Coffee buying guides

Every guide here exists to help you spend less on the coffee you already drink. Anything that changes month to month — this month’s cheapest bag, current offers, price news — lives in the blog instead.

Pricing and value

• How to compare coffee prices without fooling yourselfShelf prices are built to resist comparison. Four steps put every coffee you are looking at on the same footing.2 min read
• Coffee price per cup: the only number that comparesOne figure lets a 1kg bag, a jar of instant and a box of capsules sit in the same list. The maths is one line; the assumptions are the interesting part.2 min read
• How much does coffee cost in the UK?Typical prices by format, what a daily habit adds up to over a year, and the parts of the bill actually worth attacking.2 min read
• Coffee beans vs ground coffee: price, freshness and what to buyWhole beans are usually cheaper per kilo and always fresher. Whether that is worth it depends on one purchase.2 min read
• Coffee pod compatibility: which capsules fit your machineThe four systems sold in the UK are not interchangeable. Getting this right is the difference between halving your cost per cup and buying a drawer full of coasters.2 min read
• Is buying coffee in bulk cheaper?Almost always on paper. Whether it saves you anything depends on drinking it before it goes flat, and that has an arithmetic answer.2 min read
• Supermarket coffee vs speciality coffee: what the premium buysSpeciality coffee typically costs two to three times as much per kilo. Some of that premium is real, and some of it is a bag.2 min read

Understanding what you buy

• Know what you are buyingThe four things that actually decide what ends up in your cup.