warehouses being very regional is true, I have never seen a Kirkland Espresso bag in any of the locations in Orange County where I live. Fortunately, one can order them online, including a bunch of single-origin roasts by Kirkland.
Major Dickason’s is my always in the pantry coffee. I personally prefer dark roasts, usually with a fair amount of milk/cream/sugar. There are some local roasters with blends I love that have some more interesting flavor profiles. But as far as a solid enjoyable coffee that is widely available, Major Dickason’s is hard to beat. Also rare to find anyone who dislikes it, even if they aren’t big dark roast fans. So it’s a good option for entertaining. It also comes in KCup form which can be very handy for offices and travel. I used to keep a stash of the KCups in my desk at work for the break room machine because life is too short to be drinking whatever weird off brand assortment box is on offer today. Good coffee even in KCup form.
My family *likes* darker coffees (Caribou's Sumatra for choice, although it looks like they actually call that a medium roast), but even we can't brook Starbucks. The Starbucks logo is technically a siren, but I think it should be less the 🧜♀ kind of siren and more the 🚨 kind, because the smell makes me think of calling the fire department.
Kirkland’s Single Origin series puts out some intriguing coffees, especially for the price point. I bought a Kirkland Ethiopian that was light/medium roast November 2023 that was tasty for both drip and espresso, and the price-to-performance ratio was pretty stellar considering the amount in the bag.
I thought the San Francisco roasters bag was probably the best value when it was on sale at about $11 for 3lbs. I got five bags and put them in my freezer. Delicious!
Honestly this was so helpful because once I bought a big bag of beans because the packaging was so cute and it was not good and so then I was stuck drinking all those beans…!
When you were in Costco you looked like a kid in a candy shop!! So happy 😃 I enjoyed your review. You are right about it being regional. Over here on Oahu you can get a 100% Kauai coffee in Costco and it is a medium roast. I wish you could have reviewed that one.
I have to say that Colombian coffee is for the most part a safe bet when buying large quantities/lower quality beans or coffee. The average quality is better overall than most other locations.
I exclusively drink the big brown cans of Kirkland coffee. For convenience, flavor and price it's my best bang for buck. Unfortunately it does start to get a bit bitter toward the end of the can (takes me about 1 - 1.5 months to get through it) so I just add salt to the grounds before brewing and it seems to even it out. The absolute best cup is right when you open it.
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I realize it's very difficult to make a video like this, but I'd like to point out that there's more than one way to make a cup of coffee, and one brand might be great for one method and terrible for another method. For example, I used to love the Costco espresso blend 6:02 in one of my moka pots (not to mention the difference between results from different moka pots, LOL). There's just so much variance in methods... and honestly I suspect there's a huge amount of variance in taste of the same brand from year to year -- coffee seems to be anything but a fungible commodity... so these kinds of tests are a vague snapshot in time, at best.
On the other hand, your results seem to be extremely plausible, matching my own experiences with the Columbian Supremo and Peet's being among the best of the bunch (haven't yet tried the PRC or Mexican, but I probably will soon, depending on stock). And also with the Kirkland house blend, Starbucks French Roast and Kirkland French Roast being pretty terrible (I rate the Starbucks as the worst coffee I've had from Costco, at the moment, although I think it was better a few years ago).
I guess a general rule of thumb is that it's impossible to make a good cup of coffee from bad beans, but it's also _possible_ to make a bad cup of coffee from good beans (this can make it difficult to distinguish between the two).
Very late to the party, but I wanted to let you know that the Hillsboro Costco roaste their own beans. If they still have it.
A heads up for anyone curious: For videos like these where a large amount of coffee/product is purchased, it always finds a home afterwards either through donating, gifting, or repurposing!
I've been wondering about this as I've watched your videos. Thank you so, so much for clarifying :)
Perhaps the Starbucks French roast was repurposed then 😉
Can you clarify repurpose?
Keep in mind CostCo also GUARANTEE all their products. This has always been my fear of buying those huge bags. And yeah I was quite pleased with The Coffee Farmer's Co-op that I kept the box hoping it would return again, as they are also seasonal.
