CAFFE NERO
£1.10 for large, 5 outlets in London
Distinguished by their chic black awnings and Nineties design, Caffe Nero claims to specialise in traditional Italian-style coffee made with a full blend, and the brand was well thought of by most panel members who had hurried past the cafes prior to the trial. First acquaintance, however, proved a nasty surprise, with the inconsistencies of other chains here topped by universally sub-standard coffee, described by testers as "weak and bitter" (James Horsfield); ' disgusting - very thin, no smoothness, very bitter" (Philippa Yeoman); and "lacking in flavour, with particularly poor milk quotient" (Nick Raffin). The so-called large size corresponds to the regular size at other chains. Testers expanded