I Tried 10 K-Cup Coffee Brands & the Best Was Smooth, Strong and Cheap

In a never-ending pursuit of convenience, many Americans have abandoned full pots of coffee in recent years. Instead, single cups, also known as coffee pods or capsules, have become an increasingly popular alternative for quickly brewing a morning dose of caffeine, with all sorts of popular coffee brands hopping on the bandwagon.

According to Statista, 27% of U.S. coffee drinkers used a single-cup brewer in 2023, making it more common than cold-brewing, using an espresso machine, or even stirring up an instant coffee.

In this new single-serve era, K-Cups—or coffee pods designed to work with Keurig-brand coffee makers—have become the colloquial, catch-all term for ground coffee capsules of all kinds.

You'll find numerous K-Cup brands out there at grocery stores nationwide, with plenty to choose from depending on your preferred roast. But which ones are a worthy investment? After all, many turn to Keurigs and other coffee machines to help kick the expensive habit of buying coffee daily at the local café. So it's worth interrogating which brands are most worthy of your hard-earned dollars.

I recently rounded up 10 different popular brands of coffee pods for a taste test to determine the most flavorful option on the market. I limited this survey to medium roasts only, considering each coffee's appearance, taste, and price.

Here's how the brands fared, ranked in descending order from my least favorite to the best-tasting K-Cup for your buck.

The Original Donut Shop Coffee Regular Blend

In the land of K-Cups, the Original Donut Shop is one of the most recognizable. According to Coffee Review, its regular K-Cup blend was thought to be developed in the hopes of competing with the Dunkin' Original Blend medium roast. Was it successful in its endeavors? At $9.99, its priced like its competitors.

The look: Upon first glance, the Donut Shop coffee seemed indistinguishable from all the other coffees I sampled. It had a very dark brown hue, almost appearing black in certain lighting, with a fairly consistent coloring throughout. I also noticed that this cup of coffee had a ring of foam around the edge of the cup–something that was not present in every K-Cup but was definitely noticeable here.

The taste: If you're looking for a nice, smooth finish to your coffee, it would be best to look elsewhere. I didn't find Donut Shop to be particularly smooth at all. Rather, I picked up on a more gritty texture, almost as if the grounds in the K-Cup were not fine enough. The flavor was your run-of-the-mill medium roast: bolder than a light roast but not as bold as a dark roast. Despite the rougher texture, I did not find it too bitter. This fell into the unremarkable category for me–-it wasn't necessarily a bad cup of coffee, but it wasn't something I was in a hurry to finish, either.

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Folgers Classic Roast

Is the best part of waking up actually Folgers in your cup? I don't believe that longstanding slogan rings true in this case, but there's certainly a convenience factor when you stock up on Folgers Classic Roast K-Cups, which cost me $9.49 for a pack of 10.

The look: Folgers Classic Roast was noticeably darker than the other blends tested, which is interesting considering the brand also offers a medium dark as well as a dark blend. It makes you wonder how dark its darkest blend is. There was also no froth to speak of when first brewed.

The taste: In a modern world of artisanal coffee brands, Folgers has faded into the background for many, but the brand is still holding strong with a decent cup of coffee. To be honest, I was expecting the worst when I took my first sip, but it turned out to be fairly serviceable. Overall, I found the flavor very bland, though the texture was smooth enough to get the job done. There's a reason it has stuck around for all of these years, after all. It will keep you caffeinated, but don't reach for this brand if you also want your coffee to have a distinct and noticeable flavor.

Lavazza Classico

If you've ever had Lavazza before—perhaps in an airport lounge—you'll immediately recognize the flavor when trying it. That's either good news or bad news, depending on how you feel about Lavazza. A 10-pack cost me $9.99.

The look: A cup of Lavazza coffee from one of its Classico K-Cups is quite frothy when first brewed. As far as coloration goes, it's exactly what you would expect to see in a medium roast: dark brown to almost black in coloration and smooth in appearance. The froth was the one distinguishable trait that made it stand out from the other K-Cups tested.