I was literally wondering what you do with so much coffee as you walk off the screen with an armful of bags 😂
Fun fact:
Kirkland beans were known to be roasted at Starbucks until recently, there are rumors that this arrangement has ended and Costco no longer puts Starbucks branding on Kirkland coffee packages. All Starbucks "at home" products are produced by Nestle, including all coffee beans sold in supermarkets, so that Starbucks-branded French roast was roasted by Nestle.
Damn definitely not buying those lol. all the real ones hate nestle
@@samdeman6007lol I was coming here to say that! My mom started me on the nestle boycott in 1979!!
Really! That’s fascinating, the Canadian Kirkland roasts as of May still proclaim the Starbucks partnership, I wonder if those are just old bags being cycled out. I must look closer next visit.
Oh boy that's not good; do u have a source for the nestlé stuff so ik exactly what to avoid?
@@CaptainLancerCoffee They are old bags. They don't say it anymore in Canada
I said this on a James Hoffman video recently but god I love coffee youtubers' dedication to trying everything they can possibly find.
Hoffman def takes coffee to another level.
Costco usually stocks coffee in 4 quality tier groups from what I've seen.
-The 1st tier, lowest quality, is the standard Kirkland branded cheap bulk beans that are in every store. These are usually rebranded charbucks (edit: I guess not anymore?), best to avoid.
-The 2nd tier is 1-2 large company, non-Kirkland, cheap bulk beans. Looks like yours was Peets, and San Francisco. Mine stocks Peets and Jose's. These are usually a bit higher quality than the Kirklands.
-The 3rd tier is one brand (...maybe 2) of higher priced non-Kirkland "specialty" coffee, usually a local roaster but not always. They're always in smaller bags and the brands tend to change a couple times a year. These are legitimately good beans, but they can be weird like flavored coffees and what not.
-The 4th tier is the Kirkland limited edition specialties. This is what the Kirland organic Mexican is. They're sold in that black 2lb bag with the shiny looking label with actual coffee nerd info on it, like elevation, processing method, etc. These are stocked EXTREMELY sporadically and without schedule (think a single PALLET a year). These are far and away the highest quality beans so make sure to grab one (or a couple) if you come across them. My local Costco had a single shipment of organic single origin Ethiopian light roast that was a legitimate city roast. I was shocked, bought two bags of it.
Omg you’re in your fact-sharing era! It’s giving education. You’re in your coffee serve 🥵🫘
Just a plus ,has a Mexican if you're looking for high quality coffee please do not come to Mexican Costco either, all of the Kirkland brands have the same problem, they're charred, have an oily texture and though wonderful smell, can't say the same goes for the taste.
No other brand is safe even the Mexican-Colombian designated ones.
DO NOT FALL for any coffee that claims to be "medium toasted" technically they do fit around the medium toasted scale but they can be nearly categorized has dark roast.
Under any circumstances NEVER BUY farmer's co-op, i consider it the worst coffee because the toast is all over the place, there's dark,medium and light roasted beans all mixed up.
The only amazing high quality coffee existent in Mexican Costco is the GARAT brand, though they sell their coffee already grinded on costco(Decaf and caffeine), their actual coffee beans are sold in smaller quantities on other markets.
Best option is to go to a coffee outlet or coffee shop(In here we call them expendio de Cafe which does roughly translate has an outlet but they're coffee shops, these are mostly cafes that sell their own toast from a completely different provider, mostly Oaxaca, Veracruz, Chiapas and sometimes from Hidalgo or Guerrero) you can also get coffee on Mexican fruit/spices markets since some sell their own roasted coffee.
Did you have a roast date on what you’ve found? I picked up an organic Guatemalan coffee that’s been pretty decent but unfortunately had no roast date besides a best by date which I usually guess (hope) is one year from roasting.
Where do you put Lavaza (creama, gold espresso) in your buckets?
Where do you put Lavaza (creama, gold espresso) in your buckets?
For anyone who doesn't have roasting experience, many of these beans were seconds away from busting into flames. Like - not metaphorically - literally.
Every Costco around me exclusively sells dark roasts. I've always assumed it was because it is what people around me purchased, maybe it's all they know lol.
@@pannoncannon starbucks roasts the beans for them and we all know starbucks always almost burn their beans.
@@pannoncannon until very recently they were getting their beans from Starbucks.
