This cheap supermarket brand coffee topped a massive taste test

What makes the perfect brew? (Picture: Getty)

Your morning coffee probably feels like the most important drink of the day, but if you’re a dedicated pumpkin spice latte lover, you won’t believe this.

A much cheaper supermarket own-brand coffee has just topped a huge UK taste test.

Many of us are likely to reach for the Nescafe or Kenco when it comes to our home brews, but what if there’s an alternative that tastes just as nice?

And what if you could get the perfect coffee for just a fraction of the price?

Aldi’s coffee – which costs only £2.19 for 227g – particularly satisfies both criteria, as the Which? taste test scored it the highest overall.

The coffee costs just 97p per 100mg (Picture: Aldi)

The ground coffee was rated in January 2024 by 71 people — most of whom drink coffee regularly, and are broadly representative of the general population.

To keep things fair and unbiased, the taste test was blind, and the order in which they drank the coffee was rotated each time. These coffee drinkers were even given private booths so that they couldn’t risk being influenced by others.

Each brand of coffee was assessed by the 71 people. The panelists rated the flavour, aroma, mouthfeel and appearance of each brand of coffee and told us what they liked and disliked about each one.

The overall score of the coffee was based on the flavour (50%), aroma (30%), mouthfeel (10%) and appearance (10%). These weightings in turn were based on averages of how important consumers rank the importance and quality of different aspects of coffee.

‘It looked good and had an enticing aroma, well-balanced flavour and a pleasant mouthfeel,’ Which? said about the winning coffee.

The truth about your morning coffee

Did you know that refreshed feeling after your first sip of coffee might be a placebo effect?

Astudy by Portuguese scientists found that the wakefulness effect of coffee is not only due to the caffeine, but also the coffee-drinking experience itself.

The study involved 30 people who drank at least one cup of coffee a day.

Researchers found that drinking coffee increased the connectivity in the parts of the brain involved in cognitive control, working memory, and goal-directed behaviour.

But that wasn’t just because of the caffeine — the control group who had the diluted coffee had the same neural effects.

So, it is the experience of drinking coffee, not just the caffeine content, that helps get your brain geared up and ready to go.

Overall, the Aldi Alcafé House Blend Roast & Ground Coffee scored a 73% rating overall, and at 97p per 100g, the brew also qualified for Which’s ‘Great Value’ logo.

That being said, the other coffees on the list weren’t too far behind. Morrisons’ and Tesco’s ground coffees both scored 71%, making them joint second, while Waitrose and M&S were both joint third with a score of 70%.

Ultimately, it’s good news for coffee fans, as it seems like even the budget options reflect high quality across the board. So put the kettle on!

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