9 Target Good & Gather Coffee Pods, Ranked

Any Keurig or single-serve coffee machine user knows that simply owning such an appliance is only half the battle. These types of coffee dispensers operate using coffee pods, meaning that unless you want to go without your morning cup of joe, you need to keep those pods stocked up, ready to go at a moment's notice. And, naturally, coffee brands have caught on to the single-serve trend, so there's no shortage of options out there, including Walmart Great Value coffee pods and even Dunkin' K-Cup coffee pods.

If you're a Target frequent flyer, then Good & Gather may be the brand you're most familiar with. And, true to form, Target is certainly on the K-Cup train with its plentiful selection of Good & Gather coffee pods. There are quite a few flavors of Good & Gather coffee pods, and I've ranked nine of them to figure out which one is worthy of being your go-to morning pick-me-up. 

As someone who primarily drinks black coffee, I knew I was up for the challenge. To test these Good & Gather coffee pods, I brewed individual cups of each one (in my Keurig) and sampled them over the course of a few days. The flavors ranged, with some being more straightforward roasts, like the house blend or breakfast blend, and others boasting additions like coconut, chocolate, or cinnamon. Based on smoothness, balance, and any added flavors, I ranked each Target-brand coffee pod, landing on a few options that I'd definitely keep stocked in my pantry (and a few that I wouldn't).

Very seldom do vanilla and coffee not make for an effortlessly delicious pairing, but I think I found one of the few exceptions in Good & Gather's Vanilla Bean Brûlée flavor. Now, this flavor decided that vanilla wasn't quite good enough. It attempted to take things further with the "brûlée" part, which, in my humble opinion, seems like an impossible flavor to translate into black coffee. And, alas, I was right.

Part of the coffee experience, to me at least, is breathing in that wonderful fresh-brewed aroma before taking a sip. I performed that smelling ritual with each flavor on this list, and for the most part, I was met with a positively pleasant scent. That was not the case with Vanilla Bean Brûlée. Instead, the smell teetered from strange to downright bad, something extremely burnt and unappetizing.

Tasting the coffee proved that the smell did not deceive me, as it tasted like burnt coffee. I found the flavor so jarring that I immediately brewed another cup, wondering if somehow my Keurig messed up. But, no, this flavor is simply meant to taste like burnt coffee, apparently, and my only guess is that this is where the promised "caramelized sugar notes" shine through. Don't be tempted to grab this flavor at Target — it doesn't taste like vanilla, it's so unsettlingly acrid in smell and flavor, and it's not worth it.

As someone who absolutely loves cinnamon in coffee, I was especially excited to try Good & Gather's Cinnamon Vanilla flavor. This flavor supposedly boasts notes of "warm cinnamon with sweet, creamy vanilla flavor," which certainly felt like a lot for a black coffee to accomplish. Nevertheless, I felt confident that this flavor would at least taste good, but unfortunately, I was sorely mistaken.

I really, really hate it when cinnamon-flavored things feature artificial cinnamon instead of actual cinnamon, and it was immediately apparent (before I took a sip) that this coffee flavor was a culprit of such a crime. Artificial cinnamon tastes nothing like real cinnamon (to me, at least), and it always reminds me of both Red Hots candy and Fireball Whiskey — two things I don't want to be thinking of when I'm drinking coffee first thing in the morning. I didn't taste any vanilla in this cup; it was all fake cinnamon, and it was all bad. 

I struggle to understand how real cinnamon couldn't have worked just as easily in this coffee, but alas, that's not the route that Good & Gather decided to take. So, Cinnamon Vanilla made for an easy second-to-last place choice in my book. But hey, if you happen to like that fake cinnamon flavor, then you might actually want to reach for these pods during your next Target run.

Considering how I felt about the cinnamon vanilla flavor, I didn't have high hopes going into Cinnamon Bun. In fact, I was more or less dreading trying this flavor (knowing what I know about where Good & Gather stands on artificial cinnamon), but the good news is that this one wasn't nearly as bad as the Cinnamon Vanilla. The bad news? This flavor didn't taste like much of anything at all.

