Cafe Express Italian Style Blend

£1 for 150g (less than the normal 227g - 8 ounces) so worth a try. Roast strength 4, so quite dark. There's no refinement in this. It tastes like what it is - a cheap, sludgy coffee. Not nice to drink on its own. I'm either going to throw this away, or use it in a blend to power up something weak. The coffee was packaged by Finlays, a tea company founded in 1750, who also specialise in packaging tea and coffee for supermarket own labels at a range of quality and budget levels.

2/10

Coffee roasts

Lidl Specially Selected Ethiopian Coffee

I reviewed this a couple of years ago and didn't like it, but found near the end of the pack that when made with only 2 1/2 scoops it could be reasonably pleasant, and I said I would try it again. Well, now I have. It's got a new design. I like it. But I also liked the previous design. Funky! The coffee is from Sidamo, a recognised coffee growing region of Ethiopia.

The beans are from Sidamo

I'm not quite getting this coffe, though. As previously, I think it's sludgy, poorly defined, and lacking in character. It's mild and drinkable at best, sludgy and bitter at worse.

Date: April 2017   Score: 4

I love the packaging, and the price is good - £2 for 200g. But the taste is sludgy, no matter how I brew it. There's little subtly here, and this is not as mild as I like from my Ethiopian coffee. It's a smudgily assertive brew that rests in a powdery bitterness on the palate. No crisp notes, no fragrance. This tastes like instant coffee.
Date:  May 2015   Score:  3/10

Before the end of the pack I had a few cups made with just 2 1/2 scoops that were quite tasty.. I also at the same time had a cup made with my favourite Asda Ethiopian which was made too strong, and that was sludgy and bitter. To be fair I am going to buy another pack soon, and try again.
Date:  May 2015   Score: 5/10

Ethiopian coffee

Lidl Tea & Coffee

Cafedirect

Cafedirect is a Scottish based coffee and tea distribution organisation that buys direct from growers, reinvests in growers, and has a majority of growers as shareholders. It was formed in 1989.

Wikipedia
Official website

CafeDirect Kilimanjaro
8/10

CafeDirect Machu Picchu7/10

CafeDirect Costa Rica5/10

CafeDirect Rich Roast4/10