Supermarket Coffee Bean recommendations

You could try Happy donkey at half the price, no Sub required, decent coffee and you can definitely taste the difference.

Just do what James says! A Beginner's Guide To Buying Great Coffee - YouTube

I have a great roaster which is conveniently a 2min cycle from my house, but I imagine there is good coffee to be found in the supermarket too.

Definitely not co-op, I found their stuff very bitter so assume even the medium roast was still quite a dark roast compared to the likes of PACT and Hasbean.

One or two of the Union ones weren't too bad (Waitrose/Sainsburys and poss others). I can't remember the names, but they were the ones described as having a lighter roast and more of a fruity profile rather than chocolatey which does seems to roughly equate to a more bitter roast in supermarket coffee IME.

I like Morrisons ‘The Best’ Colombian beans.

We get PACT coffee beans in at work now and I really don’t like them compared to what we normally get from the roasters that are local ish to us.

So, normally, we end up getting in a 1kg bag of beans from here that lasts us for a few weeks:

https://hotnumberscoffee.co.uk/

I'll be hated on here I'm sure but when I'm not doing a pourover I have a delonghi espresso maker and I just stick Starbucks blonde roast beans in there, 3.50 a bag from Asda. They are as good as anything else I stick in there.

Aldi beans are as good as any of the supermarket stuff imo, and £1.79 per pack...

Put the change towards a proper espresso machine.

Definitely not co-op

Agreed. For the reason you state. Over roasted, and always taste "old".

Found Lidl to do good beans... sometimes exceptionally good.

But supermarkets aren't the best source of beans.

I would second Happy Donkey beans.

I have been using them for 20 years and have not found any better.

https://www.happydonkey.co.uk/product/classic-italian-coffee-beans-2-x-250g-strong-espresso-blend/

Aldi beans are good… but we have different aldis in the southern hemisphere, so dunno if that translates for you northerners.

Another vote for the Aldi beans

I buy all my coffee at supermarkets, nearly. My favourites so far, given that I make milky drinks:

Waitrose:
Own brand French blend
Own brand Italian blend
Ueshima

Asda:
Finest Espresso
Finest Java

The two Waitrose own brands are my favourites, I can't decide which. If you drink black coffee you may find these too dark though with the exception of Ueshmia which is really smooth.

I would recommend checking the roasting dates though if they are printed. Our Waitrose is quite small and has a wide range of beans so some of it spends a fair bit of time on the shelf - sometimes it's 6 weeks or so. Asda has few whole bean offerings and it's often fresher.

Whatever is on offer.

Currently going through a 1kg bag of Lavazza Espresso Barista beans.

I found PACT hit and miss, and ended up liking the house beans the most.

From supermarkets I like the Asda 'Extra Special' range. Colombian and Espresso both good. Two bags for £5

Aldi are okay, and I always have some in the cupboard as backup.

Starbucks / Lidl also passable if I've got nothing else in.

Waitrose do Union Revelation beans which are nice. I also really like the Waitrose 1 beans that come in tins. (Both good for espresso, dunno about other forms.)

Currently half way through a big bag of M&S Italian style. Very nice it is too, and quite reasonable price wise as i remember. I'm no aficionado/coffee throbber, more a caffeine addict. My usual source is Lavazza. So make of that what you will.

If you're up North pop into Booths

their own brand Monsoon Malabar is very nice

Morrisons, Aldi and Asda own brand beans aren't too bad, traditionally a darker roast which means less mg of coffee per shot and they're quite dry compared to fresh roasts but they aren't bad, in fact a steal for the price.
The best I've found are Asdas extra special Javan Volcanic Island beans, they've been the best for flavour closely followed by Aldi's Italian blend.

If I fancy some real good coffee I usually get Coaltown Black Gold no.3 but the price per kg is crazy for it, £32/kg (used to pay £18 before lockdown!) compared to circa £12/kg for the ones from Asda

I used to use a variety of more expensive beans and now use Sainsbury’s Fair Trade Espresso beans - £11 per kg and just as good as all of the more expensive ones - in fact I often find the boutique stuff too harsh / bitter.

You really should use your local supplier - Monsoon Estates. Cheaper than Pact and much better. Espresso Blend, Fire Dancer and the Bloke are my favourites. Buy online, from the roastery near Stratford (it's a nice ride over there), from the Stall in Warwick Market on Saturday, or from Golden Monkey Tea Company at the bottom of Smith Street.

Unfortunately you missed the club blend

We get our coffee beans from rave coffee but if we get caught out and haven’t ordered a new bag we always go for lavazza rossa in the supermarket, they’re cheap and they always make a nice coffee.

