Aldi is well known in America for being a convenient and extremely affordable grocery store.
Although they don’t offer quite the variety of brands and selections as other big-name grocery stores, Aldi consistently provides a vast array of products at very reasonable prices.
This is no exception for their coffee selection. Ringing in at prices lower than $6 for a pound of coffee, Aldi’s offers a variety of coffee roasts to meet the needs of all coffee lovers.
The Breakdown
Before diving into our list of the best coffee from Aldi, let’s take a quick look at where Aldi’s coffee comes from and the varieties offered.
Where Does Aldi’s Coffee Come From?
Aldi launched their own coffee brand, Barissimo, in 2015. All of their coffee beans are 100% Arabica. Further, Aldi is committed to making all of their coffee equitable by sourcing from suppliers who follow Fairtrade standards.
Aldi also offers organic, single-origin coffee bean roasts sourced through SimplyNature and often sold whole-bean.
What Varieties of Coffee Products Does Aldi Offer?
Aldi has quite a range of coffee products across their store; bottled cold brew or iced coffee, coffee pods, instant coffee, pre-ground, and whole bean coffee.
Some of these products are sourced through companies like Starbucks, Cafe Bustelo, or Stock, and are usually limited.
However, Aldi consistently makes their Barissimo Coffee and SimplyNature Organic roasts available throughout the year which is what we have tested and reviewed for you in this article.
Barissimo and SimplyNature Coffee come in a few forms: coffee pods, ground coffee beans, and whole-bean coffee.
I wanted to try both ground and whole bean coffee and tried the different roasts in two different brewing methods – drip coffee and pour over. I used our coffee ratio calculator to determine the water-to-bean ratio for each brew.
Barissimo Blends Coffee Review
Aldi offers a variety of coffee blends, ranging from light roasts to dark. I’ve broken them down, blend by blend, and given some tasting notes plus a review:
Dark Roast
Barissimo produces some single-origin dark roasts which we’ll touch on later, but their only dark roast blend is their Midnight Blend. It’s a perfect name for this very rich, deep, and earthy blend.
Tasting notes included in the description of this blend are dark cocoa, tobacco, toasted nuts, and a hint of brown sugar. Although some of those did come through once I added milk, the acidic level of this roast is what hit me first and foremost.
In general, I am not a big fan of dark roasts, as they tend to taste burnt to me, and Aldi’s Midnight Blend was no exception to that, unfortunately.
However, it wasn’t worse than most dark roasts, but actually slightly better. With some added creamer, it turned out to be a decent coffee all around.
If you’re a fan of dark roast coffee, Midnight Blend does live up to its name of being a rich and earthy blend with higher acidity levels. Doctor it up with a dash of milk or cream, and it makes a rather good wake-me-up in the morning!
Medium Roast
Medium roasts seem to be the comfort and expertise level for Barissimo as they offer four different medium roast blends.
The House Blend and Breakfast Blend seem to be the standard darker-medium roasts that Aldi offers. I brewed both using a drip coffee pot and was pleasantly surprised by how tasty these roasts were.
I was unable to pick up on some of the toasting notes like sweet molasses and tobacco that each blend claims, but the brew was a very mild and balanced cup of jo that tasted like a standard cup of coffee.
The acidity levels were much more even compared to the darker roast and neither brew left a bitter aftertaste like the Midnight Blend.
Adventure and Donut Store Blend are the other two medium roasts that Aldi offers and they are both a bit different compared to the Breakfast or House Blend.
While Breakfast and House offer a mild brew, Adventure and Donut Store Blend came in with a richer, bolder, and, dare I say, full-bodied taste.
I was able to pick up the subtle tasting notes of chocolate with nutty undertones in the Adventure Blend and caramel with hints of chocolate in the Donut Store Blend.
Both blends had a more prominent lime acidity aftertaste that lingered but was otherwise quite enjoyable.
Overall, I found all four medium roasts to be very pleasant in terms of a basic cup of coffee.
Light Roasts
Aldi offers two light roast options that are flavor-filled blends to choose from – Vanilla & Hazelnut. I have to say that out of all the roasts I tried, these two were my favorite.
I’m an avid Chemex user and enjoy the flavor that pour-overs pull out of different roasts. That full-bodied flavor is lacking in both the medium and dark roasts, but drinking the Hazelnut and Vanilla blends gave me the “oomph” I was looking for!
