Make mine tea,please. (Kenco Decaffeinated)

Member Name: nikkisly

Product:	Kenco Decaffeinated
Date:	19/03/01 (320 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: Taste

I used to be a big coffee drinker, at least until a few years ago when I went a bit 'perculiar'! (No rude comments, please!) After having all sorts of medical tests, (since it was thought that I may possibly have a brain tumour), my unexplained symptoms turned out to be nothing more sinister than an allergy to coffee. I stopped drinking it, and my symptoms disappeared.Sorted.

Nowadays, I can get away with the occasional cup without too many problems, but I nearly always stick to tea. However, I missed my regular cups of coffee - there were times, such as after dinner, when only coffee would do.Decaffeinated coffee is allegedly better for health,since the caffeine in regular coffee can cause headaches, jitters and sleeplessness. Regular drinkers can also suffer from withdrawal symptoms if deprived of their 'fix'. Hence, I decided to give decaffeinated coffee a try and I found that it tasted just as good as normal coffee.In fact, I couldn't detect any difference between decaffeinated and regular coffees of the same brands. I liked it - a lot.

That is, until I tried Kenco.

My husband bought it after I'd asked him to pick up a jar of decaff.on his way home from work. We normally drink Nescafe (if finances permit) or Safeway's Own Brand (when they don't).However, rather than risking my wrath by not bringing any at all, he grabbed the only jar he could find in our small, local shop.

Considering that much is made of the 'aroma' in the Kenco television advertisements, I was surprised to find distinct 'bovrilly' undertones to the smell when I first opened the jar.In fact, the smell bears a very strong resemblance to gravy granules,although
the jar label assures me that I am drinking "the finest Arabica beans, decaffeinated, then expertly roasted to capture the smooth coffee taste and rich aroma of Kenco".

The granules are quite large in comparison with other brands, an
d are slow to dissolve, tending to float to the surface until you are at least halfway down the mug. In addition, no matter how vigourously you stir,there is always a thick, paste-like residue leftover, which makes the last few mouthfuls taste very unpleasant.

There are no instructions on the label.Yes, I know that making a cup of coffee should be idiot proof, but check out other coffee labels. Some say add boiling water, some advise just boiled water, others even say hot water. Kenco give no indication as to how to get the most out of their product.

Once made, the much-feted 'aroma' is not evident - luckily, neither is the Bovril smell. (It doesn't smell of anything, apart from sugar,if you happen to have added it.) Having smelled this coffee in the jar, I was anticipating a beefy taste. Yet somehow, the 'beefiness' disappears in the making, leaving behind a strange 'fishiness'. The coffee is bitter and leaves an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth. If forced to drink it, I usually need a cup of tea to take the taste away.

To add insult to injury, it is almost twice the price of supermarket own brand, which I find preferable in both taste and aroma.

Kenco decaffeinated is, in short, foul! We have had the same 100g jar for several months now and, despite trying to palm it off on our friends, we notice that very few of them manage more than a few mouthfuls out of politeness. My father, who drinks nothing but decaff. coffee, commented that it tasted as though it had 'gone off'.

I realise, of course, that reviews of food products are bound to be subjective, since we all have very individual likes and dislikes. Kenco is marketed as an 'upmarket' brand so maybe I'm just too common to appreciate it. However, in the interests of accuracy for this review, I did force myself to drink a mug before writing and have not changed my opinion of it. The things I doo for yoo...

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