Marks & Spencer's Gold Instant Coffee has been named the best-rated instant gold blend coffee by Which?, scoring an impressive 70% in a blind taste test. Priced at £7.25 for 200g, it earned a Best Buy status, beating out Nescafé and other well-known brands.
The test involved 68 coffee lovers sampling 12 different instant gold-roast-style coffees, including brands like Nescafé and supermarket own-brands from Asda, Lidl, Waitrose, and Sainsbury's. M&S coffee was praised for its smooth and creamy taste, without the bitterness often associated with instant coffee.
Journalist Niamh Kirk compared the M&S gold roast against Nescafé gold roast. She found the M&S coffee milder, smoother, and less bitter than Nescafé, though weaker in strength. She noted that adding a little more granules easily solves the strength issue.
Waitrose's Gold Roast also scored 70%, priced at £3.70 for 100g, sharing the top spot. Douwe Egberts Pure Gold secured joint second place with 69%, costing £8 for 190g.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “Instant coffee remains popular because it’s quick, convenient, and requires no special equipment, but our taste test shows that big brands are not a guarantee of a better brew. Shoppers can save money by opting for supermarket gold blends, which can deliver just as much flavour and balance as the big-name alternatives and often for far less money.”
