Best ground coffee from the supermarket revealed

Looking for a better morning brew? We asked four independent coffee experts to blind-taste supermarket and big-brand ground coffees to uncover the best – and the ones you might want to leave on the shelf. 

Our test included ground coffee from well-known brands such as Cafédirect and Illy, as well as supermarkets, including M&S, Lidl, Sainsbury's and Tesco.

We found that when you spend a bit extra, you can get a deliciously smooth morning brew with our top-scorer from Cafédirect, which was a Best Buy.

Read on to find out how all the coffees compare, and what the experts thought of your nearest supermarket's offering.

Best ground coffee

Best Buy: Cafédirect Fairtrade Colombia Reserva Ground Coffee – 74%

£6 for 200g (£3 per 100g)

Brimming with notes of caramel, butterscotch, fruit and with a rich brown-sugar aroma, this coffee impressed our experts. Its complex flavour and full body created a deliciously rich, smooth cup of coffee. 

While perfectly flavourful when served black, adding a dash of milk made it even sweeter and more velvety, without dimming those delicious tasting notes. 

Available from Cafédirect, Ocado and Waitrose.

Best Buy: M&S Collection Fairtrade Colombian Ground Coffee – 72%

£4.75 for 227g (£2.10 per 100g)

This easy-drinking coffee from M&S was sweet and smooth with notes of dried fruits and caramelised white chocolate. 

It had a medium body with a satisfying mouthfeel and is great for drinkers looking for a lighter-tasting coffee. 

It holds up well with milk, but be careful not to add too much, as you may lose some of the fruity notes and delicate acidity.

Available in-store from M&S and Ocado.

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference La Celia Colombian Ground Coffee – 68%

£4.30 for 227g (£1.89 per 100g)

This coffee wasn’t intensely flavoured, but it carried tasting notes of chocolate and caramel. It was a bit generic, but very palatable. 

With milk, it turned into a smooth, chocolatey cup with flavours not dissimilar to Bourbon biscuits.

 Available from Sainsbury's.

Illy Ground Espresso Arabica Selection Colombia Coffee - 66%

£4.49 for 125g (£3.60 per 100g)

Illy's coffee was a delicate balance of fruity acidity, sweetness and intensity. 

It lost a bit of character when milk was added as it toned down the acidity, but the sweetness was enhanced, and the complex flavours remained. 

Available from Illy and Amazon.

Waitrose No.1 Colombia Reserve Ground Coffee - 65%

£4.75 for 227g (£2.10 per 100g)

This was a full-bodied, full-flavoured coffee with an intense bitterness and a drying finish. 

Milk complemented the flavour, creating a more balanced profile with notes of dark chocolate and tiramisu.

Available from Waitrose.

Co-op Irresistible Fairtrade Colombian Roast & Ground Coffee - 60%

£4 for 200g (£2 per 100g)

This was a decent coffee with caramel and roasted hazelnut notes, slightly sweet and medium-bodied. It's a well-developed roast, but not too dark. 

With milk, it had a softer, creamier flavour that was slightly biscuity.

Available from Co-op.

Caffè Nero Colombia Ground Coffee - 59%

£5.50 for 200g (£2.75 per 100g) 

This coffee didn’t wow our experts as it left a lingering bitterness and dryness in the mouth after drinking. With hints of dark chocolate and dried fruit, and a medium body, it was an average medium-dark roast overall. 

It was slightly better with a splash of milk, so perhaps a good option if you prefer a milky coffee.

Available from Ocado.

Lidl Deluxe Fairtrade Colombian Supremo Roast & Ground Coffee - 56%

£1.99 for 227g (87p per 100g)

A strong coffee with an ashy roast flavour. It was also quite dry on the palate and not particularly pleasant when served black. 

Milk mellowed the harshness, leaving a slightly malty brew.

Available in-store from Lidl.

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How the other ground coffees compare

When it came to the rest of the coffees, it was a close-run thing, with most scoring in the low 50s. 

• Morrisons, The Best Fairtrade Colombian Ground Coffee - 54%. This coffee had a smoky aroma and a slight rubbery flavour, resulting in a very drying aftertaste that didn't dissipate with a splash of milk.  £4.30 for 227g (£1.90 per 100g) Available from Morrisons.
• Asda, Exceptional Ground Colombian Roast Coffee - 53%. Our experts said this coffee had notes of tobacco and wood; they also noted a very thin body and a watery, weak taste.  £3.98 (£1.75 per 100g) Available from Asda.
• Tesco Finest Fair Trade Colombian Supremo Ground Coffee - 52%. High levels of bitterness with a faint roasted chestnut note and a slightly astringent aftertaste. But the bitterness was much better with milk. £4.30 (£1.89 per 100g) Available from Tesco.
• Aldi, Specially Selected Colombian Ground Coffee - 48%. The lowest-scoring coffee, our experts said, had very faint chocolate and nutty notes. However, it had a thin mouthfeel, lacked complexity, and had an unpleasant bitterness. £1.99 (88p per 100g) Available from Aldi.

