The packaging is perfect; elegant bottles (which incidentally have an amazing non drip pouring capability) that would look great a few sizes smaller co-habiting a presentation box with some coffee beans and a grinder. How many weeks until Christmas? I chose a high quality instant coffee and lined them up. The clear instructions suggest two to three teaspoons of syrup per cup. I found three too sweet and it tipped the overriding taste towards very sugary rather than a distinguishable flavour. Each of the four syrups smells wonderful, my favourites being Vanilla, which actually smells like a vanilla pod, and Caramel, the perfectly clichéd promise of comfort and warmth! But the taste was slightly disappointing after such a rave preview for the senses. If I remembered to breathe in while drinking (try it!) the specific taste was there, otherwise each flavour came across as a pleasant sweetener. I tried a harsh acid test at the end of mixing up the cups and guessing the flavour. Not an easy task, they all tasted reassuringly of caramel­ or was that vanilla, or hazelnut? When I first saw the ads, it occurred to me that the syrups would be great over ice cream and indeed the bottle carries this and other serving suggestions. I tried one that sounded quite awful but actually brought out a cleaner flavour than when added to coffee ­ on yogurt. It seems a natural progression for the booming success of coffee houses and their products to spill over into the retail market. As espresso and cappuccino makers appear alongside toasters and juicers in the most fashionable of homes, Tate and Lyle's syrups make worthy kitchen top companions. {{P&P }}

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