The competition for the best coffee is neverending. Coffee connoisseurs pick their poison: medium or dark roast, a single shot or a pot of drip, black or with cream.
Before settling on all the other details, you need to decide what type of coffee beans you want to use to make your coffee. Some coffee experts consider Starbucks to be superior quality, while others prefer the traditional Folgers.
We’ve put together an extensive comparison between Folgers and Starbucks in order to help you decide which is better, considering all their most important features. In addition, we will outline the pros and cons of the two choices and assist with selecting the one that best suits your needs.
When evaluating Folgers versus Starbucks, we will evaluate various characteristics of both of these popular brands before selecting the champion.
Folgers Overview
Prior to the establishment of Folgers Coffee in 1850, consuming coffee was considered a high-end item. It was so costly that the average person could not afford to purchase and utilize it daily (here’s looking at you, Starbucks).
James Folger, a well-known coffee entrepreneur, pioneered the process of testing coffee beans through brewing samples before they were packaged and sold. Some coffee traders offered beans for sale based on their physical appearance. Folger felt it was more important to have a good name than it was to have money.
Despite being initially isolated from other coffee companies, Folgers has consistently been among the top five most known in the industry over the years. In 2020, Folgers was the most popular brand of already-ground coffee, selling twice as much as Starbucks did.
For many years, Folgers has been amongst the most popular coffee brands, suggesting it must be of a high quality. The company has kept up-to-date with the times, offering new roastings, pre-made coffee, and various flavored coffees for its customers.
Folger’s original coffee is only available pre-ground and is packaged in bags, containers, or K-cup pods. It is also possible to acquire pre-ground coffee granules or individualized portions, comparable to tea bags, just for coffee. They offer various levels of coffee roasting, ranging from mild to dark, thus providing something for everyone’s preferences.
Some coffee enthusiasts scoff at the idea of decaf, but Folgers offers an extremely tasty decaffeinated version. And, even better—it’s instant!
Expressing your fondness for the taste of coffee, yet expressing your dislike of how it affects your stomach afterwards. Folgers has a tasty coffee blend just for you! Their Simply Smooth coffee has a low level of acidity, so it is not hard on tummies that are prone to irritation. It is possible to purchase this item in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee varieties.
No need to panic—Folgers coffee also has more elaborate options. They offer different taste options for coffee, such as French vanilla, caramel, hazelnut, and additional flavors. The flavored cappuccino mixes they offer provide a top-notch coffee drink for you to make in your own home.
If you have an abundance of Folgers coffee, there’s a selection of dessert recipes you can make utilizing the coffee grounds featured on their website.
Do you recall the tune from the Folgers coffee commercial? This tune is a renowned jingle that has been entrenched in advertising history. Since Folgers first debuted in 1984, they have been hosting music competitions and donating profits from these events to VH-1’s Save the Music charity, which aims to finance music education in elementary schools.
The coffee business gave a gift of half a million dollars to the University of California Davis College of Engineering not long ago. The funds will initiate the Folgers Analytical Chemistry Lab in the grounds of the Coffee Center. Researchers will investigate chemical processes by heating and preparing coffee.
Gaining an understanding of Folgers’ past reveals that they are an outstanding business that manufactures high-quality coffee. This brand’s low cost of coffee is an additional factor that should make you consider purchasing it in preference to other options. Folgers strives to be available to all people and is committed to offering support whenever possible.
The advantages of choosing Folgers over Starbucks
We can observe that the two producers utilized a unique method to become the leading ones in their field. Even though Starbucks has become a cafe chain more than a coffee shop, Folgers should still be remembered as the main provider of coffee.
To begin with, it is essential to be mindful that Folgers provides numerous varieties of coffee. They are well-known for their Classic Roast which can be identified in the red container. In addition to classic flavors, Folgers offers a wide variety of choices. For instance, we can select Black Silk, a toasted dark sort of drink. Let us recall that decaffeinated coffee is also an option.
We should also remember that we have the option of picking pre-made coffee varieties, like cappuccino for instance. Surprisingly, Folgers provides us with the Aroma choices that can give us a variety of fragrances.
That is why we should remember that Foglers provide us with:
- The original taste of medium-roasted coffee.
- Smooth, rich, and what is more important, a consistent flavor.
- A lot of different coffee types to choose from.
Starbucks Overview
Starbucks has quite the humble beginning, similar to the origin story of Folgers. The initial store opened in Seattle, and the demand for coffee continued to expand leading to the current total of over 30,000 other stores worldwide. Starbucks can be found anywhere from stand-alone locations, to inside malls, hotels, airports, and other retail outlets. If you’re ever desiring a cup of Starbucks coffee, it probably won’t be hard for you to locate one nearby.
The company is renowned for its original coffee beverages, however, consumers can purchase whole beans or the much-admired pre-ground coffee to make at home. They offer a huge variety of roasts, depending on your preference. You can choose from:
- Blonde roasts
- Medium roasts
- Dark roasts
Folgers only provides medium and dark roast coffee, allowing you to have the opportunity to test something novel with Starbucks’ lighter roasts. Decaffeinated versions of both medium and dark roasts are available, but unfortunately, you will have to pass on the blonde roast if you’re looking for something without caffeine.
