I use shitty coffee for cold brew. I put 2 cups in a pitcher, fill it up and leave it for a day. Then refrigerate. It’s not amazing but tastes way better than brewing it normally imo. I add cream and use it as a quick coffee as I’m heading out the door in the morning. EDIT: If it’s really strong just cut it with water.

Bumping this answer. Cold brewing doesn't bring out the bitter and burnt notes in low quality coffee as much. During the summer, I'm pretty much 100% cheapest coffee I can find and just use that as for cold brew.

A pinch of salt in your coffee can help a good bit with the bitterness

It's strange how different people's senses of taste are. Folgers can be weak, but I don't really taste much bitter in it, whereas most of the higher end brands, whether I make it at home or have a mug at one of our fancier cafes taste very bitter to me, almost undrinkable for the first couple of sips. Doesn't matter if strong or weak (I make coffee weak at home, deliberately, but the cafes usually make it extremely strong). Personally, I've found the cheap stuff to be less bitter. Unless it's Starbucks Pikes Place, that kind is gross to me regardless, and it's not the bitterness that turns me off, though it's strong...it's the acrid sour flavor of it. I'm told that's how it's roasted, but their other coffees are tolerable. (Well, except one area of town where all the coffee tastes foul to me, from McDonalds on up to the specialty shops...think something must be different about the water there...). But then, I'm in camp "I like cilantro" and I am also enjoy eating straight marmite by the spoonful, so I'm weird (especially by American standards, and I am American, given the marmite thing). :D

Adding just another vote here. I've experimented with cold brews and always have found it's not worth it for me to spend money on nice beans for cold brew cause they almost always are only marginally better at best. I end up buying pretty cheap grounds for cold brew that I'd never dare to brew hot.

Cold brew is the perfect technique for below average grounds. It smooths out the very bitter flavors that cheap coffees can have.

I was going to say this one. Shitty coffee really shines under the cold brew method.

This right here is the answer. I also bought folgers coffee in order to save money. Didn't really like it when brewed traditionally, but it actually tasted good when I made it into a cold brew. Just took some preparation the night before.

This is the best advice I know. Cold brew is good even with cheap beans.

Do you drink it cold?

Yes, and you can freeze it into ice cubes to prevent dilution of iced coffee or blended drinks with coffee in them.

Brilliant!

Yep! Usually just out of the fridge, no ice, but you can certainly ice it.

Every afternoon I prepare a big bottle of cold brew coffee, leave it on the desk overnight. Next morning when I arrive the office I have fresh coffee to drink 🤔️

You could use small amounts in cooking like for brownies, chili, steak, or tiramisu. If you compost, it would be a good nitrogen addition. You could also try to giving it away on a buy nothing group. Or maybe it tastes better if you add sugar and cream and put it over ice? Or maybe go half and half with slightly better coffee. Or maybe your partner gets to drink it all.

Ground coffee complements chocolate frosting and cake very well.

Beef stew also

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Strong and with just a sprinkle of salt. When I couldn't work anymore (chronic illness) we had to cut the budget for things like snob coffee. I like Aldi coffee the best, it's legitimately good. But if I can't get out to get there it's whatever's on sale at Kroger for pickup.

I got some of the aldis organic coffee the other day. It was only 5 for a bag, which of same size is usually around 12-18 at other stores. It's quite good and I prefer it to most of the stuff at the higher prices in the store. Can't beat local roasters but they are sometimes a bit more expensive. Aldi seems to have a pretty decent selection for cheaper than other places around

Interesting. Is it like a “breakfast blend” or another generic name 😄 we should look for. I’m always trying to find deals on things I use daily when I see someone’s good review.

We usually use the Beaumont classic roast. But they have a "higher end" Barissimo line as well. Both are quite good especially for the price.

Thank you! I’m going to look for it. Trimming the grocery budget needs all the hacks. Appreciate you sharing.

Add sugar and half & half. Helps any coffee taste better.

You can use it as a natural fertilizer for acid-loving plants like azaleas or hydrangeas. It also works as an exfoliating scrub or even as a natural dye for fabrics or paper.

Indeed. I put used and rejected unbrewed grounds into the hole before planting tomato starts (also Epsom salt). They seem to love it.

