I tried supermarket own-brand coffees – a brew tastes exactly like Nescafe at a fraction of the price and it’s not Aldi
PLENTY of us love a good coffee and have all the fancy kit to prove it.
But an instant brew is often enough to hit the spot. We drink 98 million cups a day and 80 per cent of us buy instant coffee to drink at home.
And doing so will save you cash.
A single latte at Pret could set you back around £3.50 but you can buy a whole jar of instant for that. Opt for a supermarket own-brand and it may cost you as little as £1.50 for 25 cups.
But how will it taste?
I tried some best-selling instant coffees and rated them. Here's the verdict:
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Kenco Smooth Medium Roast (100g)
- £3.50
- £3.50 per 100g
Easy drinking, inoffensive, smells and tastes good for an instant.
Quite a reliable option if you want a jar of instant at home. It's the price that's a problem.
Kenco costs nearly three times as much as most supermarket own brand coffees making it a costly addition to your trolley.
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- Taste: 9/10
- Value: 5/10
- Overall score: 7/10
Nescafe Original (100g)
- £3.30
- £3.30 per 100g
The Nescafe had an appealing aroma, classic flavour and was smooth to drink without being too strong. I wasn't overwhelmed though.
It's basic and very expensive for what it is and actually, I thought some of the cheaper brands were just as good without the high price tag - Aldi was very similar if you like this but want to save money.
- Taste: 7/10
- Value: 5/10
- Overall score: 6/10
Essential Waitrose Rich Roast Coffee (100g)
- £1.30
- £1.30 per 100g
I'm usually a big fan of the Essential Waitrose range but this was very disappointing. It barely tasted like coffee at all. It was weak, watery and had a rather odd colour, like dirty dish water.
Shame the taste isn't up to scratch as it is a good price and it's Fairtrade. But I had to tip it down the sink.
- Taste: 2/10
- Value: 2/10
- Overall score: 2/10
Morrisons Full Roast (100g)
- £1.49
- £1.49 per 100g
Morrisons' offering wasn't bad at all, with citrussy notes and a smooth taste. You do need two scoops to make it strong enough which means it isn't necessarily as good value as it first appears.
I got through the jar pretty quickly. Still not a bad option though given it's over £2 cheaper per 100g than big brand Kenco.
- Taste: 8/10
- Value: 7/10
- Overall score: 8/10
Tesco Classic Instant Coffee (200g)
- £2.70
- £1.35 per 100g
Not a good way to start the day. It's very strong, but has a tinny taste which didn't smell nice or taste good.
If you’re not fussy, it is £2.15 cheaper per 100g than Kenco and will save you a packet on takeaway coffees. But to me, it tasted a bit stale.
- Taste: 3/10
- Value: 4/10
- Overall score: 3/10
Asda Rich Roast Instant Coffee (200g)
- £2.25
- £1.12 per 100g
Mixed well, quite strong with a lovely rounded, smooth flavour.
I thought this was a decent alternative to the top brands at a fraction of the price.
It was a little bitter but adding milk gave it a lovely full-bodied taste. Top marks for Asda.
- Taste: 10/10
- Value: 10/10
- Overall score: 10/10
Aldi Alcafe Gold Roast (200g)
- £2.49
- £1.24 per 100g
Aldi's Gold Roast option was sweeter than many of the others we tried, but I liked it all the more for it.
It's very competitive on price at just £1.24 for 100g and if tasted blind, you'd definitely think this was a branded coffee.
It was very similar to Nescafe and only a fraction of the cost.
- Taste: 8/10
- Value: 10/10
- Overall score: 9/10
Lidl Bellarom Rich Roast Instant Coffee (200g)
- £1.99
- 99.5p per 100g
A strong caramel aroma as you open the jar, this Lidl coffee smells like a sweet Crunchie bar, but I didn't let that put me off.
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It has a mellow and smooth taste, with caramel notes, not bad at all and the cheapest instant we tried at just under a £1 per 100g.
- Taste: 9/10
- Value: 10/10
- Overall score: 9/10