Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Colombian Quinchia Community Fairtrade Ground Coffee

Chocolate and deep red berries dominate the flavour in this smooth and pleasant coffee. It finishes with a twist from a lime acidity to a roasty bitterness than stops just short of powdery and harsh. It's an acceptable coffee that doesn't display its character dramatically, so can serve as an easy everyday coffee for most drinkers. That finish, though, has the potential to put some people off.

Colombian coffee is regarded by many as among the best, if not the best, in the world. Since 2011 the coffee growing area has been a World Heritage Site.  Quinchia is a town in the Risaralda area, which is part of the main coffee growing area. The coffee is grown, harvested and sun dried on a small scale using methods used for over 100 years.  Sainsbury's say the coffee has treacle toffee and toasted almond flavours.

Provided for Sainsbury's by Finlays, the UK's largest coffee roasting company. 


Score: 7/10

Other reviews
* The Guardian 4/10

Sainsbury's own label tea and coffee

Colombian coffee

Taylors Lazy Sunday

Made with beans from Central America and Africa - a source description as vague as the coffee itself. Blends tend to lack character; most blends I've encountered are not going for character, they are simply going for strength. Aim for a certain strength with some sort of coffee flavour, and the customers are happy .I believe most customers are not looking for interesting contrasts and unique flavours in their coffee - they just want something that tastes like coffee (the coffee flavour you get in a coffee cream) and has the strength that they enjoy. This one is for those who like a mild flavoured coffee - no peaks, no toughs, little beyond the mid range coffee flavour. As such it works. but it's not a coffee that's going to attract those who like single estate coffees.

Simply bland, and while better all round than a basic economy blend, it's not by much.
Date: Nov 2013   Rating: 4

I picked this up on special offer at my local Co-op. It's a mild, modest coffee, but it's  not without some flavour. This is not an assertive coffee - it doesn't c all attention to itself, and it would be easy to drink it and not notice the flavours, but if you do pay attention, you'll note pleasant creamy chocolate edged with a tang of lemon to give it some balance and interest.This is not an outstanding coffee - it's main feature is it's lack of character and impact; but it is drinkable, and it is softly pleasant.
Date: August 2015   Rating: 5

Taylors of Harrogate

Twinings Fresh & Fruity Cranberry, Raspberry & Elderflower

Light and delicately flavoured with red fruits. A pleasing sharp note lifts the taste. Has a wonderful aroma. Warm and fresh and beautiful sweet and fruity.

A very decent fruit tea.

Score: 7

***

Fresh & Fruity
Cranberry, Raspberry, & Elderflower
Friday, 20 September 2013

Twinings

Twinings Revive & Revitalise Lemon & Ginger

Delicately flavoured with a pleasant fresh taste warmed by the gentle heat of the ginger. This is a pleasant drink. There are an interesting range of ingredients: ginger root, lemongrass, blackberry leaves, lemon peel, sweet fennel, as well as natural flavourings. Nice.

Score: 5

***

Twinings

Tesco Everyday Value Roast & Ground Coffee

I like to keep a pack of coffee to fall back on for when I accidentally run out of coffee. These will tend to be cheap coffees that I am not tempted to drink except in the dire emergency of running out of decent coffee. Also, if I don't run out of coffee and the stand by coffee gets old, I can throw it away with no qualms, and replace it with a fresher cheap coffee. As my current standby is reaching the best before date, it's time to throw it away - but before I do, I thought I'd have a drink to see what it is like. After all, there is the possibility it might be a pleasant and drinkable coffee.

There is a Rainforest Alliance Certified stamp on the coffee. But at the same time there is a small statement that up to 70% of the coffee may come from exploited coffee farms. Hmmmm. Somewhat misleading that. I would prefer that all the coffee in a certified packet came from sources where the people are not exploited, and are paid fairly for their work. I don't find it necessary to make poor people suffer needlessly in order for me to have a cup of coffee.

The pack names Tesco's coffee consultant, Fred Verboom. I like that. It's not a measure of quality; however, it is a measure of openness. I like it when a shop or supplier tells me where a product has come from, and who is responsible for it. However, while it tells me that Verboom was consulted about the coffee, it doesn't tell me where the coffee is from, other than "more than one country". I'm not even sure it is all arabica beans.

Anyway. The quality of this coffee is very poor. It has little in the way of attractive flavours, let alone distinct and interesting character. It tastes stale and bitter with a burnt toffee note. Even though it boasts: "Improved blend", it is not a coffee you really want to drink twice. Yes, it will do in an emergency when you have no other coffee available, but it's not something you will want to reach for if you have a choice.

Score: 2

Tesco tea and coffee

Twinings Ceylon

Twinings Ceylon tea

Twinings

Twinings were formed as a tea merchants in 1706 in the same shop in the Strand, Britain's first tea room, that they still own today. They are believed to be London's longest-standing rate-payer and holders of the world's oldest continually-used company logo. Until 2005 they only sold specialty tea, but after that date they introduced an "Everyday Tea" range.

The Twinings Strand Heritage Shop at 216 Strand, London WC2R 1AP, was purchased by Thomas Twining in 1706. It was then known as Tom's Coffee House. It now houses a shop selling Twinings tea and a heritage museum.

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Classic teas

Ceylon
Score: 4

The Everyday Tea
Score: 4

Assam tea
Score: 3

******

Flavoured teas

Lapsang Souchong
Score: 8

Chai tea
Score: 5

Lavender Earl Grey
Score: 5

Twinings Liquorice Allsorts Earl Grey
Score: 3

Rose Garden
Score: 2

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Green and herb teas

Buttermint
Score: 7

Jasmine Green Tea
Score: 5

Calming Camomile
Score:  3

Salted Caramel Green Tea
Score: 2

Pure Peppermint
Score: 2

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Fruit teas

Fresh & Fruity 
Cranberry, Raspberry, & Elderflower
Score: 7

Fresh & Fruity
Echinacea & Raspberry
Score: 6

Revive & Revitalise 
Lemon & Ginger
Score: 5

Fresh & Fruity
Blackcurrant, Ginseng & Vanilla
Score: 4

Apple Crunch

Score: 4

Twinings Chai tea

A few years ago we had a long weekend in the New Forest, and on the Sunday night went out to an Indian restaurant. Neither of us fancied alcohol, so we asked for a tea. There wasn't tea on the menu, but the waiter obliged by making us a black tea with cinnamon sticks and some other spices. We loved it, and asked for the recipe. We bought some cinnamon sticks, and made it ourselves a couple of times when we got home, but then stopped doing it - as you do. So we were well pleased when Twinings brought out Chai. OK, it's not as good as making it fresh, but it's a handy substitute, and it does have a pleasant cinnamon flavour.

The name "Chai" simply means tea. This is not just tea, it's a spiced tea - one name for that is masala chai: masala meaning blended spices. 

Score: 5

***

Twinings