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Given up on the idea of buying top-quality coffee from the supermarket? In fact, there’s no reason your local store can’t provide you with a decent brew at a decent price. Caffeine explains what to look for

Those of us who are serious about coffee probably stopped buying it in supermarkets a while ago. Although most stock a wide range of coffee, from instant to whole beans, it hasn’t been easy to find speciality brands. Often the best option has been to grab a bag of beans when you were in your favourite local third-wave coffee shop enjoying your brew of choice.

So why was this? James Hoffmann of Square Mile Coffee Roasters has said, “While we definitely see the value in reaching large numbers of people, working with supermarkets never really fit for Square Mile Coffee. We value freshness, and supermarkets don’t treat coffee like fresh food but instead like shelf stable food.” This state of affairs, however, is changing and several roasteries now have their products available in selected supermarkets.

For many of us, a cup of freshly brewed coffee is a daily ritual and we want it to taste great – but we also want convenience and value. So can you really drink a home-brewed coffee produced to perfection with a supermarket product? We at Caffeine know it is possible, and we’ve created the following guide and tips to ensure that you produce a killer cup of coffee in the comfort of your own home.

Read on to find out what to look for – and what to avoid – when you’re trying to choose the right coffee to add to your trolley.

1. Strength and flavour

You’re standing in front of the coffee shelf, deciding which bag looks the most enticing and wondering which blend will give you that satisfactory hit of caffeine in the morning. Here it’s important not to be fooled by the pretty packaging and poetic descriptions. If the bag doesn’t inform you of a few basic things, it may be because they’re trying to hide something.