by Nigel Ong
Visit your local grocery, and you can see all sorts of coffee from popular brands. There are McCafe, Dunkin, Starbucks, Folgers, and more. Coffee is selling so well that even online retailers have joined the party.
Enter Amazon’s coffee roasts. Released under the AmazonFresh lineup of food products, Amazon offers a good selection of coffee roasts, from light to dark. But how good are these roasts? Let’s find out.
I will review the Amazon Just Bright Light Roast Coffee in this post. As usual, I will brew the coffee three ways and then sample it with popular flavorings. I’ll also compare it against other light roasts and regular coffee.
About AmazonFresh Just Bright Coffee Roast
AmazonFresh is a subsidiary of Amazon and focuses on groceries retailing. You may see AmazonFresh online stores and also grocery stores in your town.
Aside from running these businesses, AmazonFresh also produces groceries under its brand. These include food, such as coffee roasts.
AmazonFresh coffee roasts are wide-ranging. You can choose from light to dark roasts, as well as flavored and decaf versions as well. These coffee beans are sourced from Rainforest Alliance-certified growers and then roasted in the USA.
In my hand is the AmazonFresh Just Bright coffee roast. This is a light roast made with 100% Arabica beans. The beans are sourced from Central and South America and brought to the US for roasting and packing.
The packaging described its taste note as crisp and clean, with bright flavor. Descriptions like this fit a light roast, as the beans usually retain many natural flavors.
I like how straightforward, simple, and direct the packaging is. There is no fluff, no attempts to play up some image unrelated to coffee, and fancy schmancy features. AmazonFresh does this to keep the coffee prices low and then pass the savings to you.
How Does AmazonFresh Just Bright Coffee Roast Taste?
To get the most taste out of the coffee, I am going to brew the coffee three ways: French Press, Pour Over, and Espresso. Here are my reasons:
French Press: French press makes a dirty, murky, full-flavored coffee with floating particles. This should allow me to sample the coffee in all its ‘glory.’
Pour Over With Filter Paper: This method produces a ‘cleaner’ version of the coffee, which should help me to sample more of the subtle notes.
Espresso: Espresso brewing allows me to concentrate the flavor at the crema and taste the AmazonFresh Just Bright even better. This approach may not be common with light roasts.
First Impression
When I tore into the coffee bag, I was greeted with an intense smell of coffee. It is fragrant and inviting and triggers my appetite to sip some coffee.
The coffee also has a ‘normal’ smell, without strong notes. There’s nothing acidic, earthy, or chocolatey about this roast. At this point, I started to believe this would be one of those ‘comfortable’ coffees, but let’s hold back on the judgment.
My coffee comes with the beans ground down, which means I cannot exactly look at the beans. The coffee is ground down for the coffee machine, and the grounds are quite even, without many boulders or fines.
French Press
All right, first brew, French press. I use my trusty Bodum Caffettiera French press here, although you can always use your French press of choice. Want something cheaper? IKEA’s Upphetta French press is a good option.
I added 15 grams of coffee and 180ml of hot water at around 185°F (about 85°C). I let the concoction brew for 4 minutes before pouring a cup and starting the sampling process.
This is a crisp cup of coffee. It has a familiar taste of regular light coffee and is easy to sip and drink.
I am also astonished at how ‘regular’ this coffee is – I do not detect any specific notes, perhaps a little bit of cereal-like flavor in the AmazonFresh Just Bright.
As the coffee cooled slightly, I picked up some sourness, perhaps a little citrusy. I think this is the bright flavor AmazonFresh mentions on its coffee packaging.
This is a comfortable, easy coffee to drink, the kind you want on a lazy Saturday or Sunday morning. I can see myself sipping this coffee with a morning sandwich or a bowl of cereal.
Pour Over With Filter Coffee
My pour-over brewing method is based on Starbucks. I put about 20 grams of ground coffee into my dripper cone and slowly poured 360ml of water. The pouring took about 5 minutes overall for good extraction.
My coffee looks cleaner, with fewer sediments and particles floating in. The coffee tasted even less bitter and smoky than the French press version since there were little sediments.
As the coffee now tastes lighter and cleaner, it becomes even smoother and softer in flavor. This soft, crisp coffee is not, but I prefer the French press version since it is murkier and a little smokier. However, try both, as your palate may differ from mine.
The soft coffee also allows the brightness to come out even more. The coffee is more acidic and has a stronger citrus note.
Espresso
I grabbed my Wacaco Minipresso GR and pulled a shot. The coffee ground is coarser, so I first ground it to an espresso level of coarseness before pulling my espresso.
What I get is a fresh-smelling espresso with rich, thick crema. The crema does not smell smoky and has a stronger citrusy aroma with a toasty base. The smell is very unlike regular espresso, but this is a light roast.
The initial sip is interesting; I think the crema is quite acidic. Perhaps the citrusy, bright notes have concentrated at the crema. At the same time, the coffee itself is warm, soft, and has a cornflakes-like taste.
The blending of flavors makes this a refreshing espresso and reminds me of Starbucks Blonde Espresso. Instead of smashing my palate with smoke and bitterness, this one sends in an acidic jolt to freshen my palate instead.
