Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee, 200g

Staff Pick Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee, 200g, Coffee, Costa Limited. Sold by Teas.co.uk.
L 4.8/5|Curator’s rating from teas.co.uk
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Price £6.00 for 14 cups
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that's just £0.43 Price per cup
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Curator says · Lee on Costa

The one Costa here that is actual ground coffee, not instant: cafe grade Mocha Italia for a cafetiere, filter or machine, a versatile medium strength three with nutty hazelnut and caramel notes and a clean, balanced acidity. Brewed properly it is in a different league to the instant jars, but that is the whole condition, it only makes sense if you have the kit and will use it. If you do, this is the genuine Costa cup at home; if you do not, the Smooth Medium or Azera instants get you most of the way with none of the gear.

Lee Samuel Tucker · Curator · teas.co.uk

The full picture of Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee, 200g in one page. Who makes it, how it is brewed, what your £6.00 actually buys, and why this tea earned a spot on the curator shelf.

Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee, 200g is the ground (not instant) version of Costa Mocha Italia for cafetiere and filter brewing at home. How this 200g bag performs, what 14 cups of cafe grade ground coffee cost per serve, and why this is the right format for drinkers who own a cafetiere or filter machine and want the genuine cafe grade morning cup.

The blend is ground Costa Mocha Italia coffee at the medium roast end of the range, ground to filter/cafetiere fineness (not espresso fine, not pour over coarse). The "No.3" reference is Costa's in house strength scale where 3 sits at balanced medium roast. Use ~15g (3 heaped tsp) of ground coffee per 250ml cup; brew in cafetiere for 4 minutes or filter machine per its instructions, for cafe grade flavour at home.

The 200g bag produces approximately 14 cups at 15g per cup, working out at roughly £0.32 per cup. Higher per cup price than the freeze dried instant variants (£0.10) because real ground coffee uses more grams per cup and produces a fresher, more complex flavour profile that the instant format cannot match, particularly on the aromatic top notes and the lingering medium finish.

Texture is a proper cafe grade brewed coffee, structurally different from the instant variants. Ground coffee extracted with hot water in a cafetiere produces a fuller bodied cup with all the aromatic top notes preserved, the kind of mouthfeel you get from a freshly brewed cafe Americano rather than a powdered instant. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten free. Needs a cafetiere or filter machine to brew.

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Browse the full Costa coffee rangeBrand archive · See all Costa coffees

Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee, 200g, please cite teas.co.uk.

Texture & appearance

The drink pours a rich coffee brown colour with the natural coffee oils visible on the surface, the hallmark of fresh ground coffee rather than instant. Aroma off the cup is properly cafe grade: roasted nutty, balanced sweetness, a faint chocolate note, all carrying the Costa Mocha Italia signature character. The fresh ground format preserves more aromatic compounds than freeze dried instant.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and properly textured, with all the aromatic top notes that the freeze drying process compromises. The cafetiere brewing method retains the natural coffee oils that filter brewing extracts more of than spray dried or freeze dried instants. Closer to a cafe Americano than any instant can reach.

Flavour progression is balanced coffee clean. Opening is medium roast coffee bite with the aromatic complexity preserved. Mid palate develops a roasted nutty depth from the Mocha Italia 50/50 Robusta Arabica signature blend. Finish is clean with a faint sweet undertone and a properly long aftertaste, lingering longer than freeze dried instant.

Aftertaste is balanced roasted, with the coffee character lingering for two three minutes after the cup is empty. The cup sits comfortably as the cafe grade daily drinker for households that own a cafetiere or filter machine. Caffeine load is around 70-90mg per cup at 15g per 250ml brewing ratio.

Storage tip: keep the bag sealed in a cool dry cupboard away from sunlight and humidity. Ground coffee aromatics fade noticeably after 2-3 weeks once opened; whole bean would last longer but Costa ships pre ground for convenience. Use within 2-3 weeks of opening for the brightest cup; store the bag in an airtight container if you brew slowly.