The taste: Overall, it was middle-of-the-road when compared to other K-Cups. It wasn't remarkable, but it didn't stand out in a negative way, either. I picked up on a slight fruit flavor when I tried it black, but it was barely noticeable once you added cream. It's perfectly functional–there's no need to run away from the Keurig when you see the only option is Lavazza, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend you buy this over other brands, either. Compared to the other brands, I found it similar in flavor to Folgers.

Starbucks Pike Place Roast

A large number of Starbucks enthusiasts strongly prefer the coffee chain's specialty drinks, which come in a variety of flavors and textures. While many go for cold brews, seasonal lattes, and Americanos, others stick to the tried-and-true regular cups of coffee. And when it comes to Starbucks coffee, it doesn't get more standard than the flagship Pike Place roast, which is also available in K-Cup form. A pack of 10 cost me $9.99, which is much more economical than what you would pay for a cup of coffee at an actual Starbucks café.

The look: The Starbucks Pike Place K-Cup was one of the frothiest cups of coffee tested. Its appearance was otherwise unremarkable, with standard coloring and aroma. Starbucks coffee is known among enthusiasts for its distinct smell. I didn't really pick up on that once this coffee was brewed; it was more like that typical coffee aroma you get when you walk into a coffee shop.

The taste: This was one of the smoother blends in the roundup and one of more distinguishable flavors, too. I appreciated that–in a blind taste test, a couple of these coffees would be hard to tell apart, but I could probably pick out which was the Starbucks Pike Place. According to Starbucks' website, the Pike Place blend features "subtle notes of cocoa and rich praline," which is evident. It goes a step beyond the typical "coffee" flavor that I was tasting in K-Cups such as Donut Shop, Folgers, and Lavazza. That said, on the backend, I did pick up on a burnt aftertaste that I was not entirely fond of. Unless you have a personal preference for Starbucks coffee, I would reach for another K-Cup brand when given the choice.

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Peet's Big Bang

Many coffee connoisseurs show a strong preference for Peet's coffee over most other brands. While the company specializes in dark roast, with Major Dickason's being the trademark flavor, it also offers a variety of other flavors, including the Big Bang medium roast. A 10-pack of Peet's K-Cups is slightly higher than other brands, coming in at $10.49.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The look: This cup offered some frothing, but it was minimal compared to ones like Dunkin' and Starbucks, which frothed considerably more. The color was on par with other medium roasts: a very deep dark brown.

The taste: Pete's offered a much weaker flavor than I expected. It tasted bitter and somewhat burnt, offering less of that bold coffee flavor than you get from the brand's dark roast, Major Dickason's, which seems to be more of its specialty. While Peet's makes a solid cup of coffee no matter the flavor, its medium roast is not a strong standout, especially if you're used to the brand's bolder brews.

McCafé Premium Roast

There aren't too many McDonald's products you can find in the grocery store, but McCafé is one of them. Its premium roast is what you'll be served when you pull up to your local McDonald's drive-thru first thing in the morning. At $9.99 for a 10-pack, that comes out to around $1 per cup–exactly on par with what you would pay for a small coffee at a McDonald's restaurant.

The look: I detected no froth whatsoever when I first brewed a cup of McCafé. The coffee appeared very smooth and consistent. It also had the standard dark brown coloring.

The taste: When non-coffee drinkers imagine what coffee must taste like, this is probably what they have in mind: a smooth liquid that's neither too bold nor too weak in terms of flavor. It offered a cleaner finish than many other coffees tried, with no bitter aftertaste. It is a no-frills cup of joe that likely goes well with whatever flavorings you add to your coffee. With just cream, it's a solid, middle-of-the-road option that I wouldn't mind drinking again.

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Dunkin' Original Blend

Why spend the extra money getting a cup of coffee from Dunkin' each morning when you can just make it at home? A 10-pack of the Dunkin' Original Blend cost me $9.29.

The look: At first glance, this coffee appeared much more frothy than most of the other K-Cups, but the coloring was not all that different from the other coffees.