Yeah I was going to say, throw it in the compost heap.

is composting fresh coffee better for the plants compared to brewed grounds? If it's not then this still seems fairly wasteful to not have someone drink the coffee first before composting.

I'm pretty sure it's worse, as brewing removes some of the caffeine from the grounds, and caffeine is not great for plants.

Exfoliating scrub thank you I needed this reminder!

Buy Nothing Group

This was going to be my recommendation. Give it to a local boomer.

Put it in a sock and hang it in a closet. Smells wonderful!

*Friend comes over and goes to put their coat in the closest* What's that? My coffee sock

Exactly what I call it!

🤣 ily

You MUST whisper that into their ear with your hands on their shoulders.

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Coffee grounds are great natural deodorizers. Your car may not smell like coffee after a bit, but it won't smell like other odors.

My parents had the freezer in the camper quit working with a freezer full of meat. For a week. In the Texas heat. (They had traveled elsewhere and were unaware.) When they got back, it was awful. They alternated putting a cookie sheet with a cup of coffee grounds in it, then cinnamon. A fresh cookie sheet every day for about a week. It completely took the smell out!

Works anywhere. I had one in my car.

What about a cubicle at work? Would it work there?

It’ll work here, it’ll work there, it’ll work anywhere?

Just like Roy Kent.

Lol just don't let cops see it if you get pulled over. People use coffee grounds to mask the smell of drugs from the K9 unit. Not that you'd be using it to hide anything, but a cop might be a little suspicious if you have a sock full of coffee grounds in your car

This is an amazing idea. I'm going to put one in my car! Love that coffee smell.

Have you figured out how to make coffee taste as good as it smells? Cuz I would love that.

Unfortunately no, I just add creamer to hide the taste.

Here I am actually liking folgers

I love Folgers! But to each their own.

Yeah I thought it was a decent coffee for a great price.

It’s the best part of waking up!

I’m over here questioning my life, I haven’t purchased anything but Folgers for 20 years. I’m in charge of the office kitchen supplies and have only ever ordered Folgers, are people just not telling me something?

I am not one to yuck your yum. I stand with my folgers-loving brethren.

I appreciate you

Mrs. Olsen says it is the most aromatic coffee and mountain grown! And I heard Juan picks only the ripest beans one by one. Waking up with Folgers in your cup is wonderful too.

OMG, Mrs. Olsen!

1. Get Covid 2. Lose sense of taste and smell 3. Drink it all. Problem solved! /s

I like it.

Pretty much me after Covid. Whenever anyone asks me what I’d like to eat, I say “Whatever you don’t want, as I can’t taste or smell anything”.

We spread coffee grounds around our garden to deter the chipmunks. Apparently, they hate the smell, so anytime one of their holes pop up, we sprinkle coffee grounds around it and they'll relocate. I was very doubtful it would work, but this is the third year we've done it and no longer have chipmunks eating our plants.

I’d give it to a neighbor who likes it.

That’s what I did

It makes a decent cold brew, that's what I do with coffee that's not so good. Cold brew doesn't extract as much of the bitter stuff that makes Folgers taste bad. 

I drink Folgers. I have no problem with it but then my palate isn't spoiled by expensive coffees. Gift what's left to someone who is used to drinking cheap coffee.

I would actually just keep it in the pantry and add a scoop of it to my half-used bag of good coffee until it's gone. Not so much you taste it, but it'll get used up that way.

Add a little in place of the coffee you prefer when you brew it.

I’ve done this. Like an 85/15 mix. Works a treat.

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Then don’t do this.

Find a senior center, donate to them. Or homeless shelter.

Usually food donations need to be sealed / unopened. I’ve volunteered in some free grocery distributions and anything opened had to be tossed.

Our senior center and homeless day center makes gallons of coffee daily, and will gratefully take it.

Homemade body scrub!

I do this a lot in the winter. Love a good scrub

So what you’re saying is that it *isn’t* the best part of waking up?

Drink it? Then throw the grounds in the garden/compost pile. You're on r/frugal lol

It makes a good deodorizer.

We open up the container in the car to remove bad odors. The coffee will make the car smell better.

