I sampled supermarket iced coffees for the sunny weekend… my £1.25 pick is perfect balance of earthy taste & sweetness

Scottish Sun

13-06-2025

The most costly £4.50 drink turns out to the biggest letdown of all
DON'T GET IN A FRAPP I sampled supermarket iced coffees for the sunny weekend… my £1.25 pick is perfect balance of earthy taste & sweetness
THE sun has got its hat on – and more and more of us are reaching for an iced coffee to stay refreshed.
But rather than splash a fortune at the cafe, you can pick up supermarkets' own drinks for a fraction of the price. Sophie Warburton samples what is on offer, and gives her verdicts and marks out of five . . .
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Sophie Warburton tested out various iced coffees that can save you splashing out at the cafe
Credit: Louis Wood
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Arctic's coffee stood out from the rest, winning on taste and price
Credit: Louis Wood
Arctic Coffee Cafe Latte 330ml – £1.25
A FAVOURITE of mine for many years. Arctic says it is made with 'only the best ingredients', including Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans, in powder form.
In fact, I noticed this was the only drink that used coffee powder, rather than extract.
Another reason Arctic trumps the rest is how it manages to balance that earthy coffee taste with sweeter notes.
RATING: 5/5
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Starbucks scored full marks - but it is on the costly side compared to some others
Credit: Louis Wood
Starbucks Caffe Latte 220ml – £2.55
CREAMY, sweet, nicely pack-aged and perfect for when you're on the go.
Great for those newer to iced coffee as it's quite sweet but you can still taste espresso. Very moreish.
You spike the lid with a straw, making it hard to spill. The only downside is it's a bit pricey, as you may expect with Starbucks.
This coffee is a lovely combination of full-fat milk, water and Arabica coffee extract.
RATING: 5/5
'survey reveals what your ice cream eating habits could say about your personality'
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Costa's latte was a little thick but still scored highly on the taste test
Credit: Louis Wood
Costa Cafe Latte 330ml – £2.55
VERY similar to the Starbucks caffe latte but thicker.
In fact, this latte was perhaps a little too thick for my liking, as I felt a bit full after drinking it.
I did enjoy it but you probably wouldn't want to drink too many of these.
Again, this one is a little bit on the pricey side.
The drink is made up of semi-skimmed milk, coffee extract and water.
RATING: 4/5
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After hearing rave reviews, I thought Jimmy's Iced Coffee tasted bland
Credit: Louis Wood
Jimmy's Iced Coffee 275ml – £2.10
UNPOPULAR opinion because I have heard rave reviews about this one, but I thought it tasted watery and bland.
It's not terrible, but in comparison to the competition it was tasteless.
It's also priced at £2.10 in Tesco, so not even the cheapest option.
This coffee has been put together with semi-skimmed milk, water and single-origin Arabica coffee.
RATING: 3/5
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The chocolate taste overpowered the coffee and was disappointing
Credit: Louis Wood
Emmi Caffe Latte Cappuccino 230ml – £1.85
TOO sweet for me, it also features a chocolatey component – and it's all a bit much.
Not one for those of us who want to taste the coffee.
If I had to choose the drink that it's most similar to, it's the Starbucks caffe latte.
They feature similar designs but this one is more of a dupe.
It's concocted with semi-skimmed milk and brewed Arabica coffee.
RATING: 3/5
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This drink was quite thin and I could only really taste watery oat milk
Credit: Louis Wood
M&S Oat Latte Cold Brew Coffee 250ml – £2.60
RATHER unpleasant, I'm sorry to report.
This drink was quite thin and I could only really taste watery oat milk.
I've also decided I'm not a huge fan of coffee in a tin, like this, and much prefer it in a glass or bottle.
This drink is concocted from water, Arabica coffee and oats – much like its sibling, below, but just worse.
RATING: 2/5
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The oat milk tasted of good quality – the kind that's almost slightly powdery
Credit: Louis Wood
M&S Chilled Cold Brew Oat Latte 250ml – £2.60
COMES in a minimalist plastic bottle – and that pretty much sums it up.
Minimal flavour, and I wasn't crazy about this one.
The oat milk is quite punchy, though, and I preferred this latte to the other M&S one I tried.
The oat milk tasted of good quality – the kind that's almost slightly powdery.
The drink is made from water, Arabica coffee and oats.
RATING: 3/5
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The overpowering taste disappointed and I would not be keen to try it again
Credit: Louis Wood
Quarterpast Iced Coffee Concentrate 360ml – £4.50
NEVER again – unless I'm really desperate.
Sweetened with cane sugar and very gloopy, this was seriously overpowering.
It hasn't altered one bit my low opinion of concentrated coffee.
This one works in the same way as Nescafe's concentrate. You just add 20ml to a glass with ice, and top with milk. Enough for 18 servings.
RATING: 1/5
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If you're on a budget, this could be just about bearable as this was by far the cheapest
Credit: Louis Wood
Barista Coffee Co. Caffe Latte 250ml – 80p
OH dear, this is just sickly and, well, plain boring.
Not something that I would go looking for again next time I fancy an iced latte.
This was, however, by far the cheapest option of the drinks I tried out – so if you're on a budget, this could be just about bearable.
It is created from semi-skimmed milk, water and instant coffee.
RATING: 2/5