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Coffee strength and roast levels

All the coffee in our test had a strength rating of three on the packet. This broadly reflects roast intensity and flavour profile, rather than caffeine content. 

Unfortunately, there isn't a consistent scale for coffee strength, so one brand's 'three' won't necessarily be the same strength as another brand's three. For example, one brand may have a one-to-six scale, while another has a 10-point system.

Use the descriptions on the pack to guide you. Medium-roast coffees are lighter and smoother than continental or Italian-style coffees, which tend to be darker roasts.

Not sure what type of roast you like? Think about beer (stay with us): if you enjoy a golden lager, you’ll probably enjoy a lighter roast. Or perhaps you enjoy a deep, rich stout; if so, opt for a dark roast.

It’s also a common misconception that a darker roast has higher caffeine levels. Bean type is actually the main factor for caffeine content. For example, robusta beans have more caffeine than arabica beans. So if you're looking for coffee that packs a punch, opt for robusta-heavy blends.

How sustainable is coffee?

The coffee sector doesn’t have a great reputation when it comes to sustainability. It has been associated with deforestation, biodiversity loss and detrimental effects on indigenous communities. 

When selecting ground coffee, look for Fairtrade and organic certifications, which are independently audited to ensure quality and aim to support more sustainable farming practices. Also, check for detailed sourcing information, indicating that the beans are sourced more ethically and that growers are paid fairly.

All the coffees in our test display either the Fairtrade International logo or provide farm and sourcing information. 

Healthy living

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How healthy is coffee?

Meet our nutrition expert

Shefalee Loth, Which? principal researcher and nutritionist

Shefalee is a public health nutritionist with 20 years' experience, who has worked for the NHS, The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and World Cancer Research Fund.

'In the past few years, there have been several large-scale studies linking regular consumption of coffee (around three to five cups a day for healthy adults) to numerous health benefits.

'This is linked to a reduced risk of some conditions, including: a reduced risk of some cancers, stroke, heart failure, coronary heart disease, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, respiratory illness and type 2 diabetes. 

'Coffee has also been associated with greater longevity, reduced inflammation and improved liver health. These benefits are largely attributed to polyphenols, which are naturally found in coffee (and other foods) and act as antioxidants. These polyphenols are thought to help regulate blood sugar by reducing blood glucose spikes after meals and improving the body’s glucose handling. Plus, they may help to ‘mop up’ free radicals, which damage DNA and are linked to cancer and cognitive decline, and promote the growth of good bacteria in your gut. 

'The good news is that the health benefits of coffee are seen in both regular and decaf varieties.

'Caffeine is also why you might need to stop drinking coffee early in the afternoon as you risk disturbed sleep. New research suggests leaving around seven hours between your last coffee and bedtime may help you fall asleep more easily.

'You don’t have to drink your coffee black to benefit. Adding milk or fortified plant-based milk can add calcium and other nutrients. The research also shows that instant coffee offers similar benefits to freshly ground, so you don’t need to spend lots.'

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How we tested ground coffee 

During our testing, we made more than 50 cups of coffee, each brewed with the exact same volume of water and at the perfect temperature of 95°C (so we didn't burn the brew).

Our experts sipped the coffees both with and without milk, to assess how the flavours held up to a dash of dairy. Then each coffee brand was assessed for flavour, aroma, body, and aftertaste. The experts also told us what they liked and disliked about each one and described those delicious tasting notes you get with a good cup of coffee.

The taste test was blind, so the experts didn’t know which brand they were trying. The order in which they tasted the coffee was fully randomised to avoid bias, and the results were analysed by our in-house stats team.

The overall score was based on:

• 40% flavour
• 25% body
• 20% aftertaste 
• 15% aroma

These weightings are based on how our experts rank the importance of different attributes of coffee.

Our expert panel:

David Jameson – Founder of Danelaw Coffee, certified Q Grader specialist coffee taster, two-time UK Coffee cocktail champion, roaster, and blender.

Casey Lalonde – Founder of Girls Who Grind Coffee and certified Q Grader specialist coffee taster.

François Knopes – Director and coffee advisor at The Collaborative Coffee Network, fourth-generation coffee roaster and certified Q Grader specialist coffee taster.

Esther Hope-Gibbs – Director and consultant at Hope Espresso, certified Q Grader specialist coffee taster and instructor.

Price and availability correct as of 16 March 2026.