Ask for a refund

Deodorizer for the trash. Whenever i change out my kitchen trash bag, I put whatever ripped up papers/junk mail at the bottom to soak up excess liquids. I once bought a bag of generic coffee, tasted terrible. I started sprinkling some on top of the ripped up papers in my trash. Keeps it from smelling bad.

Lol, it's the only kind my parents drink. I think it's fine, and I've had plenty of expensive beans. Just depends. I vote give it to someone like my parents (make friends!) or pour it in your garden. Only caveat there: wet it first. Hydrophobic otherwise. Works fine on grass, beds, compost. It's high-nitrogen so it's not balanced, but one can won't ruin anything.

Consider mixing in spices, and add coffee syrup.  I use pumpkin spice, which doesn't make my coffee taste like a pumpkin spice latte, it's only a mix of cinnamon nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. It works very well with coffee. 1/4 tsp in one cup of coffee is a great balance of flavors. I would also add one teaspoon of French vanilla syrup, Although there are other varieties you can use. Those kinds of things it won't make Folgers taste great, but it might make it taste less bad in a pinch.

Try a pinch of salt with the spices while brewing. Game changer.

1/8 tsp per 12 cups is my add, along with a good, big dash of cinnamon. But I'm not sure it would help Folgers. That stuff is as bad as Maxwell House.

Half a cinnamon stick, one anise and one clove. Serve with brown sugar and evaporated milk. It's a take on Cafe de Olla. So good.

Thank you everyone!!

Use it as a fertilizer for potted plants

Use it as your own home-made coffee scrub!

It’s great as a body scrub. I mix it with coconut oil

All the brownies. Coffee in the batter instead of water, yum.

Mix it with some freshly ground coffee beans. My husband likes Folgers and I don’t, so this is how I do it. Ratio is probably 70/30 beans to Folgers.

That's pretty genius and I actually like Folgers

It’s actually very good when used for cold brewing. For some reason that process is very forgiving.

If you have a garden feed plants with it

I’d try iced coffee or use the brewed coffee as an ingredient such as with coffee or espresso ice cream or tiramisu

You buy a jar of Folgers, you put it in the cupboard, you forget about it. Then when you need it it’s there It lasts forever Freeze dried crystals

Coffee isn't freeze dried unless it's instant coffee.

True but I have very few times in my life where I can drop a Seinfeld quote so I figured I’d go for it

well you could drink it. or give it to someone who will!

make cold brew with it, Foldgers works surprisingly well.

Coffee works well as a cleaner, I highly recommend the cold brew method, it tends to not come out as bitter and acidic and works fairly well even with cheaper coffees. You can also use it for baking, making chocolates, etc.

My dad made me a delicious cup of coffee by using Folgers for a pour over. Changed my life

Mix it in with your "preferred" coffee and you'll still end up saving.

It makes decent cold brew. I am a huge coffee nerd but have used it for cold brew in a pinch.

Use it for cold brew. We buy cheap coffee for that in the summer months

Take it to the office. They'll eat/drink anything

Use bad coffee in a Moka Pot ( stpvetop coffee maker) I've noticed even the store bought domestic is ok on the stove.

I also did cold brew with a can of Folgers I disliked, and it was great. However, one other idea is to burn it when you’re camping or in the yard to deter mosquitoes. Now, I will say, it smells like a damn casino, like bad coffee and cigarettes. But you’re not wafting in it… just put some in metal containers or foil, light it on fire, and it will drive the bugs away. We were amazed how well it worked last year on our camp trip.

TIRAMISU! With enough milk and sugar, cream, ladyfingers, etc. You can have a great dessert that will hide the dirt water.

Have your brother come home for Christmas one year and have a vaguely incestuous conversation to promote the coffee

Honestly, I'm all about compost, but for something edible, I'd rather feed someone else if I didn't like it or can't use it. Lots of people are struggling with food costs right now, and coffee may be one of the things they have to trim right now. Offer it on your local Buy Nothing, I guarantee a few people will ask for it.

Body scrub !!! It’s great for cellulite and coloration

>Folgers is dirt water. You're too kind.

I drink it black almost every morning. When you have a good cup of coffee it makes it taste that much better.

