Lidl Deluxe Kenyan coffee

£1.99 for 200g from Lidl. I've been doing this tea and coffee blog since 2013, and this is my first proper Kenyan coffee. That has surprised me. I reviewed some Kenya grown Blue Mountain beans in 2014 (Tea and Coffee Emporium Kenya Blue Mountain coffee beans), but that's not a standard Kenyan coffee.

The taste is rich and full bodied with a noticable amount of acidity. It lacks clarity,  and there is a sludgy quality, especially in the finish where it starts to become gritty, like drinking the bottom of the cup.  The roast is 3, which is surprising giving the robust roasted nature of the coffee. This is a fairly crude strong coffee, though the acidity levels gives it an edge that other strong coffee don't generally have. I think this would be a coffee for those who normally like their coffee fairly strong and straightforward - those who like espresso and Starbucks for example, but who might be interested in having a contrasting acidity for a change.  It's not a coffee for me as it features two qualities I don't like - unremitting sludgy strength, and acidity. I can take acidity if there are other favourable aspects, and I can take sludgy strength if there are other redeeming factors, but this coffee offers nothing but sludge and acid. 

Info from Coffee Review on Kenyan coffee. Though Kenya neighbours the home of the coffee plant, Ethiopia, it wasn't until around 1900 that coffee plants were first grown. This late introduction appears to have benefited the country, as it has been able to learn from other coffee growing countries, and has a fairer system of selling the beans. What I have learned matches my own experience.  Kenyan coffee is generally seen as strong, full bodied, and with balancing acidity. It is admired for its strength more than subtly, complexity, or character, though for some coffee enthusiasts (mostly espresso drinkers I suspect) the best Kenyan grades rank amongst the most desirable coffees in the world.

Score: 3

Lidl Tea & Coffee

Aldi Alcafe Original Rich Roast

It's drinkable and largely inoffensive. It's on a par with other such roast coffees where the beans may come from anywhere. It's easy to make and quite forgiving. Three full scoops, and left a decent amount of time and you get a coffee. Job done. Not one to give guests, and not one to drink as a treat, this is just a cheap everyday coffee.

I can't remember how much I paid for this, but online it says £1.49 for 250g, which is cheap enough!


Score: 3

Coffee roasts

Aldi tea and coffee

Tea Pigs Liquorice and Peppermint

Everyone is doing a peppermint and licorice tea at the moment, and Tea Pigs are no different. No, wait. They are different. Tea Pigs are doing a licorice and peppermint tea - that is, they are putting licorice as they main ingredient. Indeed, 70% of the tea is licorice. I love licorice, and I have a couple of licorice teas I've yet to blog that are really tasty. So, this is a licorice tea with some peppermint to make it taste a little zingy and fresh. Yep, that works. It's not a peppermint and licorice tea, though, so don't get confused. And it's very expensive at over £4 for a box of 15 nylon pyramid bags. And, no, licorice is not that expensive. Even Twinings, who are not cheap, do a licorice tea for £1.70 for 20 bags, and own brands can be bough for around 60p for 20.

Is it nice? Yes. There is a gentle earthy sweetness from the licorice, and a light refreshing zing from the peppermint, and the two do combine well in an attractive soft and delicious drink.

Is it worth the price? Personally I don't think so, but it's each to their own. And, without a licorice and peppermint tea to compare, this might be in a group by itself, which for some would be worth the extra pennies.

Score: 7

Mint tea

Twinings Calming / Pure Camomile

At some point the name has changed from Calming Camomile to Pure Camomile. Possibly in 2019 when Twinings introduced its Moment of Calm camomile, vanilla and chicory blend.  This a pleasant, fresh, flowery, and gently sweet camomile. Nice. 


Date: April 2021   Score: 7

There's an earthy quality to this that back in 2016 I didn't like, but this time round I find it to be a gentle balance to the delicate sweetness. This is refreshing and subtly flavoured. It does serve as a decent alternative to everyday tea. The camomile plant is part of the daisy/sunflower family, and has been used for medicinal purposes since at least Roman times. It is known to have a soothing, calming effect, though studies have not yet discovered how it works.

Date: July 2019   Score: 6

Around £2 for 20. Not strongly flavoured, and tastes oddly stale. Some grass juice near the finish, and a mild astringency. Prefer the Tesco camomile.

Date: March 2006   Score: 3 

Taste test: 

Twinings Pure Camomile v Tesco Camomile Infusion

We did a side by side comparison. In an earlier review of Twinings Camomile I felt it was more earthy than the Tesco, this time we both felt the Tesco to be more earthy. We found the Twinings to be sweet and flowery. We didn't find we actually hugely preferred the one over the other, as they both had aspects we liked - we liked the light, delicate, fresh, flowery nature of the Twinings. And we liked the earthy, characterful quality of the Tesco which edged toward fennel. So it was a draw. Good to have both in the cupboard to add a little variety to the morning camomile. 

Date: April 2021    Score: 7 

***

Twinings

Tesco Camomile

£1 for 40 bags. Pleasant flavour - there's a hint of sweetness, and a juicy fresh grassiness before finishing with a gentle bitterness. Excellent value.


Date: March 2016    Score: 7/10

Taste test against Lidl's Camomile tea. They are similar enough. Both the same price as well. 

Date: Sept 2020   Score:  8  

Taste test: 

Twinings Pure Camomile v Tesco Camomile Infusion

We did a side by side comparison. In an earlier review of Twinings Camomile I felt it was more earthy than the Tesco, this time we both felt the Tesco to be more earthy. We found the Twinings to be sweet and flowery. We didn't find we actually hugely preferred the one over the other, as they both had aspects we liked - we liked the light, delicate, fresh, flowery nature of the Twinings. And we liked the earthy, characterful quality of the Tesco which edged toward fennel. So it was a draw. Good to have both in the cupboard to add a little variety to the morning camomile. 

Date: April 2021    Score: 7 

***

Tesco tea and coffee