A supermarket own-brand coffee has been named the best in Britain, surpassing established names like Kenco and Nescafe in a recent taste test. The M&S Gold Instant Coffee, priced at £7.25 for 200g, offers customers savings of over £1 per jar compared to leading brands, while also providing more coffee per jar.
Which? Taste Test Results
A panel of 68 coffee enthusiasts evaluated 12 different instant gold-roast-style coffees, consuming over 800 test cups in total. The tasting included household names such as Nescafe, Douwe Egberts, and Kenco, alongside nine supermarket own-label options from Asda, Lidl, and Sainsbury's.
Two supermarket coffees particularly impressed the panel, with another retailer earning the Great Value award for the perfect balance of quality and price.
M&S and Waitrose Take Top Spots
Nescafe Gold Blend cost £8.35 for 190g, while Kenco was priced similarly for 195g. Although Nescafe performed strongly among the tasters, it missed out on 'Best Buy' recognition by just one point. Around half of the participants were satisfied with the taste of both Nescafe and Kenco, but a third felt they lacked a sufficiently strong coffee kick.
The Which? investigation revealed that M&S and Waitrose emerged as the winners. The M&S Gold Instant Coffee achieved the highest scores for taste, aroma, and packaging. Nearly two-thirds of participants approved of its flavor intensity, and almost three-quarters were satisfied with the bitterness balance.
The M&S coffee also excelled on ethical grounds, being one of only two coffees in the test to hold Fairtrade certification.
Waitrose Gold Roast jointly claimed first place with M&S, also securing the 'Best Buy' award. It impressed immediately with its appearance and aroma, with over half of participants considering its strength ideal and nearly two-thirds enjoying its bitter characteristics. The Waitrose product was priced at £3.70 for 100g, representing a higher cost per gram than the M&S option.
Aldi's Great Value Winner
Aldi's Barissimo Gold Roast Freeze Dried Coffee received Which?'s Great Value endorsement, costing just £2.65 for 200g. Participants reacted positively to its aroma, with close to two-thirds satisfied with the bitterness balance and just under half pleased with the overall taste. A slightly stronger coffee profile could have made it an even more attractive option.
