Sainsbury's coffee beans: what to buy, from TTD to big brands

Sainsbury’s coffee beans fall into three groups on its groceries site: plain Sainsbury’s own-label bags, the Taste the Difference (TTD) range, and a long branded shelf. This page goes through the whole-bean range we found on 3 Oct 2026, what each bag costs per kilo, and who each one suits. We haven’t tested this in person. Our basis is Sainsbury’s own search results, checked 3 Oct 2026, with no owner feedback, because we couldn’t link any. Read how we compare.

All prices below are from Sainsbury’s groceries site, checked 3 Oct 2026, and prices can change. Sainsbury’s product pages didn’t load for us, so the details come from the product names and the prices shown in search.

Sainsbury’s coffee beans: the short answer

Buy the Fairtrade Espresso Wholebean 1kg if you want the cheapest kilo. It’s £14.25 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who gets through less than a bag a month. A kilo is a lot to keep fresh.

Choose the TTD Single Origin Colombian 1kg if you want a single-origin, 100% arabica kilo. It’s £16.50 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026.

Who it isn’t for: anyone choosing purely on price. At £16.50, it’s £2.25 more than the own-label Espresso kilo.

Choose a 227g TTD bag if you want a smaller bag with a named origin. Colombian, Kenyan and Colombian Decaff were each £4.50.

Who it isn’t for: heavy bean-to-cup users. Small bags run out quickly.

Sainsbury’s own-label beans

The plain Sainsbury’s range is small but cheap:

• Fairtrade Espresso Wholebean Coffee, 1kg, £14.25. The cheapest kilo we found on Sainsbury’s site. See Fairtrade Espresso 1kg at Sainsbury’s
• Fairtrade House Blend Original Coffee Beans, Strength 3, 227g, £3.75 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026. That’s £16.52 per kg at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026.
• Italian Beans, 227g, £3.75 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026. Also £16.52 per kg at Sainsbury’s.

By weight, the 1kg Espresso bag is £16.52 − £14.25 = £2.27 a kilo cheaper than the two small bags.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants an origin on the pack. Only the TTD bags name a country.

Taste the Difference beans

On 3 Oct 2026, Sainsbury’s site carried a “Great savings on Taste the Difference” banner. These are the TTD beans we found, at their regular prices:

• TTD Fairtrade Colombian Beans, Strength 3, 227g: £4.50
• TTD Fairtrade Kenyan Coffee Beans, Strength 3, 227g: £4.50
• TTD Fairtrade Colombian Decaff wholebean, 227g: £4.50
• TTD Single Origin Colombian 100% Arabica wholebean, 1kg: £16.50
• TTD Winter Edition wholebean, 227g: £4.50

The sums: £4.50 for 227g is £19.82 per kg, Sainsbury’s own figure. That’s more than the plain own-label 227g bags (£16.52 per kg), and the TTD 1kg (£16.50) costs more than the own-label Espresso kilo (£14.25). On price alone, the own-label bags are cheaper.

Sainsbury’s TTD ground coffee is a different product. Our TTD Colombian ground review covers that.

Who it isn’t for: anyone choosing purely on price per kilo. At £4.50 and £16.50 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026, the TTD bags cost more than own-label.

The branded beans on Sainsbury’s site

These showed a single price, with no second price, on 3 Oct 2026:

• Taylors of Harrogate: Rich Italian 700g, £15.00 (£21.43 per kg). Rich Italian, Lazy Sunday and Hot Lava Java 200g, £5.75 each (£28.75 per kg). See our Taylors coffee beans guide.
• Lofbergs: Brazil Single Origin 1kg, £16.50, Espresso 1kg, £16.50, and Brazil Single Origin 400g, £8.50 (£21.25 per kg).
• Lavazza: Qualità Oro 1kg, £22.00, Espresso Italiano Classico 250g, £6.50 (£26.00 per kg), and Espresso Barista 500g, £17.50 (£35.00 per kg). Our Qualità Oro review has more on Oro.
• Cafedirect: Organic Machu Picchu Peru 200g, £5.95 (£29.75 per kg).

Second prices not shown. These bags showed a lower price next to the regular one, with terms we couldn’t confirm, so we’ve given the regular price only:

• Union House Roast Original Blend 700g: £17.50
• Lavazza Qualità Rossa 1kg: £22.50
• Lavazza Qualità Oro 250g: £6.50
• Taylors Rich Italian 400g: £9.50
• illy Espresso 250g: £8.00
• Costa Mocha Italia 200g: £4.95
• Union Gajah Mountain 200g: £7.50
• Ueshima House Blend and Fuji Mountain 200g: £5.25
• Grind Colombia 200g: £5.95

Who it isn’t for: anyone paying for branded beans by habit. On regular prices, Lofbergs’ 1kg bags (£16.50 at Sainsbury’s) were among the cheaper branded kilos, well under Lavazza Oro 1kg (£22.00 at Sainsbury’s), both checked 3 Oct 2026.

Which Sainsbury’s beans suit your brewer

• Espresso machine: the own-label Fairtrade Espresso 1kg, Lofbergs Espresso 1kg and Lavazza Espresso Italiano Classico are all sold under espresso names.
• Bean-to-cup: the 1kg bags make sense if you refill often: own-label Espresso, TTD Colombian 1kg, or Lofbergs. Our beans for bean-to-cup guide goes further.
• Cafetière or filter: the TTD single origins (Colombian, Kenyan) and the House Blend are the small bags with a strength number, all Strength 3.
• Decaf: the TTD Colombian Decaff wholebean, £4.50.

Who it isn’t for: anyone without a grinder. These are whole beans.

Downsides

• TTD costs more. At regular prices, the Taste the Difference bags cost more per kilo than own-label.
• Unclear second prices. Several branded bags showed a lower price whose terms we couldn’t confirm.
• Limited detail. Product pages didn’t load for us, so we’ve no roast levels beyond the strength numbers in the names, and no origins for the own-label blends.
• No roast dates in anything we read.
• Some listings showed no price in our check, including Lavazza Qualità Rossa in one search, Lavazza Oro 500g and Cafedirect’s 750g bag, so we’ve left those out.

For other supermarkets’ own-label beans, see our supermarket ranges page.

FAQ

What are the cheapest Sainsbury’s coffee beans? Sainsbury’s Fairtrade Espresso Wholebean 1kg at £14.25, checked 3 Oct 2026, prices can change.

Are Taste the Difference beans Fairtrade? The Colombian, Kenyan and Colombian Decaff 227g bags have Fairtrade in their names on Sainsbury’s site. The 1kg Single Origin Colombian listing doesn’t.

Does Sainsbury’s sell decaf coffee beans? Yes. TTD Fairtrade Colombian Decaff wholebean 227g is £4.50, when checked 3 Oct 2026.

Is the own-label 1kg or a TTD 227g bag better value? The own-label 1kg, at £14.25 per kg. The TTD 227g bags work out at £19.82 per kg, both checked 3 Oct 2026.

Related

• Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Colombian ground coffee review: smooth, good value and a little mild
• Morrisons coffee beans: own-label and branded picks compared
• Tesco Finest Sumatra beans review: cheap Fairtrade beans with a thin track record
• The best value coffee beans in the UK: 1kg bags compared by price per kg