Quick answer: Folgers coffee is good for what it is: an affordable, consistent everyday coffee that tastes the same every time. It is not specialty-grade, and pre-ground canisters lose freshness faster than whole beans, but Classic Roast makes a smooth medium cup, Black Silk suits dark-roast fans, and Colombian is the best-tasting of the three.
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Folgers is one of the best-selling at-home coffee brands in America, even as Starbucks and specialty roasters have grown. Here is an honest look at what Folgers does well, where it falls short, and which of its roasts to buy.
In this guide 5 sections
Is Folgers coffee good?
For most everyday drinkers, yes. Folgers wins on price, consistency and availability: you can find it in almost any grocery store and it tastes the same from one can to the next. If you want bright, complex coffee with distinct origin flavors, a fresh bag from a specialty roaster will taste noticeably better.
A long history
Folgers traces its roots to 1850 in San Francisco, when what became the Folger company started roasting and selling coffee to gold-rush miners. Procter & Gamble owned the brand from 1963, and the J.M. Smucker Company has owned it since 2008 (Wikipedia). Over that time Folgers built one of the most recognizable brands in American coffee, helped by the slogan “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.”
Consistent, familiar taste
Folgers’ signature style is a mild, smooth, “mountain grown” blend that is designed to be familiar rather than surprising. That consistency is a big part of its appeal: many people grew up with it, and it tastes like home.
Good value
Folgers costs much less per cup than Starbucks or specialty coffee, which is why so many households rely on it for daily coffee. For a look at what the big chains use, see our guides to Starbucks coffee beans and McDonald’s coffee.
Where Folgers falls short
Pre-ground coffee in a large canister starts losing aroma soon after you open it, so the last scoops never taste as good as the first. Folgers also does not say where most of its blends come from (Colombian aside) or which bean species Classic Roast uses. If freshness matters to you, read our tips for keeping coffee fresher.
Which Folgers coffee is best? Our roast-by-roast review
Folgers sells roasts from mild to dark. These are the three most popular, all still sold on folgerscoffee.com.
Folgers Black Silk: best for dark-roast fans
Black Silk is Folgers’ dark roast and a favorite with people who love bold, bitter coffee. It is not everyone’s cup, but you can soften its bittersweet edge with cream or sweetener, and the dark, smoky flavor works well in iced coffee and lattes.
Folgers Colombian: best-tasting Folgers
Folgers Colombian is a medium roast made from arabica beans grown in Colombia. It sits in the middle for intensity: fuller than Classic Roast but not as bitter as Black Silk. If you want the most flavor Folgers offers, start here, and see our guide to Colombian coffee for why the origin is so popular.
Folgers Classic Roast: the everyday standard
Classic Roast is the coffee that put Folgers on the map and a staple in countless American kitchens. It is a medium roast, sold both caffeinated and decaf, so it works for the whole household. It is not very bitter, though it has a subtle bite at the finish, especially the caffeinated version, and a familiar aroma most people like. For bean recommendations, see our picks for the best coffee for French press.
How do you make Folgers taste better?
- Measure it: follow a consistent coffee-to-water ratio rather than eyeballing scoops.
- Keep the lid tight: store the canister closed, away from heat and light, and use it up promptly once opened.
The verdict
Is Folgers coffee good? Taste is personal, but for an affordable, reliable everyday cup it does the job well, and many coffee drinkers in America love it. I enjoy it and recommend it as an everyday coffee. If you want to compare it with other grocery-store options, see our taste test of 13 supermarket coffees.
Frequently asked questions
Is Folgers real coffee?
Yes. Folgers ground coffee is roasted, ground coffee beans, and retailer listings for Classic Roast give the ingredients as 100% pure coffee, with nothing else added. It tastes milder and less fresh than specialty coffee because it is a mass-market blend sold pre-ground, not because it contains fillers.
Who owns Folgers coffee?
The J.M. Smucker Company has owned Folgers since 2008. Before that it belonged to Procter & Gamble, which bought it in 1963.
Is Folgers 100% arabica?
Folgers Colombian is made from arabica beans grown in Colombia. Folgers does not state the bean type for Classic Roast, and some retail listings describe it as an arabica and robusta blend.
Is Folgers Black Silk stronger than Classic Roast?
Black Silk tastes stronger because it is a dark roast, but a darker roast does not add caffeine. If you want more caffeine, use more coffee per cup.
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