We compared Aldi's £2.29 Alcafe coffee to Nescafe…

We compared Aldi's £2.29 Alcafe coffee to Nescafe Azera and it was a close call

There's nothing better than a nice hot cup of coffee in the morning, but even something as simple as coffee is shooting up in price.

Shoppers have seen a huge rise in prices for staple food items such as tea and coffee, with the popular Nescafe Azera coffee costing over £5 per tub in some supermarkets. A 90g tub of Nescafe from Tesco will set shoppers back £5.49 which begs the question - when was our morning caffeine kick become so expensive?

Many supermarkets offer their own brands of coffee for a cheaper price, and we've already reviewed some to test flavour and quality. This week, we wanted to see if the Alcafé Intenso Barista Moments 100g from Aldi for £2.29 was worth the purchase.

The packaging of the coffee already looks strikingly similar to the Nescafe Azera, but was it the same in terms of taste? Here's what we found.

Aldi Alcafé Intenso Barista Moments 100g

I'm a big coffee drinker and I've recently become a bit of a coffee snob after purchasing a Nespresso coffee machine. Nevertheless, sometimes it can be a bit of a pain making a proper coffee and I love a good quick instant coffee in the morning.

I've tried loads of different instant coffees and went through a phase of absolutely loving the Nescafe Azera coffee until it hiked up in price and I refused to buy it again. I just couldn't bring myself to be spending over £5 on a jar of coffee, even if it did taste absolutely amazing.

The coffee looks very similar to Nescafe in its packaging (Emily Sleight/ Liverpool ECHO)

I know that Aldi has some amazing dupes out there, so you can imagine my reaction when I saw that they had their very own dupe of Nescafe Azera for less than half the price. At £2.29, the 100g jar was already way cheaper than the 90g tub of Nescafe and looked pretty much identical in terms of aesthetics.

I made my coffee as I usually do with two sweeteners and a dash of milk and took a sip. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how good this tasted, but there were a few subtle differences.

The Aldi coffee has more of a 'roasted' coffee flavour as opposed to the intense strong Nescafe which is a lot finer in terms of texture. The caffeine kick was still strong, but you definitely needed a tad more than the Nescafe to feel it.

It actually tasted really nice, and despite the similar packaging, it was different to Nescafe in a lot of ways. Would I say it tasted the exact same? No - but it still tasted like good coffee, and for a fraction of the price too, so it really was a no brainer.

I wouldn't say this was the best 'affordable' coffee I've ever tasted, but it was certainly tasty for the price. That's why I'll be giving this coffee a 4/5.

Price: £2.29

Rating: 4/5

Where to buy: Aldi online or at your nearest store

Nescafe Azera Americano Instant Coffee 90g

Like most people I love a cup of coffee in the morning, but I'm quite fussy about what I drink. I've tried a few brands over the years and find most far too bitter, yet I don't like sugar or sweetener in my coffee either.

I had high hopes for Nescafe Azera Americano Instant Coffee being the perfect blend of smooth and intense and it didn't fail me. Its powder fine roasted beans give a big hit of coffee flavour, yet when milk is added, it has a lovely creamy texture, with a slight swirl of froth on top.

The tin helps it stay fresh as well and as someone who only drinks one cup a day, this is important for me. The only thing that can be off putting is the price tag as it's not the cheapest on the market and I've even seen this on sale in smaller convenience supermarkets for more than £6 for a 90g pot, which for me, is far too much to be paying for a single pot of instant coffee.

However, here's my top tip - either keep an eye out for when it's on sale in the supermarket and stock up - it's currently £3.20 down from £5.50 in Sainsbury's. Or take a trip to your local B&M store, as you will often find the same size pot there for around £3.

Price: Between £3-6 depending on where you buy it

Rating: 4/5

Where to buy: Sainsbury's, Asda, B&M and other supermarkets

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