Is Aldi's Coffee Cheaper Than Trader Joe's?

As coffee prices increase, choosing a favorite blend for brewing a fresh cup at home is even more personal. For the sake of simplicity, let's say you want a medium roast coffee that's flavorful and strong but not too acidic. Although Aldi and Trader Joe's both offer organic, fair trade, and flavored ground coffees in light, medium, and dark roasts, Aldi does have slightly better pricing — but generally only slightly. 

For example, Aldi's Barissimo House Blend Medium Roast Ground Coffee is $5.45 for 12 ounces, while Trader Joe's comparable Joe's Medium Roast Ground Coffee is $5.49 for 12 ounces — pretty much the same. As far as flavored coffees, Aldi has a Barissimo French Vanilla Flavored Ground Coffee at $5.45 for 12 ounces, while Trader Joe's French Vanilla Ground Coffee is $8.99, for 14 ounces – two ounces more than the Aldi version, but about 65% more expensive. The prices are generally pretty comparable (and far from the most expensive coffee in the world), with a few outliers. The best bet is simply to choose a coffee that you enjoy from a brand you love at a store that's close to your home (and at which you like to shop).

Coffee isn't the only category where Aldi shines with economical pricing — their boxed tea category is also quite competitive with Trader Joe's. Aldi offers its own line of decaffeinated and full-caffeine tea varieties, including the standard green, black, and herbal teas, as well as seasonal flavors like peach and cinnamon apple. Trader Joe's provides a similar mix of herbal, black, green, and seasonal teas. With tea, as with coffee, Aldi is the champion of budget-friendly pricing, coming in slightly below Trader Joe's. 

For $1.89, you can buy a 20-count box of Benner Ginger Turmeric Herbal Tea at Aldi. Trader Joe's equivalent — an Organic Ginger Turmeric Herbal Tea — is $2.99 for a 20-count box. If Earl Grey tea is more your style, the pricing is the same. You can pick up a 20-count box of Benner Earl Grey Black Tea for $1.89 at Aldi, compared to Trader Joe's 20-count box of Organic Earl Grey Tea for $2.99. And yes, tea does expire, so you need to check the boxes from time to time.