Coffee is one of the most ubiquitous products in today’s society.. In practically any home or workplace we have a coffee machine, coffee machine, or cafeteria nearby.
In Spain, each inhabitant consumes on average about 4 kg of coffee annually (not as much compared to the European average of 6 kg or the Norwegian average of 13 kg per year).
The OCU has carried out an analysis for determine the quality of coffee drunk in Spaintaking into account factors such as the price, the quality of the labelling or the taste of the product, as well as the presence of certain contaminants that are common in this type of product.
The best coffee brands in Spain
Coffee is a product of which there is a lot of variety. There are a thousand factors that change the organoleptic characteristics of a cup of coffee, both in the coffee bean used and in its type of roasting and preparation.
This enormous variety of product also means that some of them will rise above the otherseither objectively or subjectively. In this OCU ranking, objective valuation values were used for various ground coffee products, for example:
- Price
- Sustainability
- Ethical Practices
- Product quality
- Taste
It is important to note that the main industrial coffee brands have been included in this analysis, without mentioning small and medium enterprises producing this product. Despite the growing popularity of coffee shops and bars, OCU analysis focuses on those products that we can usually find in supermarkets,
Factors such as the ease with which the containers can be recycled or the use of their capacity were also important when the ranking was carried out. Those containers that were not filled to their maximum capacity or that presented Excessive disposable or difficult to recycle materialscored lower in the ranking.
Of the 29 brands of coffee analyzedonly 4 of them stood out for their taste above all the others. Coincidentally, they were the ones that scored the best in most of the categories evaluated, making them the best coffee brands in Spain. The others, according to the OCU, are not bad in taste, but it is not at all remarkable.
The 10 best coffee brands in Spain are the following:
1. Alipende (Savings)
The brand’s coffee Alipendefrom the Ahorramás chain in Madrid, is proclaimed the absolute winner in the taste category within the analysis. Its competitive price of between 1.19 and 1.21€, in addition to its ecological packaging and maximization of the filling, make Alipende coffee the best rated by the OCU analysis.
2. Bonka
Nestlé brand, Bonka coffee is well known for its good taste and good product quality. Even so, its high price (8€/kg, twice as much as the rest of the products in the top 4) takes points away from the other brands of coffee.
3. Bellaron (Lidl)
This coffee from the German brand discount supermarket, Lidl, is ranked as one of the best coffees in Spain. It has a reduced price of approximately 1.20€ per 250g container, in addition to being roasted coffee without roasting.
Although the roasting offers a greater variety in the intensity of flavorsespecially if mixed with natural roasted coffee, the bitter aftertaste it leaves is not loved by everyone. If you like coffee with a more delicate flavor, Bellaron coffee is one of the best options.
4. Allied
The coffee of the Aliada brand belongs to the supermarkets of El Corte InglésIt is one of the 4 with the best taste among the 29 brands of coffee analysed by the OCU. It has a competitive price and a very pleasant roasted taste, roasted coffee in the mixture. If you’re looking for the traditionally bitter taste of Spanish coffee, this is one of the best options.
5. Day
The Dia brand, although it has been in a downward spiral for a few years, has some products with amazing quality. One of these products is coffee, naturally roasted and free of the majority of contaminants that were sought in the analysis, such as ashes (the ashes contain potentially carcinogenic substances).
6. JSP
The company JSP sells only in the Canary Islands. Even so, it ranks among the top 6 coffee brands in the state. They offer various coffee products, with different types of roast and formats – ground, in beans, in bags, in packages…-.
7. Intermon Oxfam
Intermón Oxfam coffee is the only coffee on the list that can be proud to belong to the category of fair trade products. These products are manufactured and marketed in such a way that favour the economy of the place where they are cultivatedIn addition, there are a number of countries in the developing world, usually developing countries that other firms take advantage of with too low a paycheck.
A great coffee with a great heart, although its price is slightly higher than the average due to its fair trade policy.
8. Markus (Aldi)
It is common to see German brands in Spanish product rankings. It is also the case of Markusa coffee marketed through the brand Aldi supermarkets. This product has a very low price, but your coffee does not have as much caffeine content as the rest of the list. Its taste, nothing of the other world.
9. Signature
The Canarian brand Tirma, which has also reached the peninsula -for example, through its incredible chocolate bars, has a high quality coffee that has little to envy other brands. Medium roast and good caffeine content in each cup.
10. Basqué
The Basqué brand moves in the north of SpainLa Rioja and the Basque Country. This brand has a long coffee tradition, with products in various formats and biodegradable containers. A great choice for a smooth and aromatic coffee.
The worst brands of coffee
Even if they are the worst rated, they are still good products, fit for consumption. They just haven’t been able to stand out, but their score isn’t far from the best coffee brands, so if one of them is your favorite, don’t suffer.
Among the worst marks in this ranking, we would find the brand Eroski or HacendadoThese are well-known white brands that tend to produce quality goods at competitive prices. Luckily, the OCU confirms that all products in its ranking are of acceptable quality to say the least.
Bibliographic references
- Análisis del café Español,(2014) OCU:www.ocu.org Compra Maestra nº 393.