I am a total coffee addict. I drink around 8 cups per day, so naturally I get through a lot of the stuff. Generally I buy whatever is on offer, I am not loyal to any specific brand whatever is cheapest but not a store brand then I'm happy to purchase and I will give anything a go. There have been certain ones I haven't been fond of so tend to avoid them if I can.

I had never tried this particular coffee for just one reason, that is the price. It is a lot more expensive than what I would normally pay and therefore had never picked it up and tried it, at £6 for 200 grams it is rather pricey although I have been lucky enough to pick it up on offer at £3 a couple of times and currently Asda is selling 2 jars for £10 and only £4 a jar I seen the other day. As it was last year my son's dad brung me a huge jar of it from his office that a friend didn't like. Me being me I used the whole jar and have since purchased more, therefore I will be reviewing the Douwe Egberts: Pure Gold whilst I sip on a cup just now.

So firstly the packaging. The coffee comes in various sizes of jars which are much different from a lot of other products. It is lovely looking and quite premium. When my last jar was finished I washed it out and peeled off the label and use it for keeping my coppers in. The lid has a suction type of stopper that you press in to seal and lock in freshness and pull to remove. At either side are gold stickers that show the jar hasn't been opened.

The label is a mixture of browns, coppers and golds with a band of coffee beans round the bottom and white writing displaying the name. I have to comment that I wondered where the name had came from as it seemed pretty unusual. Their website states the following:

"As a result of the French occupation at the start of the 19th century, everyone had to take on a new family name. The Douwe Egbert family took on the name De Jong.

Although Egbert Douwe became well known in Joure, it was Douwe Egbert who expanded the company into other regional markets & therefore why the company became known as Douwe Egberts."

I haven't had to keep the jar long so I can't really comment on how long it would last. I do take a guess that it would keep for quite a while. After opening the jar you are presented with a lot of smooth looking beans. They have a very pale brown shade, not at all very rich looking. The smell is one of the best of all the brands I have tried. Although unexpected it is very rich and smooth. I can't quite describe how it smells apart from saying it really is wonderful.

After everything so far I was really excited to actually taste what it had to offer. On my first cup I added the same amount of beans that I normally would, around a heaped teaspoon, boiling water which instantly disolves most of the beans (I did find that I had to stir the cup quite a lot so that after the dash of milk is added there aren't some beans still floating around).

The taste I found at first to be pretty rich, this was sorted by putting in a little less beans. It is very smooth and easy to drink. There is a subtle aftertaste (I find it much better whilst it is hot rather than just warm or worse, cold) but it is not at all bitter that I find it sometimes can be. I love drinking this in the winter, it definately warms you up completely but not like drinking a hot sweet tea, more like a gentle, calming wake up that gives you a buzz lasting until the next cup.

I have started buying the refill packs when I see them on offer as it works out a bit cheaper than buying the jar over again. I would definately recommend that everyone at least try a cup of this. It is a fantastic hot drink and I will continue buying it (well when it's on offer anyway!).