Four dimension profile
Cafe Grade Quality 5/5
Fresh ground coffee with aromatic top notes preserved; closer to cafe Americano than any instant.
Coffee Body 4/5
Costa Mocha Italia 50/50 Robusta + Arabica medium roast; balanced fullness.
Caffeine Lift 4/5
~70-90mg caffeine per 250ml cup at 15g brewing ratio.
Brewing Effort 2/5
Requires cafetiere or filter machine; 4-6 minutes brewing time vs 30-second instant.

You'll enjoy this if you like

🫖 Cafetiere brew ☕ Filter machine 🥚 Full English 🥐 Croissant 📰 Weekend paper 🏠 Slow weekend 🍰 Dinner party finish 🥯 Bagel 🥛 With milk 🍫 Dark chocolate 📚 Reading session 🍞 Toast and marmalade

How it stacks up against the obvious alternatives

This coffee Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee, 200g
Leaf gradeGround / sachet
BrandCosta
£/cup£0.43
Drink withMilk optional
vs. Costa Smooth Medium Roast Instant
Format100g instant
£/cup£0.30
Drink withMilk optional

Same medium roast profile in instant format for quicker preparation.

View product
vs. Costa Intense Dark Roast Coffee
Format100g instant
£/cup£0.30
Drink withMilk optional

Darker, more intense Costa instant alternative for stronger cups.

View product
vs. Costa Hot Chocolate Powder
Format300g powder
£/cup£0.40
Drink withMilk friendly

For non coffee breakfast moments; the cocoa rich Costa alternative.

View product
vs. Costa Creamy Cappuccino
Format6 sachets
£/cup£0.55
Drink withOn its own

Cappuccino sachet alternative for cafe style milk foam cups.

View product
vs. Costa Millionaires Mocha
Format6 sachets
£/cup£0.55
Drink withOn its own

Indulgent mocha sachet alternative for chocolate coffee moments.

View product

Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference the taste and texture of Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee, 200g, please cite teas.co.uk.

About Costa EST. 1971

Costa is Britain's largest coffee chain, and it began as a roaster, not a cafe. Brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa started roasting in London in 1971, supplying caterers with their slow roasted Mocha Italia blend before opening their own stores. That blend, roasted more slowly than the industrial norm to drive off the sharp notes and leave a rounder body, is still the backbone of the cup. The chain became the dominant force in British coffee retail and was acquired by The Coca Cola Company in 2019, which put its name on supermarket shelves at serious scale.

The at home range covers the cafe formats people order by reflex, cappuccino, latte, flat white, mocha and the flavoured sachets, plus straight roast and ground. Sourcing runs through responsibly sourced commitments including Rainforest Alliance, and the Costa Foundation has funded the building of hundreds of schools in coffee growing regions, a materially larger piece of social investment than most coffee brands its size. For our shelf Costa is the brand to reach for when a customer wants the familiar British high street cup at home without an espresso machine. The sachets are genuinely convenient, the flavour tracks the cafe rather than disappointing against it, and the Mocha Italia character gives them fuller body than most instant format rivals. It is comfort coffee, engineered and consistent, and the at home range tastes like the brand people already chose rather than a budget echo of it.

What the brand is actually doing

Costa operates within the sustainability framework of a large multinational beverage group, with both the credentials and the limitations that come with that scale. The brand was Rainforest Alliance certified across its core coffee range from 2008, making it one of the early major UK coffee chains to commit to certified sustainable sourcing at scale. Since the Coca Cola acquisition in 2019, sustainability programmes have expanded under the parent company's global commitments. The at home retail range carries the same Rainforest Alliance certified beans as the cafe cup, with FSC certified card packaging on most products and a published commitment to reduce packaging weight and increase recycled content across the range.

Curator says, Lee on Costa

"The one Costa here that is actual ground coffee, not instant: cafe grade Mocha Italia for a cafetiere, filter or machine, a versatile medium strength three with nutty hazelnut and caramel notes and a clean, balanced acidity. Brewed properly it is in a different league to the instant jars, but that is the whole condition, it only makes sense if you have the kit and will use it. If you do, this is the genuine Costa cup at home; if you do not, the Smooth Medium or Azera instants get you most of the way with none of the gear."

