Don't get me wrong, I still love my Starbucks coffee--but those Kcups of theirs are soo over priced, it's ridiculous. Sometimes you're paying more per KCup then you are going to the store. We would only buy our Starbucks Kcups at Costco whenever they where on sale--and even then, it would cost 70 cents per kcup....
My goal was to find a kcup that has the similar strength to Starbucks, but doesn't pack the same shrinking-wallet feature. I've purchased a few brands here on Amazon, some where a hit and others where a complete disaster. But, there was one brand that not only had amazing strong tasting coffee, but was also economically friendly (the k-cup pods are a huge space saver).
San Francisco Bay French Roast Coffee is by far the closet tasting coffee to Starbucks French Roast. I even did a blind taste test with a few "starbucks-loving" guest I had a my home. They didn't even notice.
The only "Con" i would say, is the fact that the cost for this coffee fluctuates daily. One time I bought 80-cups for $30, another for $25 and another for $22. So if you feel discouraged with the price, wait a bit and it will go down.
*I rely on amazon for reviews of nearly everything before I buy. I like to give back to the community by reviewing items myself. If my review has helped you please kindly click the “yes” button letting others and Amazon know that my review helped you make a choice to purchase this item or not.
I've written several reviews for the varieties of San Francisco Bay coffees that I've tried, yet Amazon only posts the most recent review regardless of coffee flavor. So, with that being said, here is now an all encompassing review for all varieties of these K Cups.
Overall, San Francisco Bay has by far the most superior coffees on the market. Their varieties will satisfy a wide array of tastes. They are also environmentally conscientious. Their cups are 97% biodegradable but that in absolutely no way compromises the quality of the coffee or the quality of the actual cup itself. Some reviewers complained of beans pouring into their cup or damaged cups. I've never had an issue with either and I've been using San Francisco Bay for about 7 years now.
On to the different flavors. Following, are my favorites and why.
French Roast - my wife and I love a nice strong cup of coffee. The French roast provides a robust flavor while minimizing any bitterness. For a good water-upper this is the coffee for you. Even with a dash of creamer. It still maintains its strength of flavor.
Breakfast Blend - a milder coffee with still great flavor. This is a good cup for blonde coffees if you prefer creamer. It's also the best flavor for freezing if you enjoy iced coffees. I'll use these coffee ice cubes for both Breakfast Blend and French Roast iced coffees.
Espresso roast: This is an excellent cup of joe. I would rate this second only next to the French Roast. It's not as strong is the French Roast, but is has a slightly different yet still pleasant aroma and flavor.
Kona Blend - Kona is an expensive bean and rightly so. It's by far the best coffee available, however because it's so expensive it's usually provided in a blend form to keep this costs down. So SFB cups provide a really good Kona cup that pairs well with cream and sugar or flavored creamers. It's slightly stronger than Breakfast Blend, but it the accompanying bean does give it a slight bitter bite.
Fog Chaser - this ties with the two previous coffees. It's a strong coffee flavor but doesn't pack the punch that French Roast does. It's the second strongest, in my opinion, and keeps its coffee flavor through the addition of cream or sugar.
Hazelnut Creme - back in my Army days I drank coffee black. My wife introduced me to hazelnut creamer and I loved it. Since then my coffee preferences matured (thank goodness!) and now I like great tasting coffee. I've all but stopped using hazelnut creamers in favor of more milder non-flavored creamers. So when I saw hazelnut coffee I thought it would be fantastic. Not so much. I love hazelnut, but this coffee is unusually bitter and has a strange aftertaste. I don't buy this cup anymore.
Donut shop - something weird about it. It tastes like watered down coffee. My wife agrees with this statement. It's very weak and if you add creamer to your coffee you're basically tasting creamer with a bit of coffee. But if you don't need a strong cup of coffee and just want a casual drink, this might work for you.
When I provide a product with five stars it means I won't look anywhere else if I need it again. I've tried dozens of different brands and different coffees over the years and no one comes close to San Francisco Bay K-Cups. Pick a flavor profile you like and you won't be let down.
I spent quite a long time poring through reviews and questions on this product detail page while considering the purchase, and still was not confident that the pods would work in my machine when they arrived. But the price was right and the reviews on the coffee quality was too good to not take a chance.
So, as a Public Service Announcement, I am happy to post here that these pods worked perfectly in my Keurig 2.0 K450 Model 20231.
The coffee pods come packaged in compostable bags of 10 to keep the pods fresh as you run through the box of 80.
The pods do not have plastic cups like most k-cups do. Instead there is an exposed filter. This is in theory better for the environment since less plastic is used. I read on one review that the downside of this design is that it could cause more of a chance to leave more coffee in the dispenser and affect the flavor of subsequent cups of tea or whatever made in the machine. I get the thought but not sure I buy the theory. Anyway, this household hasn't experienced that issue.
Coffee is quite tasty, the price is right and they work in my machine. Actually produces a nice little espresso froth. We have a winner- Hard to find a complaint. And this is coming from a coffee purist who resisted the switch from drip machines for years. I actually may go for the Subscribe and Save and go for the extra savings and make sure we don't run out.
