Coffee
This is my list of the coffees worth your money, across whole beans, ground coffee, pods, instant and supermarket ranges. It's for anyone who wants a good bag, jar or box of pods without wading through every shelf, and the full reviews give dated UK prices, the downsides and who each one isn't for.
Top coffees
How this list is ordered. I group the coffees by type (beans, ground, pods by system, instant, then supermarket own-label), and within each group the ones I've written full reviews of come first, with the rest following by the lowest price per 100g, pod or cup on the date I checked. I don't taste-test these coffees in person, and no brand pays for a place.
Beans
Lavazza Qualità Oro Coffee Beans
1kg · 100% Arabica, six varieties from Central/South America, medium roast, intensity 5/10
illy Classico Roast Coffee Beans
250g tin · 100% Arabica, medium roast, intensity 5/9, pressurised can
Ground
Costa Signature Blend Ground Coffee
200g · Arabica and Robusta, medium, strength 3
Taylors of Harrogate Rich Italian Ground Roast Coffee
200g · roast 4, medium roast, 100% Arabica
Lavazza Qualità Rossa Ground Coffee
250g · Arabica and Robusta from Africa, South America and Southeast Asia; medium roast; intensity 5/10
Starbucks House Blend Medium Roast Ground Coffee
200g
Starbucks House Blend is a medium roast ground coffee, 100% Arabica from Latin American beans, in a 200g bag (Amazon UK sells it as a pack of six). It's on Amazon UK's list of best-selling ground coffees, but I couldn't confirm a live UK price on 28 Sep 2026, so check the current price before you buy.
Check current price
Pods
Nespresso Original
L'OR Espresso Lungo Profondo
40 capsules (Nespresso Original compatible) · medium roast "to the edge of dark", intensity 8
Starbucks by Nespresso House Blend
36 pods · medium roast (Sainsbury's listing title)
Nespresso Vertuo
Starbucks by Nespresso Vertuo, Veranda Blend
8 capsules · lightest roast, 100% Arabica
£14.22 at Amazon UK (third-party seller), checked 28 Sep 2026
Dolce Gusto
Nescafé Dolce Gusto Americano Intenso
16 pods · 100% Arabica, intensity 9 of 11, 230ml mug
Tassimo
Tassimo Kenco Americano Grande XL
16 T-discs · 100% Colombian
Instant
190g · Arabica and Robusta blend, 111 mugs per jar
200g · freeze-dried, medium roast
195g · blend of medium and dark roast beans, freeze-dried
£7.80 at Tesco, price when checked 28 Sep 2026
about £4.00/100g
Nescafé Azera Americano Instant Coffee
140g tin
Azera Americano mixes instant coffee with finely ground roasted coffee, a blend of Robusta and Arabica, and the tin says it gives a crema topping. The 140g tin was £5.75 at Waitrose on 28 Sep 2026, about 7.5p a mug based on the 77 mugs stated, and Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco stock it too.
Supermarket own-label
Tesco Finest Fairtrade Sumatra Mandheling Roasted Coffee Beans
227g beans · single-origin Sumatra, Indonesia
£4.30 at Tesco, price when checked 28 Sep 2026; Clubcard price £3.85
£1.89/100g
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Fairtrade Colombian Coffee, Strength 3
227g ground · single-origin Colombia, 100% Arabica, strength 3
M&S Collection Single Origin Colombian Coffee Beans
227g beans · single-origin Colombia, Arabica
Exceptional by Asda Colombian Roast Coffee Beans
227g beans
Asda's Exceptional Colombian beans (formerly Extra Special) are a Fairtrade, 100% Arabica, medium-dark roast that Asda rates strength 4. The 227g bag was £3.98 at Asda on 28 Sep 2026, about £1.75 per 100g, and it's only sold at Asda.
Waitrose Gold Roast Instant Coffee
100g instant
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All coffee reviews
Coffee machines
The best bean-to-cup coffee machines under £500 in the UK
Which bean-to-cup coffee machines are worth it for under £500, what they cost to run, and when a manual espresso machine and grinder is the better buy.
Grinders
The best burr grinders under £100 in the UK, and what they can't do
Most burr grinders under £100 are built for filter coffee, not espresso. Here's what this budget can and can't do, with UK prices checked on 28 Sep 2026.
Beans
The best coffee subscriptions in the UK, compared on price, freshness and flexibility
What a coffee subscription really costs per bag, how easy it is to pause or cancel, and which UK roasters are worth a look, with prices checked 28 Sep 2026.
Milk
The best milk frothers in the UK for café-style drinks at home
Handheld, jug or microfoam maker? Here's which kind of milk frother suits the drinks you make, who doesn't need one at all, and what they cost in the UK.
Coffee machines
De'Longhi Dedica EC685 review: a slim, affordable first espresso machine
The Dedica EC685 is a narrow, entry-level espresso machine: £179 at De'Longhi UK (a sale price that may end) or £179.99 at Currys, checked 28 Sep 2026. Who should skip it.
