Maxwell House coffee to go 100 pct arabica

By Marcy Nicholson

NEW YORK, July 23 (Reuters) - Kraft Foods Inc. is changing the blend of its flagship coffee brand, Maxwell House, to give "mainstream America" a richer, less bitter cup of coffee, a spokesman said on Monday. Maxwell House, Kraft's biggest coffee brand in the United States, will be made of 100 percent arabica beans starting this autumn, with the exception of its instant coffee and Master Blend, Kraft's senior vice-president and general manager of coffee in North America, John LeBoutillier, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"She may not know arabica by name, but this is a flavor that has a pronounced impact," LeBoutillier said about the average consumer.

The coffee is currently a blend of arabica beans, typically used in brewed coffee, and robusta, used to make instant coffee and as a less expensive blending option for brewed java.

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