So, who received a Keurig single serve coffee brewer for Christmas? If you’re one of the lucky recipients, then pretty soon your stash of K-Cups is going to run out. Like the rest of us, you’ll be on the hunt for affordable K-Cups or single serve cups that also offer up a great cup of coffee. I’ll be straight with you — that coffee expedition doesn’t always end well. This comes from someone who’s sampled just about every single serve coffee that finds itself on a grocery shelf. Check here, here and here for some of my other single serve reviews.
I was tickled a couple of months ago when I was snooping around Trader Joe’s and came across boxes of medium roast, single serve coffee cups with the Trader Joe’s moniker splashed on the label. I snapped up a box and quickly went straight to my Keurig coffee brewer to sample the goods.
I’ve got a love affair going with Trader Joe’s. And like any long-term, passionate relationship, it has its ups and downs. Highlights include the Lilliputian cornichons, those puckery petite pickles from France. Next to France, this is the best place on earth to purchase them at a ridiculously affordable price. Not fond of most of the pasta sauces in a jar at Trader Joe’s, but I just avoid them. They’re not a reason to break up.
So, what did I think when I sipped my first cup of Trader Joe’s single serve coffee? Keep the romance going or break it off? Check out my review:
Trader Joe’s Coffee Cups Single Serve Cups, medium roast, $2.99 for a box of 7 cups.
First look: This is a medium roast coffee made with 100-percent Arabica beans. While you might not notice it right away, the label does say that there are seven single serve cups in the box. Unlike traditional K-Cups, Trader Joe’s single serve coffee cups don’t feature a foil top and solid plastic cup design.
As you can see, the Trader Joe’s single serve cups have a thin plastic film top and soft mesh sides reinforced with hard plastic strips. Open the box and you’ll find that each cup is individually wrapped.
Good news: At just under 43 cents per single serving, Trader Joe’s coffee cups are well under the average price for most single serve cups. It’s a medium roast, so it’s not a wimpy cup of joe. Since each cup is wrapped in air tight packets, the coffee can stay fresh. The cups are recyclable.
Bad news: Because the cups are individually wrapped, the box only holds seven servings, which is inconvenient when it comes to storage. For instance, the box is slightly larger than Tully’s K-Cup, which holds 12 K-Cups.
But, really, it’s about the flavor when it comes to coffee, isn’t it? And that’s where Trader Joe’s coffee cups and I have to part ways. I had a few other people taste it, and we all agreed that it reminded us of the ground coffee that came out of a metal can. And not the upscale brand, either. It had a slightly bitter finish, without any of the rich flavors we expect from a good cup of coffee. Someone mentioned that it was reminiscent of old-timey coffee shop coffee. Not a compliment.
Last words: If you like a dull cup of joe, go ahead and give Trader Joe’s Coffee Cups a whirl.
Have you tried Trader Joe’s Coffee Cups? If so, what did you think? Would you buy them again?
Glad you’re back! I’ve missed your posts!
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Thank you, Linda. Another work project took over for a while.
Just tried trader joes kcup… It’s very good.. Nice medium roast, no bitter taste, smooth and delicious with my creamer… And without… Nice bold flavor.
We’ve been having a discussion about it on Facebook, and others like it as well. Most foods and beverages are never clear cut when it comes to taste are they? I love some of the flavored coffees, and I know purists who think that those are horrid. Thanks for reading.
I love TJ’s k-cups. The coffee tastes great, and the price is unbeatable. These k-cups have a different construction than conventiona k-cups, and I think that contributes to the great taste. Give them a try.
Better to get the really big case of the K cups from Costco. That brings the cost down to .30 cents a serving, or less.
I agree, Ralph. I reviewed the Pacific Bold last year and I still use the cups as my go-to daily cup of joe.
I like the coffee. Do you know if the wrapper that each cup comes in is ALSO recyclable?
These clogged my Keurig and I had to take it apart and clean the grounds. This happened both times I bought the trader joes k cups. I have had my Keurig for two years and use filtered water and have experimented with lots of k cups. These suck.
The Trader Joe K cups also exploded in my machine, time and time again. I tried using them in my other single serve machines and the same thing happened. I like the coffee, but hate the mess. I will not buy these K cups again until they improve the design.
