‘works Beautifully In My Moka Pot’: The Best (and Worst) Supermarket Coffee, Tasted And Rated

Most supermarket java disappoints: often old and over-roasted, and pinch unpleasant notes of rubber and burnt ash. That said, arsenic personification who prefers a lighter roast java (that is, bright, fruity and acidic), I was pleasantly amazed by immoderate of nan brands I recovered among each nan dark-roasted offerings that predominate our supermarket shelves.

I focused connected caller java that’s sold ready-ground for wide usage successful cafetières, filters aliases moka pots (depending connected nan grind size, immoderate leaned amended towards 1 method than another, which I’ve noted wherever necessary). Ideally, however, java should beryllium freshly crushed for purpose, pinch a fine, sandy grind for moka pots, and a coarse, gritty 1 for filters and cafetières. I judged each java connected flavour, provenance, sustainability and value, while base successful mind that its value depends connected each shape of nan accumulation process, from increasing and action to fermentation, drying, roasting and storage. Coffee besides carries a immense societal and biology weight, which makes certifications specified arsenic Fairtrade and organic, arsenic good arsenic independent societal and ecological initiatives, truthful important.

The results were mixed. Some coffees were predictably dreadful, but others were amazingly bully value. One cardinal uncovering stood out, however: nan astir costly supermarket products seldom warrant their price.

Coffee is thing of an art, truthful I brought successful a master to thief guideline my tasting. Will Whiting, laminitis of Calm Coffee Roastery successful Peckham, southbound London, welcomed maine to his abstraction wherever 2 tables were cautiously laid retired for a cupping convention (cupping is nan world modular for assessing java quality). We measured 12g of each sample into individual bowls, noted nan barren aromas, past filled nan bowls to nan brim pinch basking water. After 4 minutes, we collapsed nan crust of grounds pinch spoons, and inhaled nan aroma arsenic nan gases released. We past skimmed disconnected immoderate remaining grounds and fto nan brews remainder and beryllium for 10 minutes earlier tasting from spoons, which dispersed nan java instantly crossed nan tongue, revealing its flavour successful a burst. We past took notes connected nan acidity, assemblage and nuanced flavour.

What did we discover? The bottom-shelf coffees are arsenic bad arsenic we’d expected: harsh, bitter and bully for thing much than a greeting caffeine kick. But location were surprises, too. Perhaps nan biggest instruction was that nan astir costly supermarket coffees – often priced connected a par pinch java from apical micro-roasteries – conscionable don’t deliver. If you want genuinely exceptional coffee, skip nan supermarket’s alleged premium bags and bid online from independent roasters who supply small-batch beans of bully provenance, named varietals traceable to individual farms and, crucially, clear roasting dates, which helps guarantee a coffee’s freshness.

The champion supermarket coffee

Best all-rounder:
Blue Turaco crushed java 100% specialty Ugandan robusta

★★★★☆

This farmer-owned lighter roast surprises nan palate pinch malty, caramel notes, soft assemblage and a agleam hazelnut finish. Each battalion costs 2 schoolhouse meals – a existent illustration of flavour and beardown societal intent coming together to adhd existent value.

★★★☆☆

Excellent worth and a measurement up successful value pinch clear provenance. Smells of caller toast and chocolate, and has a brightness that comes done successful nan cup pinch a medium-low acidity and subtle, nutty notes. Smooth, enjoyable and Rainforest Alliance-certified.

And nan remainder …

Café Direct Fairtrade integrated Mayan gold

★★★★☆

The astir absorbing aroma of nan test; agleam and rounded pinch a little acidity. Berry, acheronian cocoa and umami connected nan nose, pinch cereal and chromatic consequence successful nan cup. A washed 100% arabica from Chiapas, Mexico, that’s besides Fairtrade, integrated and B Corp-certified. Ethically sourced, analyzable and very enjoyable. This says it’s crushed for cafetières, but moreover so, it worked beautifully for an espresso from my moka pot, too.

Source Climate Change crushed java Mexico La Sierra Cloud Forest

★★★★☆

A lighter roast pinch cacao and fruity notes connected nan nose. Caramel and mean acidity successful nan cup. Conservation-led, reforestation-focused and c credit-backed. Purpose-driven, flavourful and pinch a Great Taste Award star.

Volcano Coffee Works Bold Colombia crushed coffee

★★★☆☆

A dark, leathery roast pinch hay connected nan nose. Bold, aggravated and mean successful acidity, pinch Colombian arabica beans roasted successful Brixton. The institution is independent and B Corp certified.

Lavazza Qualità Rossa crushed coffee

★★☆☆☆

A practice Italian favourite blending robusta and arabica from South America and Africa. Vegetal tomato, leather and acheronian cocoa aromas, pinch saccharine caramel and toast successful nan cup. An intense, good grind that’s champion suited to moka pots. No third-party accreditation, though Lavazza has its ain sustainability policy, Blend for Better.

Löfbergs integrated 100% arabica crushed coffee

★★☆☆☆

A Swedish marque that started successful 1906, offering a flat, steaming aroma and a amazingly bright, nutty cup pinch immoderate bitterness. Organic and backed by a beardown green policy, this is awesome worth arsenic an entry-level integrated coffee.

CRU Kafe integrated Fairtrade Colombian crushed coffee

★★★☆☆

Savoury, dark-roast aroma pinch a hint of toast. In nan cup, it’s rounded, full-bodied and bright. Single-origin Colombian from nan Andes, Soil Association organic, Fairtrade and B Corp certified.

Waitrose Fairtrade Italian-style crushed coffee

★☆☆☆☆

Smells burnt connected nan nose, pinch a hint of acheronian chocolate. In nan cup, it’s full-bodied pinch debased acidity, but bitterness dominates, leaving small room for nuance. Made pinch 100% arabica beans and Fairtrade-certified, truthful it gets a constituent for sustainability, but this 1 is difficult to urge connected sensation alone.

M&S Jump Start crushed coffee

☆☆☆☆☆

Smells of burnt tyres, rubber and ash, which is not a bully start. In nan cup, it’s punchy and rounded, but dominated by nan sensation of ashtrays. Fairtrade-certified, but this blend of robusta and arabica is fundamentally rocket fuel.

For more, publication nan Filter’s guides to the champion java machines for your home and the champion java subscription services