Wednesday 30 September 2020

Lidl Knightsbridge Camomile

 



Taste test against Tesco's Camomile tea. Pleasant flavour - there's a hint of sweetness, and a juicy fresh grassiness before finishing with a gentle bitterness. They are similar enough. Both the same price as well. 75p for 20 bags. 


Date: Sept 2020   Score:  8 

***

Lidl Tea & Coffee



Saturday 26 September 2020

Lidl Deluxe Chilli Flavour Hot Chocolate

 


This is a hot chocolate from Lidl's "Deluxe" range, which is equivalent to Tesco's "Finest", Sainsbury's "Taste The Difference", etc.  It's £1.85 for 350g. It's not an instant hot chocolate - this is cocoa powder to which you add hot milk, but it does have sugar included, so is termed hot chocolate rather than cocoa, and costs less than cocoa because it has less chocolate. Sainsbury's do a hot chocolate - £1.60 for 300g, and Tesco's is £1.95 for 400g. But neither of these are equivalent, as they are not the "finest" own brands. The top own brands don't have chilli, but are the best to price match: Sainsbury's Belgian Hot Chocolate is £3.50 for 280g, and Tesco's Santo Domingo Hot Chocolate is £2.50 for 250g. At first glance it appears that Lidl's Deluxe range is better value, but if Lidl's Deluxe is more equivalent to the standard supermarket own brands, then the price is roughly the same. A taste test would be needed, but this does taste a little thin on the chocolate, which is somewhat compensated for by the chilli, but it's more of a pleasant chilli enriched milky chocolate drink than a rich and smooth chocolate drink. It has 39% cocoa compared to Tesco's 52%. Despite the "Deluxe" brand, this actually sits between the standard supermarket own brands and their finest brands, and so the price is roughly equivalent, though edges in favour of Lidl. 

On the whole I really like this. Easy drinking with a pleasant chilli warmth that gently nips rather than bites deep. I'd like a bit more smoothness, and a bit more chocolate, and a bit less sugar, but I like it enough that I think it highly likely I'd drink it again. 


Date: Sept 2020   Score: 7   

***

Lidl Tea & Coffee