Coles own-brand instant coffee beats all major brands in blind tasting

The results are in from an official blind taste test of our favourite instant coffee brands and the winner is a bit of a surprise.

What's the best tasting instant coffee?

Coles has made it easier to save on that barista-made coffee with its own-brand instant range being reviewed as the best in the country.

Consumer advocacy group Choice conducted a thorough review of the market, blind testing the major supermarkets’ offerings for the morning cup of joe.

Classic instant coffee brands Moccona and Nescafe were included in the test, but they were pipped by the far cheaper Coles fair-trade organic freeze-dried coffee.

The Coles variety scored 74 per cent in the blind test, with tasters saying it is “full-bodied and satisfying”.

“I would confidently serve this to friends and visitors,” the taster continued.

And at $4 for 100g, the Coles variety is far cheaper than the two market staples that cost about $10 each for the same amount.

“With Coles own brand, our mission is to inspire Australia’s love of food by being truly customer obsessed in delivering brands and products that we are proud of and our customers recommend above all others,” a spokesperson from the supermarket said.

Moccona came in second with 72 per cent, while Nature’s Cuppa, Nescafe and Caffe Aurora were equal third on 70 per cent.

Nescafe’s blend 43 range is the best-selling coffee, but it had just an overall score of 67 per cent.

Choice says the Coles range used better beans than its rivals.

“Coles fair-trade organic freeze-dried coffee and Nature’s Cuppa organic coffee are both made from Arabica beans, the more desirable beans used in coffee production, and are two of just three products in our test that are 100 per cent Arabica,” the advocacy group said.

“The Coles coffee has the added selling point of being both organic and fair-trade.

“Interestingly, three instant coffees in our test have ground coffee added to their freeze-dried instant coffee ingredient, presumably giving them extra oomph, and two of these — Moccona barista reserve and Nescafe gold original 5 — were among our highest scorers.”

Very thorough blind tasting.

Choice says “too weak” was a common gripe of testers, with Bushells coffee classic gourmet instant coffee and Black & Gold granulated coffee being standout offenders.

“It perhaps makes sense that Caffe Aurora Medaglia D’oro Italian style freeze-dried coffee — the coffee most frequently described as ‘rich’ and ‘robust’ by tasters — made it into our top five,” the group says.

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