@pannoncannon I think you are right. If you looked at the reviews on the Costco website for the coffee Morgan chose as the winner, people complain that it has a strange color and some even assume the beans are rotten LOL. If Hyper dark roast is all people know they just assume everything else must have something wrong with it. As a coffee lover I find it hard to understand how people actually buy and drink coffee at Costco. That said I’m curious to try that Mexican single origin.
@@Caffeinatedtechnerd it's so weird when you see people complain about a roast not being burnt. It just goes to show most people don't drink coffee for the taste, but the caffeine. They also drown it in cream and sugar/syrup so they don't get to taste the coffee.
I came to the conclusion that most people don't like coffee, what they like is the sugar and cream part.
The reproachful glare after the Starbucks cracked me and my wife up. Thanks for this one! It's always interesting to get a baseline of easily accessible coffees! I've been eyeing your top pick for a while and might just have to pick it up.
The restaurant blend (11:50) being not great but not terrible is so on-the-nose for most restaurant coffee I've had.
I have a Costco near me that sells a decaf Major Dickason’s blend that has “water-treated” on the bag, and it actually tastes really pleasant! I am happy to have found a decaf option that doesn’t have that odd chemical taste.
The fact that they sell it whole bean is even nicer to me
It's probably Swiss Water Process, which is a very common method of decaffeination, particular in the specialty coffee world.
Swiss Water process decaf was one of the reasons I turned on to Peet's years ago. Good stuff.
The Major Dickason’s Blend makes a really nice ristretto.
Fun fact, if a Peet’s bag doesn’t contain the roast date, look for the “best by” date and subtract 4 months. If it says it is best until 9/17, it was roasted on the 17th of May.
Major Dickason’s is yummy 🥰
Could've been a fluke, but I ordered some straight from Peets website and it wasn't roasted as dark as what I got from the supermarket a couple times. Still dark, though.
Really like making a concentrate with the Aeropress and diluting with milk over ice. Nice faux iced latte (i do believe that style has a name, but its escaping me).
As a Mexican I can say people sleep on Mexican coffee but the Oaxaca and Chiapas coffee are amazing. I like the Oaxaca coffee but it’s usually more expensive so right now I am buying green Chiapas coffee directly from a producer and it’s amazing, I’ve tried multiple different types but nothing comes close to beating it. The other coffees especially Veracruz, Jalisco and Nayarit are ok but for my personal taste nothing beats Chiapas/Oaxaca.
Fellow Portlander here, The Mexican single origin just barely beating out my daily driver Portland Coffee Roasters blend blew my mind! I’m gonna have to try that one, especially in an Espresso brew. Great video!
She is right, the review is spot on. The Mexican single is an amazing bag of coffee.
I just want to say thank you for braving that Starbucks French Roast. Your reaction caused me to laugh quite heartily.
As a dark roasted coffee lover, Peet’s has been my go-to “grocery brand” coffee whenever I needed a bag in between speciality coffee orders. I’ll definitely have to try that Kirkland signature bag some time.
Both my go to brand and my go to coffee shop. We have one right across the street from my office.
Thanks for the warning, but the slurping and your facial expressions are worth it :) also thanks to you and others, I have ditched my old Keurig and went strictly to pour over and found a kettle that is temp controlled, I had no idea what i was missing, thanks Morgan for all your content
What temp is best for pour over?
@@larissatom6910depends on the coffee. I do boiling and drinking medium to dark roast. From local Roaster.
Ta for this! I'm a light roast guy surrounded by dark roast fans. Having a good 'company' coffe that is darker is a perfect idea. That it hits like that (single origin mexico) is awesome!
Thanks so much. These days Costco is where I buy most of my coffee so this is extremely helpful.
Turns out if the roaster cares about where the coffee came from, the coffee tastes better! Our Costco had a single-origin Kirkland Ethiopian that sounds like it was in the same quality range as the mexican single origin here.
I keep eyeing that every time I shop there
Recently picked this one up at my local Costco and wow is it a workout grinding it by hand.
@@roryjineffect Go for it! best ‘dollar to taste’ ratio I’ve ever had. I still buy from my local roaster most of the time, but Costco costs half as much so is great when I’m hosting a bunch of people who don’t care as much
As the person that roasts both of these products, I can vouch for our dedication to the coffee and treating it the way it should be. I'm pleased to hear you like them!
