3 days ago
Supermarket own-brand coffee beats big brands in our Americano taste test
When our self-professed coffee snobs were told they'd be tasting 11 instant Americanos for this week's Our Verdict, they were sure none of them would meet their standards.
However, one coffee surpassed their expectations - and it was a supermarket's own brand.
Drinking one black, one with milk and one with milk and sugar, our testers marked each cup out of 10 based on smell, taste and body.
Tesco's Finest Americano Barista style coffee came out on top, with an average score of 8.8.
Costing £3.95, it was also among the cheaper options in the table.
Our testers rated it highly for the "biscuity, smoky, chocolatey" taste, interesting flavour profile and nice finish.
At the opposite end was the most expensive option - Illy, with its Classico blend.
Here are the full results...
First place: Tesco
Price: £3.95 for 100g
Average score: 8.8
A clean, smooth, easy cup of coffee and the minimum standard you would expect from a high street coffee shop.
Its biscuity, smoky flavour profile meant it delivered an interesting taste, rather than a punch in the mouth.
Second place: Truestart
Average score: 8
While this one isn't branded as an Americano, we felt its "Barista grade" meant it could undergo our testing - and it came so close to taking the top spot.
Any respected coffee connoisseur knows seeing granules in the jar is not a good sign, but its rich flavour builds with each sip.
One of our testers struggled to find a way to improve on it, but it lost marks from others due to its bitter aftertaste.
Third place: Costa
Price: £3.50
Average score: 6.3
Unsurprisingly, this one smelt like coffee from a coffee shop and had a roasted, strong taste.
It would be a good choice for a coffee drinker who likes a heavier roast, or a nutty flavour.
Costa doesn't have an instant Americano, so this is the closest equivalent.
Joint fourth place: M&S
Price: £4.50
Average score: 5.8
"Does the job" was a phrase that came up a lot while trying this one - though several testers were put off by the smell.
Joint fourth place: Nescafe
Price: £6.50
Average score: 5.8
This one failed to deliver a punch to wake you up in the morning.
But if you are looking for an option that will satisfy everyone, this is probably it.
Fifth place: Sainsbury's
Price: £3.50
Average score: 4.8
The smell was delicious, but the taste - described by one tester as unconventional - didn't match, and our testers felt it lacked oomph.
Sixth place: Kenco
Price: £4.75
Average score: 4.3
A cup of Kenco starts on a high note, and ends on a very low one.
It has a slightly nutty taste in the initial sip, but our testers found it unenjoyable after this point - and did not enjoy the aftertaste.
Price: £2.89
Average score: 4.2
The most standout part of this coffee was its metallic aftertaste that hits the back of your throat after a few sips, our tasters concluded.
It was strong - but in all the wrong ways.
Eighth place: Lidl
Price: £2.89
Average score: 3.2
Its instant frothiness had our testers excited, but they were disappointed by its lack of strength, bitterness and smell that reminded them of cleaning products.
Ninth place: Morrisons
Price: £3.75
Average score: 2.7
Bitter and slightly acidic - this one received low marks across the board.
Price: £7.15
Average score: 1.5
Named the Classico, instructions for preparing this one on a supermarket website say you can make the "perfect Americano" with two teaspoons - but our tasters were not fans.
They described the flavour as "artificial".