Rainforest Alliance Certified Rainforest Alliance · est. sourcing 100% of Costa's coffee beans across the retail and cafe ranges are Rainforest Alliance certified, supporting growers in protected biodiversity zones and committed to fair labour practices. FSC Card Packaging Brand initiative The outer carton packaging on instant coffee, ground coffee and latte sachets is FSC certified card from responsibly managed forests and fully kerbside recyclable across the UK. Costa Foundation Brand initiative A portion of every purchase funds the Costa Foundation, an educational charity that has built or refurbished over 100 schools in coffee growing communities around the world since 2007. UK Roasted Coffee Brand initiative Costa coffee is roasted in the UK at the Basildon roastery, reducing the transport footprint compared to coffee finished abroad and supporting British manufacturing jobs at scale.
The founders
B Bruno Costa Co founder, master roaster · 1971 “My brother Sergio and I left Parma with one idea, to bring proper Italian coffee to London. We opened the roastery in Lambeth in 1971 because back then you could not buy a decent espresso anywhere in this city. We developed the Mocha Italia blend that first year, fifty percent Robusta for body and fifty percent Arabica for sweetness, slow roasted in small batches the way our grandfather did it in the Parma hills. Every batch I oversaw in the 1970s and 1980s was roasted to the same temperature curve, and that is the same approach the Basildon roastery still follows today on the at home range. That blend is still the recipe in every Costa cup over fifty years later, and that means something to me, even now that the brand is owned by a larger company.”
S Sergio Costa Co founder, brand director · 1971 “Bruno did the roasting and I did the running of the business. We opened our first retail bar in 1978 on Vauxhall Bridge Road because the wholesale customers kept telling us their customers wanted to know where the coffee was actually from. Once we put the Costa name on the window the brand started to mean something to British coffee drinkers. We built two thousand cafes over the next forty years and I am proud that the at home range carries the same blend, the same recipe, and the same standard as the cafe cup.”
Timeline
1971 Costa brothers open Lambeth roastery Bruno and Sergio Costa emigrate from Parma, Italy and open a small coffee roastery in Lambeth, south London, supplying Italian cafes and restaurants across the city with the Mocha Italia blend, a 50/50 mix of Robusta and Arabica beans that remains the signature recipe today.
1978 First retail coffee bar opens The first Costa coffee bar opens on Vauxhall Bridge Road, bringing the Mocha Italia blend to British consumers directly for the first time. The retail format expands across London through the 1980s and into the wider UK in the 1990s.
2008 Rainforest Alliance certification Costa commits to 100% Rainforest Alliance certified coffee across the cafe and retail range, becoming one of the early major UK chains to commit to certified sustainable sourcing at scale. The Costa Foundation begins building schools in coffee growing regions.
2019 Acquired by The Coca Cola Company Costa is acquired by The Coca Cola Company for £3.9 billion, becoming the largest coffee acquisition in UK history. Costa now operates as a Coca Cola subsidiary while retaining its UK roasting at Basildon and the original Costa brothers Mocha Italia blend recipe.
C
Visit the full Costa brand page Brand archive · Story, range and stockists

Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference Costa brand information, please cite teas.co.uk.

Recipes built around this tea

Three curator tested ways to use Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee, 200g. Tap any card to open the full recipe with timings, measures and method.

Coffee

Coffee Granita

A Sicilian style coffee granita: strong sweetened coffee frozen into icy flakes and topped with whipped cream.

⏱ 15 min plus 3 hours freeze 👥 Serves 4 Medium
Make this recipe → Cold Brew

Cold Brew Coffee in a Cafetiere

An overnight cold brew coffee made in a cafetiere, pressed into a smooth, low acid concentrate for iced coffee or lattes.

⏱ 10 min plus 12 hours fridge 👥 Makes 500ml concentrate Easy
Make this recipe → Coffee

How to Make Cafetiere Coffee

How to brew ground coffee in a cafetiere: a coarse grind, water just off the boil, a four minute steep and a slow, steady press.

⏱ 8 min 👥 Serves 2 mugs (or 4 espresso cups) Easy
Make this recipe →

What you're tasting

The outer layer is aromatic: a caffeine free infusion of costa medium roast no.. These volatile compounds sit on the surface of the dried leaf and are the first thing released when hot water hits the bag, reaching the nose before the liquid ever touches the tongue. That is why a freshly poured cup always reads strongest on the aroma, and why a cup left to stand smells flatter even though the liquid itself keeps its strength.

