The pros: Trader Joe's Colombia Supremo Coffee is basic coffee. Nothing more and nothing less. The can does stand out because of the Toucans.
The cons: For Trader Joe's, this is relatively inexpensive compared so some of the more expensive brews like Trader Joe's Geisha Coffee or Trader Joe's Kona.
The verdict: Caffeine is my drug of choice in life. I like my coffee caffeinated and I like Diet Coke. Don't mess with either, but I'm more than willing to try new things. I've tried a number of coffees from Trader Joe's. Now, they will never be as cheap as say buying coffee from Costco, but if you are a smaller house and buying coffee in multiple pound increments just doesn't work, then Trader Joe's smaller sizes should work for you. For $5.99 you are getting 14 ounces of coffee beans.
I always grind mine at home. I just don't like the idea of sharing a coffee grinder. It would be my luck that everyone before me might brew some weird flavored coffees and taint my coffee flavored coffee. So after trying Trader Joe's super pricey and underwhelming Geisha coffee, I went to the other end of the price spectrum. Now, Trader Joe's sells it in the 14 ounce size and a 32 ounce size. Both are reasonably priced.
When I think of the naming of this product "Supremo" sounds like it should be something special. Unfortunately, this coffee ranks as at best as average. I didn't spit it out or dump the package, but I didn't enjoy this either. There was nothing that stood out here. Now I said, that nothing stood out previously on Trader Joe's Tarrazu, but I much preferred that to this. My husband made an interesting comment to me. He told me it gave me coffee smoker breath. I laughed and thought he was probably right. Ironically, a fellow blogger had similar but much harsher thoughts on this product.
Overall, I tried it and I wasn't impressed with it. I'm willing to pay just a bit more for something I enjoy drinking a lot more than this. So here is the visual guide of what you get when you buy this product:
The container of Trader Joe's Colombia Supremo Coffee:
The appearance of the beans:
Trader Joe's flowery language about this average brew:
Would I buy this again? For me, Trader Joe's Colombia Supremo Coffee is a no. I'll pay a little more to get a flavor that makes me enjoy drinking the coffee.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for an alphabetized list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
judilyn says
We bought this years ago, but probably more because of the appeal of the toucan. I can't even remember if I liked the coffee or not. Probably just a forgetable experience. I think I still have the can kicking around somewhere.
Virtual hugs,
Judie
colleend374 says
I found this post because I am obsessed with this coffee but live 2 hours away from a trader joe's and am trying to find something similar. I love the sweet, cocoa-ish notes and have never found something that compares.
becomebetty says
Hey Colleen! Thanks for sharing!
Matthias says
The original review is now 5 years old and I wonder if maybe the TJ changed this product. For one, the can I have contains 28oz, not the 14oz or 32oz size that the original review mentioned. But more importantly, I really enjoy this coffee. I switch back and forth between this one and more expensive local roastery coffees, and if I am honest, not only is this one by far the cheapest coffee in my rotation, it's also one of the best. My setup is an old Breville BES870 on a fine grinder setting, large IMS Precision portafilter basket, grind amount dialed up. And these beans produce chocolatey-sweet, great tasting espresso with beautiful crema and just the right amount of acidity. Very consistent, too. I've had many cans of the stuff, and it never let me down. There are a couple of local coffees that I prefer, but they cost about 3-4x as much as of TJ's Colombia Supremo.
becomebetty says
Hey Matthias! Yes, this post in due for some revisions as you pointed out. The coffee aisle had been very much redone. Thanks for sharing your tips!
Cody says
I’ve found that the espresso that TJ’s Colombian Supremo brews can stand up to other much more expensive boutique roasts such as Intelligentsia and Stumptown. Most TJ roasts are really dark but this bean is well roasted and grinds nicely for a flavorful medium-bodied espresso with lots of crema.
becomebetty says
Thanks for sharing Cody!