Highlights
- M&S Gold Instant Coffee and Waitrose Gold Roast were jointly named Best Buy, beating Nescafé and Kenco .
- Aldi's Barissimo Gold Roast was crowned the Great Value choice at just £2.65 for 200g .
- A panel of 68 regular coffee drinkers tested more than 800 brews across 12 instant coffees.
A panel of 68 regular coffee drinkers sipped through more than 800 brews across 12 instant gold-roast-style coffees, testing iconic brands including Nescafé, Kenco and Douwe Egberts alongside nine supermarket own brands from Asda, Lidl and Sainsbury's.
The Nescafé Gold Blend, priced at £8.35 for 190g, just missed out on Best Buy status by a single point, with around half of tasters satisfied with its flavour but a third wanting a stronger coffee hit.
Kenco, also priced at £8.35 for a 195g jar, performed similarly, with roughly half of tasters happy with its flavour.
Supermarkets lead
M&S Gold Instant Coffee, priced at £7.25 for 200g, scored highly for flavour, aroma and appearance. Nearly two-thirds of tasters were satisfied with its strength, while close to three-quarters approved of its bitterness levels.
It also earned ethical recognition as one of only two coffees carrying the Fairtrade logo. Which? said "If you want to upgrade from basic instant, bag yourself a tasty brew with our top-scoring gold blend coffee from M&S."
Waitrose Gold Roast, priced at £3.70 for 100g, matched M&S in joint first place, impressing tasters with its appearance, aroma and bitterness. Well over half found its strength spot on.
Aldi wins value
For shoppers prioritising value, Aldi's Barissimo Gold Roast Freeze Dried Coffee was named the Great Value pick at just £2.65 for 200g.
Nearly two-thirds of tasters approved of its bitterness, and its aroma performed well, though a stronger flavour would have boosted its scores further.
The findings will come as welcome news for budget-conscious shoppers looking for quality without the premium price tag.
