Café Special

I'm not a coffee snob nor expert, just a regular senior citizen who thinks bold, full flavored coffee is one of the joys in life. So I buy whole beans most of the time. But as a retiree looking for ways to save some money, I've been trying to find cheaper full flavored alternatives...without much success. There were a few, like Lavazza's pre-ground Qualita Rossa and Crema E Gusto, and Cubans (Bustelo, La Llave) for $5-$6/lb...however, they are pre-ground to espresso powder, which works great for my moka pot but not for larger volume brewing when I have guests. Pre-ground mainstreams like Peet's and Starbucks were also good, but only marginally cheaper than the whole beans. And the various "supermarket" brands I tried including Folgers, Maxwell House, Hills Bros, and Eight O'Clock were all just meh at best. Then I took a chance on the CHEAPEST coffee being sold by Amazon at the time...Community Coffee Signature Blend Dark Roast. WOAH! What a sweeet surprise. Priced at only $3.75/pound (4 lbs for $14.98), it punches WAAY above its price point. Expecting another "meh" experience, I was blown away with it's rich flavor...deep, bold, intense...almost to the level of my usual Lavazza and Peet's whole beans. Close enough to sub them out. Packed in two 32-oz bags, I transferred all 4 pounds to 24 oz mason jars and vacuum packed them tightly. It's ground to a slightly coarser drip grind which is perfect for my french press. To unlock its full flavor for other brewing methods, I re-ground a week's supply espresso fine (line 2 on my Capresso) for my moka pot and another to line 5 medium fine (look/feel of sand) for my Aeropress, Nespresso, and (cough) Keurig. Re-grinding makes a noticeable difference...it seems to release more oils, giving a good balance of the acid, sweet, and bitter components in the extraction. After re-grinding, this "cheaper than supermarket" coffee makes me excellent shots of stovetop espresso, near coffee bar quality Nespresso shots, and thoroughly satisfying cups of coffee with my Keurig. Community Signature Blend is now my go-to coffee...a pre-ground coffee good enough to replace my usual whole beans without missing a beat. As long as Community Coffee doesn't change anything, I will continue to purchase this for all of my brewing methods. Is it "gourmet"? I'm not sure what that is. What I do know is it is very, very good...AND, very, very cheap. I recommend giving it a test drive. I think you may find it "good enough" for you too. Lol... ツ P.S. According to several reviews, the price of Signature Blend sometimes spikes sharply. However, like many food products on Amazon, such spikes are only temporary as it did drop back to this amazing price which appears to be its typical selling price. TIP: What I do is place it in my wish list and periodically click it to monitor the price. E.g., this is the only way I buy 3 oz packs of ramen which can fluctuate by hundreds of %, sometimes in the same week. ツ

For reference, I'm a bit of what some people would call a "coffee snob." I have an SCA-certified coffee maker (more on that in a moment), V60, and Moka pot. I use a hand grinder to grind my whole beans, and I generally weigh my coffee when brewing. However, while I enjoy a nice cup of Ethiopian beans in the afternoon, I am less particular about my coffee in the morning and just prefer something that tastes decent and is very cheap. I have been buying Maxwell House from BJ's because it was the cheapest I could find in stores, but when I saw Amazon had this Community Coffee for an even cheaper price, I just had to give it a try. The Breakfast Blend hits the mark perfectly for me, and I can see why it's popular in the south. When using cream only (which I only do for medium nutty roasts like this one), I can definitely detect the notes of honey and hazelnut, though it is a bit muted. That could admittedly be due to the creamer, but it also could be a result of an older roast date (date is not provided on the packaging). The best way to describe the flavor is that it's like diner coffee, similar to what you'd get at something like a Denny's. It is not bitter and does have a smooth taste with cream. For brewing in an autodrip machine, I made this with my GE Cafe Specialty Drip brewer which I love because it's one of the few machines out there that lets you select the brew temperature. As a sidenote, the retail price is very expensive, but you can often find it from the Amazon Renewed store for very cheap prices. I typically brew at 8g/4.5 oz cup and 195 degrees F for medium roast coffees like Maxwell House since I find the SCA setting (200 degrees F) to be better suited for light roast coffee like my Ethiopian beans. For this coffee though, I decided to try the SCA setting since the grinds seemed a bit lighter roasted than your typical cheap medium roast. The SCA setting is absolutely perfect for this coffee, so if your machine allows you to set the brew temperature, I would definitely recommend brewing at 200 F. I have not tried brewing this in the V60 yet, but I would assume the same temperature would apply. In conclusion, I'd definitely recommend this coffee if you're looking for a cheap morning brew that is smooth and not too bitter. I will definitely be buying again!

Good value. A tradition of quality. Postives: * Rich, full flavor. * Good grind for automatic drip machines. * Consistent quality. Negatives: * none apparent

Good tasting medium roast coffee at a good price

We've tried several coffee's on the market and Community is one of the better ones out there for the price. If you're a coffee lover like we are, then you know that it's getting more and more expensive to enjoy on a daily so getting a bag for under $10 is a deal these days. I would give it 5 stars, but for me it's lacking a little something on the flavor and a tad on the bitter side, which is typical for a bold dark roast (my wife compares it to a dark roast from SB). Still a decent brew and would like to try Community's other blends to compare.

Brewed a pot of this when I got up this morning and I could tell by the aroma that it was going to be a great cup of java...full rich taste with a touch of cocoa just like when I used to put hot chocolate in my coffee...I love this and will continue to purchase this brand, the big bags are definitely the best bang for my buck and I highly recommend this to anyone who's a coffee snob like me, you won't be disappointed!!

Great tasting coffee! The strength is perfect and the aroma is awesome. Very fresh! I do usually purchase this regularly.

I've drank this coffee every morning for as long as I can remember. It's rich, flavourful, and never fails to remind me of home. Item arrived quickly and was safely packaged. I will definitely be buying again, though I'm hoping next time to buy six at a time rather than three so I can stock up.

⚜️ Fantastic shop my order arrived earlier than expected...I always had this coffee when I lived in Louisana.. So happy I found it at this shop.. Outstanding coffee ⚜️

Fantastic coffee ..arrived on time

Tasted like swamp where.