Saturday 13 June 2015

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

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

Wednesday 3 June 2015

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

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Colombian coffee



Monday 1 June 2015

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