The taste: Very similar to the coffee you get at an actual Dunkin' location. It's an approachable, smoother flavor that is bold enough to remind you you're drinking a cup of coffee but not so bold that it's off-putting. This is especially true once you add cream. In fact, I found coffee itself to be a little sweet, almost eliminating the need to add sugar. So, solid points for matching the flavor profile I expect when I pull up to the Dunkin' drive-thru. Fans will appreciate that the taste of Dunkin' coffee is available at their local grocery store if they want to save some money without sacrificing their favorite cup of joe.

Green Mountain Nantucket Blend

Green Mountain is one of the most recognizable and widely available coffee brands in grocery stores nationwide. It's on par with other K-Cups, costing me $9.99 for a 10-pack of its Nantucket Blend.

The look: Unassuming in its appearance: a solid medium roast. As a side note, this coffee also has one of the better smells when first poured black.

The taste: This coffee was a tad weaker than I expected. It didn't pack the same sort of bold "coffee" flavor punch that other K-Cups did. Rather, I found it to be a more pleasant sip that was smooth without much bitterness. That's a plus if you're looking for a more accessible, milder taste in your coffee. I prefer my coffee with sugar and I almost felt as if this coffee didn't need the added sweetness. I found it enjoyable both black as well as with cream, which I cannot say for some of the other coffees in this roundup. That's a big reason why it ranked so high.

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Kirkland Signature Summit Roast

Costco members have a wide variety of options when stocking up on coffee, including several K-Cup brands available for purchase in the warehouse. Costco's store brand Kirkland Signature has its own light, medium, and dark roast K-Cups, available in much higher quantities than you'll find at a typical supermarket. That's certainly on-brand for the bulk retailer. A pack of 120 pods of the medium roast variety, called Summit Roasts, cost me $35.99.

The look: The Kirkland Summit Roast is frothier when first brewed, but it is not as frothy as some of the other K-Cups included in this roundup. Its coloring is on par with what you would expect a medium roast to be.

The taste: This was a very-well balanced cup of coffee. It's what you would expect in a medium roast: the flavor was bold but not overpowering like what you would find in a dark roast. At the same time, it was smooth, but not so smooth you would think you're drinking something lighter. I picked up on an acidic flavor right away, but with it being such a well-balanced brew, I also tasted a bit of sweetness. The sweetness was more evident once I added cream.

Luckily, you won't feel stuck with over 100 K-Cups in your pantry when purchasing Summit Roast. It's a solid value given the price per K-Cup, which equals around 30 cents per K-Cup–the most economical option in this roundup. When it's on sale, it's an even better value. Price aside, it's a well-balanced cup of coffee that isn't too bold or too weak.

Great Value Breakfast Blend

Surprised? At first glance, Walmart's Great Value Breakfast Blend might seem like a lesser product than its competitors. The packaging–both the box as well as the K-Cups–looks quite generic. But it's hard to argue with its price. It rings up at just $4.47, less than half the price of other K-Cup brands. Not only that, but each box contains 12 K-cups as opposed to the standard 10-packs. That equals approximately 37 cents per K-Cup.

The look: Initially, a cup of Great Value coffee seemed more like a freshly brewed cup of red flags. The consistency was noticeably more watery than other K-Cups, but it had a nice aroma, with notes of citrus, derived from 100% Arabica beans.

The taste: Don't let the Walmart brand scare you off: the Great Value Breakfast Blend delivers on taste. It offers a smooth consistency and a strong flavor—but not too strong. It had hints of citrus that were very evident in its aroma and its taste, especially when served black. Once I added cream, the citrus notes were more muted, offering a balanced cup of coffee that was quite pleasant. It falls on the lighter side, so if you're a dark roast enthusiast, this might not be your personal favorite. Given the unbeatable price point, however, this is a K-Cup product I wouldn't mind having in good supply in my pantry.

Ultimately, I found that many of the lower-ranking K-Cup brands had a very similar flavors, making them fairly indiscernible from one another. This is good news for the consumer in the sense that you really can't go wrong with many of the coffee brands out there. Among the higher-ranking coffees, the Great Value stood out because it was a tasty cup of coffee at half the price of its competitors. If you're an ultimate coffee aficionado, you likely aren't purchasing K-Cups anyway. But for the majority of coffee drinkers, Great Value's solid, even-keeled flavor at an unbeatable price point wins out.