Coffee is one of the most invigorating and popular drinks around the world. Its unique taste and aroma allows you to start a working day with a smile and cope with difficult everyday life. Real connoisseurs of this drink know that ground coffee is considered the best. That is, bought in grains, prepared in a coffee grinder, and then brewed in a Turk.
This method of preparation allows you to preserve the true aroma of the drink and feel its unforgettable taste. But not everyone can afford this pleasure: get a coffee grinder, go about grains and carefully prepare the product. Some people prefer to buy ready-to-brew (that is, ground and packaged), which greatly facilitates the whole process. We’ll just talk about him in our article.
There are more than enough various ratings of ground coffee in Russia. And there are a lot of products of such a plan on store shelves, which significantly complicates the choice. There are ratings of ground coffee in Russia in terms of quality, manufacturers, composition and much more. In all cases, some specific and critical indicators are taken into account, which allow you to navigate in all the presented diversity. If, for example, you are only interested in the brand of a product, then you should pay attention to the rating of ground coffee in Russia by brand. The same with the rest of the criteria.
We will try to summarize all these tops and will consider both the qualitative component of the product and the manufacturing company. That is, we will compose our rating of the best ground coffee, which can be found on the shelves of domestic specialized stores. We also mention how to choose the right drink and what to look for first.
Difficulty choosing
Before rating the best ground coffee, we will deal with the varieties, roasting and other critical characteristics of this drink. They directly affect the final quality, as well as the cost of the product.
Grade
Almost all manufacturers offer two types of drinks - arabica and robusta. One of the most pressing questions, which causes a lot of controversy, is very simple: "What is the most delicious ground coffee?" Ratings, and everything, indicate that the highest quality drink is obtained only from 100% Arabica.
But robusta has its undeniable advantages. One of these is the fortress. Due to the high caffeine content, the beverage at the outlet is even bitter, but especially invigorating and really strong.
Well, exotic lovers will surely appreciate the ratings of ground coffee with some aromatic additives: chocolate, berry, fruit, etc. True connoisseurs of this drink still consider it to be the most aromatic classic tastes, without additives.
Roasting
Not only the taste and aroma of coffee, but also its strength depends on roasting. This characteristic is of three types - weak, medium and strong. It is also worth noting that in different varieties of coffee, but in the same roast, tastes can vary greatly.
Those who prefer a milder aroma, it is better to look in the direction of weak heat treatment. Well, for lovers of bitter tastes, medium or strong frying is suitable.
Freshness
No matter where the ground coffee is in the ratings, the quality of the drink and its aroma very much depend on the date of manufacture. This product is quite picky and very quickly loses its useful characteristics.
As an ideal option, experts suggest buying coffee in a specialized store, where they grind grains and pack the mixture right in front of you. But in the absence of such an opportunity, it is enough just to carefully look at the date of manufacture of the product.
Packaging
Regardless of the rating of ground coffee, packaging is also selected. It must be solid, well, or at least as dense as possible. This allows you to preserve the precious qualities of the product, while soft packaging will lose them while still standing on the shelf of the store.
The best option here would be iron packaging, but the cost of coffee in this case increases significantly. So many manufacturers use special heat-resistant packaging from very thick paper or cardboard.
Manufacturer
Even if you purchase a product from a reputable manufacturer, which occupies the first lines in the rating of ground coffee, it is not a fact that you will like it. But a popular brand is always a guarantee that the product will be extremely high quality and without any undesirable impurities.
Of course, there is enough counterfeit on the market with a head, but you need to approach the purchase wisely, looking after the brand and variety in specialized or trusted stores.
Next, we denote specific representatives of this segment. It’s worth immediately warning that we will consider ground coffee for a cup and make up the rating specifically for brands intended for the classic use of the drink, and not conveyor products for automatic machines and industrial coffee machines. The latter are selected according to completely different principles and criteria.
The rating of ground coffee is as follows:
- Jardin.
- Camardo.
- Mauro.
- "Live Coffee".
- Lavazza.
Reviews about the brands are completely positive, so you can choose any option you like based on your tastes. Consider each participant in the rating in more detail.
