I compared coffee from six high street chains, and when it came to picking a winner, the answer was obvious. There are several coffee chains that are found in most high streets, town centres and shopping centres in the UK. They have become staples, and many of us visit them weekly or daily for our coffee fix. While they all offer something pretty similar, some are much better than others. That's certainly what I found during my latest taste test.
When comparing coffee chains from the high street, I ordered the same thing from all of them: a latte with regular milk. I tried lattes from Costa Coffee, Pret a Manger, Starbucks, Caffé Nero, McDonald's and Greggs. Initially, I thought it might be difficult to pick a winner and a loser, but it was a lot easier than I thought. Of course, it sometimes comes down to personal taste. But I can confidently say that some coffees were much more enjoyable than others in my taste test.
I ranked the coffees based on smell (5 points), bitterness level (5 points) and overall flavour (10 points), which then allowed me to give each one a final score out of 20. Here are the results.
Price: £2.40 (regular)/£3 (large)
If you have ever gone to a Greggs cafe for a coffee, then you will have probably noticed that it comes out of an instant machine, so it can't really be considered barista-made. Greggs does several things very well, such as its iconic sausage roll and other baked delights.
However, it will not be a go-to for my future latte needs. It wasn't dire, but it certainly wasn't delightful, either. The flavour was pretty weak, and it was bitter, while not having much of a rich coffee flavour to balance it out. It needs more of a punch, as there isn't much of a flavour upon first taste.
- Smell: 2/5
- Bitterness level: 2/5
- Overall flavour: 4/10
- Final score: 8/20
Price: £4.50 (Grande)
Starbucks is perhaps the most recognisable coffee chain around the world. It has a massive 40,000+ stores worldwide, with around 1,400 of them in the UK. I had enjoyed a Starbucks latte in the past, but when I compared it to the others, it didn't come close to winning.
Unfortunately, it was a bit on the watery side for me, missing that rich, smooth coffee flavour I look for. It tasted milkier than I would have liked, and it leaves a weak yet noticeable aftertaste that I was looking forward to getting rid of.
- Smell: 2/5
- Bitterness level: 2/5
- Overall flavour: 5/10
- Final score: 9/20
Price: £1.99 (regular)
McDonald's has become a go-to for many for its McCafé offering, serving a range of coffees. The McDonald's latte wasn't bad, but it could have been better, in my opinion.
The main thing I noticed was that it was a bit on the bitter side, with a not-so-pleasant aftertaste. However, the taste of the coffee was better than that of Greggs and Starbucks, so I would go there over the previous two on the list.
- Smell: 3/5
- Bitterness level: 2/5
- Overall flavour: 6/10
- Final score: 11/20
Price: £3.95 (regular)
Costa Coffee was certainly one of the pricier places I went to, but I was pleased with the latte I got from the British high street chain. The smell was very appealing, which is a great way to start the experience of drinking a coffee.
The bitterness hits straight away, and it is a bit overpowering and takes a few sips to get used to. However, once you get past that initial bitterness, it actually is quite nice, but it leaves a lingering aftertaste which isn't overly pleasant.
- Smell: 4/5
- Bitterness: 2/5
- Flavour: 7/10
- Final score: 13/20
Price: £4.05 (regular)
This just misses out on the top spot, but I really enjoyed my latte from Pret. If it were my only option for coffee, I wouldn't be angry about it.
It has a nice, rich flavour, a nice bitterness level, and a nice aftertaste that's not too strong. The flavour is just strong enough without being too much. Overall, I was pretty happy to be drinking this latte.
- Smell: 3/5
- Bitterness: 5/5
- Overall flavour: 8/10
- Final score: 16/20
Price: £3.95 (regular)
In my high street coffee taste test, Caffé Nero is my winner. It had an almost-perfect bitterness level, with a lovely, inviting aroma before it even hit my lips.
There is a nice smooth flavour that is strong but not overpowering. It makes for a nice slow sip and leaves a nice aftertaste. Whenever I hit the high street, I would hope to find a Caffé Nero over any of the other chains.
- Smell: 5/5
- Bitterness level: 4/5
- Overall flavour: 9/10
- Final score: 18/20

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