Penny Choose: Waitrose Espresso Roasted Coffee Beans

It’s April – pinch, punch, first of the month – and I’m back on the coffee, hurrah! Today’s treat under a tenner hits the sweet spot that is the intersection between great coffee and a good old bargain.

Here’s my review of the Waitrose own brand espresso roasted coffee beans. While I don’t do my weekly shop in Waitrose, I do drop by from time to time to pick up a few treats, including items from their non-essential but very nice Essentials range. Every now and again I stray into own brand territory too, especially for these coffee beans.

My attitude with coffee is go hard or go home, even with a fancy latte, and these beans give you a proper jolt with a full flavour. It’s a dark espresso roast that manages to avoid tasting burnt, and has a really rounded taste. Okay, so you won’t get major notes of ‘cinnamon and cherry’ or ‘chocolate and plum’ but it punches well above its weight on the nose and palate, and it’s far superior to similar mainstream Italian brands such as Illy – plus it’s about half the price.

It’s a bit of a hidden supermarket gem, and if you’re a full-on coffee head then this is definitely one to try when your budget doesn’t quite stretch to an independent artisan hand-roasted small batch (that happens a lot round here). Good to drink neat, and also makes a cracking latte.

Waitrose Espresso Roasted Coffee beans are £3.69 for a 250g tin from Waitrose or Ocado.