Starbucks offers a wide range of flavorful, first-rate, freshly roasted coffees with a more varied selection than Folgers. The varieties available are Honey, Madagascar Vanilla, Coconut Chocolate, Caramel Dolce, and Tiramisu.
Similar to Folgers, one can purchase Starbucks coffee both in pre-made instant packets and K-Cup pods. In addition, even if you don’t feel like preparing your coffee or going to a Starbucks establishment, you can still savor their coffee. They offer various sizes of different coffee drinks like Frappuccinos, Double Shots, and Cold Brew coffee in containers and cans.
You may be able to purchase Starbucks beverages at your local supermarket. They offer big containers that hold multiple servings of their iced coffee and flavored cappuccinos. You can also get flavorings, like their flavored creamers, to make any of your home-prepared coffees resemble a Starbucks special drink.
There are numerous sites containing secret formulas for re-creating your beloved Starbucks sweet beverage in the comfort of your own home. Starbucks does not guard their recipes jealously like other fast food restaurants which have proprietary ingredients like “secret sauces”. This makes them more appealing.
Starbucks’ generosity doesn’t stop there. The business has vowed to increase its base remuneration to $15 per hour during the next three years. Employees at this company receive better perks than comparable retail positions, including financial aid for further education, health care packages, parental leave allowances, and further advantages.
There are also significant coffee-based benefits for Starbucks employees. They receive a discount of 30% on anything they buy in the store, plus they are given either a pound of coffee or a box of K-Cups each week.
Starbucks isn’t only good for their employees. They are also taking action on several plans to make the company more ecological. They have taken measures to cut down on the amount of straws used once, and they have put out cups that can be used again and again and consumers will get a discount when they use them with their orders.
What about the positives of Starbucks?
When taking into account Starbucks’ selection, it is paramount to acknowledge the broad selection of coffee beans and pre-ground coffee. Your shop may not be able to offer every variety of bean, since sometimes the nearby store may not have the most recently released items.
Most of the selection remains the Starbucks Breakfast Blend. Additionally, we have the option to buy the silky Veranda or even some flavored varieties of coffee. The most popular are surely Mocha and Cinnamon Dolce. It is difficult to locate products from Folgers that are of good quality and flavored.
The fragrance of Starbucks coffee typically tended towards being strong and strong-tasting. However, it was in the past. The Breakfast Blend now has more mild tastes, making its smell pleasant for the whole family to enjoy.
In addition, Starbucks’ items have a much greater variety of ways they can be made. We can try using cold filtered water and storing our ground coffee with it for an extended period of time to obtain the best flavor.
Starbucks provides a distinguished, medium-roast coffee that has a flavorsome and deep taste, making their items really captivating and similarly beloved similar to Folgers’ products.
We should choose Starbucks if we want:
- Light roast that is a family-friendly option – Breakfast Blend series.
- Starbucks coffee was originally replicated in our own home.
- Flavored coffee.
- The possibility to introduce a variety by changing the taste with different coffee storing techniques.
The Similarities
Although the distinctions between Starbucks and Folgers are quite perceptible, we must not forget the many resemblances that render both of these items desired and pleasing to millions of customers globally.
To begin with, both manufacturers present us with great coffee that requires a good amount of effort to get it ready for the shoppers. No matter where we get it from, whether it be the local shop or online, we always get a wonderful flavor.
Let’s not forget about a rich flavor catalog. We don’t need to focus on the conventional coffee varieties that we recognize from our parents’ residences or Starbucks stores. We have the option of selecting from a wide variety of flavors, including the more uncommon and unique options from different parts of the world.
It is essential to recognize that both companies had their beginnings as marketers and distributors, so one can readily deduce that they are well-versed in the craft of roasting coffee beans to bring out their maximum flavor.
Bear in mind that It is not all positive. Given the size and scope of this firm’s operations, most of their goods are held in warehouses for extended periods of time.
Do you understand that unroasted, or green coffee beans, are the only type of coffee that doesn’t go stale or lose its flavor? This is because they have not yet gone through the thermal processing. Consequently, we won’t be able to enjoy the optimal taste of the coffee, unless we purchase unroasted beans from a store nearby or obtain freshly ground coffee beans from the same store.
Folgers vs Starbucks – Which Is Better for You?
It is essential to make sure you select the correct brand when you are making coffee whether it is in an espresso machine or by pouring it into your mug. Each brand has its own flavor profile, as a result of distinctive roasting techniques, and the most important factor – the particular beans sourced from farmers around the globe. The end result is an incredible range of different tastes.
One great way to demonstrate the amount of attention that each coffee bean must be granted in order to guarantee an exquisite flavor is Folgers. It should not be forgotten that Starbucks offers an abundance of options. Both of them are great. Nevertheless, their wares can diverge greatly, so it’s essential to first determine our inclinations.
If you’re an individual who prefers the classic taste of coffee and does not desire any alternative flavors, you will certainly be satisfied with the traditional medium-roast Flogers coffee. It is more affordable than the other options, such as Starbucks.
It is essential to keep in mind that the taste may be more significant than the cost when comparing Starbucks to other coffee places. We especially desire to try something different in regards to flavor, and seek out more light or even flavored choices.