I've tried various ones from a number of supermarkets and keep coming back to the Sainsburys fairtrade single origin.
Columbian for a ligter brew and Guatemalan for something a bit more intense.
Usually under £3.50 for a 227g bag.

M&S Colombian beans. Lovely full and rounded flavour. Excellent value for the quality I reckon.

Waitrose:
Own brand French blend
Own brand Italian blend

@molgrips has it. Gone up a tad lately, but still great value and consistent beans.

I usually just get Lavazza Rossa from Amazon  - currently  £12.50/kg (3x 1 kg bags)

I don't drink the stuff myself so have no awareness of taste (although from memory, it just tasted awful)...as you don't feel as though you aren't appreciating the expense of the stuff you are ordering, why not just go for the cheapest stuff and start from there? If it tastes really bad then move up a price point (if that is possible) and try that...

last time I was in the posh end of town I nipped into Waitrose and bought some of their 'own brand' stuff. I buy ground coffee so not quite the same, but really thoroughly enjoyed this -

https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/no1-rwanda-ground-coffee/405881-535098-535099

...and (significantly) cheaper than the stuff from my local shop!

So maybe give some of their own brand beans a try?

I really like the Tesco Finest Colombian ones. Or Guatemalan also.

Waitrose own brand. Prefer the Italian to the French. The Wife prefers their Columbian, although I do think the No1 Waitrose in the gold packets are nicer still. Especially the Sumatra Mandheling.

James Coffee from Ross-On-Wye is very nice but a lot more expensive for a day to day coffee. I occasionally get some for a treat.

Taylors Rich Italian beans, £10 for a 1kg bag from Tesco

I mix m&s Italian beans with a local roasters roasted that day beans. Very economical way of getting great flat white
Watching my espresso pour is a delight so much cream perfect pour but you need the new roasted beans to mix in

Aldi ground coffee is perfectly fine, you could get 4 packs for one of your PACT's

For supermarket ground coffee I find taylors sunday roast the best of the bunch. This thread reminds me, I keep meaning to change my Pact sub to someone more local.

onewheelgood
Full Member
You really should use your local supplier – Monsoon Estates. Cheaper than Pact and much better. Espresso Blend, Fire Dancer and the Bloke are my favourites. Buy online, from the roastery near Stratford (it’s a nice ride over there), from the Stall in Warwick Market on Saturday, or from Golden Monkey Tea Company at the bottom of Smith Street.

Unfortunately you missed the club blend

You’re probably right! I did do the club trip out there. And to be fair I did go along to the market a while back but they weren’t there! Maybe I should get on my bike and kill two birds wi5h one stone!

I use Booths when I don't have any posh stuff in. It's quite nice, but I prefer something posher when I want a treat. It's still miles better than what I've ever found in the over roasted section of most mainstream supermarkets.

And to be fair I did go along to the market a while back but they weren’t there!

That's bad luck, they probably only miss 1 or 2 Saturdays a year. Forgot you were on the club visit - that ride back after 5 espressos was super fun 😁, but I didn't get a lot of sleep that night!

I just buy whatever's on offer, or lavazza red by default. Only ever had to take 1 lot back, booths, those bulk machines I reckon they d filled too many bags and mine had sat there for ages. It was awful, they just refunded me. Morrison's mid strength, no 3, the best range, was actually really good and only 3 or 4 quid.

My local artisan roaster is 10 quid, it's good but not 3x better. Sadly I don't support it any more, I went there all the time when it was 7-8 quid, but got too expensive.

Another vote for the Aldi beans

as above, Sainsbo SO fairtrade pretty good, otherwise tend to just buy what's on offer, don't remember ever getting anything truly terrible so I guess they're all probably somewhat much of a muchness!

My local artisan roaster is 10 quid, it’s good but not 3x better.

For supermarket ground coffee

You really should use your local supplier

This.

'm sure there are loads of small roastery's that offer postal delivery. I use ManCoCo in Manchester - by far my favourite coffee shop in manchester city centre (mainly because the shop is attached to the roastery)

https://mancoco.co.uk/

Useful thread as have been finding that my usual ground coffee from Aldi or Costa, if on offer, has deteriorated. Strongly suspect that for reasons of economy that they're adding something to it cos it's become very weak. Perhaps I need to try beans from a roastery but then that requires a grinder doesn't it?

but then that requires a grinder doesn’t it?

Most will grind for you, at least my local roastery does.

The reason I grind at home is because the beans keep fresher longer than grounds do. It also allows me to vary the grind - some beans work better finer than others for espresso. But you don't need to spend £500 or whatever on a grinder, Cardiff man discovers amazing hack that will save you hundreds! Click to read more!

