Don't Waste Your Money On This Aldi Ground Coffee

Coffee is love, coffee is life, coffee is the only way many people can get out of bed in the morning. For true devotees, drinking coffee is akin to sipping a fine wine, but not everyone likes or can tolerate caffeine. In this case, decaf is a welcome alternative, but some decaffeinated brands are best left on the store shelf where you found them. That's certainly true of a brand included in our ultimate ranking of Aldi ground coffee, as the chain's decaf variety found itself in last place based on our reviewer's lackluster experience.

This ranking was conducted with aroma and flavor in mind, and Aldi's Beaumont Classic Decaf failed spectacularly in both respects. In addition to describing the coffee's flavor profile as simply "old," our reviewer also had a poor experience with the aroma of the grounds, explaining, "all I could smell was third-rate coffee (after opening)." For comparison, our first-place selection was the caffeinated Barissimo Colombian coffee, which was described as "the peak of prime coffee from the discount grocer." Aldi also carries decaf versions of the Barissimo brand, albeit in medium roast donut and breakfast blend coffee pods (at least at our local store).

It's true that decaf coffee typically has a subtler flavor than caffeinated versions, but that doesn't mean a complete absence of taste is acceptable once the caffeine is removed. According to our reviewer, "Even with a full serving loaded up in my mug, the coffee tasted like water and showed no character development when I added my creamer." Fortunately, the store's generous Twice as Nice Guarantee allows shoppers to return products they don't like for a full refund and a replacement item. In the event you don't have the receipt, Aldi will provide store credit in place of the refund.

While Aldi's Beaumont Classic Decaf may be a lost cause where quality is concerned, what can you do to spruce up the milder flavor of a less offensive decaf variety? Incorporating a small amount of almond or vanilla extract to brewed decaf can add complexity to the flavor profile. In this case, a drop of extract should be sufficient, and we recommend tasting the brew before adding more to avoid overwhelming the coffee with flavoring. You can also tweak our iced coffee oat breakfast smoothie recipe by substituting regular coffee with a decaf version.