Aldi Coffee Vs. Brand-Name Coffee: Which Is Better?

Coffee shouldn't be anything less than perfectly satisfying, eh? These days, the average consumer has plenty of options to choose from when they're looking to get their caffeine fix. They can either opt for a steaming cup of joe from a coffee shop, invest in brand-name coffee beans, or even pick up a pouch on their grocery run at a popular store like Aldi. And when it comes to Aldi in particular, this store chain hasn't been afraid to dive deeper into its coffee selection.

In June, the store stocked up on bourbon and whiskey-flavored coffee options for those who were searching for something that tasted like Irish coffee sans the alcohol (via Delish). The limited edition items did get positive reviews from customers who were impressed by the flavors on offer. But how does Aldi fare when compared to brand-name coffee in general? We have the answer for you.

Sadly, if you compare brand-name coffee with the options available at Aldi, you'll find that the latter doesn't fare well up against its competitors — if online reviews are anything to go by. Coffee enthusiasts and bloggers, Kayla and J.R. of Coffee Coffee Coffee were far from impressed when they sampled in-house coffee from Aldi. They reviewed the Daily Basics brand from the store and used words like "cardboard," and "dry" while commenting on the coffee's flavors. Uh oh.

An Aldi shopper said on Reddit that they found the whole beans from Aldi to be less than satisfying, writing, "I'm not really a coffee snob, but I find all their whole bean lacking. It is really just lacking any character, and I tend to brew on the stronger side." They added that they tried several options including a grinder but the coffee beans weren't even a match for premium beans from supermarkets. Seems like it's a smarter bet for caffeine lovers to stick to their favorite name brand for making coffee at home.