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Lifestyle

I Tried 21 Different Coffee K-Cups, and This Is How They Ranked

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Georgetown chapter.

 I love coffee. And with my love for coffee comes a deep relationship . I love that thing. Just ask my roommate, who was woken up everyday at 8 am by the sound of it (sorry, Lise). 

Spoon High School kettle tea
Ryan Terhune

So I decided to conduct a little taste-test with a new K-cup variety pack shipment from Amazon. To start off, I’d like you to meet your taste testers:

Me: A college student who drinks more coffee than she should. Only black, with the occasional cappuccino.

My mom: A lady who has been drinking coffee for years now. Enjoys it with fruit. It must be a mom thing.

Well, after drinking 21 different cups of coffee, my mom and I were basically bouncing off the walls from all the caffeine. Some sips were heavenly, while others made us gag. But don’t worry, we ranked all 21 K-cups for you so you don’t have to go through this too.

21. Eko Cups Guatemalan

k-cups cream cake
Brittany Arnett

I’ll leave you with the wise words of my mom: “This tastes like sh*t in a cup.”

20. Nautica Estate Coffee Hawaiian Kona Happa

k-cups sweet coffee
Brittany Arnett

It was dark, and had no taste. Pass.

19. Victor Allen’s Coffee Morning Blend

k-cups beer coffee
Brittany Arnett

If I drank this in the morning, I think it would do the opposite of wake me up. It tasted like water with a bad aftertaste. Nope.

18. Martinson Donut Shop Blend

k-cups wine beer
Brittany Arnett

I spit it out. My mom laughed at me.

17. Eko Cups Bold

k-cups chocolate sweet
Brittany Arnett

Too bitter. Might as well suck on a lemon.

16. Marley Coffee Lively Up

k-cups dairy product milk
Brittany Arnett

See comment under Eko Cups Bold. The only thing that ranked it higher was the cool-looking cup.

15. Barrie House Espresso Roast

k-cups sweet
Brittany Arnett

Okay, this wasn’t that bad, it was just too intense for our liking. It had somewhat of a burnt aftertaste too.

14. Crazy Cups Death by Chocolate

k-cups coffee chocolate
Brittany Arnett

You go into this one thinking: “Chocolate coffee?!?” Smells like chocolate, but doesn’t taste like it.

13. Victor Allen’s Coffee French Vanilla

k-cups bread dairy product
Brittany Arnett

This one was pretty good, but was just false advertising – in no way did it taste like vanilla. Next.

12. Green Mountain Coffee Breakfast Blend

k-cups tea
Brittany Arnett

“Breakfast blend” sounds pretty generic, and that’s exactly what it tastes like. Reminded us more of vending machine coffee.

11. Entenmann’s Vanilla

k-cups cream sweet
Brittany Arnett

Entenmann’s should stick to their mini donuts. This guy had a strong vanilla flavor (take that, Victor Allen’s) but an artificial aftertaste.

10. Donut Shop Regular

k-cups soup coffee
Brittany Arnett

Finally, we are getting to the top ten. Reminded us of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, which we guess makes sense considering the name.

9. Starbucks French Roast

k-cups tea sweet
Brittany Arnett

I guess the French like it dark. Probably tastes great with croissants. Chocolate croissants, to be exact.

8. Archer Farms Vanilla Bean Créme Brûlée

k-cups dairy product
Brittany Arnett

I mean, who wouldn’t want to drink their dessert? A great cup for those of you who like it sweet.

7. Rio Grande Roasters Pinon Medium Roast

k-cups
Brittany Arnett

This was just flat-out delicious. It had a nutty flavor, not as strong as hazelnut, and did not taste artificial.

6. Wolfgang Puck Jamaican Me Crazy

k-cups beer
Brittany Arnett

The name says it all ‘mon. It made me crazy. I bought a whole box afterward.

5. Double Donut Coffee Bold Blend

k-cups apple
Brittany Arnett

Although this guy wasn’t “bold,” it sure was smooth. And we like things smooth (except our peanut butter).

4. Eight O’Clock Dark Italian Roast

k-cups tea coffee
Brittany Arnett

I guess this one was a “we like our coffee like we like our men” type of thing. Tall, dark, and Italian.

3. Double Donut Coffee Italian Roast

k-cups chocolate
Brittany Arnett

This one sort of tasted the same as #5, but was darker, and we assume darker = more caffeine, so we like it.

2. Green Mountain Coffee Dark Magic

k-cups tea
Brittany Arnett

My notes say it all: “Smooth and dark. Very good. Very good. Drink this more often.”

1. Hamilton Mills Toasted Cinnamon

k-cups tea
Brittany Arnett

Okay, I may be a little biased, but I have been getting a 40-pack of these K-cups each month for the past three years. Perfectly smooth, cinnamon-y, and delicious. Drink it up, people.

Brittany Arnett

Georgetown '19

Editorial Director of Spoon Georgetown. Lover of almond butter, babies, and breakfast buffets. Eats way too much avocado toast.