Strength 5

This is the first coffee of the new year and we've got a real backlog to get through now. This comes as part of a Whittard selection box of nine different coffees. So to pick the first one out it has to be from the top shelf - strength 5. There's only 3 cups in one of the small packs so it's a one-hit review. This is a right little corker for the first day of January - heavyweight and pungent. It does suffer from a slight metallic aftertaste which knocks it down a point - but otherwise a fine healthy punch in the face for the start of the year. 7/10 

The package looked good - glitzy, but oozing tasteful Italian style. It also claims "crema" - which we now know is the fine creamy foam that sits on top of your coffee. So I was quite excited about this. BUT - jeez - this stuff is the cheapest tasting muck you we've had in a while. It's no wonder - when you read the back of the pack it says 70% Robusta beans. Now, us judges have now learnt that Robusta = Bollocks, and this coffee is testament to that. You may as well go down your local petrol station, pick up 5Kg of BBQ charcoal and suck on the biggest lump. The only way we could drink this was to weaken it down a spoon and add a bit more sugar. That made it just about drinkable. Just. (4/10)

This one says "rich", "intense" and "strong" on the packet. And it's a strength 5. And they are right on all counts. This one will really wake you up in the morning - there is no getting away from the fact that THIS IS COFFEE. It's pretty damn bitter too - I had to keep adding sugar bit by bit until I could take it. But when you get it right, it's a fine old cup. There's no aftertaste and we happily had two in the day without having a stroke. Treat it carefully though - if you're not man enough, this one will floor you. (8/10)

This is a Percol Big Boy. It's a strength 5 so we're fumbling with the packet in excitement. In the end it's come out good, but my God it was a lot of work to get there. By which, I mean the first three cups all failed for one reason or another - too weak, too strong, too much powder in the cup... We were at the point of giving up until Hank took a deep breath, donned his white lab coat, and made it under full laboratory conditions. Despite plunging it so slowly that the plunger's progress was slower than a snail going down an up escalator, it's still full of powder in the cup. So we ended up with a slightly metallic taste which, over a whole mug, is a bit much. So for all that faffing, only 7/10

This is a real bad boy. It's ground super espresso fine, which means it's very hard to get your weights and measures right. So much so, the first two of these we had were as fierce as a Tiger with it's manhood in a vice. Don't go near it. But despite the skull cracking power, the underlying taste still came through. We knew that deep down this was a good 'un. But it took three failed cups to get the dosage right before we finally got the taste of the real deal. And let me tell you, it's a trooper. One of those coffees that can take any amount of milk without becoming too sickly. It would probably make a good Latte, if you're that way inclined. Once again though with the M&S'er, the difficulty in getting it right is the only thing to detract from a top score from this Judge...9/10

We've had two of these in the same day. The reason for that?  It's 'effing blinding, that's what. Post my visit to Taylors lab last week, we've sharpened up our act in the kitchen. We've now got a timer to make sure we do a standard 3 1/2 minutes for each brew, and we're not going to open a new packet until we've finished the last one - or left it in the kitchen for the peasants to finish off. There's nothing to fault this on - it's thick and heavy, full of flavour yet no bitter aftertaste. I found out last week that these Asda Extra Specials are, infact, made for Asda by Taylors themselves - which explains me going out of my way to find an Asda just so I could try one. There's a big range too. Excited. No question - it's a 10/10

Coarsely ground this came out fighting from its corner. A real heavyweight - and you'd expect it to be, being called an "espresso". Of course we had a whole mug of the stuff, not four drips in the bottom of a poncy "cup" that would look more at home on a doll's house table. It is bitter - might be more to do with our grinding technique again as the mug was full of powder - this wasn't a liquid - more of a semi-solid. Still, we like that on a Friday afternoon. Whether it will help with my current headache is open to question. This one is said to be made of four different beans - is that by design or from sweeping the roasting house floor? Who knows - it's a high scorer whatever. I'd have given it a 9/10, but I have to peg it down 1 for the ball-ache of having to grind the bugger ourselves. Taylors: that's YOUR job.

    This is a first - we had this one first thing and now we've had it again in the afternoon. The reason? It's a little beauty. Marks and Spencer have done us proud here with a rich tasting brew that lingers on the tongue as you swallow it down. It packs a meaty punch - it's a proper strength 5 for sure. Why aren't there more strength 5s about? It's not cheap though - I paid about £3.50 for this which puts it in the middle ground. This is coming in with a top score - only dipped down one point because there was no standout single quality to mention. Although the grind is perfect for the caffetiere - no sludge AT ALL left in the cup - that's a first! Judged at 9/10

The packaging on this says it’s is going to be good. Luxurious and still a healthy strength 5. I think we’ve been spoilt though by another knockout Lava Java this morning, because this one just lacks any depth at all. Rich and velvety is the description of the Java, not this. It’s hard to judge it objectively now – it needs to be the first of the day and not following in the Java’s wake. For now a 7/10... then updated to an 8/10!