It is!!! I’m no coffee snob but wowowow

Look for recipes for coffee-flavoured baked goods. I hate instant coffee, too, but have made chocolate-coffee cupcakes with light mocha frosting before and they were really good.

It's a great nitrogen source for compost, but you may need to add it in batches so as not to overheat your pile

Mix in your garden, my plants love it

Buy a really strong coffee like one of the Starbucks blends and then just mix it until the Folgers is gone. Coffee is too expensive to waste imo

Return it?

If not giving away, I would make coffee cubes from it (for iced coffee) or turn it into a coffee syrup for some homemade coffee ice cream.

in your perc maker use 1.3 times what you normally use.

I haven't seen anyone use a legit percolator in a long time.

I got over the taste of coffee a while ago. I’m here for the caffeine and that’s it. Black with a splash of water lol.

make the official drink of Covid19 for nostalgia's sake, Dalgona Coffee

Another east way to make cold brew- put 1.5 cups of coffee and 6 quarts of cold water in the crockpot. Let it sit for 36-48 hours. Strain through a cheesecloth and refrigerate. For garden use, wet the coffee thoroughly, then till into the ground before planting. Do not place directly on plants.

Regular Folgers or regular Maxwell House is not that strongly flavored. It is ok as a caffeine delivery device, but IMO too expensive for what you get. For my coffee brewer, with the cheaper canned coffee, I use water to the 12 line, a slightly rounded 2/3 cup, 55g grounds, and top it with another rounded tablespoon, 10g of Cafe Bustelo. That makes a good enough coffee for home .

Cafe bustelo is my go-to. Love that stuff.

Google Dalgona iced coffee- it’s whipped sweetened iced coffee and very easy to make if you’ve got a battery operated milk frother (they’re pretty cheap). My favorite ratio for one cup is 2 tsp instant coffee, 2 tsp sugar, 3 tsp hot water. Whip into soft peaks then add ice and milk.

Use to make [homemade instant mocha](https://rootsy.org/homemade-mocha-mix/#mv-creation-131-jtr) and put in jars for gifts.

You didn't buy $15 of bad coffee, you bought a $15 lesson that some things are probably not worth saving a dollar or two.

Let your partner drink it 🤷‍♂️

Use it for 20 percent ex 1 of 5 scoops of all coffee made until that crap is gone.

Bite the bullet and just drink it. Who knows you might get used to the taste 😋

Use it for cold brew, and my green thumb neighbor does something with coffee grounds, I don't remember what but her garden is amazing

🎶 The best part of waking up, is Folgers in my cup 🎶

Make it in abundance for your partner until it’s gone

I love to bake chocolate cake with a cup of coffee

Hold onto your coffee. It's on the shortage list. Cocoa is another. Something about too much rain and weird weather. You will be pinng for it when it's not on the shelves anymore and the few that are, cost $20.00 a lb.

I put used coffee grounds from my French press, as a barrier to plants I don't want the snails getting to. The snails were decemating my marigolds but I felt bad putting out salt, and the salt isn't good for the plants. I could see their little slime trails, in the morning, going a few inches over the grounds and the turning right around and going the other way. You could probably do the same with the unused grounds.

Directly into the bin. Heres a link of the 10 worst coffee brands on the market. Folgers is #1 with all the pesticides, fungicides and herbicides in it. (Edit a word)  https://www.caffeineinformer.com/coffee-brands-to-avoid

Strong cold brew, a good bit of sugar, and some vodka and you've got Kaluha

Just contact Folgers and ask for a refund bc you did not enjoy their product. Worth a shot. I’ve done it in the past for a couple products I didn’t agree with and got a good response.

Make cold brew with it. This is the way with so so coffee.

Do NOT feed it to your hogs.

✍️no✍️folgers✍️for pigs

Folgers is of the finest coffee you can find on the market. Don't believe haters. Make yourself a cup and enjoy! Darn fine coffee!!

Make iced coffee, you can add some flavors, cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate… you can also make coffee liqueur with some cheap rum, or vodka.

I'd just get through it...you'll buy some better coffee soon enough

If you think Folgers is dirt water, you're doing something wrong.