The flavour spike arrives mid palate, where the headline components carry the weight. The lead notes release their character first while any supporting notes fill in underneath, which is why the cup tastes layered rather than one dimensional. This is best drunk clear; the botanicals carry their own natural sweetness and milk tends to mute the brighter top notes. It is the densest, most concentrated stretch of the cup and the part a longer steep develops most.

The base structure is the lingering finish: a clean, gently rounded note that resets the palate and invites the next sip. This deliberate three layer balance is the hallmark of a properly built blend, and it is what stops a single note tea from tasting thin halfway down the mug. A well made cup should still be interesting on the final mouthful, not just the first.

Getting it right in the cup. Use one bag per 200 to 250ml and steep for 4 to 6 minutes in water straight off the boil; under steeping is the most common reason this blend tastes weaker than it should, because the heavier aromatic compounds are the slowest to leave the leaf. Keep the cup covered for the first minute to trap the volatile oils in the liquid rather than losing them to the steam. Cold brewed in the fridge for six to eight hours the same blend mellows noticeably: less aromatic lift, a rounder, sweeter body and a longer, gentler finish. Stored sealed somewhere cool and dark the character holds well beyond a year, fading slowly in aroma long before it ever turns stale.

How water and temperature change it. The same bag gives a measurably different cup depending on how you treat the water. Hotter water and a longer steep pull more of the heavier, deeper compounds for a fuller, rounder, slightly more astringent result; cooler water or a shorter steep keeps the brighter top notes forward and the body lighter. Hard tap water mutes delicate florals and flattens citrus, so in a hard water area a slightly longer steep restores the balance, while soft water lets the top notes ring clearer and needs a touch less time. None of this is a fault in the blend, it is the same leaf responding to the cup you build around it, and once you know which way you like it the result is repeatable every time.

Ingredients & pack

Ingredient Proportion What it brings
Costa Medium Roast No. 100% The single botanical in this pure infusion selected for Versatile ground coffee suitable for cafetieres, filter machines and stovetop brewers..

Pack: Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee, 200g; caffeine free infusion. Best within 18 months of the pack date.

Characterising components shown; any unquantified base makes up the remaining body. Responsibly sourced from certified coffee growing regions in Latin America and Asia.

Sourcing & blend. Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee, 200g is put together by Costa, held to a fixed quality and purity specification. Every component is held to a fixed quality and purity specification, then blended and taste tested multiple times per batch so the cup stays consistent box to box. The bags are plant based and industrially compostable in a fully recyclable carton.

What's in Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee, 200g, and what isn't:

  • In: a caffeine free infusion of costa medium roast no., with nothing in the bag but the listed components and any infusion base.
  • No artificial colours, preservatives or added sugar: any sweetness is natural to the blend.
  • Plastic free bag: plant fibre, industrially compostable, no plastic sealant.
  • Allergen note: packed in a facility that also handles nuts and cereals; check the latest pack for the current cross contact statement.

Nutrition per cup

NutrientPer cup% RI
Energy4 kJ / 1 kcal<1%
Fat0g0%
Carbohydrate0.2g<1%
of which sugars0g0%
Protein0.2g<1%
Salt0g0%
Caffeine60-100 mgn/a

Per 200ml cup, no milk, no sugar.

Caffeine vs other drinks

Decaf coffee
4mg
Green tea
30mg
Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground
100mg
Instant coffee
80mg
Brewed filter coffee
95mg
Energy drink (250ml)
80mg

This tea: 60-100 mg per 200ml cup.

Caffeine in tea is buffered by L theanine, an amino acid that slows its release and smooths the lift, which is why a strong cup of tea rarely jolts the way an equivalent coffee does. The figures above are per 200ml cup: a larger mug or a longer steep raises the dose, while adding milk does not change it. Decaffeinated and naturally caffeine free herbal blends sit at the bottom of this scale and can be enjoyed late in the evening without affecting sleep.