Coffee machines
De'Longhi Magnifica Start review: a simple, affordable way into bean-to-cup coffee
The Magnifica Start ECAM220.22.GB is De'Longhi's entry bean-to-cup machine. Here's what you get for the money, what it costs to run and who should look elsewhere.
Coffee machines
Dolce Gusto Genio S Plus review: hot and cold pod drinks, with a few small catches
The Genio S Plus makes hot and cold pod drinks for £100 at Argos (price at time of research, 28 Sep 2026). Here's what you get, what capsules cost and who should skip it.
Beans
Fortnum & Mason Piccadilly Blend review: a smart house-blend tin at a premium price
Fortnum's house blend in whole beans: what's in the 250g tin, what it costs per cup, why there's so little independent feedback and who it isn't for.
Beans
illy Classico beans review: a well-loved small tin, if you shop around
illy Classico is a 250g tin of medium-roast Arabica beans with a big, happy owner following. Here's what it costs at UK shops, what's listed and who should skip it.
Kenco Gold Indulgence review: the branded instant the taste panels rated
Good Housekeeping's best branded instant, £7.80 at Tesco (price at time of research, 28 Sep 2026). Here's what the taste tests and owners say, and who should skip it.
Kenco Smooth review: a well-rated mild instant that's best bought as a refill
Kenco Smooth's 200g jar is £7.80 at Tesco (checked 28 Sep 2026), but the refills work out cheaper. Here's what owners say, the taste-test gap and who should skip it.
Milk
Lakeland Foamie frother review: a cheap rechargeable whisk, with a few unknowns
Lakeland's Foamie is a budget USB-C rechargeable handheld milk frother with a three-year guarantee. Here's what it does, what it doesn't, and who should spend more.
Beans
Lavazza Qualità Oro beans review: a big, fairly priced bag of all-Arabica beans
Lavazza Qualità Oro is a 1kg bag of medium-roast Arabica beans sold in most big supermarkets. Here's what it costs, what's listed and who should skip it.
Beans
M&S Collection Colombian beans review: Fairtrade everyday beans that are hard to price online
M&S's Fairtrade Colombian whole beans: what's in the 227g pack, where to buy them, what little independent feedback exists and who they aren't for.
Coffee machines
Melitta AromaFresh II review: beans to a jug of filter coffee, on a timer
A filter machine with a built-in grinder, a timer and up to an hour of keep-warm. Here's what it costs, what testers and owners say, and why it's not for small kitchens.
Coffee machines
Moccamaster KBG Select review: a simple, built-to-last filter machine at a premium price
A hot, quick, no-fuss filter machine with a five-year warranty and lots of colours. Here's what it costs by colour, what testers say and who should skip it.
Nescafé Gold Blend review: a well-liked instant, but where you buy it matters
Gold Blend's 190g jar runs from £5.75 at Asda to £9.35 at Co-op (checked 28 Sep 2026). Here's what independent tasters and owners say, and who should skip it.
Coffee machines
Nespresso CitiZ review: a solid espresso-first pod machine that takes supermarket pods
The CitiZ is £174.99 at Currys (checked 28 Sep 2026). Here's what you get, what the pods cost and why it's pricey for a machine that does two cup sizes.
Coffee machines
Nespresso Vertuo Next review: the cheapest way into Vertuo, with a catch
The Vertuo Next is on sale at Currys for £69.99 (checked 28 Sep 2026). Here's what you get, what Vertuo pods mean for you and the reliability worry to weigh up.
Coffee machines
Philips 2200 EP2220 review: a well-rated, no-fuss bean-to-cup with a manual frother
The Philips Series 2200 EP2220/10 is a simple bean-to-cup machine with a steam wand. Here's what you get, what it costs to run and who should look elsewhere.
Coffee machines
Sage Bambino review: fast, compact and well equipped, if you can justify the price
The Sage Bambino SES450 is £329.95 at Sage UK (checked 28 Sep 2026). Here's what's in the generous box, what tests say, the running costs and who should skip it.
Coffee machines
Sage Bambino vs Bambino Plus: which should you buy?
The Bambino Plus costs £70 more than the Bambino at Sage UK. Here's what that extra money actually buys, who each machine suits, and who should skip both.
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Colombian ground coffee review: smooth, good value and a little mild
A Fairtrade single-origin ground coffee for under £2 per 100g at Sainsbury's. Here's what the listing, owner reviews and published tests say, and who it won't suit.
Milk
Smeg MFF11 milk frother review: a stylish all-rounder, if you'll pay for the looks
Smeg's MFF11 is an induction jug frother with hot and cold foam, hot chocolate and a dishwasher-safe carafe. Here's what it costs, what it does and who should skip it.
Coffee machines
Tassimo Finesse review: a £39.99 pod machine, if you can live with the discs
The Tassimo Finesse is on sale at Currys for £39.99 (checked 28 Sep 2026). Here's what you get, what the T-discs cost and the trade-offs to weigh up first.
Beans
Tesco Finest Sumatra beans review: cheap Fairtrade beans with a thin track record
Tesco's own-label Fairtrade Sumatra whole beans in a 227g bag. Here's what the prices, owner reviews and the few published sources say, and who they won't suit.