Barissimo uses artificial and natural flavoring techniques to enhance these roasts and the result is quite pleasant.
You’re not getting a slap of flavor like you would with a creamer or added syrup, but you’re getting that extra little taste in the coffee itself, making it subtle but delicious.
The Barissimo Hazelnut Ground Coffee Blend is a light roast that compliments the hazelnut flavoring and also has some subtle caramel undertones that end in buttery richness.
Aldi’s French Vanilla roast is also a light roast that gives you the classic French vanilla flavor while also hinting at almond.
I brewed both of these blends in a drip coffee maker, using 18 ounces of water with 3 tablespoons of grinds. It was the perfect ratio and needed just a little whole milk to make the perfect cup for me.
If you’re into flavored coffee, I highly recommend Aldi’s. It’s a lovely treat for the morning or even a great way to round out your afternoon or evening with a sweet sip!
Single Origin Roasts Coffee Review
Barissimo Coffee also roasts single-origin coffees. These come preground in a medium coarse grind, making them good for drip coffee or cold brew.
Sumatra
Being a dark roast, this single-origin coffee from Sumatra is earthy and gives a complex taste profile. It’s almost a savory coffee with hints of spices and some herbal notes but has sweet molasses undertones.
I found this dark roast to be much less acidic and burnt tasting than the Midnight Blend, which made it much more enjoyable and pleasant for me.
Paired with some milk and a dash of cinnamon, this is a very pleasant cup of coffee that will have you wide awake in no time.
Guatemala
This medium roast from Guatemala is a lovely grind that has a nutty aroma. Along with chocolate and dried fruits, the nuttiness shines through once brewed as well.
Prepared in a drip pot, I found this roast to be a delicious cup of coffee that I could enjoy more often. I appreciated the bolder flavors that shone through while also loving how it still was the classic cup of coffee taste with a smooth finish.
Columbia
Being another medium roast, I found this single-origin roast to be similar to Guatemala, but with sweeter notes of brown sugar and berries coming through.
It had a nice complex profile where you were first hit with the acidic taste of citrus that then gave notes of rich dark chocolate, with a nice sweet finish.
My one complaint is that these roasts aren’t available in whole bean form. I want to try them in a pour-over method but the grind is a bit too fine to accommodate the process.
Brewed in a drip pot, though, all of these single-origin roasts were pleasant and had a more full-bodied, complex taste profile compared to the blends.
SimplyNature Organic Single Origin Roasts Coffee Review
I was very excited to try these organic, single-origin roasts because Aldi sells both Peru and Honduras roasts whole-bean, which allowed me to use a coarser grind and brew in my Chemex.
Mexico
Falling on the darker side of roasts, these oily beans give out a full-bodied yet clean taste of caramel, chocolate, and dried fruits.
This is a great reflection of the beans that come from the Chiapas region in Mexico which is known for their mild acidity and chocolaty undertones.
Honduras
Grown in the Montecillos Region of Honduras, at a 4,400 ft altitude, this medium roast makes for a delicious pour-over coffee. With a sweet and tangy aroma, these beans give out such a lovely and sweet citrusy taste when brewed in a Chemex.
Although not as fresh-tasting or full-bodied as a fresher roast might be, I highly enjoyed the bold taste that this single-origin roast gave.
For being organic and less than $7 a bag, I will definitely be enjoying these beans again.
Nicaragua
I was disappointed to have obtained these single-origin beans in ground form, which did not give me the opportunity to try them in pour-over style. Nevertheless, brewing them in a drip coffee pot did not disappoint.
Being grown and processed in the Jinotega region in Nicaragua, these quality beans are then roasted to a medium roast, which perfectly brings out the nutty yet sweet undertones of chocolate and caramel.
With mild acidity levels, this roast will give you a comforting classic coffee flavor with hints of vanilla at the end.
Peru
Out of all the SimpleNature single-origin organic roasts, this medium-roasted bean originating from the San Martin region in Peru was my least favorite.
Although I found it nutty and pleasant, it didn’t have much else going for it. It lacked the full-bodied flavor of the other roasts, although it wasn’t bitter and had very mild acidity.
Overall, I really enjoyed the SimpleNature roasts, and while they are more expensive than the Barissimo roasts, they are all organic and (mostly) whole-bean, giving a broader range of possibilities for brewing methods.
Happy Caffeinating!
