The French family company Giffard has been producing liqueurs and other alcoholic beverages for decades. Today, they have a selection of more than a hundred different spirits as well as a comprehensive selection of flavored syrups. Roasted coffee beans, neutral alcohol and sugar are used to make the coffee liqueur. According to the manufacturer, no color, flavor, preservative or other additives have been used. A 70 cl bottle was on sale at a nearby liquor store at a bargain price of €9.99.

The liqueur is very dark in the glass, almost transparent black. When swirling the glass, the liqueur leaves thick residue on the edges, so there is plenty of added sugar in the product. The smell is quite light, but pleasantly coffee-like. The mouthfeel is thick and the taste very sweet, but there are even sweeter coffee liqueurs available. The taste of the coffee is on display in a good way, it is rich and you get the feeling that the manufacturing process is very well made. Often the cheapest coffee liqueurs taste like filter coffee brewed at a distillery with alcohol and sugar added to it. In Giffard, the taste of coffee has the aroma of dark roasted coffee beans and the taste is mellow. The taste also includes the bitterness of the coffee bean, which starts to be felt especially in the aftertaste. However, the sweetness and bitterness are well balanced and even though the liqueur is syrupy thick, it doesn’t feel too sweet. The alcohol burns a bit in the background and the 25% strength gives a good body.

Giffard Café is a successful coffee liqueur in all respects. It’s so sweet that I don’t like sipping it neat more than a small glass. But it shines in the cocktails and it definitely has enough coffee taste on it. When the price is at a good level, I would definitely recommend this instead of the market leader Kahlua.

88/100