Switching to supermarket own-brand coffee can help people save money without sacrificing their craving for the beverage, a report has concluded. Consumer champion Which? says that if saving money is at the top of your list of resolutions, kicking your daily takeaway coffee habit or switching to a cheaper supermarket brand is a great way to cut down on outgoings.
Which? says that it is not necessary for coffee addicts to go straight to the instant coffee aisle because ground coffee can help you get close to the taste of your favourite coffee shop from your own kitchen. It says all you need is a French press or cafetiere, which you can pick up from around £5, and the inside track on the best supermarket ground coffees.
Which?'s testers tried 12 Italian-style ground coffees, including brands such as Taylors of Harrogate, Illy and Lavazza as well as supermarket offerings from Aldi, Tesco, Lidl and M&S among others. It said it uncovered some "top" supermarket options, including cheap and cheerful coffees from Asda and Lidl.
With regard to Italian-style ground coffee, M&S was the tasters' favourite. However, two other coffees also impressed them enough to gain a best buy - one branded and one supermarket option. Lidl's ground coffee was its "great value" pick.
Which? said of M&S Fairtrade Italian Coffee (£3.10 for 227g): "Our tasters were impressed by its strength of flavour, with most finding it just right. It's not the cheapest we've tested, but it's not wildly expensive and is a great buy if you want a top coffee to start your day."
The best of the branded options was Taylors of Harrogate's Rich Italian Ground Coffee. The tasters said: "Taylors isn't as expensive as you might expect from a big name, especially if you buy it from Asda, where it's currently cheapest thanks to a price rollback.
"It scored well across the board, and is best suited to those who don't want the punchiest coffee first thing, as four in 10 tasters found it a little weak for their palette."
Lidl Italian Ground Coffee (£1.79 for 227g) was also praised, with Which saying: "This coffee is the best on a budget, costing nearly three times less than the priciest brand on test. Besides M&S, it was the only brand to really wow our tasters with the smell of a freshly brewed pot. The only downside is that it didn't have quite enough of a bitter edge for nearly half the panel."
Which? says there wasn't much to separate Aldi, Tesco, Illy, Lavazza and other supermarket ground coffees.
"There wasn't a great deal to separate the rest from each other, though pricier big brands came surprisingly far down the rankings," it said. "Wherever you shop, it's worth trying the own-brand option to see if you can save money."
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