I guess I fat-fingered my order. I wanted to order the 80 count version of SFBC's "Fog Chaser", but wound up with 80 of these instead. I really liked the Fog Chaser more than any other k-cup I'd tred, but Organic Rainforest Blend (ORB) is even better! At first I was just going to send it back because the label was green, so I thought this meant it was decaf. I never drink decaf because I'm afraid I might get rickets or just drift off into a coma. But I decided to run one through the Kerug, and stockpile them for my health-freak friends if I didn't like em.
NOT DECAF!
Nope. This is high voltage +p pharmaceutics grade coffee. The weird part is how great it tastes.
I'm not a coffee nerd; just a guy who likes a rich cup of black coffee with a few extra amps in it. Amps it has. After a cup of ORB, I got into a conversation with my wife where I actually did most of the talking! But even if it didn't peg out the caffeine meter, I'd say it still has about the best flavor of any coffee I've ever tried. I think the roast is medium to dark. In the cup it has a LOT of oil. It actually gets that ring of light brown foam around the edge like good espresso. It's really sweet (for coffee), and I can't imagine putting any sweetener in it. Hearty, and yet refined; not exactly Old West, or Cafe de Paris, but I can imagine a cowboy and a mime fighting over the last cup. ... then again, maybe that's just the caffeine talking.
NB: There is a lot of cool stuff on the box about the great stuff the company does; you know, if you have time for that sort of thing.
08/13/2016 UPDATE: Still great! The only problem I have is that the SFB pods breath, and if you leave them out for a day or two, the flavor tapers of considerably. I have one of those "pod-file" drawers under my Kerug and the SFB style pods dry out pretty quick. I like the drawer, but now I use it to line up my other pods. Dark Magic is the only other one I find tolerable, but it's probably just the D&D overtones of the name. I keep a battalion of them lined up next to a squadron of Lipton unsweetened blacks while the SFB Rainforest troops are held in reserve at an undisclosed and hermetically sealed location.
I don't drink coffee, but I do the grocery shopping for two of them (wife and her mother). So, for a couple years I have been hearing how the Keurig is convenient, but the coffee is worse than drip which was worse than percolated. This often leads to other discussions about the quality of fresh ground beans vs pre-ground. Blah... blah... blah... I still don't like coffee.
So, my mother-in-law saw a story about how the creator of the Keurig regretted the environmental impact and started bringing me "earth-friendly" ads for other brands. We had been using Kirklands, Green Mountain, Newmans, Donut Shop, Market Pantry and others... usually whatever was on sale (rarely Starbucks). The problem was that the earth-friendly versions advertised were still "high-priced" compared to our normal selection.
But I kept looking... and then stumbled upon these on Amazon. They were equivalent in price to Kirkland with the environmental benefit. So, I gave them a try.
Both the wife and mother-in-law agree that this is the best coffee they have had from a Keurig pod. They don't know if it is the mesh-filter of the pod or the coffee or something else (i.e. compostable pouches of pods), but they both agreed that they really like this coffee.
Anyway, we are now buying this monthly (subscribe & save) from Amazon rather than going to Costco. (no one is more surprised than me... the non-coffee drinker). I thought this equivalently priced enviro-friendly pod would fail in some way, but it got raves.
Feature Product
- FRENCH ROAST: For our dark French roast, we take a blend of fine coffees from Central and South America and roast it very dark, until the flavor oils rise to the surface of the bean.
- OUR ONECUP COFFEE PODS are compatible with most Keurig K-Cup 1.0 & 2.0 brewers, Cuisinart, Bunn and other single serve brewers. Our OneCups are the better choice of coffee for your single serve brewer.
- COFFEE K-CUPS: Our OneCup single-serve coffee pods make brewing a single cup of coffee easy! These compatible pods are compliant with most Kcup style brewers including the Keurig 2.0
- COMMERCIALLY COMPOSTABLE: Our single-serve pods and bag are made from compostable materials, including a paper lidding, plant-based ring, and mesh coffee filter. Commercially compostable only. Check locally as facilities may not exist in your area.
- QUALITY COFFEE FROM A FAMILY COMPANY: The Rogers Family Company's mission is to search out the finest Arabica varieties and roast the richest, most flavorful coffees available anywhere.
Description
A blend of fine coffees from Central and South America and roast it very dark, until the flavor oils rise to surface of the bean. A coffee with an intense, smoky flavor. Not for the faint of heart.
