Supermarket own-brand coffee crowned best in UK — better than Nescafé and Kenco

For many people, the day doesn’t officially begin until they’ve had a cup of coffee.

But if you’ve been buying branded jars from the likes of Nescafé, Kenco or Douwe Egberts to enjoy first thing, you might want to consider making a swap during your next grocery shop.

That’s because these branded giants have been beaten by a supermarket’s own-brand version of instant coffee in a taste test.

The test, led by the consumer experts at Which? featured a panel of 68 regular coffee drinkers who declared the Gold Roasts from M&S and Waitrose to be the best in the UK.

Which instant coffee is the ‘best’ in UK?

According to those involved in the taste test, M&S Gold Instant Coffee and Waitrose Gold Roast were the favourites of the panel, both scoring 70% overall. 

The M&S jar costs £3.75 for 100g and £7.25 for 200g and was said to score ‘well’ for flavour, aroma and appearance.

Nearly two-thirds of those who tried it were happy with the ‘strength of flavour’, while close to three-quarters approved of the bitterness levels.

It’s not the cheapest option, but Which? points out it ‘does well ethically’ as it displays the Fairtrade logo.

Waitrose Gold Roast is similarly priced at £3.70 for 100g and £6.50 for 200g, and performed well across the board for its appearance and aroma.

Tasters declared it had ‘decent flavour’, the strength was ‘spot on’, and it had an ‘enjoyable bitter tang’.

The verdict: ‘This Waitrose coffee isn’t cheap, but it’s a crowd-pleaser.’

The branded coffees, such as Douwe Egberts Pure Gold and Nescafé Gold Blend, followed closely behind these two supermarket favourites, both scoring 69% in the test.

Nescafé divided taste testers as they couldn’t decide if it was bitter enough, while Douwe Egberts missed out on the top spot due to its high price (£8 for 190g). Otherwise, these options scored well across all other areas.

For those looking for a cheaper coffee, Aldi won the Great Value recommendation for its Alcafé Gold Roast, which costs £2.65 for 200g.

This scored 68% in the test, being approved for its bitterness levels and flavour, but it missed out on more points as some wanted it to be a ‘little stronger’.

Kenco Indulgence (£8.35 for 195g) also scored 68%, followed by Co-op Fairtrade Gold Roast (£3.55 for 200g), which scored 67%, and Morrisons Gold Roast (£2.65 for 200g) and Sainsbury’s Gold Roast (£2.85 for 200g) both scored 65%.

Asda Gold Roast (£2.65 for 200g) and Ocado Gold Roast (£3 for 200g) tied at 64%, while Lidl’s Bellarom Gold (£2.65 for 200g) was in last place with a score of 61%.

Tesco’s own-brand coffee is notably absent from the final rankings.

How was the test conducted?

More than 800 cups of coffee were brewed and tasted by a panel of 68 people from across the UK.

All of the coffees were tested blind, so no one knew which brand they were drinking, and there were no preconceptions.

Each taster had their own booth, so they couldn’t discuss their thoughts with anyone else.

The overall scores were based on 50% flavour, 30% appearance, 10% aroma and 10%  mouthfeel for each coffee brand. Everyone also shared what they liked and disliked about each coffee.

This comes after another taste test saw a supermarket own-brand tin of baked beans beat Heinz.

Earning an overall rating of 77%, Aldi and Lidl were tied in the top spot, narrowly edging out the big-brand favourite despite being more than three times cheaper.

Aldi’s Bramwells beans (a reigning champion of the annual ranking) were praised for texture and taste by the majority of testers, who agreed that they were pleasantly sweet.

Metro reader Gwen agrees, writing in to say that after switching to the German supermarket’s offering a few years back, she’s ‘never looked back’ and adding: ‘For the price, they are an extremely good product.’

At 40p a can, they were hailed as an ‘excellent all-rounder’ by Which?, winning Best Buy and Great Value awards.

Lidl also scooped these titles for its budget Newgate beans, which scored similarly well across the board at an equally purse-friendly 40p.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Comments Add as preferred source