In this article, I introduce what happened to Millstone Coffee (below) before going on to describe what Millstone Coffee used to be like (bottom).

Millstone coffee

PurelyCoffeeBeans.com – Millstone Coffee bag by Kenneth Dickson

I will help you find replacement coffee blends & brands, which is really the only sensible thing to do. I advise you not to spend too much time looking for Millstone coffee…

Newsflash: Today 03/03/2020

Walmart’s website is saying that a small range of Millstone coffee is available for in-store purchase only. No internet purchase, no home delivery! The kicker: the bags are only 50g or about 1.75oz (enough for a pot of coffee) – price unknown (expect to pay between $4 and $5 per bag).

What will I learn about Millstone Coffee and its fate?

Click to read each ‘chapter’ of the story

What happened to Millstone Coffee?

What will I learn about Millstone Coffee?

Was Millstone a stone around Smucker’s neck? Was Millstone Coffee discontinued?

Dear Fellow Coffee Lovers!

It seems that Millstone’s disappearance act has caught many by surprise! J.M. Smucker’s Millstone Coffee discontinued!

Addicted to a particular brand, blend, or region of coffee? I know I was addicted to several types over the years! So when that product is no longer available,  it can make finding something new to replace it quite difficult!

millstone gone smuckers

Today, Anthony wrote asking for some suggestions for a replacement for his much loved Millstone Columbian Coffee. I hope that he finds a good replacement as this blend seems to have been really popular!

Millstone: a stone around Smucker’s neck? Was Millstone Coffee discontinued?

A recent post @ VendingTimes indicated that there wasn’t enough demand to continue production of this coffee.

Citing lack of “sustainable demand,” J. M. Smucker Co. has decided to discontinue its Millstone Coffee brand.

With the Facebook page now gone, and no mention on the J.M. Smucker’s own list of brands, it seems Millstone Coffee has become another marque on the wall, despite maintaining some loyal fans, like Fred, David and me!

Is there any remaining Millstone coffee stock?

So where can you find remaining stock of Millstone coffee? And should you buy it? Well…

Searches of Amazon, DiscountCoffee.com (the remainder of the stock had been sold to them) revealed that there was still some Millstone coffee for sale, but you were looking at ‘frac packs’ of 1.75 oz or 50g designed for single use in retail environments. December 2019 checks of Discount Coffee reveals that there is no remaining stock.

Will the remaining Millstone coffee be stale?

That is a good question… did the coffee go stale yet? Probably not. But without new supplies coming on to the market, any coffee that is still for sale will have been roasted months ago.

Now coffee keeps fairly well in the vacuum packs, but the progress of time and air means that the gentle volatiles that give coffee their unique characteristics are deteriorating. Check the dates on the bags for when they were roasted or packed!

How can I replace my favorite Millstone coffee?

It can be hard to choose a replacement for your morning cuppa routine. So I suggest that you try them at another time of the day when the morning cuppa is less important, and you don’t go ‘Yuck!’ if it is not what you expected!

I. Kirkland Columbian Supremo reigns supreme

What coffee is similar to Millstone Columbian Supremo?

From Fred in California

My favorite coffee – Millstone Columbian Supremo – is being discontinued and is now unavailable in stores here. Can you tell me what other brands or types of coffee beans might be similar in taste? I’ve tried several, and can’t seem to find anything. And thanks for your review of the Costco coffee……….it’s helpful.

Newsflash: Updated 3/20/2020… Walmart’s website is still saying that Millstone Columbian Supremo coffee is available for in-store purchase only.

But if that is not enough: I quite like the Costco/Kirkland Columbian Supremo, you can order it from Amazon or get it from Costco direct. For more information, check out my post at https://www.purelycoffeebeans.com/kirkland-coffee.


Alternatively, a World of Colombian Coffee

Of course, if you are willing to try different Colombian Coffees, you will discover coffee that is very sophisticated and affordable.


II. Lift that Fog? Outlook foggy for Millstone Foglifter

Where and how do I find Millstone Fog lifter?

Question from David in Wichita

Since you seem to be a coffee officianado, where and how do I find Millstone Fog lifter whole coffee beans? My searches have all been fruitless, thought you might have a handle on securing these beans as they seam to have dropped out of sight!

David

Millstone Foglifter was an own brand/blend of coffee, not a regional variety, and a rather popular one at that. It was blended from Arabica beans and incorporated both light and dark roasts to bring out a ‘bright, spicy aroma’ and a rich, full body. Since I’ve never tried this blend, I can’t recommend anything particular, but i always enjoy the Kenyan A++ for its good body.


III. Millstone Breakfast Blend

I received several questions about this famous morning eye-opener. Suffice to say.

Where can I order Millstone Breakfast Blend Coffee? I prefer whole beans!

from Marie in Texas

I’m sorry to say, Marie: You can’t. It is no longer available. So the next question should help you a little more!

Newsflash: Today 12/19/2019… Walmart’s website is saying that Millstone Breakfast Blend coffee is available for in-store purchase only.