@@nicholasscott552 The Kirkland Signature Organic Ethiopia Whole Bean Coffee has been our daily driver for 2ish years now. Any tips for drip brewing? Grind size? Temp? I wish there were more info on the bag, but if you're the guy roasting the beans I might as well go right to the source! Thanks!
Morgan is psychic! I was at Costco yesterday and debating about grabbing some coffee and decided against it because I thought I would be disappointed but now I have an actual experiment to find out if it’s all crap. Thank you Morgan! ❤
The speciality coffee inside me is screaming at 0:30
keeps you regular that's for sure
That "oh....no...." Was VERY Papa Hoff in its delivery.
The single origin Mexico from Kirkland is one of the go-tos in my house. That and the Sumatran are the main coffee we do recently that's relatively affordable. Glad to see it ranked high!
Sumatran is def the best out there.
I was like „oh so how is the scale looking like?“ and then I was „ah 0-5 it seems“ and then… nope suddenly a 6. 🙃
Same😂😂😂
ha... I thought the same. The 6 made it very obvious that all those 2's and 4's are definitely to be avoided!
My Costco sells a Mayorga organic Cafe Cubano dark roast that wasn’t too bad. I bought between visits to my roaster and gave it a try. It was about a 6 or 7.
Me watching this while drinking my coffee she gave a 1 😂 hilarious
love this video. It’s time to switch up what I get at Costco 😂😂😂
BTW, Kirkland's Oat "milk" works surprisingly good for latte art. Very good video!
Not for me
They have a very affordable Sumatra only available on the website. I'm not a coffee expert at all but its our household choice for beans.
In S Florida Costco carries a Blue Mountain blend, and Majorga whole been cuban roast. They're both good but the Majorga is my favorite Costco coffee so far.
I'm so glad you liked Peets coffee! That is the only coffee I have in the house. My fiancee and I used to be Folgers drinksrs until we tried Peets and we have never gone back. We now have a purple bag of Peets, not sure whoch kind it is, since the coffee is jist in a container and the bag is gone but it is very tasty!
I'm glad the Kirkland single origin got high marks - I really enjoy that one even though it's a huge bag from Costco. It's a bit tough to dial in for espresso since it's a lighter roast but I really enjoy it. I will say the Peru single origin is my favorite of the product line but I almost never see it available. Thanks!
Thank you for this video! I have been searching for this exact video concept and was just planning on going through as many bags as I could until I found my favorite.
Just found your videos today. Watched a couple and subscribed with this one!
Also, I guessed all of your scores correctly just by your reaction and descriptions.
I didn’t know they still put Juan Valdez on Colombian coffee. That Kirkland can was a blast from the past.
great video! love to see these kind of "Every" videos on your channel. I'm pretty lucky in Seattle to get bulk bags of Cafe Vita "Caffe del Sol" and Olympia Coffee Roasters "Big Truck" in our Costcos
She's adorable. Her videos are a lot of fun.
My favorite no-brainer pick is the Columbian Supremo whole bean. Very balanced imo, less acidity and has that nutty, sweet flavor.
8:43 lives rent free in my head 😂
Sounds right for a Starbucks coffee. Every bean I buy looks like it’s burnt to a crisp.
Kudos Morgan! You’re absolutely fabulous! Never mind ….but thankyou regarding coffee….you bring it better than the rest! You’re simply the best! 👏👏
the Mexico one is pretty good. It even makes pretty good espresso.
Down south in Ukiah CA the Costco here stocks both Ukiah's Black Oak Med. Dark Roast and Humboldt Bay Coffee in a Medium and a Med. Dark roasts. The locals are my favs, though I may do Peet's Holiday Blend for variety.
I adore these “Trying every coffee/coffee product from [insert store]” Keep up the great work Morgan!
Brave Girl for going out ahead of us and trying store coffee. Thank Youu
Great video! Your honesty about that Starbucks French roast cracked me up. Would you consider doing a Costco instant coffee tasting?
Big fan of Peets Major Dickason here! Just can't use it in our automatic espresso maker because of the bean oil. :( SO, FYI, we have a subscription to Stumptown Hairbender.
Funny enough, a Walmart brand Colombian Supremo a college roommate introduced me to, ground in store before I had a coffee grinder of my own, was what got me into brewing coffee. I've had better options for it since then, but I'll admit I'm nostalgic for it. Glad to see something similar is still holding the torch to this day.