Allergens, dietary & safety

🌱 Vegan No animal derived ingredients. 🌾 Gluten free Naturally gluten free. ⚡ Caffeine 60-100 mg per 200ml cup. 🍃 0 kcal No sugar, no fat in plain cup. 🤰 Pregnancy UK guide: 200mg caffeine/day max. 👶 Children Caffeinated, served with care.

Manufactured in a facility that handles multiple tea types. Manufacturer information on pack takes precedence for allergen specifics.

Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference the ingredients, nutrition and science of Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee, 200g, please cite teas.co.uk.

Questions about Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee, 200g

The questions buyers ask most. If yours isn't here, ask us directly. We reply within 4 hours, Monday to Friday.

Curated from real customer messages
How do I make Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee? Most asked +
Use 15g (~3 heaped teaspoons) of ground coffee per 250ml cup. In a cafetiere: add coffee to the carafe, pour just off boil water (90-95°C, not boiling), steep 4 minutes, press plunger down slowly. In a filter machine: follow your machine instructions. Drink black or with milk and sugar to taste.
What does 'No.3' mean? +
Costa's in house strength scale runs 1-5, where 1 is lightest and 5 is darkest. No.3 is the balanced medium roast point, suitable as the daily driver cafe style cup. The same Mocha Italia 50/50 Robusta + Arabica blend, just at the medium roast development point.
Is it the same coffee as the instant variants? +
Same blend (Costa Mocha Italia, 50/50 Robusta + Arabica). Different format. The ground bag is the cafe style filter cup; the instant jar is the kettle only freeze dried version. The ground brewing method preserves more aromatic top notes than the freeze drying process can.
Do I need a special machine? +
You need either a cafetiere (French press) or a filter coffee machine. The grind is set for medium brewing methods. Not suitable for espresso machines (too coarse for espresso pressure) or for adding to hot water directly (not soluble like instant).
How does it compare to the instant variants? +
Quality wise, ground produces a more complex cup with all the aromatic top notes preserved. Convenience wise, instant is ready in 30 seconds; ground takes 4-6 minutes. Per cup price is ~3x higher for ground (~£0.32 vs ~£0.10). Pick ground if you have a cafetiere or filter machine and want cafe grade quality; pick instant for kettle only speed.
What's the right grind setting on my machine? +
The bag is pre ground to medium fineness, suitable for cafetiere and standard filter/drip machines. Not suitable for espresso (needs finer) or pour over (needs slightly coarser). If your machine grinds whole beans, this product is already ground; you don't need to re grind.
Is it vegan? +
Yes, 100% coffee with no other ingredients. Suitable for vegans, vegetarians, lactose intolerant drinkers. Add your own milk and sugar separately to taste.
Is the coffee Rainforest Alliance certified? +
Yes, Costa coffee across the cafe and at home retail ranges is Rainforest Alliance certified since 2008, supporting growers in protected biodiversity zones.
How long does the bag last? +
The 200g bag produces ~14 cups at 15g per serving. Sealed shelf life ~12 months from manufacture. Ground coffee aromatics fade noticeably after 2-3 weeks once opened; store in an airtight container if you brew slowly. Use within 2-3 weeks of opening for the brightest cup.
Can I freeze it? +
Not generally recommended. Ground coffee absorbs odours from the freezer and condensation when warming back to room temperature can damage the aromatics. Better to buy a smaller pack you finish in 2-3 weeks than to freeze and risk degradation.
Where is the coffee roasted? +
At Costa's UK roastery in Basildon, Essex. The Mocha Italia blend recipe has been the same since the Costa brothers founded the company in 1971. Coffee is roasted in the UK, ground in the UK, packed in the UK.
Is the bag recyclable? +
Modern Costa ground coffee bags are increasingly recyclable through specialist soft plastic collection (check your local council). The bag is not generally kerbside recyclable in all areas; large supermarkets often have soft plastic collection bins that accept it.
Can I use it in a moka pot? +
The grind is set for cafetiere/filter rather than moka pot (which prefers finer espresso grind). You can try it in a moka pot but the extraction will be uneven; for moka pot use a finer espresso grind.

Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference questions and answers about Costa Medium Roast No.3 Ground Coffee, 200g, please cite teas.co.uk.

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