7 Whole Foods 365 Brand Coffees, Ranked

Excitement and surprise are not the first things I want in the morning when I am trying to shrug off sleep, so I don't invite those elements into my morning brew. I doubt many people do. And while I have my old standby coffee that I make almost every day, it is nice to have options. So, I do keep an eye out and my ear open for new suggestions.

When I found myself frequenting Whole Foods more often, I started becoming curious about Whole Foods private label 365 coffees. It would be convenient to pick up a bag there instead of having to stop at multiple stores. However, coffee is not something I want to waste; it isn't generally a cheap item, and I don't necessarily like to experiment with a new brew unless I've heard good things. So, when I was given the chance to taste test them, I was more than happy to accept.

I rounded up what I thought would give a good overview of the flavors 365 presented and brewed them up the same way I do my usual morning coffee. Looking for a pleasant fragrance and a taste that I would enjoyably wake up to on a regular basis — something full and strong but not too dark or bitter — here is how these options ranked.

I was surprised to see that the coffee I identified as the breakfast-style coffee was a medium-dark roast and not a medium. However, I'm a fan of the darker side, so all the better. The fragrance was dark and toasty, and I was really looking forward to tasting this one. But a slight disappointment set in as I took my first drink.

Despite looks and label, this coffee leaned more toward a medium roast than a dark. However, the deep, toasty notes from the initial scent were evident in the tasting, which I found pleasing. Upon drinking further into the cup, I felt the flavors begin to sit more heavily on my palate than I normally like, leaving a bit of an astringent aftertaste. Then notes of carbon came through.

Unlike the other flavors in this group, this became less pleasing the more I drank, instead of settling into a balanced profile. It made a great first sip, but then became a bit wild, leaving strange tastes to come through unexpectedly. Regardless of the caffeine content, I am going to pass on this morning buzz.

I am not an immediate fan of flavored coffee. I like my coffee to be very straightforward. But some brands of flavored beans have given me pause and caused a couple of kinks in that armor. So, I was willing to give this vanilla flavor a fair shot.

What surprised me the most was that I did not get the scent of vanilla when opening this bag, but rather a sour scent that was immediately pungent. Upon closer examination, it seemed to be the smell of a dark cocoa, which is not unheard of in coffee, although strange in a vanilla-specific grind. Once brewed, however, the sweet vanilla fragrance became obvious.

The taste was also vanilla-forward in an intensely floral-flavored fashion. I felt as if there were some aspects of rose or lavender that heightened the sweetness. This coffee had a very powdery aesthetic to the flavor, and the darkness of the coffee itself was heavy and tart. I don't think being a fan of flavored coffee will come into play with this one. Fan or not, I know there are better vanilla coffees to be had. I would suggest finding one of those.

I feel that decaf coffee has an important place in this world. It's not unheard of for me to make a small pot of coffee or reheat a cup of in the afternoon or early evening. Sometimes I like to chill my leftover morning coffee and make a cold brew. And there are always those evenings that call for a cup in cold weather, after a decadent dessert, or over lingering conversations with guests you're just not ready to leave quite yet. So, I'm always on the lookout for a good decaf because, as much as I like coffee, I love sleep.

While this decaf came in strong on the aroma and brewed coloring, the first sip showed some weaknesses. The first taste attempted to lay a dense foundation on my palate, but instead, I found it somewhat lacking. There was a hollowness to the mouthful that wasn't faint or soft; it just wasn't there. I could taste the effect in the robustness, but there was something watery about the body even amidst the complexity that tried to come through.

This is certainly a fair decaf coffee, and I wouldn't turn it down. It is very easy to drink black. But I believe adding anything to it would become the focal point in taste instead of enhancing what is there. So, one would need to skip the cream and sugar.

The aroma of this coffee came off with a spicy carbon aesthetic but not as complex as other dark roasts I've encountered. The taste didn't have either of those qualities which was incredibly surprising. Instead, this dark roast sat down heavily on my palate with almost a smoky hop flavored that lingered clingingly.

