If you want to drink a perfect cup of coffee, you need to think about the method of preparation, the device you are about to use to brew the beverage, and the ingredients themselves. There are hundreds of different brands around the world that received many awards and gained popularity. However, two extremely popular coffee brands became world-wide famous due to their outstanding taste.

We are not going to discuss whether they are the best coffee brands in the world, because as many coffee connoisseurs, as many opinions on which coffee is the best.

This time we would like to compare one of the oldest brands that deal with coffee preparation. It all starts from the same source, namely coffee bean plants.

Later on, beans go through the same process of coffee preparation namely drying the beans, milling them, exporting, and, depending on the company, roasting or even grinding. Today we would like to compare two large companies that have been providing us with coffee products for more than 100 years.

But before we make a comparative analysis of two brands, we would like to tell you more about the history of each company. Thanks to that, you will learn more about the process the coffee beans undergo and why it may be considered a better option than its rival.

So, without any further ado, let’s take a look at the first contest of today, namely Folgers.

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What are Folgers and how did they become one of the greatest coffee manufacturers in the world?

The story of the coffee brand started in 1850, so now it’s more than 170 years of existence of the company. Their coffee is produced and sold in the United States. However, there are also subsidiaries in Canada and Mexico. As a result of that, the brand expands much further than the owners originally planned.

As far as the beginnings are concerned, everything started in San Francisco, California. There, William H. Bovee noticed that most of the coffee connoisseurs need to not only grind their coffee but in many cases, they also need to roast it.

As a result, the pleasure of drinking this wonderful beverage was fairly limited due to significant difficulties one had to go through to drink a cup of it.

That is why he noticed that there might be a chance to create a company that will sell ground coffee, which is ready for brewing. As a result, you would not have to buy green coffee beans, roast it, and then grind.

You would simply take a measure of it and enjoy the astonishing flavor. As you can guess, such simplification of the coffee brewing process was in high demand back in the days and the company started to grow exponentially. First under the management of the owner’s son, James A. Folger II, and then with the help of a salesman named Frank P. Atha.

At this moment, the company provides us with 12 different brands of Folger’s coffee products, including:

• Classic Roast Medium,
• Classic Complements with different coffee strengths,
• Simply Smooth,
• Flavored Coffee (with such interesting additions as Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Chocolate Silk, and Cinnamon),
• Folgers Gourmet Selections,
• Instant Coffee,
•  Singles (single-serve packets),
• Home Cafe Pods (for one cup brewing systems),
• Cappuccino (Instant French Vanilla and Mocha Chocolate powders),
• Folgers Flavors enhancers (with such options as Caramel, Mocha, Hazelnut, and Vanilla),
• Folgers Iced,

and 1850 Premium Brand in the form of K-Cup pods.

What about the second contestant, namely Maxwell House?

The story of another American coffee brand started a little earlier ago because it was founded in 1892. Still, they managed to become one of the most successful companies in the United States.

The origins of the company are a bit more interesting because it all started with Joel Cheek and Roger Nolley Smith. These two were trying to find a perfect blend that would astonish everyone. 8 years after they first met, they wanted to establish cooperation with Maxwell House Hotel.

In the beginning, they provided them with 20 pounds of Cheek’s special blend for free. Though it lasted only for several days, the Maxwell House Hotel customers were so positively surprised with the flavor, the hotel decided to purchase the blend from Cheek exclusively. This is how a coffee broker decided to team up with Maxwell Colbourne.

Later on, the brand was so recognizable and so premium-like, is distinguished from the competition.

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To stay relevant to the market, the company had to introduce some novelties and find ways of promoting themselves. That is why in 1942, Maxwell House was contracted as a supplier of instant coffee to the U.S. armed forces.

It allowed them to expand into the eastern regions. For almost 100 years, Maxwell House was the highest-selling coffee brand in the entire States. It all changed 30-40 years ago as a result of growing competition.

So, what exactly can Maxwell House offer us?

There is plenty to choose from. In addition to standard Maxwell House coffee products, we can choose 100% Colombion, Vanilla Flavored, Decaf, Single Serve Coffee Pods, Max Boost (with more caffeine), Cappuccino (and Orange Cappuccino) flavored, Breakfast Blend, Original Roast, and many others that are reappearing on the market on daily basis.

Which one is better? A comparative analysis

It is very difficult to compare two coffee brands because there are hundreds of coffee lovers with different tastes and different likes. Let’s not forget about the fact that these companies are now equipped with such a rich product line, it is almost impossible to find a similar flavor. Still, we can take a closer look at the original products and see how the classic coffee lines present themselves.

