The Whole Foods 365 Coffee We're Never Buying Again

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Whole Foods' 365 brand is a private label shrouded in mystery. It's beloved by shoppers for being certified organic, natural, and responsibly sourced, and their line of coffee beans is no different. Tasting Table tried and ranked seven different Whole Foods 365 brand coffees to figure out which bags to buy and which to avoid. According to our taste test, Pleasant Morning Buzz should stay on the shelf. We based our ranking off taste and aroma, and this variety notably started off with a promisingly toasty fragrance. Labeled as a medium-dark roast, we were surprised at the title of Morning Buzz. The type of coffee roast we would normally associate with a high-powered caffeine kick would be a light roast as opposed to a less caffeinated darker roast. 

Still, the characteristic smell of toasted, smoky notes was enticing enough to pique our curiosity. Unfortunately, the experience didn't live up to it. While we tasted the toasted notes we smelled, they were quite faint and quickly transformed into the mellower and sweeter notes more characteristic of a medium roast coffee. The finish was also bitter and harsh, quickly overwhelming the delicate notes on the palate. Further, not only did the jarring astringent finish overwhelm the first sip, but it got stronger and more intolerable with each subsequent sip too.

Customer reviews of the Whole Foods 365 Pleasant Morning Buzz coffee on Amazon skew mostly positive. However, there are also plenty of complaints, with one user writing, "It smelled wonderful being ground and while it brewed. However, the coffee had a strong metallic taste and also was more acidic than expected." Many reviewers even thought the aroma was bitter too, as well as "super burnt, and off-smelling." As one chided, "I guess the reason it's called Morning Buzz is because that awful smell inside of the bag will definitely wake you up." Others cried false advertisement since they expected a brighter, more acidic, and sweeter flavor of medium roast only to be assaulted by the bitterness of a dark roast.

If you're looking for the balanced, mellow sweetness of a medium roast, we ranked the 365 Organic Caramel Guatemalan in third place. For a medium-dark roast that delivers the best of both roasting types, Pacific Rim was our absolute favorite of the seven 365 brand coffees we tasted. Already have a bag of Pleasant Morning buzz beans in your pantry? Try masking the bitterness with a pour of some creamy oat milk, for which we ranked Whole Foods' 365 brand above average. If you're looking for a breakfast food to accompany your morning cup of joe, we also ranked 365 organic homestyle waffles as our favorite frozen waffle brand.