The dense flavor never ventured far from the middle of my tongue, but the mouthfeel was juicy and full. I can't say that this was an unbalanced brew, but it did leave me a bit confused as to what the full profile was trying to achieve. The body was coating, and the aftertaste was dirty and complex.

This was a rather harsh brew that I can't say I would purchase for myself. I'm not sure that I would recommend it to fans of a dark brew either, as I feel a French roast would be better. I would drink a cup if the occasion offered no other options. While not entirely off-putting, this just isn't something I care to have again. However, the overall taste and caffeination do place this above its competitors.

Unlike the vanilla-flavored coffee, this caramel-flavored selection made the caramel known in the initial scent. Also tagging along was the sweet but blunt fragrance of a dark cacao, which made an altogether pleasantly balanced aroma right from the bag. And once brewed, it smelled deliciously sweet and creamy.

While the bouquet was high, the flavor profile came in softly with small pairings of brown sugar, butter, and dark chocolate notes. The overall coffee aesthetic was deep and complex but remained round and well-balanced sip after sip. The coffee flavor took the forefront in taste and led the caramel elements by the hand, keeping the flavor in check. As far as a flavored coffee goes, this would be my preference — a dark, rich coffee that only teases at the flavor.

I wouldn't want this brew every day, but I can see how some would and absolutely enjoy it. It's subtle but strong, with all of the flavors expertly structured. For a fan of flavored coffees shopping at Whole Foods, I recommend giving this one a try. And for those who are not, I give you the same recommendation if a cup of this is offered.

The expectation I had for this coffee was something stronger than what brewed up in the pot, which looked thin. The bouquet was toasty and warm but still on the subtle side. The first sip surprised me as it had much more of a weighty feel to the palate than I had anticipated. But I was pleased with that.

There was a bit of sourness that came across on first taste and lingered on the edges for a slight moment. In subsequent sips, that flavor was no longer present, and instead an earthy denseness took over and offered a depth that the visual didn't. The overall effects were juicy, and I found myself craving another go. The aftertaste was clean, making my palate crave to taste the flavors again.

This coffee really surprised me. It is a solid, modest brew that has absolutely no bells and whistles but makes its presence known. It seems like a dependable coffee, a working-class coffee, letting its actions speak for themselves. I could drink this every day. While the first impressions were not immediately great, the lasting impression was one I'll remember fondly.

There was a deep roasted aroma to this coffee that held just a sharp hint of sugar that was warm and inviting. The first sip flooded my palate with flavor and left no watery space, like the flavors I had tried before this one. So, it was an immediate step up.

There is a sweetness that rounds out this flavor, but it is soft, blanketing the denseness of the velvety body. A nuttiness was also present, rich and meaty. This coffee offered a wonderfully full, well-balanced brew that was smooth and left my palate feeling clean. And while the aftertaste maintained a juicy quality, the taste was quick to make room for another sip.

The full body of this medium-dark roast hit the level I would expect from any coffee labeled as such. It was actually quite an enjoyable cup and one I would happily have multiples of or simply sit, sip, and have it keep me company. On its own or with cream and sugar, I feel like this would accommodate anyone's coffee break, morning, noon, or night.

I was looking for something that would teasingly fill the air as I was waking and give me a taste that roused my senses and my body. I brewed each of these options in a drip machine as I would my regular coffee. I started with the light roast, moved to the darker, and then tried the flavors last. I made sure my palate was cleansed thoroughly between each one. And I poured myself a nice cup of each variety and sat with it for some time, making sure to take in the aroma and the flavors.

Overall, I was surprised by the thinness of the coffees across the brand. From one flavor to the next, there wasn't a huge transition, with really only subtle flavor changes coming into play. And while 365 options don't seem to cover a large spectrum of coffee as far as complexity can go — other popular coffee brands do it better — the small changes really made a big difference.

The top two are the only ones I would buy if I needed a bag of coffee and happened to be at Whole Foods. I wouldn't refuse the caramel, but I will happily go without the rest of the options, choosing my usuals instead. However, I can't say that I would go out of my way to buy any of these. They will do so if that is all that is available. But I just know there is better coffee out there to be had.