# Costa beans from supermarket - my experience



## Morningfuel (May 19, 2016)

Yeah... I ordered too slow and I've gotta wait a couple of weeks until my black cat Brazil and signature have rested.

So I went to tesco and got a bag of Costa beans. Why? They were on offer, and advertised as "medium roast". Well well, said I, we'll see about that...

So, first impressions - they are... Medium roasted. Certainly not overly dark at all, and some beans in this blend are positively light. I wonder whether this is a flaw in the roast, or whether they have blended some lighter beans in.

Ahh, but I bet they're stale! No roast date on the bag!

I grind the beans at the same setting for James Gourmet cafe naturelle, a medoum-lightish espresso roast coffee with emphasis on citrus fruits and sugary sweetness. 17.5g in, and... It's a gushing shot. Maybe a bit stale. I run it long - 55g out. Taste test time?

Not bad actually. It makes me wonder whether slightly stale beans can be saved by running long, low pressure shots. It wasn't mind blowing, but it was sweet and balanced with some acidity and fruitiness present, and not a "roasty" flavour. Worked fine enough in an Americano with milk.

Certainly doesn't compare with my usual suspects, and of course I'd not bank on Costa being the most ethical company in the world, but it'll get me out of trouble and is a million miles from the Starbucks beans I bought some years back which were black and oily!


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

If it's drinkable and gets you out of hole...why not. My old mum used to like a coffee tescos had for a while in her BTC machine...not too dark roasted. I used to buy it when I had actually run out of coffee for her...which wasn't often!


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## Morningfuel (May 19, 2016)

DavecUK said:


> If it's drinkable and gets you out of hole...why not. My old mum used to like a coffee tescos had for a while in her BTC machine...not too dark roasted. I used to buy it when I had actually run out of coffee for her...which wasn't often!


 Yup, must admit, my biggest hangup on them is the ethics - the taste is fine, if not "distinctive". Like, the Caffè Naturelle is distinctively candied citrus. This is more a slightly fruity, sweet coffee and it's fine.

For £2.50 a bargain. Definitely not fresh though. I reckon it might not be so great in a filter, but lungo espresso at about 4-5 bar it's fine.


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## Emily (Dec 27, 2020)

Morningfuel said:


> It makes me wonder whether slightly stale beans can be saved by running long, low pressure shots


 That's interesting..It takes me a while to get through a bag of beans and so the last few are usually getting a bit stale. I notice the different in taste all of a sudden. Not quite sure whether to change the grind setting or change something &#8230;.☺


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## shaun**** (Oct 24, 2015)

the waitrose and sainsbury's near me both have union beans in stock. i've picked up a bag before when i've been caught short. they have roast dates on them and quite shot BB dates so checking through the blends and SOs you can usually find one that's not too old.


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## cold war kid (Mar 12, 2010)

Costa beans are what I use to get me out of a hole. I find they are the best easily available beans for milky drinks and passable as espresso, and surprisingly, filter, although it wouldn't win any prizes. Costa gets a bad rap because their shops are so inconsistent with the quality of what they serve. I suppose that's always going to be a problem when you're making real coffee, on real machines that need attention, instead of a glorified vending machine like Starbuck's and friends. Add on to that low wages and people who may not even like coffee serving you and quality often nose dives.


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## Rhys (Dec 21, 2014)

I've drunk Costa beans on several occasions and they're not bad (although they were pretty fresh, maybe a day past roasting). The Bright Blend is nice tbh. It's a drinkable coffee that I'll quite happily have anytime.

If you're after something darker, there's an Amazonian one coming out that is dark, although not oily dark apparently.


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