Best coffee out?

[MagistrateMolly]

Where do you get the best coffee from? I haven't bought coffee for ages, instead using my cafetiere at home.

So, is it Starbucks, Costa, Pret, local independent, or where?

The best I ever had was in Sicily on holiday, nothing ever came close.

there's no such thing as the best coffee as it's personal taste

this!

costa perfect for me, not too bitter, and right amount of creaminess in a skinny latte

mcdonalds good strength but a bit ‘dirty’ tasting (slight grit to the coffee?)

starbucks too strong and bitter for me

I agree!

Also depends on who's making it

There's a little independent cafe near us run by an absolutely barmy Italian woman and her family. Their coffee is the best coffee. It comes with inappropriate jokes and occasionally free biscotti.

Harris + hoole.
Starbucks (to me) is basically just Mellow Birds

I quite like Café Nero, their cold frappes are the best and so are their almond croissants!
Starbucks - ugh.
But I mostly get mine from Costa as they have the Wightlink ferry contract which is where I mostly have a coffee.
My favourite is a local cafe called XO.

Of chains -

Won't enter a Starbucks
Costa is acceptable in a tight push - their iced coffees taste better than hot for some reason
Pret I think is the best coffee of the large chains. (V interesting someone said the same as McD's?).

But all of these are swill compared to virtually any independent which sources its own beans. And I'd rather support them wherever possible too.

McDonald's own a stake in pret so apparently they use the same stuff

Everything near me is an independent, some better than others but some do great coffee.
Out of the chains I would never go to Costa or Nero, but Starbucks is okay if that’s all there is.

Caffe Nero of the chains

This is another smaller chain that I like
200 Degrees

Costa used to be my go to but I've gone off it

Anywhere that serves Illy coffee

One of the nicest coffees I've had was in Betws Y Coed ay Hangin Pizza

McDonalds is way better and cheaper than Starbucks/Costa/Nero.

Greggs Flat White. Best takeaway coffee going. Sausage roll with it....😉

Coffee is subjective.

So it depends what you like..

I like Costa's, and starbucks, plus starbucks blonde roast. But I prefer lighter roast coffee. Cafe Nero is growing on me, after the last couple but I used to find it quite bitter, so maybe they changed the blend.

I might have had a Pret coffee, but I think I was just glad for any coffee not rather than it being stand out.

I think its quite a small chain...but coffee #1 is okay, but you can choose a roast which always helps.

Independents can be amazing or awful, the best ones have a selection of roasts and origins, so you're more likely to get a coffee you like. I know I tend to like Ethiopian ones and similar, but Brazil tends to be roasted too dark.

Local independent is always my first choice, then Nero. McDonalds is surprisingly good coffee. We occasionally stay at a Holiday Inn hotel which has the most disgusting coffee for breakfast (the actual food is very good!), so I have to go to McDs next door to get a coffee .
I also like the 200 Degree chain.

Starbucks doesn't even taste of coffee.

As pps have said McDonalds is surprisingly good. If I had to chose a chain it would be Nero.

McDonalds and Pret taste totally different to me. Pret is fine, Costa is too. Costa do a nice cortado. Starbucks always tastes both oily and weak to me.

Oh and not sure if it's outside of London yet but Black Sheep is very good.

you have great taste in coffee 😂

I first had a free Greggs coffee, due to having an O2 contract. Very pleasantly surprised!

I now enjoy one of their free coffee's every week

ALWAYS ☕️ BUY☕️ FROM ☕️YOUR ☕️LOCAL ☕️INDEPENDENT ☕️COFFEE ☕️SHOPS

Of the chains I like Caffè Nero best.

+1 (and there's one two minutes away from me). Joe and the Juice is supposed to be good too but I haven't tried it.

Of the big chains I'd probably go with Nero but the McDonalds coffee is lovely; I used to hoard those little stamp cards to get free ones 😀

Independent all the way. I figure if I'm going to spend that much on something I could make at home, I want to support my local small businesses, who are vital to keeping the high st going.

But - not all independents are equal! There's one in my town where the coffee is terrible. So I don't go there.

Of the chains (granted it might be different elsewhere, but these are my local ones) - Nero : always make the milk too hot, Starbucks : coffee is bitter, Costa : always tastes quite weak. Based on my earlier comment, these views are formed from very infrequent visits (apart from nero, where I get a free coffee with Vitality, so go there if my local is closed - I wouldn't pay for coffee from there)