I have a cheap Krups grinder, and I get good results by grinding the beans twice. Made a huge difference to my espresso which is now spot on nearly every time.

Helpful info there, thanks both. Will look out for a Krups. Is there anything wrong with grinding sufficient for a couple of days and storing in an airtight container?

I’m heathen who finds that Lavazza black (the Arabica one) is as good as anything for a daily cup or several.

I spend too much on beans and am mostly disappointed with all of them.

But if I was forced into a supermarket at gun point then the Union stuff can be okay - from Sainsbury's. At least it has a roast date on.

Subscription: I like Caravan Coffee and have a local roaster but I can't get his light roast beans to taste as good as he can in the shop.

Despite lots of time, effort and money.

Rave offer a nice setup but I think their beans don't really follow their tasting notes that much too me.

Was going to try those donkey beans but I think they're robusta? Not sure how bitter an experience they will be.

Somewhere in the pandemic espresso became a frustrating hobby.

Just got one of those DF64p single dose jobs. Much better than the Sage Oracle's built in grinder but still on a journey £££.

Interesting that you can’t taste the difference between types of coffee, I enjoy it more so than wine tasting, massive variation, but maybe the machine used makes a difference too

we haven’t found any supermarket that comes close to freshly beans

Was going to try those donkey beans but I think they’re robusta?

There are different types. The Colombian is 100% Arabica for example.

I like Darkwoods under milk wood. If you buy a kilo you basically get a bag free, which is decent, but it's still nearly £8 a bag.

Booths is £8 for 2 bags.

Is there anything wrong with grinding sufficient for a couple of days and storing in an airtight container?

Taste it and let us know! You're the only one whose opinion matters.

Wogan used to be reasonable but after Camerons Misguided Referendum prices are not as cheap and you need to spend £25 to get free delivery. IF you're getting through a couple of kilos a month it may be worthwhile.

Aldi beans are good

I'm old enough to remember that song....

beans are good, beans are good...
Aldi beans are good...

It’s hard to find anything in a supermarket than wasn’t roasted at least a month or two earlier, usually 6 months or more.

So there’s nothing I’ve been able to buy for £4-5 in a supermarket that’s made me not want to spend £7.50 a bag from Hasbean for coffee roasted and shipped the same day.

I use an Aeropress too!

Waitrose Sumatra Mandheling is still my favourite coffee I've had from anywhere. Absolutely lovely done in the stove top or the aeropress.

https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/no1-fairtrade-sumatra-mandheling-roasted-coffee-beans/722198-769535-769536?gclid=Cj0KCQiA3eGfBhCeARIsACpJNU-ApzrPORA94OYmO_HlmK34KcbuNwkzLF7sqOdyM-vAg2RyV4ylMJUaAg0EEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Darkwoods are allegedly now making one of Fortnum & Mason's house blends.

If true don't expect their own blend prices to come down

They make lovely coffee though

Any strong coffee from Indonesia or around that region is good enough for me. i.e. Java, Sumatra and Papua New Guinea.

Beyond Indonesia it's a hit or miss for me.

For the cafetiere Waitrose House blend

For the espresso machine Lavazza red.

I had a look at Small Batch Coffee here in BTN. 250kg beans - 11.00 GBP
Seems a tad salty - or am I out of touch?

I have a subscription from Rave Coffee for three bags of their Discovery bean of the month with the occasional bag of Monsoon Malabar thrown in. Typically this will last me for home and work however if I'm out I find Aldi/Lidl is a cheap and cheerful backup for a "functional" cup. As mentioned above, I found the Co-op bitter as has been Waitrose own IME. The subscription is pretty user friendly, they will email you prior to roasting to give a three day warning so you can delay delivery which can be for several weeks if required. Similarly, you can expedite the delivery if you're running dry.

My previous subscription was for 4 bags for £20 with Sterling Coffee. The coffee choice was nice and reliable however after 18 months I fancied a change so switched to Rave.

While I'm at, I'll also give a big shout out to Redemption Roasters. Not only do they make tip top coffee but the work they do excellent work to reduce recidivism and stigma associated to offenders being reintroduced into the community too.

I’m obviously aware of the name of the thread, but you should try buying your beans direct from a local roaster - just a couple of times, try them out.

Supermarket beans generally can’t compete with freshly roasted ones, plus you get to support a local business.

We have Happy Donkey here. Mrs BigJohn likes the Costa Rica blend (she has cappuccino) I find that too acidic or citrusy for my taste (espresso) and my choice is their Brazilian blend. It's like their Italian blend but with a teeny bit of Robusta which gives it a really nice rounded edge.
I think the Brazilian is their only one that isn't 100% arabica.
And, yes, that does mean we have to have 2 grinders.

