Mellow Bird's Coffee (100g)

Product Information

Some nice acidity and a rich fruitiness; the end is a very dark Italian-style flavour. You wouldn’t mistake this for freshly ground coffee but it’s not bad. Powder rather than granules, and delivers some bitter grip but very little else. Wouldn’t recommend. Then there is the extraction, as coffee experts call the brewing of the coffee. Coffee we make at home is infused for a short amount of time, so that only the nicest flavours are drawn out. Leave it too long and it becomes murky and acrid. But to make instant coffee at the price we want to pay, manufacturers may need to get every scrap of flavour out of the beans, meaning that it’s brewed for longer and can develop astringent or muddy tastes. That bitter note means instant coffee is often better drunk with milk.

It helps to know what you’re buying. There are, broadly, two different kinds of instant coffee: spray-dried (cheaper) and freeze-dried (more expensive). Both start the same way: by coarsely grinding beans, then infusing them to make a strong coffee. Of course, it may not be just the flavour that leaves a bitter taste. The coffee industry is notorious for its exploitation of farmers, workers and the environment, and few of the coffees I tried had any kind of certification. Rainforest Alliance, a certification that’s not highly rated by industry watchdog ethicalconsumer.org, was the most used, but props to Waitrose as the only supermarket own-brand coffee I tried with Fairtrade status. Put to the test More acidity than the competing Sainsbury’s own-brand version, and no bitterness. It’s quite bland (as you’d expect), but with a roundness and a little malty length. If this is your style, it’s a good buy. And wow, what a difference. While the various grades, granules, arabica beans, robusta beans, mellow and rich roasts all had distinct characters, there were stark differences between the individual coffees themselves. The best were balanced and satisfying, the worst plain rough, often with a distinctly burnt taste.Delivers a delicate balanced flavour with red fruits and caramel notes, although the aftertaste is a bit flat.

REWIND 40 YEARS: there are hardly any coffee shops on the high street and serving-up a coffee to a visitor meant instant coffee out of a jar. Mellow Bird’s coffee was heavily advertised during the 70s and 80s. One of their most memorable adverts involved a lady swiftly throwing her foul tasting cup of coffee into a plant pot. per cent arabica coffee with a little bit of bright acidity and caramel notes. A bit weak but the only one that could be mistaken for filter coffee. Not cheap, but better than pricier premium brands. Brews to a reddish colour and a very rich, Italian-style flavour with a slightly treacly intensity. Has a great length, if you like that flavour. Fairtrade. Caramel notes and a mild flavour. Adding milk makes it a bit bland, however, and the aftertaste is musty. According to Little, the reason that most instant coffee doesn’t taste as refined and complex as freshly ground is about more than the process – it’s the quality of beans too.The imaginary caller. After taking a mouthful of the poisonous-like coffee, pull out your mobile and start talking: “Ohh… right… that sounds serious… I’m on my way!” Drop the coffee and dash out the front door to the imaginary emergency! For reasons of hygiene and safety, personal grooming products, cosmetics or items of intimate clothing cannot be returned. An Italian-roast style, but with no over-roast “burnt” flavours, this is clean flavoured with some dark caramel length. Similar to Gold Blend but less bitter. Delivers powerful, fruity acidity but I’m not getting the caramel and chocolate notes it advertises. Takes milk nicely, which does give it more of a chocolatey quality. No balancing bitterness but it’s not at all burnt and the fruitiness really lingers.