Jardin
The Jardin brand rightfully takes first place in ours, and indeed in almost all other ratings regarding ground coffee. The original product is produced in Switzerland, and the distribution version is produced by the Orimi-Trade domestic company. As such, there is a difference in quality in the first, in the second case, it seems like there isn’t, but gourmets still prefer the branded foreign option, explaining this with a more aromatic and rich taste of the latter.
Raw materials for the product are supplied from Colombia, Guatemala and Ecuador. The Jardin brand boasts a chic assortment of both classic options from 100% Arabica and more exotic blends with the addition of various impurities.
In addition, each variety varies in strength, for which a five-point scale is provided. The first place in the ranking is also largely due to the excellent ratio of the cost of the product and its quality. The classic version in a 250-gram package will cost about 300 rubles, which is quite acceptable for the average domestic consumer.
Camardo
The second place is occupied by the Italian brand Camardo. Despite the fact that the brand appeared on the market only a couple of decades ago, the products under its leadership are enviablely popular all over the world, including in Russia.
For ground coffee of this brand, the best blends of arabica and robusta with a different ratio are used. Moreover, the latter can vary in very different limits - from 90/10 to 50/50. The assortment of the company also includes classic options with 100% Arabica, as well as drinks, completely devoid of caffeine, intended for allergy sufferers or people at risk.
The raw materials are mainly supplied from Africa and Guatemala, but recently the brand has established stable supplies from Brazil and South America. This brand can often be seen in the menu of expensive restaurants or luxury hotels. To meet her at the shelves of ordinary shops or supermarkets is quite difficult, but at specialized points of sale - please.
The brand is considered noble and has an appropriate price tag. For a classic 250-gram package, sellers ask for more than 600 rubles. But judging by the reviews of gourmets, the purchase entirely justifies the money spent on it.
Mauro
The third place is occupied by another Italian brand “Mauro”, which produces products in the best traditions of classic coffee. The brand specializes mainly in espresso, and a good half of blends in the assortment are intended just for lovers of this drink.
Nevertheless, on the shelves of this manufacturer there are, albeit in a smaller, but still attractive amount of variety with a different percentage of the main ingredients. There are no particularly strong drinks here, and roasting is offered in medium and weak form.
The brand’s products also belong to the noble premium segment, so on the shelves of ordinary stores it is very difficult to meet. Mauro is a frequent patron of expensive restaurants and hotels, as well as specialized points of sale. A 250-gram jar will cost about 400-500 rubles.
"Live Coffee"
Despite the skepticism of gourmets towards domestic manufacturers of ground drink, the products of Live Coffee are respected throughout Russia. And such popularity is well founded. Here we have, according to the manufacturer’s statements, high-quality raw materials from 100% Arabica, an impressive range of products, excellent packaging, as well as reasonable cost.
On the shelves of the brand you can find both classic options for making espresso, as well as drinks with various additives for every taste and color. There are also monosorts from Kenya, Colombia and Ethiopia. The manufacturer positions his product as natural and fresh. Hence, in fact, the name. Local packaging is a clear advantage in terms of freshness. Grains are packed and processed in Russia and immediately get on the shelves of our stores, bypassing the long transportation from abroad.
For 200 grams of its coffee, the manufacturer asks from 250 to 600 rubles. The price mainly depends on the type of ground grains. Monosorts and plantation coffee are the most expensive.
Lavazza
And again, we have an Italian brand, but with a century of history. It all started with a small grocery store, but today it is a large and respected company that supplies elite coffee. The brand can offer more than 15 types of ground grains, and each product differs in the percentage ratio of arabica and robusta.
Each type of drink has its own specific taste and aroma, as well as strength and varying degrees of roasting. One of the most noteworthy types - Pieranoma - due to its low caffeine level and light acidity, it is perfect for making cappuccino or latte of any complexity. Well, Qualita Pro is a worldwide recognized classic of Italian coffee, which competently combines honey taste and spicy aroma.
You can see Lavazza products both on the shelves of ordinary stores and in specialized points of sale, many order it online. You can, of course, treat yourself to ready-made coffee in some noble restaurant, but the cost of a drink in this case will increase significantly.
You will have to pay at least 300 rubles in a 250-gram package for a premium product. If you want coffee with a high percentage of arabica, then prices start already at around 500 rubles for a similar package.