Strength 6

Chocolaty and bitter. Every cup from this packet delivered on every count. Usually you’ll make one bad brew from a packet, but the Lava Java covers up any school boy errors you may make with your plunger, turning you into a coffee making guru with ease. We don’t think this one will be beaten… Judges Rating: 10/10

Can you believe it? Douwe Egberts, who have been peddling the same three packets of coffee for donkey's years, have finally wised up and gone for some rebranding! Now, the cynic in me says that the contents of this packet are the same as the old packets. BUT - we're excited by this one nonetheless. Is it really a new strength 6 and a contender for the throne of the Lava Java? Well, clearly Douwe Egberts have been sniffing around the marketing dept. of Taylors of Harrogate - as this is just a straight forward rip off of their Lava Java - even down to the picture of some lava on the packet. But we don't care - packaging for coffee is important - these guys need to realise there is nothing else to tell them apart. For 99% of the UK population coffee is either just instant or real. Anyway - Taylors can rest - this one is a bit too harsh for our liking. The smell off the cup is strong and dirty - the smell of cheap Robusta beans - and the taste is so bitter I really had to load mine up with extra sugar to get it down. I still didn't mind it though - it's just really unsophisticated. 6/10

The Percol marketing people really know how to hit the right spot. As a Coffee Judge, reading the side of this packet is bound to get you in a fevered state of excitement - they have just described us perfectly. So the expectation from this is high - are we going to get a Lava Java Buster? Well - not quite. The usual issue with beans - another variable in the make up - means the brew we get is under powered. Hank went lightly on this one, obviously wanting to save his "grinding hand" for other activities later this evening. Despite this, for the first time, some of the blurb on the packet is actually true for the first time in this Judge's life. There IS no bitter aftertaste and it really does reach the depths of flavour! It's a cracking coffee in my opinion and restored my faith in the Percol brand which was starting to wane after the first two duffers. 8/10 for now, for sure a 9 when we get the strength right - maybe even a 10!