Folgers coffee pods is today’s story and we’ll start as we usually do with a brief history of the Folgers Coffee Company. Folgers coffee company has quite a colorful history and unfortunately also a hint of sadness. Like a lot of the big brands of today, Folgers coffee pods started out over a hundred years ago. As a matter of fact, Folgers dates back to 1850 in San Francisco, California and the Summer of Love. Oh wait, that’s a different story and a different era.
So before I get started rambling on about Folgers coffee pods, if you just want to grab them right away, they’re available at Amazon at a pretty decent price I think.
Though in 1850 Folgers did truly get its start when it first came into being and was called Pioneer Steam Coffee and Spice Mills. Not sure what steam coffee is, but it does sound intriguing. As with most companies that have a history of a hundred years or more, the company that would go on to make Folgers coffee singles was named after its founder. Not the original guy who started Pioneer Steam Coffee, but James A. Folgers from Nantucket Island who moved to San Fran during the California Gold Rush with his two older brothers when he was 15.
Continued history of the Folgers coffee pods
In 1872, not sure what age young Jimmy was then, he acquired the Pioneer Steam Coffee company and named it after himself. The story gets more interesting a couple of generations later when under Peter Folger (Jimmy’s great-grandson), Folgers coffee pods et al become one of the largest coffee companies in North America and therefore the world. Seeing as how North America is the biggest consumer of coffee in the world. Here there is also sadness. Peter Folger is the father of Abigail Folger. Some of you might know the name of Abigail as one of the victims of the Manson murders.
Sad and tragic but that is not what this post on Folgers coffee pods is about. In 1963, Folgers was bought by Proctor and Gamble and then spun off into a division of P & G’s J.M. Smucker company. I’ve written about the J.M. Smucker Company before because they also acquired and now produce Millstone coffee pods.
Strictly about Folgers coffee pods
Folgers coffee pods are single serve coffee pods that fit the Senseo Pod Coffee Maker which is a coffee pod brewer. These coffee pods by Senseo are not proprietary which is one of the reasons I’m a fan. As many coffee companies have entered into this market to produce a coffee pod and espresso pods for the Senseo coffee makers. The Folgers coffee pods I wouldn’t consider to be gourmet coffee pods, not like the Senseo pods which have a greater variety of roasts, tastes and flavor profiles. However, if you enjoy your Folgers coffee, then you will be very happy with the Folgers coffee pods.
There are a few varieties of these coffee pods to enjoy, including Folgers Classic Roast, Folgers decaf coffee pods and Folgers Mountain Roast. As I mentioned earlier they’re available at Amazon as well as other places too, probbably WalMart and other grocery stores, though I haven’t checked so I can’t be certain.
Folgers coffee pods are not to be confused with Folgers coffee singles which are basically coffee tea bags that contain instant coffee. A great way to enjoy instant coffee while on the road, instant coffee is not the same as roasted coffee from coffee beans and has a very different flavor profile. Some folks like it, and I’m not a coffee snob who frowns upon such choices though I personally prefer the taste of roasted coffee from coffee beans. Nevertheless, it is a viable option and Folgers has been in the coffee business a lot longer than Starbucks and likely has created a very enjoyable Folgers instant coffee if that is your preference.
Before concluding, I should mention that Folgers coffee pods are designed for the Home Cafe System which is single serve coffee maker made by Black & Decker. Similarly priced to the Senseo coffee machine, it is a little more expensive, and if you have a Senseo coffee pod maker then you don’t need the Home Cafe System to enjoy your Folgers coffee pods.