Sainsbury's own label tea and coffee

Sainsbury's was founded as a single shop in Drury Lane in 1869, and is now the UK's second largest chain of supermarkets. They sell a selection of tea and coffee brands by the major UK companies, plus their own house labels, which are the premium, Taste the Difference, and the standard Sainsbury's.

The original Drury Lane shop - photo taken 1919

Coffee reviews

All Sainsbury's house brand coffees are Fairtrade,

Taste the Difference 
Sumatra Mandheling
Score: 8

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference 
Sidamo Ethiopian
Score: 7

Taste the Difference 
Colombian Quinchia
Score: 7

Taste the Difference 
Kopakama Ejo Heza
Score: 6

Sainsbury's French style
Score: 5

Sainsbury's Continental
Score: 4

Taste the Difference 
Costa Rica Tarrazu
Score: 3

Sainsbury's Italian style
Score: 3

Sainsbury's Double Dark
Score: 2

Sainsbury's Cappuccino Unsweetened
Score: 2

***

Tea

Taste the Difference 
Citrus Grey Fairtrade Fine Tea
Score: 7

Taste the Difference 
Earl Grey Fairtrade Fine Tea
Score: 6

Taste The Difference
Double Mint & Lemon Verbena
Score: 4

***

Supermarket tea and coffee

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Kopakama Ejo Heza

I like the tin - very retro (and also very useful), and I love the story about the coffee co-operative in Rwanda which has brought together women from the Tutsi and Hutu tribes. I was also pleased that the coffee is a medium (3) roast, which would allow some local character to be perceived in the cup. However, as with a number of other lighter roast coffees, the delicate nature of the coffee makes it more difficult to brew properly. My experience is that with the darker roasts the brewing is not that important, as the coffee will taste pretty much the same no matter what you do - it will taste of the dark roast rather than the individual character of the bean. I am going to need to play around with this to find the right amount of coffee and the right temperature water, and the right amount of time to leave it to brew. This is my first attempt, and it has come across as fairly sludgy, and a little too sharp, and a little too bitter. It reminds me of my attempts to make Ethiopian coffee. I think the trick is to use less coffee, use a lower temperature, and leave it to brew a bit longer than average.


Score: 6/10

Sainsbury's own label tea and coffee

Starbucks Colombia

It's a pleasantly drinkable and inoffensive coffee. Lacks character, and the main interest is simply some burnt notes, but it's fine. It's not a coffee I'll be looking to buy again, but I'm not having any problems drinking it, and it's easy to make - fairly forgiving if using too much or too little coffee, water being too hot or cold, and being left too long in the plunger. A robust, easy drinking beer.


5/10

Other reviews
*CoffeeAdventurer
*CoffeeJudges

Colombian coffee

English Tea Shop Refresh Me

A beautiful, tasty and refreshing herb tea. Contains spearmint, eucalyptus, lemongrass, thyme, lemon myrtle, and lemon peel. It's a wonderful blend.

Score: 8/10

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