Coffee from Coles, Woolies at '30c a cup' beats premium ground in CHOICE taste test

When he was asked by consumer organisation CHOICE to judge a selection of instant coffees, coffee connoisseur Matthew Gee thought he was in for a pretty miserable morning. As the co-owner of Barista Basics Coffee Academy, Gee has roasted, ground and tasted some of the best coffee in the world and he was of the view that instant coffee was a thing of his past.

Happily, for anyone wanting a premium tasting brew at a fraction of a cafe coffee price, he was wrong. “Looking at cost and quality, instant coffee has come a long way,” he told Yahoo Lifestyle. “I was very surprised.”

How did the instant coffee taste test work?

In a morning that surely gave them the jitters, the three judges blind tasted 18 instant coffee products alongside a “reference coffee.” This long black-style coffee was made from premium freshly ground beans with a CHOICE recommended home espresso machine.

Despite expecting the worst Gee said the process was “eye-opening.”

“Four instant coffees scored slightly ahead of the ground coffee with aroma, flavour and aftertaste being judged,” he said. “Some were really quite tasty and when you look at the price per cup which is around 30 cents it’s certainly cost-effective against the $5 or $6 you’ll pay for a long black in a cafe.”

The best tasting instant coffee to add to your cart

Gee and his fellow judges rated Bushells Classic Gourmet Instant Coffee, which will set you back $10 for 200g, as their number one pick. The nice smooth flavour was described as well-balanced with a nice undertone.

It’s also received plenty of glowing consumer reviews on Product Review with one person saying, “We've been drinking it for years. We own both a drip coffee and Nespresso machine, but never use them as we much prefer this Bushells coffee. Love the taste - never bitter or burnt,” while another wrote: “An instant classic – I don't normally like instant coffee but after drinking this I was pleasantly surprised, very impressed with this coffee.”

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$5.50 Coles winner: ‘Sweet and nutty’

Outperforming higher-brow brands like Lavazza, Moccona and Starbucks came an understated winner from Coles. Joint third, behind Robert Timms's Full-Bodied Granulated Coffee, the $5.50 Coles Classic Granulated Coffee Smooth & Bold was a big hit.

Showing that you can get good ingredients even at a budget price, the German-made brand was described as having a sweet and nutty aroma alongside nutty flavours.

An Aldi brand also snuck into a top slot coming in joint fourth place, just behind the traditionally made expresso.

Its Alcafe Gold Classic Dark Roast got a score of 79 per cent and the legion of online Aldi coffee fans just adds to its appeal.

“Fantastic quality and price – having drank Moccona for several years my husband and I were hesitant to try any other brand. What convinced us to give it a go was the price. Well, we shouldn't have hesitated at all. Alcafe is fantastic!” said one woman on Product Review.

“The Best Tasting Instant Coffee Ever!” said another.

Coles and Aldi’s supremacy in the area was one thing that didn’t surprise Gee.

“Aldi and Coles are not getting some downtrodden, local company to make their coffee,” he said. “They’ll have a contract with a traditional manufacturer with the best machinery and their buying power just means they can have a premium product they can sell at a low price.”

Should we just shelve cafe coffee?

Hang on a minute, that’s not quite what Gee is saying! “Most people have a milk-based coffee in a cafe, so it’s not only the espresso but also the textured milk,” he said. “It means it’s hard to compare, but if you’re drinking a cafe long black, then it’s much cheaper to go instant.”

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Since the taste testing, he has stocked instant coffee in his six training centres and he told Yahoo Lifestyle a lot of his students like it.

“When I’m there I’ll have an instant too,” he said. “It’s quick, there’s not a lot of mess and you get a similar hit of caffeine.”

For any coffee snobs out there, it makes the case for an instant way more appealing, and for anyone on a budget it’s a no-brainer.

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