Christmas was a difficult period in the Coyle house - the Nespresso machine had a meltdown and was sent off on its holidays for a couple of weeks.
There was nothing else for it only to resort to instant coffee, previously considered blasphemy within these walls.
No better time to be asked to provide my thoughts on the supermarket’s own brand alternatives, as I braced for the bleak midwinter of a Nespresso-less festive period (other coffee machine brands are available).
Some were as harsh as expected, others surprised me, but let’s just say I’ll be welcoming my machine back at the front door with open arms in the days ahead.
Spar Gold Roast - Rating ♦♦♦
The first of my trial runs was badly needed as I flicked open the laptop for my first shift since Christmas - feeling a bit groggier than I normally would as I grabbed the Spar Gold Roast from the cupboard.
First impressions were that it was darker than most instant coffees and smelt like it certainly packed a punch.
As I waited for the standard bitterness associated with instant to come, it never materialised and actually turned out to be quite bland.
At one stage I did question whether I was drinking a cup of tea. No bad thing to be honest - don’t be expecting this to win any awards but it is drinkable.
£2.85
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Tesco Gold - Rating ♦
This really hit me in the throat like a whole bottle of cough syrup. The orange twang off it as the boiling water hit initially should have been fair warning.
But little could prepare you for the pungent aroma which courses through your system after your first gulp of Tesco Gold.
Truly awful, and at £3.10 for a jar it doesn’t exactly strike me as fantastic value either.
£3.10
Lidl ‘Crema’ - Rating ♦♦♦♦
The best of a sorry bunch is a bit of a dupe of one of the more popular named instant coffee brands.
My main dislike of instant coffee is not necessarily the taste, more that it doesn’t have that crema which sits on top of coffee from an espresso machine.
Lidl’s version actually manages to create that little bit of texture on top, and while it doesn’t taste of much, it’s the closest to a traditional espresso.
£2.69
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Asda ‘Essentials’ Coffee - Rating ♦♦
I may have done Asda a disservice here by ignoring their Gold instant coffee alternative in favour of their basic Essentials version, but given it was the only proper old school supermarket own brand option available in this series, I thought it was worth a go.
At £1 it was comfortably the cheapest jar of coffee I came across as well.
It didn’t take long to figure out why - rusty water came to mind at the first sip and while it did mellow a bit from there, I’ll not be rushing back for it.
£1
M&S Collection Brazilian Coffee - Rating ♦♦
The most expensive of the bunch and it certainly doesn’t live up to its price point. As with the poorest versions I tried, the bitterness hits you at the first sip.
While it does mellow out over the course of the cup, that first sucker punch remains on your taste buds throughout and there really is very little enjoyment to be had.
£3.80
