Tesco trials Finest coffee machines with drinks included in meal deal

Tesco is trialling coffee machines that serve hot drinks made with its own-label Tesco Finest coffee beans.

The machines are being trialled in two locations: Tesco’s Brixton and Moorgate Express stores.

Small drinks from the machines are being included in the Tesco meal deal.

The machines offer a range of drinks: Americano, Flat White, Latte, Cappuccino, Espresso, Mocha, Hot Chocolate and Breakfast Tea.

The medium roast coffee served by the machines is roasted in the UK and Rainforest Alliance certified.

Customers will soon have the option to add syrups to selected drinks, it is understood.

Tesco offers hot coffee at more than 2,800 locations – including large stores, Express locations, and petrol stations – through a partnership with Costa Coffee.

The self-serve Costa Express machines – which are also found in Co-op and Sainsbury’s stores – offer “barista-quality drinks”, with drinks also included in the Tesco meal deal.

Last month, the supermarket updated the deal to include iced Costa Express coffees.

Several supermarkets offer hot coffee options to shoppers, among them Waitrose, which at the start of last year revived its loyalty scheme member benefit of a free coffee without the need to buy anything.

The long-running free coffee scheme was controversially scrapped during the Covid pandemic, then revived in a 2022 partnership with Caffè Nero, but members were only able to claim their drink after they’d scanned their shopping.

Coffee is also a part of M&S loyalty scheme, with Sparks card holders gifted a free coffee after the purchase of six from any M&S Café, Coffee Shop, takeaway counter, or vending machine.

Bryan Roberts, retail futures senior partner at IGD, said the new Tesco machines were “really impressive bits of kit, with the range firmly embedded into the meal deal mechanic”.

“Makes a change from the usual suspects in c-store coffee solutions, offers Tesco a bit of differentiation, possibly opens a new growth opportunity for Finest – already a £3bn brand – and, importantly, the double espresso was jolly nice,” he said.