Genesis Caf? Glace – Iced Coffee
At first my taste buds were less than satisfied but after a couple of sips and some convincing by colleagues I decided that it could go on my liking list. The ingredients are pretty much what you would expect from a coffee in a tin: water, coffee, milk powder and sugar. Genesis is a product of Taiwan (no surprises there) but you would expect a more appealing packaging from them. The bitter taste was justified as soon as I poured it into a glass (it has a very dark colour) and it actually subsided after a couple of minutes, which made it go down a lot easier, as I really prefer my coffee sweet.
270 ml
Rating: 3
Cafemio – Hazelnut
The packaging is an eye-catcher and the word ‘hazelnut’ is always tempting, especially when it’s going to make your coffee sweet. This brand had a very creamy flavour, in fact the creamiest from the lot and definitely a lot of aroma. One of our testers refused to share it and the cap seemed to serve well for a shake once opened. The ingredients weren’t as simple as others though. It contains 2,2% fat, 60% full fat milk, water, maltodextrin, sugar, 0,8% coffee extract, colorant, caramel, aroma, cocoa, emulsifier, lecithine. Straight from Austria, again this coffee had a very dark colour despite all that milk and once tasted it was a bit disappointing having left no trace of that hazelnut. Also available in caramel.
250 ml
Rating: 4 (points for cool packaging)
Nescafe Ice Coffee
I must admit this one was quite the disappointment. After pouring it into a glass, I was put off by the sight of the liquid. All the rest where clear brown coloured, whereas this one had a colouring of white as if it was off. Nevertheless, a few testers were quite happy with it as long as it was drunk straight from the tin. This ice coffee is blended with Arabica beans, which does give it some justice as most of the top coffee making franchises use these in particular beans. It contains the usual water, coffee, sugar, and milk powder but unfortunately there are also traces of a conservative, E471.
240 ml
Rating: 2
Mr Brown Iced Coffee
It’s either Mr Brown or Pokka, to be frank. The equivalent of Carlsberg and Keo, both ready–to–go coffees have their fans. After careful consideration, as I confess to being a Pokka girl, I found that Mr Brown has something most of this bunch didn’t: no tinny awkward flavour, which evidently ruins the taste. Mr Brown coffee has no milk and no sugar but 100% arabica beans, making it 100% real coffee. For those who need a hit of coffee at anytime in the day, I think Mr Brown is just what the doctor ordered.
250ml
Rating: 5
Pokka
Ah! I am addicted to this brand. Pokka has been out for a while. It’s great in the car, in the morning, afternoon, at work, going to work; everywhere really. It is one of the smoothest coffees drunk by those with a sweet tooth and by regulars. Poured in a glass, there’s nothing to put you off this one. The colour and aroma is pure coffee all the way. Is there anything the Japanese can’t do well? Full points for Pokka by all our testers.
240 ml
Rating: 6
Mr Coffee
Very different to the rest, this one is actually a frappe ready–to–go. The package contains a plastic glass, one coffee sachet, two sugar sachets, a plastic glass with water, a coffee creamer and a small straw. Basically, everything one needs to make the perfect frappe. Although I was stuck at what exactly to do with it at first, one of our testers pulled the top off to reveal the contents inside. Not very handy if you are driving though as you need to pour in the amount you want and shake it. However, I was amazed when I discovered it tasted just like a Le Caf? frappe but obviously cheaper.
250ml
Rating: 5
Boncafe Icafe- Iced Mocha
That’s all we need, mocha in a tin. Not one I am familiar with, Icafe must be new on the market but there’s nothing wrong with new, is there? After five or six sips I decided that I liked this one because it had a completely different flavour that any of the others, although it did remind me of Pokka. That’s it. It tasted like Pokka but with a hint of mocha. I tried it in a glass with some ice. Perfect. I think this one is a winner. But there’s always a downside to lovely things. Icafe is packed with preservatives. Sorry Icafe but you’ve got too many Es.
240ml
Rating: 5
