ASDA Gold Roast Freeze Dried Instant Coffee

I have not been too well lately and this has meant that my husband has had to take over running our household temporarily. One task that I was unable to do due to being ill in bed was our online internet shopping which meant that my husband had to step in and take over. This led to us trying out a lot of different items from what we (I) would normally buy.

One such item was a jar of Asda’s Gold Roast instant coffee, which is 100g in size. There is a larger sized jar of the coffee available to buy too. We paid £1.68 for the smaller sized jar and this is quite a big saving when compared to a jar of instant coffee in the same size, from a more well known brand.

The packaging consists of a clear glass jar which has a gold-coloured plastic lid on top. The jar has a slightly oblong shape to it, and is different from the jar in the picture at the top of the Ciao page. I believe that this is down to the product having been given a bit of a recent face-lift though as I have bought this coffee a few times in the past and it is definitely the same product.

The jar has a layer of gold foil across the top of the opening which ensures the coffee inside the jar is kept very dry and fresh. When this foil is burst (which can be done very easily with a teaspoon) the most gorgeous aroma of the coffee is easily detected, and from my own experiences, I have found that cheaper brands of instant coffee just do not have such a rich aroma. The high-quality, fairly rich aroma that I can smell instantly when piercing the jar certainly indicates to me personally that the Asda Gold Roast coffee is not a product with a ‘cheap and nasty’ feel to it.

When it comes to the appearance of the Asda Gold Roast coffee, I am happy to report that it looks exactly like a more well-known brand’s version of ‘Gold Roast’ coffee, in my opinion at least. The granules are exactly that - granules, with little or no powdered residue being evident within the glass jar. The granules are a generous size which is fairly good considering the low price of the jar of coffee, and the colour of the granules is a pleasant light brown/tan colour. I have found that a lot of cheaper brands of coffee have “granules” that resemble soil and are very dark brown in colour with a lot of powdery residue being evident, so I am pleased that the Asda Gold Roast has a much nicer appearance, particularly as I always decant my jar of coffee into a clear coloured jar in the kitchen.

When making a cup of coffee using the Asda Gold Roast, it is very simple and quick to do so. I have found there are no problems with the granules dissolving once the boiling water has been added to the cup. I have also found that there is no ‘tacky’ residue left at the bottom of my cup after I have drank my coffee, which is another annoying trait from cheaper, more ‘budget’ branded cuppas I have had before.

The smell of the coffee is really quite aromatic and fragrant, and it can be detected easily when I am making the coffee in the cup, suggesting to me once again that the product is of a decent quality. The aroma has a fairly rich base to it and I find the smell is very appetising and quite delicious.

The taste of the Asda Gold Roast does not disappoint; the richness that I could detect in the aroma of the coffee when it was being made is very evident, and the taste is quite full-bodied and actually fairly strong. I do like my coffee to be all of these things, so this is fine with me, but if you prefer a weaker-tasting cuppa then you may not need the full teaspoon of granules in your own cup. I am happy with the rich, fairly sharp taste of the Asda coffee however, and find that it definitely hits the spot when I am looking for a hot cuppa.

Another huge plus point I have found when it comes to the Asda Gold Roast coffee is the fact that it is completely lacking in that horrible after-taste that is evident from so many cheaper-branded coffees that I have tried before. I find this is extremely off-putting and has prevented me from buying such brands again. With the Asda Gold Roast coffee, I have found that after drinking it I am not left with that horrible sharpness and bitter taste that is so unpleasant, and in actual fact the only thing a cup of the Asda coffee leaves me with is a thirst for another!

The only downside to this coffee that I have come to find is the fact that I personally prefer to buy Fair Trade products such as tea, coffee and sugar and obviously this product does not come under this category. I won’t be knocking off any stars for this though, as this is down to personal preference and the choices of individual shoppers and consumers.

All in all I would highly recommend the Asda Gold Roast coffee and I am pleased that my husband bought it in our last online shop. I would go so far as to say that I have been somewhat converted, and would not go out of my way to buy a more ‘premium’ brand of coffee when I am shopping in my local Asda store, as I feel this coffee is more than suitable for our household.