Last Updated on July 9, 2023
Special thanks to Bill and Cathy, who like coffee more than we do, for help with this review.
Coffee is a morning routine for many Americans, and probably a necessity for a country that doesn’t get enough sleep. It’s also a routine that can run a lot of money, especially if you’re of the Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts crowd. Grocers have started to take notice, partnering with those companies to carry their coffee wares in your neighborhood supermarket. The upside is that it’s a lot cheaper to get your Starbucks coffee from the grocery cashier than from the barista. The downside is that, well, it’s still a bit of money.
But when things from the grocer are a bit of money … well, that sounds like a job for Aldi. And, indeed, it turns out that Aldi does stock some imitations of these coffees. Let’s take a look.
Barissimo Donut Store Blend Ground Coffee
Barissimo Donut Store Blend Ground Coffee is intended as Aldi’s take on Dunkin’ Donuts Ground Coffee. At the time of this post, the Barissimo coffee cost $3.99 for a 12 ounce bag, or about 33 cents an ounce. At Target, Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee currently runs about $7.19 for a 12 ounce bag, or about 59 cents an ounce. You might be able to find the Dunkin’ Donuts coffee cheaper elsewhere, but we’d be hard-pressed to find anything approaching Aldi’s price.
Our testers said they couldn’t taste a difference between this Aldi coffee and the Dunkin’ Donuts. That being the case, this seems to be a pretty solid bet if you’re looking to get your Dunkin’ Donuts coffee fix on the cheap.
Friendly Farms Delightfully Pure Hazelnut Creamer
This is Aldi’s take on International Delight Hazelnut Coffee Creamer. The Aldi creamer costs $1.79. We’re able to find the brand on sale at $1.99 (it’s more when not on sale), so the difference in price here is not as much as with the coffee. Both the Friendly Farms and International Delight come in the same sized container, have the same number of servings, and run about 35 calories a serving.
As with the coffee, our testers thought the Aldi creamer tasted just like the name brand. Given the price savings, we think that makes this worth looking at … especially if you’re already in Aldi for the coffee.
The Verdict:
If you’re looking to get your donut store coffee fix, Barissimo Donut Store Blend Ground Coffee is an excellent imitation, and for substantially less money than the name brand alternative. And the Friendly Farms Delightfully Pure Hazelnut Creamer is also an excellent imitation of the name brand, and for a little less, too.
This was the first time our testers have tried Aldi coffee or creamer. We think we may have made converts.
