Master Chef: Decent Coffee at Half the Price

I am sick and tired of how expensive Folgers and Maxwell house are lately, so last night when I hit my local Wal-Mart I didn't even think twice. I skipped right over my favored brands (around $12 and $10 a container, respectively) and picked up a container of Master Chef instead. At less than $6 for the same amount of coffee grounds, I was already pleased with the product by the price.

How about the taste of Master Chef? Well, admittedly I bought Master Chef because I had had it already- our local sprinkler supplies store has free coffee for customers, and they use Master Chef. But I already liked it there, and it was the watered down version of coffee that I don't normally like. I figured if I purchased it myself and added a few more scoops to my liking, I would really enjoy Master Chef even more.

And I do. Though the darker brew of Master Chef is more bitter than I like (kinda like when you leave coffee on the burner too long) and it's not too sensitive on the belly, if you make Master Chef as recommended it's actually very comparable to the Folgers and Maxwell House brands that cost twice as much. Fresh out of the container, the Master Chef coffee smells great enough to make your mouth water, and has that nutty smell I like when it's brewing. I can even make it slightly stronger like I prefer by adding a single extra scoop without making it taste too bitter. A bit of trial and error, but worth it.

If I didn't know any better, I could have drank Master Chef and thought it was something more expensive, albeit more bitter. I really enjoy the flavor of Master Chef, though it doesn't come in much variety. I think it just comes in regular, no french or Columbian, or even a dark roast in this brand. However, for the price I will absolutely be buying Master Chef again, at least until Folgers goes on sale. Even better is you can try the small container of Master Chef for around $2 at Wal-Mart, just to try it out without breaking your budget. In this economy, if you can find cheap coffee that still tastes pretty damn good, then there's something to smile about.

note: the container of coffee I purchased was the standard 33 ounces, for $5.98. Prices and variety may vary at other Wal-Mart stores.