Nescafé Gold Blend review: a well-liked instant, but where you buy it matters

If you’re after a Nescafé Gold Blend review that tells you where to buy it as well as whether to, you’re in the right place. Gold Blend is probably the best-known “gold” instant in the UK, and what struck me most while researching it is how much the same 190g jar costs from one shop to the next: from £5.75 at Asda to £9.35 at Co-op, both checked 28 Sep 2026. I haven’t tested this in person. My verdict is based on the listed product details, dated UK prices, owner ratings and the independent tests I name and link below.

Nescafé Gold Blend review: the short answer

Buy Gold Blend if you want a familiar big-brand instant with a good independent taste-test showing behind it, and you’re willing to pick your shop. At £5.75 at Asda (checked 28 Sep 2026), the 190g jar works out at about £3.03 per 100g, which is less per 100g than the Kenco Smooth jar at its cheapest.

Who it isn’t for: anyone whose only nearby shop is a Co-op or Morrisons, where the same jar is £9.35 and £8.35 (both checked 28 Sep 2026). It’s also not for anyone chasing the top-rated instant, because two own-label gold roasts came out ahead of it in the same Which? test.

Choose the 95g jar if you only drink instant now and then, or you want to try it before committing. It’s £3.89 at Savers (checked 28 Sep 2026), but that’s about £4.09 per 100g, so it costs more per spoonful than the big jar at the cheaper shops.

Who it isn’t for: regular daily instant drinkers. If you can get to Asda, Waitrose or Iceland, the 190g jar is the better buy.

What it costs right now

All of these are for the 190g jar, with prices via Trolley.co.uk, checked 28 Sep 2026:

• Asda: £5.75, with no offer or was-price shown.
• Tesco: £5.75 with a Clubcard, or £7.80 without. The lower figure is a Clubcard price, so you need to be a Clubcard member to get it, and I couldn’t confirm when the offer ends. Loyalty prices can change at short notice, so check on the day.
• Waitrose: £6.00.
• Iceland: £6.50.
• Morrisons: £8.35.
• Co-op: £9.35.

Trolley.co.uk wasn’t showing any multi-buy deals on it when I checked. For the smaller 95g jar (see prices on Trolley.co.uk), it’s £3.89 at Savers, £3.90 at Tesco, £3.92 at Asda and £4.00 at Morrisons, all checked 28 Sep 2026.

I haven’t included a Sainsbury’s price because I couldn’t confirm one, and I haven’t looked at the refill pouches either.

What you get: the jar and what’s listed

There isn’t much to unpack with a jar of instant. The 190g size comes in a glass jar, according to its Trolley.co.uk listing, and there’s a smaller 95g jar too. That’s about as far as the confirmed details go. I couldn’t confirm the roast level, the strength rating on the label or how many cups Nescafé says you get from a jar, so I’ve left those out rather than guess.

So the useful facts for comparing it are the size and the price per 100g.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who picks their coffee by roast level or by where the beans were grown. The listings I checked don’t give those details, and if they matter to you, you’ll probably be happier with fresh beans. My guide to the best coffee subscriptions is a good place to start.

Running costs: price per 100g

The shop you pick makes a real difference with Gold Blend. By my sums, the 190g jar works out at:

• about £3.03 per 100g at Asda (£5.75), or at Tesco with a Clubcard (also £5.75)
• about £3.16 per 100g at Waitrose (£6.00)
• about £4.11 per 100g at Tesco without a Clubcard (£7.80)
• about £4.92 per 100g at Co-op (£9.35)

All prices are from the shops named, checked 28 Sep 2026. That’s a gap of nearly £1.90 per 100g for exactly the same coffee.

I’d like to give you a cost per cup, but I couldn’t confirm how many cups Nescafé says a jar makes, and working it out from a spoon size I’d made up wouldn’t be honest. Price per 100g is the fairest comparison I can offer.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants the lowest possible cost and doesn’t mind which name is on the label. Supermarket own-label instants are worth a look, though I haven’t priced them for this review.