What coffee should I try to replace Millstone Breakfast Blend?

from Pat in the USA

Buying a breakfast blend is hard to pin down, what makes a breakfast blend other than it being drunk for… oh, I don’t know… breakfast? Some prefer a more medium roast with a hit of caffeine, others specify more blending of Latin American coffee, … in Italy, for example, cappuccino or caffe latte are their ‘breakfast’ blends. I can only proffer some suggestions. Feedback most welcome!

For those who love K-cups… and there are a few!


For more traditional guys ‘n’ gals like myself and Marie!


In short…

Mornings will never be the same again; in the short term, buy whatever Millstone Coffee you can find, it’s going away. In the longer term, try some new coffee! Sorry but when one coffee pot is emptying, another is filling right as we speak!

Let me know what you think! IF you have a wonderful source for coffee from Colombia, why not share it below!
Best Wishes
Kenneth@ PurelyCoffeeBeans.com


At PurelyCoffeeBeans, I’ve answered lots of questions over the years. You’ll find the questions and their answers scattered throughout the site! I’m always open to more questions, if you’re frustrated or curious, or you want to review a coffee, why don’t you drop me a line!

This week we welcome…!


Millstone Coffee: What was Millstone Coffee’s winning formula?

PurelyCoffeeBeans reckons that a bag of Millstone coffee he just bought, the Colombian Supremo, was a satisfying medium roasted coffee bean. I’d seen this brand of coffee beans in the store for quite some time, and noted that the bag seemed a little bigger than other products.

So after trying the others, I decided to find out a little more about the different varieties of Millstone and buy these coffee beans. Perhaps it’s the ethos of the founder, perhaps the idea of freshly roasted beans, perhaps a carefully built reputation and range of products… The results? Surprisingly good.

What happened in the early days of Millstone Coffee?

Millstone Coffee had been around since its founder, Phil Johnson, who was busy selling hundred pounds sacks of whole beans to specialty coffee shops in Seattle in 1981. Johnson’s beans were in demand because even if he took a loss, he would not sell beans that did not live up to his standards of perfection.

Can Millstone really sell premium coffee for everyone?

Deciding that everyone should be able to have a premium cup of coffee without the premium price, Phil Johnson approached supermarkets with a novel idea—he would provide, clean and service bins to hold coffee beans that he would deliver, freshly roasted, each week. Ordinary people on a realistic budget could then buy coffee beans where they shop and enjoy good coffee at home!

Nowadays, in common with many brands, they are part of the portfolio of products at The J.M. Smucker Company that also holds Folgers Coffee, Dunkin Donuts Coffee, and several other really well known brands of coffee.

What is Millstone Coffee’s winning formula?

This novel approach to marketing and concern for his customers has helped make Johnson’s company, Millstone, become one of the top names in the coffee business. Whether you like light, medium, medium dark or espresso roast there is a coffee that you will like.

There are over thirty blends to choose from, both regular and decaffeinated as well as flavored coffees to enjoy. Millstone claims that only 15% of coffee beans on the market meet their exacting requirements and you can taste it every time you brew a cup from their beans.

A. Millstone’s Light Roasts

Millstone Coffee Light Roast tastes light and mild. Since the oils aren’t burned out, it is smooth and has all the aroma that darker roasts don’t. The Breakfast, Hawaiian and Kona blends are all light roasted and very, very popular. Foglifter, a medium roast, is a blend of light and dark roasts that has a bright aroma and full body that has made it a perfect way to start your day.

Millstone coffee thumbB. Medium Roasted Blends, too

Columbian and Columbian Supremo are both medium roasts. Dark color, a faintly bittersweet taste and full body are characteristics of Millstone’s medium roasts. This type of coffee bean is a best seller because of the flavor and aroma. And it’s a favorite now in this household!

Millstone Coffee is one of the few that produce a medium dark roast which combines the bright qualities of light roasting with the flavor intensity of medium roasting. Organic Nicaraguan Mountain Twilight and Organic Rainforest Reserve are both medium dark roasted as well as being certified as grown without the use of pesticides or other harmful chemicals.

C. Turning to the dark side

Dark roasting, although it burns away some of the oils that give coffee beans their flavor, produce a darker color and a stronger, more robust flavor. French Roast, Espresso and Italian Roast are all dark roasted beans.

Here, Millstone offers two other organics beans, Deep Peruvian Forest and Mayan Black Onyx. The Black Onyx is Millstone’s darkest, grown in the mountains of Southern Mexico; it is mellow and full bodied, slow roasted to lock in the smoky flavor of each bean.

D. Flavored Varieties, too

You can also enjoy flavored coffees such as Carmel Truffle, French Vanilla, Chocolate Velvet and seasonal favorites like Holiday Peppermint and Pumpkin Spice to add extra joy to the different coffee seasons!

Millstone is not the cheapest coffee in the supermarket by any means and it’s often made me think twice about buying it, but it’s certainly one of the best and most recognizable brands there.

The fact you can get it at your local supermarket instead of making a special side trip for your coffee beans is a definite advantage. And one of the different varieties of Millstone coffee that you will appreciate in your cup as much as in your wallet!

As always drop me a line and let me know what you think about Millstone coffee varieties or my suggestions for replacements?


What are the best coffee brands, find out here!

Signature of PurelyCoffeeBeans in calligraphic brush style