Supermarket own-brand coffees from M&S and Waitrose have been named joint Best Buy in a Which? taste test of 12 gold-roast-style instant coffees, beating household names Kenco and Nescafé into second place.
M&S and Waitrose top the rankings
M&S Gold Instant Coffee, priced at £7.25 for 200g, secured top honours for its taste, aroma and packaging. Almost two-thirds of testers were pleased with the strength of flavour, while nearly three-quarters approved of its bitterness level. It was also one of just two coffees in the entire test to bear the Fairtrade mark.
Waitrose Gold Roast claimed joint first place alongside M&S, equally receiving the prestigious 'Best Buy' accolade. It delivered solid results throughout, creating an instant favourable impression with its appearance and aroma. Over half of participants believed the coffee's strength was spot on, with almost two-thirds valuing its bitter characteristics. The Waitrose product was priced at £3.70 for 100g, rendering it more expensive per gram than the Marks and Spencer equivalent.
How the leading brands fared
The panel of 68 coffee lovers sampled 12 instant gold-roast-style coffees, working through over 800 test cups throughout the assessment. These featured well-known names including Nescafé, Douwe Egberts and Kenco, which were tested alongside nine supermarket own-label alternatives from Asda, Lidl and Sainsbury's.
Nescafé Gold Blend was listed at £8.35 for 190g, matching the price of a 195g jar of Kenco. The former fared well among the 68 taste testers, falling short of 'Best Buy' recognition by merely a single point. Around half were pleased with the flavour of both Nescafé and Kenco, though a third believed they didn't provide a sufficiently robust coffee kick.
Aldi takes the Great Value award
Aldi Barissimo Gold Roast Freeze Dried Coffee was given the Great Value recommendation by Which?, at just £2.65 for 200g. Testers reacted favourably to its aroma, with nearly two-thirds endorsing its bitterness balance and just under half relishing the overall flavour. A marginally stronger coffee taste might have elevated it to an even more appealing choice.
Customers can save more than £1 with every jar of the M&S coffee bought compared to the leading brands, while also getting more coffee per jar.
