Table of Contents
With so many coffee brands, it’s easy to get stuck with your regular brew and possibly miss out on a superior coffee. For this reason, we are going to take a look at two of the most famous US brands of coffee, Folgers vs Maxwell House. We will start with a little bit of history followed by the coffee varieties each company has to offer. Finally, we will decide which of the two provides the best coffee.
Folgers and Maxwell House Brand History
Folgers Coffee History
James Athearn Folger founded Folgers in the 1850s. His experience in the coffee trade began when he was a carpenter and he helped build a coffee mill in California. During the California Gold Rush, he took samples of the ground coffee to the mines he worked in. James got a job with The Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills, which he later took over and renamed Folgers.
Maxwell House Coffee History
In 1884, Joel Cheek met a British coffee broker who could identify where coffee came from just by smelling the green bean. Together, Cheek and Smith spent a few years creating the perfect blend. In 1892, Cheek gave the Maxwell House Hotel 20 pounds of fee coffee as a sample. Customers complained when the hotel went back to using its usual coffee, so Maxwell House bought the coffee blend exclusively, hence the name. By 1930, General Foods took over Maxwell House and just over 30 years ago, merged with Kraft Heinz.
Side by Side
Here is a quick recap of the Forgers and Maxwell House coffees.
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K-Cups- Classic Roast, Black Silk, Morning Café, 100% Decaffeinated Columbian, 100% Colombian, Breakfast Brand, Lively Columbian, Vanilla Biscotti
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K-Cups- Original Roast, Decaf 100% Arabica, Master Blend Light, House Blend Medium, Breakfast Blend, Breakfast Blend Light, French Roast
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Cappuccino French Vanilla, Cappuccino Mocha Chocolate
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Vanilla Caramel, French Vanilla, Orange, Hazelnut, Vanilla Bean Latte, French Vanilla Iced Latte
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Classic Roast Columbian, French Roast, Noir True Dark Roast, Black Silk, Simply Smooth, Noir Golden Dusk, Noir Smoky Midnight
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Original Roast Medium, Master Blend, Master Blend Light, Dark Roast, 100% Columbian, French Roast Dark, Morning Boost Medium. Instant- Original Roast, Cappuccino, Café Francais,
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1850 Black Gold Dark Roast
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None available
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Hazelnut Decaf, Classic Decaf
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Half Caff, Original Roast Medium Decaff, Decaf Original Medium Roast Instant
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Caffeinated and decaffeinated
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Medium Roast
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Folgers vs Maxwell – House Coffee Types
What’s great about these American coffee brands is the wide range of coffees available.
Capsules
Folgers and Maxwell House make K-Cup capsules for Keurig coffee machines.
Folgers
There is a Classic Roast, Black Silk, Morning Café, 100% Decaffeinated Columbian, 100% Columbian, Lively Columbia, and Breakfast brand capsule. If you are looking for a little flavor, you can try the Vanilla Biscotti.
Maxwell House
Similarly, they have an original roast. Other capsules include the Decaf 100% Arabica, Master Blend Light, House Blend Medium, Breakfast Blend and Breakfast Blend Light, and finally the French Roast.
Read next – Café Bustelo vs Folgers: Which Coffee Brand is Better?
Specialty Coffees
For those who enjoy a sweeter coffee, both coffee companies have some specialty flavors for a caffeine treat.
Forgers
You can choose from a Cappuccino French or the Cappuccino Mocha Chocolate.
Maxwell House
The choice is larger with options like Vanilla Caramel, French Vanilla, Orange, Hazelnut, Vanilla Bean Latte, and a French Vanilla Iced Latte.
Read next – Medaglia d’Oro vs Café Bustelo: What are the Differences?
Ground Coffee
Once again, both have an excellent number of ground coffees but one with a few extra blends.
Forgers
There is a Classic Roast Columbian, French Roast, Black Silk, and Simply Smooth. Forgers also has a Noir True Dark Roast, Noir Golden Dusk, and Noir Smoky Midnight.
Maxwell House
We have an Original Roast Medium, a Master Blend, a Master Blend Light, Dark Roast, 100% Columbian, French Roast Dark, and Morning Boost Medium. For instant coffee, there is an Original Roast, Cappuccino, and Café Francais.
Coffee Beans
If you prefer freshly ground coffee, one brand has coffee beans to offer.
Forgers
The coffee beans are 1850 Black Gold Dark Roast
Maxwell House
Currently, there are no coffee beans available.
Read next – Café La Llave vs Café Bustelo: What are the Differences?
Decaffeinated
Sometimes, we want all the flavor of a coffee without the kick, it’s time to choose a decaffeinated coffee.
Forgers
There are two options, Classic Decaf and Hazelnut Decaf.
Maxwell House
There are 3 decaffeinated coffees, a Half Caff, an Original Roast Medium Decaff, and a Decaf Original Medium Roast.
Read next – Maxwell House vs Nescafé Gold: What are the Differences?
Coffee Bags
A mess-free, quick cup of coffee involves ground coffee in a bag!
Forgers
There are both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee bags.
Maxwell House
The coffee bags are Medium Roast bags.
The Final Verdict
For the price, both Folgers and Maxwell House coffees have an amazing taste. Forgers may have a little bit more of a caffeine rush, but it comes with a more bitter taste. Maxwell House sticks to the traditional flavor and aroma of the coffee, especially when it comes to the Original Blend. Considering Maxwell House also has a greater range of coffees, we would recommend starting here.