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Folgers Gets More Coffee Out of Fewer Beans

Folgers and other brands of coffee have faced various lawsuits recently alleging that it is impossible to get the full number of cups of coffee promised on each canister. Now the lawyers may have a real field day because Folgers has dramatically dropped the number of ounces on some its canisters but kept the number of cups that each will yield the same.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Folgers 51 -43.5

Each 51-ounce canister lost 7.5 ounces, bringing the size down to just 43.5 ounces, but you still supposedly get 400 cups. When asked on Twitter about this, the company explained the change:

We have employed a new, roasting technology that makes the most out of every bean — resulting in lighter-weight coffee grounds that deliver the same taste you love across the same number of brewed cups. Through the use of this new roasting process, we’re able to get more coffee flavor from each bean while providing the same amount of coffee servings. The total weight of our coffee products will be reduced, but the amount of coffee you receive, by way of total servings, will remain the exact same. Hope this clears up any confusion.

This reminds MrConsumer of a similar response P&G made perhaps 35 years ago about their flaked coffee. They said they had fluffed up the beans so much, exposing more surfaces of the grounds, that they could no longer fit 16 ounces in the can. But, it would still make as many cups as the original.

Folgers Flaked Coffee

Other Folgers coffee containers, old and new, spotted on retailers’ websites recently are real head-scratchers too:

Folgers differences

It is not the new math. The middle container was subject to the new bean processing technology.

Note: Packages are displayed only to show numerical changes in net contents. Physical package dimensions may or may not be to scale.

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11 thoughts on “Folgers Gets More Coffee Out of Fewer Beans”

  1. Let’s suppose Folgers is correct, and the new coffee makes the same while using less. Most people won’t know and will continue scooping out the same amount they always scoop out.

    If they really made it so that the new coffee makes more coffee, they could have kept the size the same, yet told us it now makes 469 cups. Maybe even bumped to a slightly bigger size to claim 500 cups.

  2. Is there a measurable standard for coffee strength that is used to determine the quality of the brewed product? Or is this just a consensus of opinions? Hired by Folger’s no doubt, so you know it’s gotta be on the up and up.

    I have always used Dunkin’ coffee. The 30 oz container is rated at 100 6 oz cups. This the ‘original blend medium roast’ version. This container lasts me for about 5-6 weeks, with one pot per day. Too strong compared to Folgers? There is a Colombian version,but I have no opinion of that product

  3. Your reporting of this is mildly deceptive. Folgers doesn’t say you WILL get 400 cups. They say UP TO 400 cups.

    That said, this is really just another example of product downsizing that you’ve been pointing out on a regular basis. Same size container, same price, less product.

    • The “up to” way of measuring products needs to stop. What prevents them from simply claiming “up to 1000 cups”? If challenged, they can clarify that you can get 1000 cups of really weak coffee.

  4. All you need to do is use just one granule of coffee per cup and you fully can go past 400 cups per container.

    Maybe they did improve the process. We need some coffee junkies to test this out with the old and new containers.

    This could be nothing but company BS.

    At 51 ounces you would need 0.1275 ounce scoops for 400 cups
    At 43.5 ounces you would need 0.10875 ounce scoops for 400 cups.

    You have to be extra accurate to get that 400 cups out of it.

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