Cafe Altura Classic Roast: how does it compare for the price?
My main question: Is Cafe Altura Classic Roast basically similar to other ground coffees, or is it premium in some way? The one I specifically have is "Cafe Altura Ground Organic Coffee, Fair Trade Classic Roast".
I'm pretty new to coffee, having been a black tea drinker for years, with a preference for Assam CTC. For coffee, I first tried Great Value (the Walmart brand) Classic Roast, and it had a weird smell and sharpness that I didn't particularly care for. Not too surprising as it was the cheapest possible option at the supermarket. Then Amazon gifted me a can of the Cafe Altura. It has a nice smell and good flavor to it. But to re-buy it, it's also kinda expensive. The safe option would just be to continue buying it, since I know I like it. However, I've only had these two different brands. Reading the comments on the Cafe Altura, people seem to really be fans of it. Still I wonder: is it actually special or are there are equal or even better coffees for less money? If so, which ones?
In case it's relevant: I'm drinking the coffee black, and brewing it for 5 minutes in a basket tea infuser, in a cup of boiling water. I've never had french press, but I've read that this might be somewhat similar?
1 reply
It's a branded medium roast made of a blend of whatever beans they could find. I don't know how good or consistent their bean selection is, but most people really into coffee tend to buy single origin coffee and light roast so you can taste the differences. Single origin coffee does have significant variability across lots and seasons, but they are fairly predictable and repeatable within their range based on cupping notes.
What you are describing is a more commodity non-descript "please most of the people most of the time" for a specific price point.
It's best premium feature is fair trade organic.