Salty Coffee, Anyone? (Kenco Pure Brazilian Dark & Smokey)

Member Name: Nar2

Product:	Kenco Pure Brazilian Dark & Smokey
Date:	06/04/09 (214 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A dark and strong coffee in freeze dried form; lovely scent.

Disadvantages: Overpowering in the form of a salty aftertaste

As an ex-Barista of many years I have to faithfully say that it isn't particularly easy drinking instant coffee and loving the taste when used to espresso blends. Although as a child I was more of a tea drinker I never really fully appreciated the joy of coffee until I became a student and swapped the Pro Plus for a healthier cup of instant caffeine in coffee or Coca Cola form. Therefore I've had the cheapest brands in my food cupboards to the premium brands where instant coffee powder is concerned, and Kenco is one of my favourite brands, discovered at a time when "Red Mountain," no longer became available and before they changed the taste quite dramatically a few years ago. From the hellish to the heavenly as a coffee drinker, I've endured so many different brands from "Maxwell House," to "Mellow Birds," (awful) not to mention supermarket brands in the past.


Up until now however brands such as Nescafe and Kenco have been battling out with each other as to who can make the best beans possible in the freeze dried department and of the following available such as "Alta Rica" which is a dark coffee, I've only ever been accustomed to real Turkish coffee in the past that has always given a true, dark and smoky colour as well as a thick treacle like taste through the depths of charcoal and one of my favourite spices, Cardamom. In addition that is the only time when I will ever go black without milk. Alta Rica however is a rich blend that only those who adore coffee will be able to tell whether it's crap or credible. When I saw Kenco's Dark and Smoky coffee product at my local Somerfields, I couldn't help but try the formula since I'm used to their normal deep roast versions in their blue and red jars and overall prefer Kenco's quality over Nescafe; the prices seem to be cheaper too by a couple of pence. Here instead of blue or red topped 400g jars, you'll find the "Dark and Smoky," variation trapped in a smaller and medium sized 100g black and clear glass jar, presumably designed to entrap would be shoppers ready to pick up Alta Rica or other variations in the Nescafe range. Make no bones about it (and there aren't any bones in this, I'm sure) it is clear from the offset that Kenco are out to battle with Nescafe, but have they got it quite right with their Dark and Smoky flavour? A standard jar of Nescafe's premium Alta Rica brand costs around £3-74 in my local Somerfields; Kenco's Dark and Smoky costs approximately £3-36.


For a start the scent of this coffee is quite deep and mystifying and its no wonder that the directions suggest that the user adds a little milk if desired. From the moment I broke the seal on top of the jar I knew that I could well be in for a treat. One of the aspects I love about instant coffee isn't the amount of chicory that most companies try to inject into their products but rather a deep and intoxicating smell of roasted beans that don't over take the basic recipe; something that filter coffee is famous for in my opinion. This is why I prefer Kenco because on a general level their coffee scents for most of their ranges are satisfying and hold much promise.


When preparing this coffee however I did realise that even after depositing one teaspoon of the granules to my favourite mug, it did need a lot of milk to bring it up to a colour and strength level to my tastes. This would clearly show how strong this coffee is, and whilst the scent lingered in the air of charcoal and roasted coffee, I disposed of putting sugar in as I feel with most instant coffee; sugar tends to mess up the flavour unless it's of the brown Demerara quality.


Expecting a thick line of coffee, perhaps treacle and perhaps more charcoal from its heavenly scent, I was disappointed to find that the taste didn't quite live up to its scent. For a start although no sugar had been put in, I was unable to detect fully what I was tasting, thinking that the cup I had taken out of the dishwasher hadn't been washed properly and promptly disregarded the mug, taking a new one and a new coffee in the making. There was something definitely savoury in the mug and not sweet of which Kenco promise.


There are tones of treacle here which don't over take the roasted bean flavour, and whilst there is quite a depth to something that is freeze dried and in no way better than filter coffee, let alone heavier espresso blends, the second mug did not deter me from the initial mug I had prepared. Although there are some hints of bitterness from the roasted beans no doubt due in point to the amount of "Smoky," balance that this recipe has been made to, there is quite a depth of charcoal that fills my mouth with a pleasing thickness of satisfaction. However despite the quality of the coffee in my own mind having a great taste, in both times of preparation, I have been left with a distinct salty aftertaste - and by lord, it lingers to the point that I need Listerine!


As I prepared a mug for my mum, (another coffee lover) she prefers her coffee to be thick like soup in its strength and often will take 2 to 2 and half spoonfuls of coffee. In this regard, she came away feeling similarly disappointed and agreed that there is quite a salty aftertaste embedded after all liquid has been swallowed. And Kenco have a cheek to suggest that its "Dark and Smoky," range has a touch of "lingering sweetness."


So if you are looking for something thick and heavy darting around your mouth and represents coffee in freeze dried form, I'd settle for something else. What a pity that despite its promise, Kenco's Dark and Smoky leaves anything but a lingering sweetness. For sodium fans however, look no further. Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2009

www.kenco.co.uk

Summary: Kenco make good coffee generally; this one is a bit of a disappointment.