Bad News for Coffee Lovers

[Lanshark]

I love Trader Joes. The darker and smokier the better. I used to by Volcano but they haven't had it for awhile. I have noticed a bit of a change lately but thought it was me.

 

[bicker]

Wow... so it even goes to the specialty blends... I guess we can assume that the whole Trader Joe's line of coffee beans has been reduced in quality.

I just sent them this email... it's a bit over-the-top, I suppose, but actually still completely factual.

I purchased five containers of Trader Joe's coffee last weekend, two of the big Columbian Supremo (regular/caffeinated) containers, and three of the normal-sized Decaf Columbian Supremo containers. I have been purchasing these exact products every two or three weeks for several years. However, this time, for both products, I noted a very very distinctive change in taste, what seems to be to be a very significant reduction in quality. At first, I thought perhaps I just got a bad batch, and perhaps I should return it, but I really needed the coffee (we were out) and bad coffee is sometimes better than no coffee. Then, in talking with a few friends who are also fans of your coffee, they each have noted a very substantial degradation in the quality of your coffee.

I don't want a refund or anything like that, but I do want to let you know that we've noticed. For me and my family, it means I won't be going to back to Trader Joe's anytime soon. While we don't just buy coffee there, the coffee is the only reason why we made the special trip to your store. We can get something comparable to everything else we buy at your store from some other store.

What I would like, if practical, is if you are able to determine what went so terribly wrong, regarding your coffee, and can fix it, to let me know, with details about what remedy you've applied to ensure that I won't be disappointed returning to your store. I would appreciate that.

 

[*BTMRR*]

Wow... so it even goes to the specialty blends... I guess we can assume that the whole Trader Joe's line of coffee beans has been reduced in quality.

I just sent them this email... it's a bit over-the-top, I suppose, but actually still completely factual.

That email seems reasonable to me.
I'll be curious to hear how they respond.

 

[wdwmom2]

I don't drink coffee but DH swears by Dunkin Donuts. I hope that it stays good.

That's the kind we love!!!

But I am lucky that I live a 1 minute walk to a local coffee roasting store that has over 250 different kinds of coffee. They grind it when you buy it. It is quite delicious also!

 

[JessicaR]

I've been a Brown Gold fan for years. Nothing compares for me.
http://brown-gold.com/about.htm

When I first saw this thread I was like hey! My local news just told me GOOD news for coffee drinkers two days ago.

"Tea and coffee does count towards your fluid intake."

 

[Planogirl]

I've been a Brown Gold fan for years. Nothing compares for me.
http://brown-gold.com/about.htm

When I first saw this thread I was like hey! My local news just told me GOOD news for coffee drinkers two days ago.

"Tea and coffee does count towards your fluid intake."

I'm a big tea drinker so I like hearing that too.

 

[bicker]

That email seems reasonable to me.
I'll be curious to hear how they respond.

I'm expecting a reply detailing the climate problems that they had in Colombia in the third quarter of last year, and will outline how things are improving in the fourth quarter and we should see improvements soon. And that'll be it -- they're not really going to tell me what quality compromises they instituted with their buyers, and they're not going to tell me when/if they revoke those compromises, I suspect.

 

[bicker]

Their reply:

Thank you for providing this valuable feedback. We would like to extend our apologies for the disappointing experience you had with the Trader Joe's Columbian Supremo and Decar Columbian Supremo. There has been no change to this product or it's supplier. We have notified our Quality Assurance Manager and the appropriate buyer regarding your experience, and we will continue to monitor this product for future trends. We believe that quality is essential to good value, and that's what we are all about!

We also wanted to make sure you are aware of our "Product Guarantee." If you are dissatisfied with any product purchased in our stores, you can take it, the empty package or receipt back to any of our neighborhood stores for an exchange or full refund. We stand behind our motto, "We tried it! We liked it! If you don't, bring it back for a full refund, no questions asked."

At Trader Joe's, we are always striving to improve, and your comments give us the opportunity to do just that.

Thank you,

Nicki K.
Trader Joe's
Customer Relations