I have been buying 10 - 80 count boxes of San Francisco Bay OneCup single serve coffee every month for over 2 years. For both my office use and home use. I LOVE the French roast, my wife loves the fog chaser. I have now stopped purchasing San Francisco Bay OneCup single serve coffees because of the new OneCup design. It seems that when the company decided to make their product 97% biodegradable, they compromised the integrity of the OneCup. Every time I make a cup of coffee I end up with coffee grinds spewing into my cup, into my Keurig and just making a mess. This takes time away from my mornings to clean up and also defeats the purpose of having a Keurig. It is so annoying. I understand the desire to be eco friendly and applaud the active role this company has taken, but when it effects the product and becomes a problem for the customer it should be reviewed. After talking to Warren from Rodgers Family Coffee the company that produces San Francisco Bay OneCup coffee I have decided to change my review from a one star back to what it is supposed to be 5 stars. The company is aware of the issues and is working to remedy it. The personal attention given to my concerns is a great testament to a good company. Until the issue is resolved I will be using a different brand, but when everything is worked out I will be buying my coffee again from this company. The flavors are wonderful, the aroma is delightful, and being a former coffee shop owner I can tell that they take pride in their roast. This is the quality roasts I would serve my customers.
Since the time I wrote this review, the company has corrected the problem and I continue to purchase a variety of their products for both my home and office machines. The coffee quality is great and I am happy that the "exploding" one cups has been fully addressed and fully corrected. I tried replying to all the questions and felt it best for me to just update my review. It is still a 5 star product and their customer service is unsurpassed.
I really loved the whole bean packaged rainforest blend and usually grind the coffee at home. Sometimes I don't really have time for that, so I thought I would give the pods a try. I was hoping that the comments about the coffee being weak were just because people were using the 12 oz setting on the keurig. I tried brewing my usual 8oz cup, but the coffee tasted somewhat watered down. I then tried the 6oz setting on another occasion and this came out much better. The coffee tasted closer to the flavor I usually get from grinding my own coffee beans and using a reusable k cup filter.
I was hoping to only have to use one pod for the coffee amount that I needed, but have instead started to use 2 at a time. I don't mind the extra coffee. I've tried this coffee without any cream and it has a nice smooth flavor. One of the best that I've tasted. I do however like to add a splash of heavy cream and blend it to get a nice frothy smooth cup. Either way tastes great!
If you're looking for a pod that will give you a strong flavor in an 8 or 12 oz cup without using more than one at a time, this isn't it. If you're looking for a smooth 6oz cup of coffee, then I would recommend it because it has such a good flavor.
I've bought a few of the 80 cup variety packs now and I would recommend San Francisco Bay OneCups to my fellow coffee drinkers. I think overall, the coffee is great, but there are some downsides that others may not enjoy. Let's break this down shall we?
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Flavors I've Had
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Fog Chaser - 4/5 - Not as bold in flavor, but still has great flavor, very smooth.
Breakfast Blend - 4/5 - Not the best breakfast blend I've had, but one of the top.
French Roast - 5/5 - One of the best French Roasts IMO
Rainforest Blend - 2/5 - Not a fan, but not the worst coffee I've had (better than instant)
Espresso Roast - 5/5 - Love this one, very bold flavor and very smooth
Donut Shop Blend - 1/5 - Definitely not a fan... I'll take Walmart instant over this
Hazlenut Creme - 5/5 - The aroma and taste are fantastic
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Pros
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- Compostable which is pretty cool
- Most of the flavors are awesome
- Fantastic aroma
- Great price
- Variety packs available (mix it up every few cups)
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Cons
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- Some grounds seep through the filter and sit at the bottom of the cup (I don't mind this, but I know others do).
- The bottom of the cup is open mesh, so you do not want to store these in the open air (e.g. in a K Cup holder. I store mine in a loose leaf tea jar).
- I had one cup open up inside the bag, so opening the bag was a bit of a mess (one cup out of about 240 I've had so far)
I like a good strong dark roast cup of coffee. I've tried many, many different kinds searching for a great k-cup coffee and a great price. I finally found the perfect coffee.
I was a bit leery of the price of San Francisco Bay coffee, but at less than 30 cents a cup, how could I lose. Besides I could always pawn it off on the coffee moochers that frequent my office.
I must say, I am pleasantly surprised and most pleased. This coffee has a deep robust flavor without the burnt taste you get with poorly roasted competitors. San Francisco Bay dark roast can easily challenge Starbuck Verona or Caribou Mahogany and beat them hands down on price! Who could ask for more.
Like other reviewers, I had see a SMALL amount of residue in my cup, but all things considered it doesn't take away from the taste a bit.
If I have a negative, the green friendly bags that the coffee comes in are nice, but it would be really nice if they could be resealed. Using a plastic ziplock bag defeats the green purpose of the enclosed bags.
Sadly, the coffee moochers in my office will be disappointed, this is MY coffee!
Beside great tasting coffee, this company has a product that reduces the footprint on the earth. Because of the design, I allow the used “cup” to cool and then cut open the bottom to recycle the used coffee in my garden. The design makes this easy and minimally messy. The remaining packaging is small and less toxic than typical K cups. As for variety, I have enjoyed breakfast blend, donut shop, decaf French roast, and rainforest blend. I have purchased more than 300 servings of the San Francisco Bay lineup and will continue as long as they keep serving up good coffee at a reasonable price ($0.46 per cup) and in an environmentally considerate way. I strongly recommend the coffee and received no remuneration or solicitation from them for this review.
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