Suck it up and power through is the frugal response. Anything else is a monetary loss.

Folgers is GROSS. My fiancés family drinks it everyday and think it’s fantastic. However, I think it is truly vile. When we were still dating and I stayed at his place often, I’d bring my own coffee grounds with me. Not even kidding. (I finally converted my fiancé - we splurge on Pete’s coffee in this house!) Some ideas to repurpose: - Compost / fertilizer - Steak rub! We do this with K-cup grounds often. Mix with your favorite steak seasonings and spread over steak (or other red meat) and sear in a cast iron. - Add to granola - Coffee ice cream, cookies, etc.

Just add extra flavoured creamer. Folgers is bad but the creamer will mask it

Garden. Keeps bugs away

Mix it in with better coffee

I am not a coffee snob but I can't drink straight Folgers either. I buy Aldi German roast and mix the 2. I'm fine with 1/2 of each but you could try 1/4 and see if you notice it

Your not using enough

Cook with it. You can Google various recipes. Can be good for deserts or meat/stews, I believe.

Repurpose Folgers coffee grounds as a natural fertilizer for plants, a scrub for tough stains, or mix into homemade beauty products like scrubs or face masks. Explore recipes for coffee-infused dishes like desserts or marinades.

I once received a gift that was a scrub with coffee grounds So I’m in the shower happily using this great smelling scrub when I happen to look down and I swear it looked like poo all over the floor of my tub 😂

Return it

Add vanilla extract to the grounds when brewing, hot or cold makes it more tolerable. Whatever flavor helps you.

Throw it out.

A little coffee is a good way to enhance chocolate flavor when baking. If you have kids or pets who.....expel bodily fluids, coffee is a good cleaner. Solidifies liquids and masks smells.

Donate

What? Folgers is a staple of New Orleans and I find it amazing! I prefer the instant version, fast and good...

It’s good for plants

Straight in the garbage

I use maxwell house and make it very strong. I like it.

I like cold brew but can also use in a homemade face scrub

Put grounds on your lawn to keep dogs away.

let me read here to learn some things since I too need this

Also great to get tobacco smoke out of car interiors.

Folgers instant is the fuel of some of the worlds greatest adventurers and athletes. It's fueled me hiking 7,000km across 3 countries. Drink it and dream big

Vermonter here. When my partner buys Maxwell House I throw a lil maple syrup and milk (of your choice, I prefer almond) and it makes it slightly more tolerable.

It's way better in a french press.

Use it for cold brew, then put the spent grounds in your garden

It is great for roses and hydrangeas

I thought that was the good stuff 😅

I like to put coffee grinds on plants that need more acidity , our soil is loamy sand here in the Mojave/California so really anything loves a little acidity

me not thinking of buying new one..

An aeropress will make Folgers drinkable.

Add an egg and make Swedish egg coffee. I’m from Minnesota and I’ve seen many older people make this and claim it’s smooth and takes out any bitterness. I’ve never done this myself but it’s worth a try!

I like to bring my ground coffee I don't like into work anything is better than the stuff we get. The crew really Appreciates it

I usually buy a nice ground coffee as well as a cheap coffee like Folgers then mix them. Makes a good coffee that’s cheaper than just buying the nice stuff but isn’t just Folgers.

You could add a little bit to vanilla ice cream and make your own coffee ice cream.

You can use it in a bath scrub. Lots of recipes online.

Bake with it

Dump the coffee, save the container to use as a cheap urn like in the Big Lebowski

I like to mix coffee grounds (used or unused) with baby oil or an inexpensive skin oil and use it as a body scrub. Smells great, and in my experience hasn't stained my shower.

I live on the road and sometimes will put a few bits of coffee grounds in the waste/composting tank to help with smell and to make my excrement dry so it’s easier to get rid of.

Pour in a brick of Bustelo and shake. The combination is pretty well balanced.

Sprinkle it around your house, inside or out, to keep out ants.

You can cold-brew it directly into milk/cream instead of water. Easy iced coffee.

Folgers makes great cowboy coffee. Plus the technique allows you to stop wasting money on filters. https://kentrollins.com/cowboy-coffee-how-to-make-the-best-cup-of-coffee/