What Flavoring Works Best With AmazonFresh Just Bright?
Not everyone drinks their coffee black, so it only makes sense that I try the AmazonFresh Just Bright with popular flavorings.
I tried the AmazonFresh Just Bright coffee with milk, sugar, and creamer flavorings. Here’s what I think about them:
Sweeteners
For sweeteners, I prepped two types. One is brown granulated sugar, and the other is artificial sweetener.
I brewed two cups of French press coffee and poured one sugar stick into the first cup. I added two drops of Equal artificial sweetener to the second cup.
As a start, I think the AmazonFresh coffee is light enough you do not need any sweeteners. I am also not a great fan of having sweeteners in my coffee, as I think it covers up the actual flavor of the coffee.
However, with sweeteners, the coffee becomes even softer and easier to drink. The sweetness and citrusy notes combine together well here. The toasted cereal notes also give the Amazon Fresh Just Bright coffee a breakfast vibe.
Milk
Next up, milk. I made a fresh cup of AmazonFresh Just Bright coffee. Then, I added a shot (about 1 oz, or 30 ml) of fresh, whole, UHT cow’s milk.
The taste is as I expected. I like how the slight sweetness from the lactose in the milk makes the coffee taste natural. The creaminess from the milk also blends well with the coffee, making it even more mellow and easy to drink.
The milk also altered the texture of the coffee, making it a little thicker and silkier. I like how the coffee now glides smoothly in my mouth.
However, do be a little careful when adding milk to this coffee. It is a light coffee, and too much milk can easily drown out the coffee. At that point, you’ll be drinking coffee-flavored milk.
Creamer
Not everyone can tolerate milk, and lactose intolerance is a real thing. As a result, people add non-dairy creamers to their coffee.
I’ll experiment with the same with AmazonFresh Just Bright. Here, I emptied two sticks of Coffee Mate creamers into my cup of coffee.
The creamer adds more cream to the coffee than the milk, that’s for sure. It also made the coffee look paler than milk. The coffee also becomes slightly sweeter, making it much nicer to sip.
However, the sweetness does not feel as natural or satisfying as milk. The creaminess also seems to lack depth compared to milk. My palate may not always be consistent when tasting coffee, but I seem to enjoy the milked version better this time.
Iced
I poured a cup of fresh AmazonFresh Just Bright into a glass filled to the brim with ice. I then chucked in a straw and started sipping slowly.
The ice muted many of the coffee’s flavors. The coffee retains its crisp note with little smoke. However, I pick up a stronger acidic note, with some slight alcoholic notes.
This may work well as a very light cup of iced coffee on hot days, but I prefer the deep, bittersweet tastes of a proper iced Americano.
AmazonFresh Just Bright vs. Popular Light Roast Coffee
Since the AmazonFresh Just Bright is a light roast blend, I thought I’d compare it against other regular light roast blends in my collection.
I brewed a single cup from the following coffee roasts and sipped them side by side with the AmazonFresh Just Bright:
- Starbucks Veranda Blend
- McCafe Breakfast Blend
- Folgers Breakfast Blend
All of the coffee here is actually blended with a similar concept. Soft, easy-to-drink coffee that does not offend most palates. It is quite hard to decide who’s the winner here.
However, I would rank the AmazonFresh Just Bright behind the Starbucks Veranda Blend and the McCafe Breakfast Blend. I like how the Veranda Blend has a slight floral note to the coffee, giving it an additional edge in flavor.
As for the McCafe Breakfast Blend, I like how it is soft without being too crisp and citrusy. It is a more comfortable coffee to sip than the AmazonFresh Just Bright.
As for the Folgers, I think it has a sour note that I think does not taste as good as the AmazonFresh Just Bright. This is individual, however, and your taste may not be the same as mine.
AmazonFresh Just Bright vs. Regular Coffee
I always compare the coffee I review against the most regular coffee out there – those you can get for $1 at a gas station or convenience store.
For this, I picked up a regular Americano from a 7-Eleven. Then, I drank the coffee side by side with my cup of AmazonFresh Just Bright.
My verdict? Just put in some time and effort, and brew yourself a cup at home. The AmazonFresh Just Bright is better in taste and flavor, and I would say it gives me more satisfying sips.
The 7-Eleven coffee just tastes flat and bitter. It lacks depth and, at some point, even gave me a watery taste. The difference is obvious.
Is AmazonFresh Just Bright Coffee Roast For You?
The AmazonFresh Just Bright is a crisp, refreshing cup of coffee. It is light, not too edgy, and soft enough to be sipped and enjoyed by many.
I cannot see how the taste may offend coffee drinkers unless you hate coffee with acidic notes. Maybe you will not like this coffee if you want nothing but the hardest espresso to smash your palate.
AmazonFresh Just Bright’s lightness makes it excellent for breakfast or easy afternoons. I would drink something stronger as a wake-me-up brew after lunch; this may not be strong enough.
I would also consider serving people or guests this coffee since it has a neutral and soft taste that should be drinkable for many. If you run a coffee stand and want to sell regular coffee, this is a good option, too, since it is rather affordable.