The idea of a cinnamon bun-flavored coffee is no doubt intriguing, and the supposed flavor notes of cinnamon, vanilla, brown sugar, and warm spices sound great. I was genuinely surprised at how much this coffee tasted like, well, coffee, to the point where I almost struggled with where to rank it. On one hand, it didn't taste terrible, but on the other hand, it didn't live up to its name. Fortunately, a vague fake cinnamon aftertaste helped solidify this flavor's spot a little more easily. It wasn't super strong, but it was there, and I wasn't a fan of it. So, tempting as it may be to enjoy a cinnamon bun in a cup, don't fall for it — at least not with Good & Gather's lackluster version of it.

While most of the coffee pod flavors on this list feature some added flavor — be it coconut, caramel, or chocolate — there were three plain blends in the mix as well. The Donut Shop Blend is one of those three, a medium roast coffee that supposedly features notes of cocoa and roasted nuts. When I sampled this flavor, I first did it as I did all the others, by brewing a cup of it and giving it a taste. However, I ended up determining the placement of this one (and the other two plain blends) by brewing all three and tasting them side-by-side, so I could distinguish any specific flavor notes or how the three similar blends differed from one another.

After careful consideration, I determined the Donut Shop Blend to be the weakest of the three regular blends, but not the weakest overall flavor on this list. The biggest reason that I'm dubbing it the weakest regular blend comes down to it having a slightly bitter aftertaste (especially compared to the house or breakfast blends). I typically find medium roasts to be fairly full-bodied, but this one was surprisingly weak, and any promise of cocoa or roasted nut flavor notes was simply not fulfilled. I didn't hate Donut Shop Blend by any means, but it's not likely one I'd return to, especially when there are stronger options in Good & Gather's lineup, both in terms of flavored options and regular blends.

As a certified lover of coconut, I'll be the first to admit that coconut flavor doesn't always translate well into certain products. A coconut cake, for example, is almost always going to taste good, relying on actual coconut to provide that slightly nutty, sweet, and perhaps even creamy flavor profile. Coconut-flavored coffee, on the other hand, presents more of a gamble. Could it work? Perhaps, but truthfully, I was finding it hard to believe that such a complex flavor profile could translate to a black cup of coffee.

In this case of Good & Gather's Toasted Coconut flavor, I'd say that it mostly proved me wrong — a black cup of coffee can taste like coconut, and mostly taste good at that. Now, I wouldn't say that rich, creamy, coconutty notes were exactly dancing on my tongue when I tried this coffee. But the essence of coconut was indeed there, and it paired surprisingly well with the neutral backdrop of black coffee. My only real complaint is that I wish the coconut flavor were a tad bit stronger, but you can only expect so much when you are sipping on black coffee. Any coconut lover would likely enjoy this flavor, and I could see it working well as the backdrop for even more added flavor, like some sort of coconut creamer.

Of the types of coffee roasts out there (and there are quite a few), I've always favored full-bodied dark roasts. As such, light roasts aren't typically something I reach for, but I was pleasantly surprised by Good & Gather's Breakfast Blend. Sure, this wasn't my absolute favorite coffee pod flavor on this list, but it offered up a nice, balanced profile with the right amount of acidity.

The word mellow often comes to mind when I think about how a light roast tastes, and I think it's the perfect word to describe this blend. Mellow as the coffee may have tasted, however, it's not to say that it was weak or flavorless. The mellowness almost reminded me of tea, but that's also to say that it had a certain complexity, something notably bright and perhaps even touching on floral. Although I can't necessarily say that G&G's Breakfast Blend made me a light roast convert, I can at least attest to the fact that it's a solid blend. If light roast is already your go-to, then you can't go wrong with this one.

Assuming that Good & Gather was going for more of a Starbucks-style caramel macchiato as the inspiration for its Caramel Macchiato coffee pod flavor, I think it pretty much nailed it. As I already made note of, I gave each cup of coffee a good smell before I went in for the taste test. And Caramel Macchiato intrigued me right off the bat. This cup of coffee had an immaculately rich, almost buttery scent — one that certainly had me excited to go in for the sip.