And, yes, that does mean we have to have 2 grinders.

Guessing that single dosing doesn't appeal to you both? I grind different coffee depending on my mood but I'm far enough down the rabbit that i weigh the beans and single dose them...

I forgot about the whole different coffees needing different grind settings, that's cetainly a much larger faff.

@mrmoofo if y9u buy two bags at small batch (I get either of their espresso blends) they are about 7.50 a bag. I do that and put the 2nd bag in the freezer in an airtight container till its needed.
Have to look to the back of the shelf for the most recently roasted.....

Re grinders, you don't have to buy expensive electro grinders, a hario skerton does the trick, and is good hand exercise for your one finger braking

Mentioned these a couple of weeks ago, I really like them. Bought from Sainos

Tried the #5 though and didn't like it. Tried the pre-ground #4 and didn't like that either

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Taylor’s Java Lava for me.

I like it, others hate it, tastes vary.

Knock were doing returned aergrinds last month but sold out now. I got one, can't see any imperfection. Give them a fb like you get notified when avail. I paid 125 i think.

're stove tops, I just upgraded from a bialetti to Alessi pulcina, much better quality, really does make a difference.

Some fab tips on supermarket beans thanks.

Just enjoying Tesco own brand pre-ground Italian blend made in my Aeropress.
Absolutely lovely.

Just saying. 🙂👍

I find this one pretty decent. Sainsbury's again

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You can get nice coffee beans from proper roastery for the price not much above supermarket prices, especially if you go for 1kg bags:
https://whiterosecoffeeroasters.co.uk/
I've been a happy customer for over a year now.

They seem pretty good value. Have tried local roasted stuff a few times and although they talk a good game I haven’t found any I like much.
Those who say they can tell more difference than wines have a different palate or perhaps a more active imagination than me!
Having said that I drink mostly lattes and cappuccinos which I’m guessing is the coffee equivalent of heresy.

Another vote for local roaster: https://jamesgourmetcoffee.com/

- averages about £6 a bag. Peter the guy who runs it is an absolute coffee nerd. Really interesting bloke, has travelled the world in search of different beans etc.

I get four different bags a month, I'll tweak the grinder on my Sage to get it to 25-30 seconds but don't do anything else. Sure you might get one 'bad' coffee switching to a new bean but I'm too lazy to care.

One thing I like about James is they don't over-roast. Coffee I drink from cafe's etc even when made with decent machines often seem to be over-roasted/over heated. Ugh.

Having said that I drink mostly lattes and cappuccinos which I’m guessing is the coffee equivalent of heresy.

I made a mate a latte the other day using the frother thing on the machine. Apparently my coffee art reminded him of a deformed rabbit 🙂 But it looked so good I had one myself and as a die hard double espresso man, quite a departure. Wouldn't want it every day but defo a nice change.

Also I make decaf in a caffetierve most days after lunch so I'm probably in same same heretic group 🙂

Somewhere in the pandemic espresso became a frustrating hobby.

Just got one of those DF64p single dose jobs. Much better than the Sage Oracle’s built in grinder but still on a journey £££.

@rone, the P on that grinder denotes a grinder aimed at Pourover doesn't it? There is an e-version, but it's still flat burr and largely better at pourover, in that you'll get more clarity, less bosy from a bean. I say this not having used the grinder just going off 'what the internet says' which is obviously all fact!

I had a look at Small Batch Coffee here in BTN. 250kg beans – 11.00 GBP

That easily buys me a 1kg of beans from Costco which suits me just fine!

the P on that grinder denotes a grinder aimed at Pourover doesn’t it?

Not according to MiiCoffee

MiiCoffee DF64P Premium single dose coffee grinder is designed for espresso only. It has less range in the grind size adjustment, which is designed to allow for more fine tuning of the grind size.

The 'e' version is electronically timed, not single dose.

Ah, thanks for that @onewheelgood 🙂

Interesting that you can’t taste the difference between types of coffee, I enjoy it more so than wine tasting, massive variation, but maybe the machine used makes a difference too

we haven’t found any supermarket that comes close to freshly beans

Oh I can tell the difference when it's all done well just not from a home barista POV. Cos I'm clearly rubbish at it.

@toby1 - it's an espresso only range grinder.

Their machines are badged up differently across the world.

Think this is Premium version of the old one with upgrades.

Still expensive despite being Chinese imports. All my coffee seems to taste too bitter for me. The Sage oracle was one of the worst investments I ever made. It helped in the pandemic but by God it's not consistent. For 1500 and all the reviews I expected better - hence the move to a separate single dose grinder.

I have to make sure the ratio is just shy of 1:2 to not be bitter.

It's a constant battle.