I have used several boxes of Trader Joe K-cups with my Keurig. These K-cups do not brew uniformly and completely. Sometimes I wind up with only a third or a half cup of coffee and have to recycle the Keurig handle to force more hot water through the K-cup. I have not encountered similar problems with other brands. I like the taste of the coffee. The poor design of the K-cups is annoying.
It’s not dull, it’s tastier than most other k-cups I’ve tried. DEFEND JOE’S!
Steve, you’re not alone. There are other folks who agree with you. I adore Trader Joe’s. Most of the time. Thanks for reading!
my Keurig 550 won’t accept these k-cups at all bought 4 boxes and drove 38 miles one way to get them what a bummer
I have just tried the K-cups and have found the reason it tastes so darn awful is I can get only a 1/3 of the water through the cup before it clogs. The design should definitely go back to the drawing board.
That sounds odd. I would call Keurig because it sounds as if you have a malfunctioning machine.
Not the machine, its the design of the k-cups. Other conventional designed cups work perfectly. I actually like the taste of the coffee, but I won’t buy these again for the poor design and mess they make in my Keurig!
I don’t like it. Love lots of TJ stuff but they missed it on this one. Agree with you. Tastes cheap and watery.
So. What do I drink? Well a crazy brew in a Mr Coffee cappuccino maker. 2 scoops of Zilka decaf I buy at Ollies and one scoop of espresso from Southern Seasons called Toscano. With hot steamed milk and sugar. Love it. Smootth with body and doesn’t produce acid reflux or jitters. Satisfying.
Gigi
Hey don’t work in my Keurig either. I called Trader Joe’s customer service and they refunded my money. Very disappointed
Mine either
I LOVED IT!!!! NEVER GOING BACK TO ANYTHING ELSE. Rich, Smooth but not bitter.
Absolutely love the coffee!
On the weak side, not very tasty. Thanks for the review. Will not purchase again. I like the McCafe k cups, wait for or print coupons off. Also $4.99
We can’t tell you if it was good or bad because after buying several boxes, we got home to try them and found that they don’t fit the Keurig 550 model. Buyers beware! I am a big TJ’s fan but this product was a bust. Guess I’ll just have to eat my triple ginger snaps with a cup of tea.
I won’t be buying Trader Joe’s K-cups any longer. The plastic film top is the problem. In four out of five cups that I make, the little round hole that my machine perforates in the film top rips and expands, spilling grounds all over the inside of the machine. A foil top does not do this. My 5-year old machine uses all brands of K-cup coffee, including my reusable K-cup, without a problem. UntilTrader Joe’s goes back to foil tops or changes the grade of plastic film, I’ll be buying my K-cups elsewhere.
The top plastic does not work well like other brands. It tends to open a bigger hike and coffee grounds seek o fall out often. The coffee isvreall good but they need to fix the top using something like paper.
I have a machine that is pretty new and I’ve not had any problems with the plastic seal top. The grounds stay where they should. I recently bought a TJs Dark Roast box of 12 cups. They are loose in a resealable plastic bag in the box.
I expected the dark roast to come out tasting like the sample of this coffee they serve in-store, but realized after the weaker k-cup version, they are serving fresh ground (that day) coffee and probably brewing it very strong for samples there in the store. Are the Dark Roast k-cups bad coffee? No way! I’ve had several worse and several better. If you are out of cups and you are at TJs they are a good buy to get you through til the next Costco/Sam’s Club trip.
Just purchased Trader Joe’s coffee cups single serve medium roast coffee, thinking I have made a real find for my Keurig,but boy was I wrong, it was the most weak and tasteless coffee I have ever had. Gave it to friends to try, thinking it was only me who disliked it,but everyone had same opinion.never ever buy again.
Yes. I love ’em. I think they’really delicious, and I detect no harshness–maybe because I use 10oz rather than 8oz or 4oz.
Problem: some third party on Amazon named Daily Beauty Store sells 5 boxes at $52.90. Each box has 12 cups, at a cost of $10.50 or $.89 per cup. So make the trek to TJ’s.
Bought them and my machine won’t use them.
No, I would not buy Trader Joe’s k-cups because they leave coffee grounds in my cup every time!