Which? coffee experts have shared the best instant coffee in Britain after testing 12 coffees – and two supermarket own-label coffees beat Kenco and Nescafé to claim ‘Best Buy’ status
The UK’s favourite coffee has been named(Image: Guido Mieth via Getty Images)
A supermarket’s own-brand coffee has been named Britain’s finest, relegating established rivals Kenco and Nescafé to second place.
Priced at £7.25 for 200g, shoppers would save more than £1 with every jar bought compared to the market-leading brands, while also getting additional coffee per jar for those hectic mornings.
A panel of 68 coffee lovers sampled 12 instant gold-roast-style coffees, consuming over 800 test cups throughout the assessment.
These included well-known brands such as Nescafé, Douwe Egberts and Kenco, which were tested against nine supermarket own-brand alternatives from Asda, Lidl and Sainsbury’s.
Two supermarket coffees particularly impressed the panel, while another retailer claimed the Great Value award, striking the ideal balance between quality and affordability.
Nescafé Gold Blend was priced at £8.35 for 190g, matching the cost of a 195g jar of Kenco.
The former fared well amongst the 68 taste evaluators, falling short of ‘Best Buy’ status by merely one point.
Approximately half were content with the flavour of both Nescafé and Kenco, though a third felt they failed to provide a sufficiently robust coffee hit.
The Which? consumer champion study found that two supermarket brands came out on top: M&S and Waitrose. “If you want to upgrade from basic instant, bag yourself a tasty brew with our top-scoring gold blend coffee from MandS,” it advised.
The M&S Gold Instant Coffee, priced at £7.25 for 200g, received top marks across taste, aroma and packaging.
Nearly two-thirds of testers were happy with the strength of flavour, while almost three-quarters gave the thumbs up to the balance of bitterness.
The product also performed strongly on ethical grounds, being one of just two coffees in the entire test to carry the Fairtrade certification.
Waitrose Gold Roast shared the top spot with M&S, equally earning the coveted ‘Best Buy’ accolade.
It performed impressively across the board, making an immediate impact with its appearance and aroma.
More than half of those tested felt the coffee’s strength was spot on, with nearly two-thirds appreciating the bitter notes.
The Waitrose option was priced at £3.70 for 100g, making it more expensive per gram than the Marks and Spencer alternative.
Aldi’s Barissimo Gold Roast Freeze Dried Coffee was awarded Which?’s Great Value recommendation, coming in at just £2.65 for 200g.
Tasters responded warmly to its aroma, with close to two-thirds approving of the bitterness balance and just under half enjoying the overall flavour.
A slightly more pronounced coffee character could have made it an even more compelling choice.