To make things easier, we decided to take into account Folgers Classic Roast Coffee and Maxwell House Original Blend Coffee. These two are pretty much the same in terms of ingredients and terms of flavor.

Bear in mind that these are also affordable-priced coffee solutions, and both manufacturers boast of much more expensive, and much more diverse options.

In terms of these two classic coffee cups, it is mandatory to test them in as similar an environment as possible. That is why during the analysis, the coffee machine used for the brew of the drinks was set to regular strength, with medium settings and all other additions adjusted to the most universal option there is.

In terms of ingredients, each cup of coffee was prepared with the use of the same pots and the same ingredients, namely 1 teaspoon and a half of coffee and 2 sugar packets. The machine was set the same in both cases, so the brewed beverage had the same temperature and the same strength.

What are the results of the test?

In terms of caffeine, it looks like Folgers Classic Roast provides us with a bit higher level of caffeine. Interestingly, it was Maxwell House Original Blend that had a more classic flavor of the coffee.

Folgers Classic Roast was, on the other hand, a bit more bitter than its competition. As a result, Maxwell House coffee offered us a bit more pleasant coffee aroma.

We need to bear in mind that the preparation of both coffee cups was carried out with the use of the same ingredient rates. It is possible to acquire a bit different flavor in the case of both Folgers and Maxwell House if we change the numbers and when we add more or less sugar.

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Which one to choose? Folgers versus Maxwell House

Both coffee brands can boast of exceptional flavor. Their popularity only confirms that they are great for a particular target audience. Nevertheless, the goal of the analysis we conducted was to see which one suits us better.

In this case, we were much more interested in a smooth, flavorful cup of coffee, which was presented by Maxwell House Original Blend.

Still, there are plenty of people around the world who are more into a caffeine-filled beverage that provides us with an energy boost and much rougher taste. For such a group of people, Folgers will be a much more interesting choice. Some people would say that Maxwell House Original Blend is too neutral, too indistinct to choose it for a longer run.

For this reason, we encourage to try out both coffee brands and, what is even more important, see different coffee categories to find the ideal one.

There are dozens of different lines of products you can choose from and even if the difference might be small in some cases, it is still sensible, especially if you are a coffee connoisseur.

Bear in mind that in the world of coffee, there is a golden rule of fifteens. It is a rule of thumb, which might be considered as a very loose tip as to which type of coffee will suit us best.

However, bear in mind that to some extent, it is true and was proven by numerous tests. As a result, you might want to rethink your ultimate choice.

Ground coffee

Ground coffee, which is the type of coffee most of you want to buy if you think about Folgers or Maxwell House, goes stale the quickest. For this reason, it is mandatory to remember that if we purchase green coffee beans, then it goes stale after fifteen months.

Roasted coffee will go stale after fifteen days. In terms of ground coffee, the one that most of us buy, it goes stale after fifteen minutes.

It may take much longer for ground coffee to go stale – even hours. However, if we decide on a product that comes from such a gigantic brand as either Maxwell House or Folgers, we need to bear in mind that their products lay on the shelves of warehouses for months.

As a result, your ground coffee from this source may not be as fresh and as flavorful as the one you grind or even roast by yourself.

That is why it is recommended to look for a local roaster who can provide you with a whole bean coffee or even a ground coffee pack that was prepared live, on your own eyes. This is the best way to ensure you are receiving the most delicious coffee.

If you don’t want to spend your precious time preparing an ideal coffee, then you should stick to ground coffee and instant coffee provided by large manufacturers, who specialize in such creations and know what to do to satisfy the customer.

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Summary and conclusion

This analysis presented both companies and showed how they succeeded. It also provided you with their entire catalog of products that you may be interested in purchasing.

Nowadays it is possible to choose so many different coffee flavors that you would be surprised how these companies even make them.

It is difficult to indicate which coffee brand is the best since they offer us a variety of coffee products that are stronger, lighter, caffeine-filled, decaf, flavored, etc.

As a result, choosing the one that is simply better than the other is almost impossible, especially if we take into account more than a hundred years of experience in coffee preparation.

However, if we were to indicate which coffee brand is better for an everyday Joe and for those who like smooth and pleasant flavor, then it would be Maxwell House. Those who enjoy rough and caffeine-filled drinks, they should look at Folgers. Still, it all can change depending on the amount of coffee we use and the number of additions we add.

Importantly, even the settings of the coffee, the temperature of the brew, and its strength have a very big impact on the ultimate flavor.

A good option is to purchase green beans, just like it was at the beginning, and then roast and grind them. In this way, you will receive the best flavor of all the coffee brands due to its freshness.