The $6 Aldi Find That Just Might Be As Good As Starbucks Drip Coffee

Recent trends in coffee, including the explosion in popularity of speciality drinks and rising coffee prices, can leave coffee drinkers feeling like they're not getting the best bean for their buck. Now, we coffee drinkers can be a wary sort of folk. You find your favorite cafe or the perfect roast that really wakes you up in the morning, and you're not so inclined to stray from it. But could an affordable Aldi coffee be hiding in plain sight?

According to one recent Reddit post, it's hard to tell the difference between a cup of joe made by "a local roaster" and one made from Aldi's "absolutely delicious" Simply Nature organic single-origin coffee beans, which the OP picked up from their local Aldi for $6 per 12-ounce bag. The chain typically stocks two types of these single-origin beans, one from Peru and another from Honduras. Both products are medium roast, USDA-approved organic, and Fair Trade certified. That last designation means the coffee meets standards set by the Fair Trade organization, including regulations on labor conditions and sustainability. 

It may have taken a while for word to spread, but Aldi's Simply Nature coffee has been knocking it out of the park for some time. According to Beans and Burrs, the product won the American Masters of Taste Superior Gold Medal Seal in 2019, and in 2020, an independent food and beverage testing organization called Chefs Best gave it another award. In terms of taste, Beans and Burrs describes both the Peru and Honduras roasts as having a sweet, light, and rounded flavor profile with an aftertaste that's not too bitter and leaves a hint of caramel. 

The Reddit coffee-drinking community could not agree more, with one user commenting, "I was buying $20 a bag whole bean coffee from some small roasters — good stuff, but this is just as good," about the Peruvian coffee. Another concurred, "I'll never spend money on fancy pants coffee again. These two are legit excellent," highly recommending this Aldi coffee as a budget-friendly alternative to the trendy varieties.