The Worst Aldi Coffee Pods Are More Bitter Than Bold

While some Aldi dupes taste even better than their name brand counterparts, others miss the mark completely. The German grocery giant's coffee pods are much cheaper, and some of them are even on par with the cream of the crop too. However, the worst Aldi coffee pod is not worth putting in your shopping cart, let alone your Keurig. Tasting Table tried and ranked 9 Aldi coffee pods, according to overall taste. We were looking for a balanced, smooth flavor profile and minimal bitterness. Sadly, Aldi's Barissimo fair trade midnight blend dark roast coffee pods were as bitter as can be. Dark roasts are known for their bold, robust flavor because roasting the beans for longer generates caramelization and more varied tasting notes, like smoke and bittersweet dark chocolate. Unfortunately, the only thing that was bold about this Aldi coffee pod was its bitterness. 

Although the box professes a palate infused with earthiness, alongside hints of dark cocoa, brown sugar, and tobacco, all we could really taste was the dark cocoa, and that's being generous because as a flavor it's inherently bitter. While you might think a dash of cream, milk, or even flavored creamer would soften the bitterness and help bring out those underlying tasting notes, well, you'd be wrong. When we added milk to our cup of Midnight Blend, it somehow only served to accentuate the acridity. If you're a dark roast fan, there are tons of better options at Aldi that are bold without being bitter.

Aldi's Barissimo fair trade midnight blend dark roast coffee pods overpowered us with bitterness, but other customers were actually underwhelmed by them. One Amazon reviewer complained that the midnight blend "had less taste and flavor than weak tea" while another lamented, "I thought the Midnight blend would be much stronger and it wasn't." Aldi customers on the popular Facebook forum Aldi Aisle of Shame were more aligned with our opinions of its throat-clearing taste, however. A truly scathing review stated, "If you love the nauseating tasting combo of leather, molasses, burnt rubber and bad tobacco, you might enjoy this." Another customer on Facebook suggested, "It might be the plastic of the kcup," sharing, "I get the ground bag and it's really good." To that effect, we thought the Midnight Blend from Aldi in ground bean form is the dark roast that's bold, smooth, and budget friendly, ranking it second in our roundup of Aldi's coffee beans.

If you're looking for the best Aldi K-cups for your Keurig, our favorites were their medium roast blends. Barissimo fair trade Colombian medium roast came in first place for its smooth, decidedly not bitter flavor with the same tasting notes of dark chocolate and brown sugar that the Midnight Blend boasted. However, with the Colombian blend, you could actually taste them. Mediums may be less bold, but as a lighter roast, they have more caffeine than dark roast. So, along with a tastier sip, you also get a stronger pick me up.