I saw the single origin Mexico Kirkland whole beans last year, but I had so much coffee that they sold out before I needed to restock. If I see it again I'm grabbing a few bags - don't care what the wife says!
Kirkland House Blend being labeled as a Medium/Medium Dark Roast is humorous - it has a dominant flavor of smoke/acrid burnt rubber. I enjoy the Major Dickason, but in So Cal there is a "Jose's Organic Mayan blend" that hits the notes I like best - chocalatey but not too dark, hint of acid, medium mouthfeel.
Might have to snag that Jose's
videos have gotten a lot better, no more frequent midsentence cuts
We agree completely with these reviews. We regularly use the Supremo beans, inexpensive yet decent. The Portland roast is very good. And the single origin coffee is really, really good. Smooth. We bought three bags because it is selling out fast.
Great video! My house drinks lots of coffee so we end up buying from Costco, so I loved seeing the rundown on everything.
While at university I survived of Kirkland Columbia single origin; it certainly can't be described as complex but for a daily driver it's inoffensive and much better than anything I could get local to me (read: corner shops) at the time. I'm very happy to be drinking specialty coffees again though
Morgan, thank you for doing this for us. I just can’t do French Roast! I keep tasting smoke and folks tell me I’m nuts. Thank you for the validation. ❤
Thanks for taking the hit on all those coffees, Morgan.
I am also a big fan of the Major Dickason blend, especially as far as grocery store coffee goes
I am as well a big fan for Major D!
mexican coffee lets gooooo
Yep, we've been drinking it for ages now. Hope this doesn't mean it will be snapped up and out of stock locally!
@@chicks584so bummed cuz they stopped selling it at all my local Costcos a year ago. I don’t even see it online.
Hi Morgan, what are your thoughts on Bustelo coffee? I’ll be able to gauge your ratings as to how you evaluate Bustelo? Everyone’s palate is different. Thanks, I like your videos
There is a roaster local to me in Billings, MT that has a lot of coffee shops in the area, called City Brew, and their beans are also sold at Montana Costco locations. Their Cool River is what Costco sells, and is also what the coffee shops use for their espresso. If you were interested in trying it I would send you a bag.
Well done. I always pass by the coffee in Costco getting a bit curious but never trying any. Want to try those Kirkland beans from Mexico now.
Thank you for doing this! I have always wondered if there was any gold at Costco and you have finally answered it. Thank you
This is so helpful as I'm working my way through trying Costco coffee. I have enjoyed Peets in the past. I tried that first San Francisco coffee when I saw it on sale thought it was okay. Then tried Kirkland French Roast and it was just barely okay enough to drink (it has to be pretty bad for me to not drink it at all.) I'm now on the Kirkland Columbia and I really like it. I'm definitely getting the Mexican one next.
I'm glad you didn't hate Peet's too much, I feel like as far as dark roasts are considered, they do a great job. I think it's pretty good quality raw coffees going into it, they're just very "traditional" in roast level, even their mediums taste quite dark. I used to be all about dark roast until I really got into brewing and technique, then I only drank light to mediums for awhile, after that you reeeeally notice the charcoal like notes in dark roast lol.
Went through a (budget dictated) phase of buying the big ol whole bean dark roast bags from TJ Maxx that had been there for who knows how long. I wouldn't have guessed that preground "aired-out" beans would have been more paletable.
"A little bit immature" about Major Dickason made me chuckle.
Bay Area native here 👋
Peet's is known as a third wave coffee pioneer. One of the most known "commercial" companies that is also a roaster. They have a cool origin story. The founder mentored one of the original founders of Starbucks.
I super appreciate this video lol! I have been eyeballing that columbo blend because of the cat, but like.. WOMBO SIZED bag of coffee versus one of me is quite intimidating
This is very helpful. Thank you. I definitely want the KS Organic Mexico coffee. I hope my Costco has it. BTW, i received a bag of Starbucks French Roast and strongly agreed with you.
