Most supermarket coffee disappoints: often stale and over-roasted, and with unpleasant notes of rubber and burnt ash. That said, as someone who prefers a lighter roast coffee (that is, bright, fruity and acidic), I was pleasantly surprised by some of the brands I found among all the dark-roasted offerings that dominate our supermarket shelves.
I focused on fresh coffee that’s sold ready-ground for general use in cafetières, filters or moka pots (depending on the grind size, some leaned better towards one method than another, which I’ve noted where necessary). Ideally, however, coffee should be freshly ground for purpose, with a fine, sandy grind for moka pots, and a coarse, gritty one for filters and cafetières. I judged each coffee on flavour, provenance, sustainability and value, while bearing in mind that its quality depends on every stage of the production process, from growing and selection to fermentation, drying, roasting and storage. Coffee also carries a huge social and environmental weight, which makes certifications such as Fairtrade and organic, as well as independent social and ecological initiatives, so important.
