Updated: 12 Jun 2008

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Introduction

Are 'espresso' instant coffees a substitute for the real thing? Our team of tasters find out.

Instant coffee's speed and convenience give it the edge over "proper" coffee - but the trade-off is taste. Will up-market instant coffees fill the gap?

Nearly 500 of our members took part in our user trial - find out what they thought.

About our trial

We sent samples of espresso instant coffee to Consumer members willing to put their taste buds to the test.

The coffees were tasted at home by 478 people. Each coffee was tried by around 240 tasters and each taster tried three brands (which were identified only by a code). The brands tasted included:

• Bushells Espresso
• Gregg's Espresso Roast
• Moccona Espresso
• Nescafé Espresso
• Robert Harris Espresso
• Robert Timms Premium Espresso

The tasters prepared each coffee in the same way, using the same amount of coffee and the same-sized cup or mug. They added milk or sugar if that was what they usually did. Before tasting each coffee, they had a drink of water to cleanse their palate.

Our tasters scored each coffee on its strength, aroma, and aftertaste. Finally they rated its taste. See the Tasting results to find out how they rated the coffees.

A nation of coffee drinkers

ACNielsen data from supermarket sales in 2007 show coffee ranked 28th in the number of packs sold, with tea being 44th.

Our growing café culture means more and more consumers know their mochaccino from their macchiato. But instant coffee still has a loyal following - 58 percent of the tasters who took part in our user trial drank it every day.

The verdict

Our tasters weren't overwhelmed by the coffees they tried. Across all the coffees, the average rating for taste was 5 out of 10 (see Tasting results for full details). And just under 40 percent of tasters said they'd buy what they'd tried.

Every brand had its fans: they all received at least one 10/10 rating. But each brand was also rated 0/10 by at least one taster.

Moccona Espresso had that "mmmmmm" factor - it rated the best across all our home-testers. But less than half (46 percent) of those who tried it said they'd buy it for their own use.

Close behind were Bushells Espresso, Nescafé Espresso Intense, and Robert Timms Premium Espresso. Out of those who tasted these brands, 40 to 44 percent said they'd buy them.

Robert Harris Espresso and Gregg's Espresso Roast got the thumbs down - our tasters thought these had a weaker taste than the other brands.

Price didn't seem to guarantee a better-tasting instant coffee. Moccona was the most expensive at $9.79 per 100g but was only slightly more preferred by our tasters. Robert Harris was the next most expensive coffee ($9.49) and scored much the same as coffees $3 to $4 cheaper.

Black or white?

Most of our tasters took milk in their coffee - only 17 percent said they drank their coffee black. A flat white was the café coffee of choice for 48 percent of our tasters; 21 percent preferred a latte.

Moccona Espresso remained the favourite instant espresso for those who drank their coffee with milk.

But among those who preferred their coffee black, Robert Timms Premium Espresso was the preferred brand. Forty-one percent of those who tried this instant coffee said they'd buy it.

Tasting results

Results from our instant coffee user trial with 478 home participants.

Guide to the table

• A - Robert Harris Espresso is freeze-dried; all other brands are granulated.
  
  
• Price is for a 100g jar or pack and is based on a survey of supermarkets in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch during April 2008.
  
  
• Overall score comprises taste (70%), aroma (10%), strength (10%) and aftertaste (10%).

How instant coffee's made

Instant ("soluble") coffee starts as a giant brew of percolated coffee made from a blend of green coffee beans. To turn it into instant coffee, the manufacturer must remove the water while keeping as much flavour as possible.

There are two methods of doing this:

• The most common method (because it's less expensive) is spray drying. A fine mist of coffee is sprayed down a high tower while hot air is pumped in. As the droplets fall water evaporates, leaving a fine powder. To make granulated coffee, this powder goes through a process of agglomeration that forms larger clumps.
  
  
• Freeze drying is a more complex and costly method. The coffee liquid is frozen at very low temperatures and then placed in a vacuum. The water in the frozen mixture is removed, leaving chunky granules of coffee. Freeze drying avoids the extreme heat of spray drying and is thought to be a better way of preserving a coffee's flavour. But Robert Harris Espresso, the only freeze-dried coffee in our home-test, didn't rate any better than the others.

More from consumer.org.nz

• Coffee beans - There were 3 'best beans' in our expert taste test.
• Coffee grinders - Compare the 9 models in our test for price, fineness of grind, ease of use, and more.
• Espresso machines - Find out what to look for when you're shopping for an espresso machine.

Report by Bev Frederikson