The 10 Best Ground Coffee

If you want one bag that suits most kitchens, Peet's Major Dickason's Blend is a safe bet. It's a dark roast of Latin American and Indo-Pacific beans, named for the longtime customer who suggested it, and Peet's calls it its all-time best seller. The flavor runs earthy and spicy, with a heavy body that stands up to milk. This bag is ground for drip and pour-over, so French press fans should order the coarse grind from Peet's directly.

Dunkin' Original Blend tastes like the coffee from the shop counter: a smooth medium roast with little bitterness, which makes it the easy choice for anyone who likes a mild cup. It comes in a large plastic canister with a snap-on lid, so there's no bag to clip shut. The grind works in drip makers and most other home brewers. The trade-off is character. It's plain, and people who drink coffee black for the flavor may find it thin.

For people who drink coffee for the jolt, Death Wish Valhalla Java blends high-caffeine robusta beans with arabica. The maker puts a six-ounce cup at about 175 milligrams of caffeine, well above an ordinary brew. It's certified organic and Fair Trade, and the taste leans toward cocoa and molasses with low acidity. It costs a lot per bag, and that much caffeine is easy to overdo, so count your cups if you're sensitive to it.

Italian coffee on a budget starts with Lavazza Classico, a medium roast that costs very little per cup. It mixes arabica with some robusta, which adds body and a bit more caffeine, and Lavazza rates it a middling three on its five-step intensity scale. Expect dried fruit and a gentle roasted bite. It's ground for drip machines, so it won't pull a proper espresso, and the robusta can turn harsh if the pot sits on a hot plate.

French press owners need coarse grounds, and Gevalia Special Reserve Guatemala comes ground that way, so less sludge slips past the screen. The single-origin beans make a medium-bodied cup with earthy, smoky notes and a hint of cocoa, and they come from farms certified for keeping shade trees. It brews well in a drip maker too. The bag is small and closes with a fold-down tin tie, so finish it quickly or move it to a jar.

Named after the company's first store, Starbucks Pike Place Roast is the house coffee poured in its cafes every day, packed here for home brewing. It's a medium roast of Latin American beans with cocoa and praline notes, smooth enough to drink black and sturdy enough to pour over ice. The brand says it works in drip, pour-over and French press brewers. It's dependable rather than exciting, and fans of the chain's darker roasts may find it tame.

Southern households have poured Community Coffee Breakfast Blend for generations, and the Louisiana family company behind it dates to 1919. It's a medium roast of arabica beans with honey, hazelnut and milk chocolate notes, bright without turning sour. This pack holds two big bags, which suits a busy kitchen or an office pot. Ground coffee fades within a couple of weeks once a bag is open, so keep the spare sealed until you need it.

Served with beignets at the French Market stand in New Orleans, Cafe Du Monde Chicory mixes roasted chicory root into dark-roast coffee. The root adds a woody, faintly chocolate taste and means less caffeine per scoop. It's made to be cut with hot milk for cafe au lait, and the recipe is printed right on the can. Brewed black, the chicory can taste bitter. This pack holds three cans, enough for a long stretch of mornings.

Cold brew needs a coarse, even grind, and Stone Street Cold Brew Reserve arrives that way in a foil bag with a one-way valve that lets gas out and keeps air from getting in. The Colombian beans get a dark roast with chocolate notes, so the concentrate tastes mellow. Stone Street suggests steeping it in the fridge for half a day or longer, and it suits a French press too. It's pricey for the amount, and there's no lighter roast.

Light-roast fans get a brighter cup from Caribou Daybreak Morning Blend, with a wine-like snap, jammy fruit and a malty finish. The beans are all arabica from sustainably certified farms, and the big bag costs little per ounce. Caribou grinds it for drip and pour-over and points French press and espresso drinkers to whole beans instead. Anyone used to dark roast may find it tart, especially with cream.