Once I finally gave this flavor a sip, I knew it was a strong contender in this ranking. Those buttery notes I was smelling translated into the flavor of the coffee, along with subtly sweet notes that felt reminiscent of caramel. One thing missing was that desired creaminess one might hope for from a Starbucks caramel macchiato, but given that this is black coffee we're talking about, I think I can let that slide.

The only reason this flavor comes in third place is because it might have been a little too strong in the rich, buttery, caramel-y department. I know that sounds like a strange thing to complain about, but when it comes to a flavored coffee, it's all about the balance. As much as I enjoyed the accurate caramel macchiato flavor, picturing myself drinking this every morning felt a bit impractical, as I feel that the intense flavor could get overwhelming over time. But, as an occasional treat, I'd return to this one.

If there's one roast you'd hope a given coffee brand might get right, it'd be a house blend. To me, a house blend is sort of representative of the brand as a whole, ideally boasting a baseline that one could easily rely on and turn to for a consistently delicious cup of coffee. And, for any other coffee drinkers out there who feel the same way, I'm pleased to report that Good & Gather's House Blend is a solid, reliable option.

Compared to the other two plain blends on this list (Breakfast Blend and Donut Shop Blend), I found the House Blend to be the best out of the three, and second-best out of all the flavors. It's hard to go wrong with a medium roast, and I appreciated the full-bodied nature of this particular brew, one that had a nice robustness that almost felt reminiscent of a dark roast. Unlike the Donut Shop Blend, which had a bit of a bitter aftertaste, the House Blend was nothing but smooth. This blend was also meant to have caramel and chocolate notes, and though they were subtle, I picked up on a certain richness that made this a little more complex than your average brew.

Overall, it's hard to beat a solid coffee that features very few frills, and one that simply gets it right, and House Blend checks those boxes. If you're looking for a reliable medium roast that's smooth and not too acidic, you'll want to keep this one stocked.

It's no secret that chocolate and coffee make a heavenly pairing. In fact, there are plenty of delicious ways to add chocolate to your coffee, ranging from adding chocolate creamer to topping your cup with chocolate cold foam. If you aren't interested in adding anything to your cup of joe but still want that cocoa-forward flavor, then your best bet is reaching for a chocolate-flavored coffee — in which case, you can't go wrong with Good & Gather's Double Chocolate coffee pods.

I wasn't necessarily surprised that I enjoyed this flavor, but I was a bit surprised by how much I ended up loving it. For starters, the chocolate flavor was right in this coffee — not too strong or sweet, and much more cocoa-forward than I expected. Sometimes I worry that chocolate-flavored coffee will taste more like a Tootsie Roll than anything else, but that was not the case here. I think that specifically incorporating the chocolate flavor with a light roast was a big key to success, as that mellow coffee base worked well with the more intense, ever-so-slightly bitter cocoa notes (a dark roast likely would have been too harsh). Smooth, chocolatey, and simply delicious, Good & Gather's Double Chocolate flavor earned its rightful first place in this ranking, and any chocolate lover would be wise to give these coffee pods a spin.

When sampling each of these Good & Gather coffee pods, I knew it would be wise to try them out over the course of a few days (not only to get a better sense of each flavor, but to save myself from caffeine overload). So, I started by brewing three cups a day (in no particular flavor order) and sampling each one until I'd tried them all. I also made sure to brew cups of the donut shop blend, house blend, and breakfast blend and compare those more closely, since I figured they'd be the hardest to distinguish from one another. I used my Keurig to brew each cup, and I selected 10 ounces every time I brewed a new cup. I chose to sample each flavor black, as-is, and without any added creamer or sweetener, so as to get a full scope of the flavors without any external influence. 

As for determining the ranking of the flavors, it partially came down to personal preference. I'm a big fan of chocolate in coffee, so it's not surprising that I favored the Double Chocolate. That said, I also like cinnamon, but I did not like G&G's approach to its Cinnamon Vanilla flavor, which tasted far too artificial in my opinion. Ultimately, this ranking came down to those flavors that I felt were the most smooth and balanced, and, if they had an added flavor, those that boasted their respective flavors well.