What reviewers and owners say

The strongest independent evidence comes from Which?, whose January 2026 blind taste test put 12 instant coffees in front of 68 tasters. Gold Blend did well: the panel liked how it looked, smelled and tasted. It wasn’t the outright winner, though, as own-label gold roasts from M&S and Waitrose finished just ahead. I’ve left out the exact scores because they sit behind Which?’s paywall.

Good Housekeeping’s instant coffee roundup (August 2026) didn’t include Gold Blend, so there’s no second big-name verdict to weigh against the Which? result. I also looked for reviews from BBC Good Food, The Independent and The Guardian’s Filter, and didn’t find one covering it.

Owner feedback is thin. The 190g jar has 4.2 out of 5 from just 7 reviews on Trolley.co.uk (checked 28 Sep 2026), which is too small a sample to lean on. I couldn’t confirm the ratings on the supermarkets’ own sites.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants a big pile of owner reviews before buying. The independent result is good, but the owner ratings I could find are few.

Gold Blend vs Kenco Smooth

• Price: Gold Blend’s 190g jar is £5.75 at Asda, and Kenco Smooth’s 200g jar is £7.80 at Tesco, the lowest price I found for it (both checked 28 Sep 2026). Per 100g, that’s about £3.03 against £3.90.
• Refills: Kenco Smooth’s 150g paper refill is £4.70 at Asda (checked 28 Sep 2026), about £3.13 per 100g, which closes most of that gap.
• Independent tests: Gold Blend has a strong Which? showing. Kenco Smooth wasn’t in the Which? or Good Housekeeping roundups.
• Owner ratings: Kenco Smooth has far more reviews on Trolley.co.uk (4.5 out of 5 from 138 for the jar, checked 28 Sep 2026), against Gold Blend’s 7.

If you want the better independent result and the lower jar price, it’s Gold Blend. If a smoother, milder instant sounds more like you, read my Kenco Smooth review.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who’d rather go by lots of owner reviews than by one big test.

Downsides

• A price lottery. £5.75 to £9.35 for the same 190g jar (checked 28 Sep 2026), depending on the shop.
• Tesco’s best price needs a Clubcard. It’s £5.75 with one and £7.80 without, and I couldn’t confirm when the offer ends.
• Not the test winner. Two own-label gold roasts finished ahead of it in Which?’s blind test.
• Few owner reviews. Just 7 on Trolley.co.uk for the 190g jar.
• Gaps in the details. I couldn’t confirm cups per jar, roast level or strength, so there’s no reliable per-cup cost.

Where to go next

If you’re thinking of stepping up from instant, my guide to the best coffee subscriptions compares fresh-bean deliveries, and the best burr grinders under £100 will help if you go for whole beans. For a milky instant latte, a frother is the easy upgrade: see my best milk frothers. And if you like the Nescafé name but fancy pods, my Dolce Gusto Genio S Plus review covers one of Nescafé’s pod machines.

FAQ

How much is Nescafé Gold Blend? The 190g jar was £5.75 at Asda and £9.35 at Co-op, with the other big supermarkets in between (all checked 28 Sep 2026). Tesco had it at £5.75 with a Clubcard or £7.80 without.

Can anyone get the £5.75 price at Tesco? No. It’s a Clubcard price, so you need a Tesco Clubcard. Without one, it’s £7.80 at Tesco (checked 28 Sep 2026). Asda had it at £5.75 with no card needed.

Is the 95g or the 190g jar better value? The 190g, as long as you buy it at one of the cheaper shops. It’s about £3.03 per 100g at Asda, against about £4.09 per 100g for the 95g jar at Savers (both checked 28 Sep 2026).

How does Gold Blend do in taste tests? Well. Tasters in Which?’s January 2026 blind test liked its look, aroma and flavour, though own-label gold roasts from M&S and Waitrose finished just ahead. Good Housekeeping’s roundup didn’t include it.

How many cups do you get from a jar? I couldn’t confirm Nescafé’s cups-per-jar figure, so I can’t give a reliable cost per cup. Check the label on the jar.