Selection is so interesting at Costco. On the West Coast of Canada, we get all of the same Kirkland Signature options, as is standard. But also MANY regional specialty options: 4 Level Ground options, 2 medium and 2 dark - and all of those are single origin; plus Salt Spring Coffee, medium and dark, and seasonal blends in early fall and at Christmas. Additionally, we have 4 from Ethical Bean which is a Canadian roaster, 2 dark, a French, and a medium. And all of those except KS are fair trade. I've been pretty strictly a Costco whole bean customer, bagging and freezing my beans into 2/3 pound portions, for a few years. In town, it's $30 CAD for 3/4 pound bag, and it's a blend, and not fair trade. Meanwhile, Costco bags are $20 for 2 pounds. The coffee alone makes the membership worth it!
Our Costco carries a phenomenal local roaster. It's so good that I have yet to find an excuse to try the more national options. Thanks for the video!
The KS bags with the old design were Starbucks. House was Pike, and the KS Espresso as named, and KS Decaf the Decaf Espresso. They didn't outright say they were the same on the bags, because Costco used to sell those Starbucks options alongside the KS branded bags for any loyal customers. (Who paid more for no reason.) Now, Costco doesn't carry those Starbucks roasts any more, but does carry Starbucks French and specialty blends year round in whole bean.
I stay away from Costco coffees but maybe I’ll try the Mexican. Thanks, and your expressions are priceless.
No Mayorga? That's what my wife and I get. We love it. We make it with an aeropress
Probably the only time in history that Barista Hustle cupping bowls would ever encounter coffee of this calibre.
I'd love to see a video on the good old-fashioned stovetop percolator. You know, the one with the glass knob on top? My father used to use one, and the aroma of Folgers brewing was intoxicating.
I know this must have been a lot of work (and quite the Costco bill), but I'm so glad you did this episode! At my local Costco, we're lucky to have them selling Charleston Coffee Roaster's Signature Blend Whole Bean, which I typically purchase and really enjoy (I also love that company in general and their other coffees are fantastic - I recommend them if you ever get the chance to taste them; the Holiday Blend is a winter staple in my house).
What I found fun and interesting is that my reaction to the Kirkland Dark Roast was nearly identical to yours and I consider myself a dark roast fan; there's just something about that coffee or how they roast it that does not work for me and, selfishly, I'm glad to see I'm not alone there.
Great episode! Cheers! ☕
Agreed! I settled on the Charleston whole bean as well here in GA. The Costco brand is tempting for the price but hated the taste.
Yes! The Charleston Coffee Roaster's Signature Blend is my go-to.
my dad always buys the starbucks dark roast and your face said it all
I watched this to see you review the kirkland pre-ground coffee. I drink it regularly and the only thing about it that is weird is how finely it is ground. I make my coffee in a jar and it's crazy how a thick layer of fines accumulates on the bottom of the jar from a pour over. I don't shake it up any more but leave the fines on the bottom. Seems to improve the taste. It's not too stale. I still get some Co2 bubbles when I make it after first opening.
The Costco in Hawaii has local coffee beans which were actually amazing! Totally recommend looking if you happen to be there!
12:25 had some PCR at PDX almost two years ago, easily the least-bad coffee I've had at an airport to date 😆
We’re so spoiled at PDX! Having PCR, Stumptown, and Good all in one airport is pretty incredible.
@@morgandrinkscoffee I'll be in Portland again a few months from now, looking forward to some more coffee tourism. Was lucky enough to visit the original Stumptown location last time, felt like sipping history ☕
I actually am going to go get coffee from costco today. I already figured out the costco coffee I like, which wasn't featured here, but now I am going to give the organic mexican a try. Thanks!
Costco has Deathwish coffee available pre-ground for French press. I re-grind it for espresso, makes an excellent cup with plenty of crema. Morgan, have you tried a Circle K coffee? It would make a great video.... revolution in American road coffee. You select from among 6 bean choices ranging from decaf to an Arabica/Robusta blend. The machine grinds and brews your cup... no more pump-thermos coffee. It seems like an automated aeropress style of brewing. For a couple bucks, you get an awesome coffee. Circle K installed the machines in all their locations last year.
"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K." (spoken in the most Keanu Reeves manner possible). Sorry, but it had to be done.
@@DavidHuffTexas HaHaHeeHa! :)
The united dairy farmers also got a cool new machine that grinds the beans does something similar to an expresso machine. We actually had to have someone stand there and explain not the crema on top is not soap
Those are Schaerer Coffee Art machines, they had them at Circle K, as well as Lassus stations in Indiana when I lived there. Back home, in Nebraska they are all over the place at different stations. They major Truck Stops have switched to them as well. I think it’s closer to an extended espresso shot rather than Aeropress personally, based on the amount of “crema” that gets produced. But the point still stands that it is VASTLY superior than gas station coffees of the past.
