13 cafés de supermarché testé: les bons, les mauvais et le pire

Review Summary

Colin tested supermarket whole-bean coffees as espresso, assessing balance, bitterness, roast level, acidity, crema, freshness, and whether he would buy each coffee again. The coffees were purchased by the reviewer. The goal was to find practical supermarket choices, not the best coffees overall.

Coffees and Tier-List Results

A — Recommended

• Malongo Petits Producteurs: 100% Arabica, medium roast, and fairly even beans. Balanced, with controlled bitterness and slight, well-integrated acidity that gives it more vibrancy than many other coffees. One of the few he would buy again. He wished the origin were better disclosed.
• Lavazza Espresso (intensity 5): 100% Arabica, with good body, little acidity, and controlled bitterness. It has classic cocoa and chocolate notes and works as espresso or with milk. Not complex, but well balanced and reasonably priced.
• Lavazza Qualità: Also considered a good choice, with a little more acidity than the Espresso. Both Lavazza coffees made the top tier.

B — Good Options, with Reservations

• Méo Original (intensity 7, 100% Arabica): Has body and crema, but bitterness starts to dominate. Decent, especially with milk, though not a favorite as a straight espresso.
• Super U 100% Arabica (intensity 4): A lighter roast with a balanced, inoffensive cup, though it lacks depth and distinction. Could work well in an automatic machine. Its package has a freshness valve, which not all supermarket bags have.
• Illy Classico (100% Arabica): Even-looking beans and a mild, clean, balanced cup with little bitterness and slight acidity. The crema is light and fades fairly quickly. He found it expensive for the character it offers.
• San Marco (intensity 7): A strong, traditional Italian-style roast with body and good crema. More balanced than Segafredo, and a good option for those who like intense espresso or milk drinks.

C — Mediocre or Not Especially Recommendable

• Carte Noire Classic: Versatile and not bad, including with milk, but seemed stale on opening and lacked freshness and depth. An all-purpose coffee without much reason to buy it again.
• Illy Intenso: Darker and more bitter than the Classico; he preferred it with milk. Placed below the Classico.
• Naturela (100% Arabica, intensity 7): The beans looked attractive and were not excessively dark, but the coffee seemed particularly stale, flat, and lacking in depth. It was not very bitter, but the finish did not convince him.
• L’Or intensity 13 (Arabica–Robusta blend): Less burnt than he feared, with plenty of crema, body, and a syrupy texture. Could work with milk for people who like intense Italian-style coffee, but the roast was too strong for his taste. He wondered whether a lower-intensity version might be more appealing.
• Starbucks Blonde: Usable in an automatic machine, with a more reasonable roast than Starbucks’ darker options, but nothing especially memorable or distinctive.

D — Avoid

• Segafredo Intermezzo Crema: Darker, strongly roasted beans produced grilled, smoky aromas and substantial bitterness, which overwhelmed other flavours. He would skip it unless that roast profile is specifically what you want.
• Méo Espresso: A very dark roast with noticeable crema and body, but bitterness overwhelms the other aromas. He found it poorly balanced.
• Starbucks dark roasts: He would avoid the more heavily roasted options, which he considers excessively roasted.

No coffee received an S rating. The reviewer considered the A-tier coffees good choices, not exceptional coffees.

Overall Findings

• Freshness was the main weakness. Several bags smelled stale when opened, and the reviewer said supermarket coffee may have spent months on shelves. Roast dates are generally unavailable, making freshness hard to judge. He considers coffee best consumed roughly two weeks to three or four months after roasting.
• Many coffees tasted alike. Common chocolate notes, body, and crema were often accompanied by overly strong roasting and bitterness, with limited nuance. He found some decent cups, but no major surprises.
• A dark roast can mask defects. He suggested that heavy roasting may cover flaws in inexpensive, lower-quality beans.
• Labels reveal little. “100% Arabica” is not a guarantee of quality, and many packages provide little information about country, region, variety, processing, or blend.
• Intensity scores are not comparable across brands. There is no universal scale; at most, the number may help compare coffees within the same brand.
• Traceability is limited. Packaging often does not explain sourcing, producer compensation, or environmental impact. He contrasted this with local and specialty roasters, which can offer fresher coffee and more origin information.
• Recommendation: If buying at a supermarket, start with the A- or B-tier coffees and choose according to your taste and machine. For a clear step up, he recommends trying freshly roasted coffee from a local roaster or a specialty roaster online. He personally prefers ordering directly from roasters rather than large e-commerce platforms.

Speaker

Colin is the sole reviewer and provides all the tasting notes and rankings. No other speakers offer a separate view.