BIEDRONKA supermarket coffee adventure - part 7

Survival mode

Warsaw seems to be pretty developed in matters of shopping with main European supermarket chains present. Groceries, shoes, jeans, fashion items know no shortage. How about something more local? Are there still some polish chains not bought by big fish?

Check out Biedronka. I don't know who owns it, but these are smaller grocery stores with a name that definitely sounds polish and translates as 'lady bug'. Biedronkas are not big in size or have a super wide choice of products, but they are all around the city. Remote districts and down town. Probably due to their reasonable size they fit almost anywhere.

Ok, cute little store, have you got coffee? Anything worth trying? Can you satisfy millions of Varsovians craving for coffee when they are short on time and go shopping to the nearest grocery store?

Looks like coffee offer here is not very rich to say the least. Definitely not a first priority. It is ok taking into consideration the size of the store. In case you are low on coffee and need it right away, there is some instant and ground coffee here. I even found a fun glass cup of coffee. Cream/milk additions to coffee are situated here also.

Biedronka will help you survive if you are slumming. That makes sense to me even though I expected to see more. Numerous offers and shops all around make us a bit spoiled. To sum it up, Biedronka wouldn't be my first choice when I got time and gas to drive extra 5-10 minutes to a bigger grocery store. However, it could help a student study through the night with some rough instant coffee.

PIOTR&PAWEL supermarket coffee adventure - part 5

Slimming, ice and green coffee

Welcome to a fancy little grocery store called 'Piotr i Paweł'. When hypermarkets are crowded with shoppers, this shop is never like that. The interior is well thought through so that you feel good inside and your shopping is a pleasure, not routine. We would often stop by here to get couple things during the weekdays.

What i was totally not ready for, was the slimming coffee! Finally, my struggle on whether exercise or not has been solved. Just have another cup of coffee, bro. You'll be looking tight today. Seriously, I have no idea how this concept works. Tell me if you do. How is it different from slimming tea, I wonder?

Two of the already familiar brands from my current adventure have their place here too. More than that, MK Cafe even has a roast suitable for both espresso and "polish style" (simply put grinded coffee into the cup and pour hot water on it). I fought with the temptation to buy it and test if it is actually so. Gotta drink up the coffee I have bought already! eventually I did buy it. Excited to give it a try now! Among other coffees, Thcibo Prvat Kaffe is represented by three good looking and promising bags. Two of those I had the privilege to brew. Quite decent stuff, I must say.

Krüger brand has got Ice Coffee Latte to offer. It did get my mind wondering. How do you make it? I am not big on coffee with milk. Yet I know many of us are. Would you be interested on how to make this? I remember having cold coffee drinks in US but making those at home would be quite an adventure. I'm getting some training on brewing cappuccino soon, then I'll play with this concept I guess.

Nescafe and Tchibo didn't forget about the owners of espresso machines with capsules. Here is some tasty sounding and looking stuff for you. Latte macchiato title prevailing. Even being a black coffee lover, at times I would be in the mood for some milk and even syrup in my coffee. Mmm, now I want that machine too. My coffee set is not full without it.

Piotr i Paweł is a nice store and has a good choice of coffee. Maybe more of popular coffee rather than premium or specialty. However, if you drink coffee often or have a big family, dealing with one 250 gr bag in 2-3 days (while coffee still has the aroma) shouldn't be a problem.

ALDI supermarket coffee adventure - part 4

Capsules and E.S.E. pods

This was my first visit to Aldi ever. Heard of it to be a German chain of grocery stores with lower prices achieved by focusing on simplicity in interior design rather than comfort. Not ready to judge the prices, but would give you my general impression of the store. A neat parking lot and handy shopping carts (carefully protected from rain when stored outside) would be among the pleasant ones.

What do I see first on entering? It is so similar to Lidl! 4-5 rows of items, not very large. On top of food, offers a bit of everything, including clothes and some tools. Yet, I have one more goal than simply shopping for groceries.

What about coffee? One sees coffee offers from the very entrance door. Those are, of course, advertised items. Still, coffee fans will probably appreciate. Seeing coffee just sets me in a good mood. I keep in mind what I just saw and move along the rows.

So what is special about Aldi? I must say they have their own set of brands. Not same thing you see everywhere. In case you find something you like, you'll be back. Rivals just might not have it available. The more I explore, the more curious I become about what kind of coffee is offered here. Anything exclusive, local or unusual? Maybe more of German brands than others?

Other than several instant coffee options and 1 kilo bags with beans roasted for espresso machines Aldi has coffee capsules and even E.S.E. pods (circle shaped coffee bags). When I spotted those I remembered having a portable espresso machine Handpresso. Gotta find it somewhere in the pile of boxes stored before the move to Poland! Have you got one of those? Cool concept, isn't it? Imagine yourself driving outside the city, stopping somewhere in a picturesque spot, breathe some fresh air and sip a  hot espresso. Oh yes, it is heaven))).

These round coffee pods are my reason to come back to Aldi. I'm curious whether I can find them anywhere else. Yet, first I gotta find my machine! Ok,what should we say as a conclusion? The range of coffee here is not that wide at all. I couldn't find something suitable for filter coffee, for example.
Espresso lovers should be able to satisfy their thirst here. Several new names in instant coffee would be interesting to try out if instant is your choice. Aldi stands out among the rivals for being different. I love that. There is definitely a reason for it to exist, keep things simple and be itself.