Instant coffee

Starbucks Via Ready Brew €5.95 for 27.6g

When you get over the shock that Starbucks – the company which has done so much, for good or ill, to bring fancy coffees to a mass market – has moved into the instant market, you will probably find yourself reeling over the price. It is ridiculously priced. Once you actually taste the coffee, however, you will find that it actually tastes very good. It is the closest we came to the real deal, not including the Nespresso option which actually is the real deal. It has a lovely, if not long-lasting, aroma and a pleasing sharpness and it delivers a hefty caffeine buzz.

Verdict:Hard to get over the price ***

Nespresso Fortisio Lungo  €4.90 for 10 pods

This is even more instant than a regular instant but delivers a cup of coffee as good as almost anything you’ll find anywhere. It delivers a full-bodied cup with just enough bitterness, although the cups are on the small side. You do, of course, need the machine, which costs €100-plus, and you will have to be organised when it comes to buying the pods as there are very few places where they can be bought. While an individual cup costs around 49 cent in Ireland, the pods can be bought online for 38 cent a cup.

Verdict: Amazing *****

Lyons Coffee Bags  €1.99 for 125g, €15.92 per kg

If you ever wondered why coffee bags never took off in quite the same way as tea bags, you might find the answer here. This creates more waste than a regular coffee but doesn’t deliver anything to make that waste worthwhile. You get 18 cups for your €2, which makes this around a quarter of the price of the fancy Nespresso, but the coffee is nowhere near as good.

When left stewing for long enough, the coffee is strong enough and is better than instant coffee. Still a long way from the real deal.

Verdict: A bit grim **

Nescafe Black Gold Coffee €4.35 for 100g, €43.50 per kg 

This old-school product has absolutely no surprises and, to paraphrase Douglas Adams, it is “almost, but not quite, entirely unlike coffee”. You will get a little caffeine buzz and after an early cup we were slightly more alert than we might otherwise have been. It has a rich dark colour and while it might be a long way from the fancier coffees many of us have gotten used to in recent years, it is absolutely fine and won’t do you any harm.

Verdict:Old school and ordinary ***

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