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Local Coffee v. Name Brand

Should we pay or shouldn't we?

By Tim ReynoldsPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Today, I am going to discuss if we should be buying local coffee that you see coming more popular. When you are comparing local or a name brand coffee like Folgers, (I usually choose Folgers) you must compare all qualities that make the perfect cup of coffee. In this article I will compare by: price, taste, smell and availability. First we should know the history of coffee.

The native (undomesticated) origin of coffee is thought to have been Ethiopia. The earliest substantiated evidence of either coffee drinking or knowledge of the coffee tree is from the 15th century, in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen. If you ever conduct an experiment like this, I urge you to understand the history of our famous drink. Look up this website, and it will give you more than enough information. Please acknowledge that it is .org not .com, I do value the accuracy of the information that I learn about.

To start we should discuss the more well-known product of Folgers Coffee. Our story starts with James Folger who, at the age of 14, traveled to San Francisco. He and his two brothers came from Nantucket in search of gold after a major fire destroyed their family's livelihood. While his brothers left for the mines, James stayed behind and got a job with The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills. Our company began to grow due to an energetic salesman named Frank P. Atha, who expanded sales outside of California. He got grocers in eastern states to stock Folgers® Coffee, selling it based on its merit and high quality. Frank often assisted grocers with sales, handing out coffee samples from elaborate in-store displays that he designed himself. Folgers Crystals was introduced in 1975 with the “Tastes As Rich As It Looks” campaign. Then in 1980, we pulled off quite a successful stunt with “The Great Folgers Switch.” For this campaign, unsuspecting coffee drinkers’ regular coffee was secretly switched for Folgers Crystals. The switch was made in several notable upscale restaurants. There is much more history that I could put into this article, but I decided I would rather see everyone read this great history for themselves.

After that history lesson (And if you are still reading) we should discuss the numbers that I actually look for. The cheapest coffee that I could find on Walmart's webpage was 25 cents an ounce. The next test that I put Folgers to was the taste test. On a scale of 1-10 I gave it a 7. I didn't think the flavor was overly noticeable, it left a decent amount of flavor, but definitely could be better. Even though the taste wasn't perfect, the coffee definitely left a very tasteful scent. The one perk of buying Folgers is that it can be found in most stores, across the country.

Our next product that I am comparing to the Folgers is Jamaican Me Crazy coffee made by Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters (The closest coffee company near me).

In 1996, Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters, Inc. first opened its doors on the banks of the Erie Canal in Historic Bushnell's Basin, New York. Bob Cowdery, the Roastmaster, has roasted coffee for many years in various locations. With this experience and the ability to roast in small batches, he and his partner, Larry Werges, are able to transform green coffee beans imported from around the world into rich aromatic coffees. After researching the price of the coffee that I chose, I found that it costs about 73 cents an ounce. After I brewed the cup of coffee the first thing that I noticed was the distinguished aroma. It was by far the best aroma that I smelled from coffee. After tasting the flavor I had to admit that it was extremely good. If I had to rate this I would give it a 9. The availability, however is not as good as other popular coffee brands. The positive note on that however is that they have a website that you can purchase all of their coffee.

After comparing the two products it came down to arguing about whether you prefer quality or quantity. By arguing that flavor and aroma are more important than the price and availability. If you think flavor and aroma play a bigger role in choosing coffee, then I would choose the local coffee. If you think the cheaper coffee with a lesser flavor is better than you should go ahead and choose Folgers. As a result I would urge anyone who has an interest in different flavored coffee, to go ahead and hold their own experiments with even more flavors.

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About the Creator

Tim Reynolds

Practicing writing and saving money so I can become a professional Journalist for the NFL. If you have any questions comments or potential discussions please feel free to email me at [email protected].

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