@@zoommiesbay The worker who showed me how to use it assured me that it was not milk! :):) You can stop the machine anytime for a more concentrated brew.
Thumb up for the vid. As a Costco member, this is SO HELPFUL, save me so much agony for finishing a giant bag of meh coffee.
Major Dickson is our favorite coffee to make at home. I bought it for the name because I am also immature and I very pleasantly surprised and kept buying it. It's also always on sale at target so that's a huge bonus.
I’m so relieved you liked Major Dickinson as it is my go to favorite! They also put out a Decaf Major Dickinson which surprisingly tasty for a decaf. ❤
Those coffee bags are huge. I usually buy mine in 250g bags... from my local roaster. Corde Coffee from Geneva, can't recommend them enough. Really nice people and really good coffee!
Assuredly, same here. This was a very unusual day.
@@morgandrinkscoffee I bet! :)
I still can't get over the fact that SF Bay still packages their beans in clear plastic.
The part about Costco warehouses being very regional is true, I have never seen a Kirkland Espresso bag in any of the locations in Orange County where I live. Fortunately, one can order them online, including a bunch of single-origin roasts by Kirkland.
Major Dickason’s is my always in the pantry coffee. I personally prefer dark roasts, usually with a fair amount of milk/cream/sugar. There are some local roasters with blends I love that have some more interesting flavor profiles. But as far as a solid enjoyable coffee that is widely available, Major Dickason’s is hard to beat. Also rare to find anyone who dislikes it, even if they aren’t big dark roast fans. So it’s a good option for entertaining.
It also comes in KCup form which can be very handy for offices and travel. I used to keep a stash of the KCups in my desk at work for the break room machine because life is too short to be drinking whatever weird off brand assortment box is on offer today. Good coffee even in KCup form.
Thank you for this video!!! Just got my espresso setup - cannot wait to try these :D
I would like to see you rate them blindly - without knowing which one you’re rating 🫠 curious to see if anything would change! 🙌🫶 great video!
My family *likes* darker coffees (Caribou's Sumatra for choice, although it looks like they actually call that a medium roast), but even we can't brook Starbucks.
The Starbucks logo is technically a siren, but I think it should be less the 🧜♀ kind of siren and more the 🚨 kind, because the smell makes me think of calling the fire department.
Kirkland’s Single Origin series puts out some intriguing coffees, especially for the price point.
I bought a Kirkland Ethiopian that was light/medium roast November 2023 that was tasty for both drip and espresso, and the price-to-performance ratio was pretty stellar considering the amount in the bag.
I thought the San Francisco roasters bag was probably the best value when it was on sale at about $11 for 3lbs. I got five bags and put them in my freezer. Delicious!
Honestly this was so helpful because once I bought a big bag of beans because the packaging was so cute and it was not good and so then I was stuck drinking all those beans…!
I drink the Kirkland Mexican single origin regularly, and was ready to be destroyed, but was happily surprised! Glad to know it did so well!
When you were in Costco you looked like a kid in a candy shop!! So happy 😃 I enjoyed your review.
You are right about it being regional. Over here on Oahu you can get a 100% Kauai coffee in Costco and it is a medium roast. I wish you could have reviewed that one.
thanks for the warning. i wish slurping didnt bother me so much
I appreciate all you put into this cupping review. Wow!
Really enjoyed the tests. I like the SF coffee blends but will try out some of the others if available
I have to say that Colombian coffee is for the most part a safe bet when buying large quantities/lower quality beans or coffee. The average quality is better overall than most other locations.
I don't make many espresso drinks at home but I really enjoy Peet's medium roast for my everyday coffee. 🙂
I've been getting the kirkland Oaxaca coffee and been loving it. Pretty much specialty coffee at costco prices.
I exclusively drink the big brown cans of Kirkland coffee. For convenience, flavor and price it's my best bang for buck. Unfortunately it does start to get a bit bitter toward the end of the can (takes me about 1 - 1.5 months to get through it) so I just add salt to the grounds before brewing and it seems to even it out. The absolute best cup is right when you open it.