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Moccona has a cult following for a reason, taking out this year's Finder Award for the best instant coffee brand. Aussies rated Moccona the best brand for aroma, and it also ranked well for taste, packaging and value for money.
The 2020 Finder Retail Awards recognise brand sentiment from customer feedback on different retail product categories. Finder worked with leading data, insights and consulting company, Kantar, to conduct thousands of customer interviews around their product purchasing history and satisfaction with their purchased products.
Aussies chose Moccona as the top-rated instant coffee brand, scoring 8.18. Robert Timms came in second with a score of 8.09, while Nescafe is at third, scoring 7.90.
Moccona offers a variety of coffee blends, including French-style coffee, vanilla latte, rich espresso and mocha Kenya style. The brand also has different roasts available, ranging from light to the most intense. Moccona's instant coffee is either freeze-dried or spray-dried.
The brand is owned by Jacob Douwe Egberts and is available in various countries like Australia, Finland, New Zealand and Russia. The coffee beans are grown in China, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Best instant coffee brand for value for money: Coles
Decaffeinated coffee blends available
Several options available
Offers affordable prices
Where to buy
Coles
Consumers have chosen Coles as the best instant coffee in terms of value for money. The brand scored 4.36 out of 5 for value for money.
Other brands that rank highly include International Roast with a score of 4.34 out of 5, Robert Timms with a score of 4.29 and Al Cafe (ALDI) with a score of 4.22.
Coles instant coffee options include Coles Organic Fairtrade Gold Freeze Dried Coffee, Coles Original Granulated Coffee, Coles Instant Coffee Powder and Coles Coffee Decaffeinated.
Best instant coffee brand for packaging: Moccona
Moccona's labels have disposal or recovery information for sustainability
Recyclable or compostable packaging
The brand is actively increasing the amount of content that can be recycled to support the circular economy
For packaging, consumers picked Moccona as the best instant coffee brand, scoring 4.39. It beat Robert Timms and Nescafe, which scored 4.33 and 4.27, respectively.
Moccona is known for its iconic jars that house their instant coffee blends. The brand offers limited edition, decorative jars, which you can upcycle. Moccona is also committed to helping farmers and has been working with them to preserve their environments.
Over half of the volume generated from Moccona's annual production of instant coffee is turned to fuel to reduce waste. The brand uses a waste-to-energy incinerator, generating hot water and steam used by its manufacturing facility.
Best-tasting instant coffee brand: Robert Timms
Different types of coffee roast available
Wide range of flavours
Decaffeinated choices available
Instant coffee is available in plastic, tin or jar packaging
Beans are sourced from two to five countries of origin
For the best-tasting instant coffee brand, Robert Timms is the winner. It scored 4.45, winning over Moccona and Jarrah, which have scores of 4.39 and 4.37, respectively.
Robert Timms offers a wide selection of instant coffee, including 100% Arabica blends, espresso and full-bodied granulated coffee. Decaffeinated options are also available. The brand carefully selects coffee beans from around the world. These are then combined to create a variety of blends.
The brand prides itself on sourcing only the finest coffee beans. Its blends typically contain beans from two to five different countries of origin. Every batch of coffee is also tested multiple times through cupping – a process used to verify quality and taste parameters.
Best instant coffee brand for aroma: Moccona
Coffee capsules, roast and ground coffee and espresso beans are available
The brand buys some of its coffee from producers with third-party sustainability certification
In terms of aroma, consumers selected Moccona as the best instant coffee brand. It has a 4.46 score. Robert Timms came in second at 4.39, while Nescafe is at third with a score of 4.29.
Apart from instant coffee, Moccona offers coffee capsules, espresso beans, and roast and ground coffee. The brand ensures that its coffees are expertly blended to fit any taste and mood.
Some of Moccona's coffee blends have long pedigrees. Other blends are recently developed by the brand's Master Blenders. Moccona also purchases some of its coffee from producers with third-party sustainability certification.
Methodology
The 2020 Finder Retail Awards recognise brand sentiment from customer feedback on different retail product categories. Finder worked with leading data, insights and consulting company, Kantar, to conduct thousands of customer interviews around their product purchasing history and satisfaction with their purchased products.
Disclaimer: Please refer to our methodology for more information on how we scored and judged Finder Retail Awards candidates. While we endeavour to assess the majority of product providers in the market, this is not always possible and it may be that not every brand in the market was included for judging.
Best rated instant coffee brand award breakdown
Total Score
Overall rating
Value for Money
Packaging
Taste
Aroma
Moccona
8.18
4.48
4.13
4.39
4.39
4.46
Robert Timms
8.09
4.39
4.29
4.33
4.45
4.39
Other
7.94
4.33
4.15
4.56
4.41
4.07
Nescafe
7.90
4.33
4.11
4.27
4.25
4.29
International Roast
7.87
4.26
4.34
4.26
4.24
4.22
Jarrah
7.79
4.26
4.14
4.06
4.37
4.09
Lavazza
7.77
4.31
3.81
4.19
4.14
4.21
Nestle
7.61
4.08
4.18
4.06
4.12
4.00
Coles
7.14
3.76
4.36
3.86
3.90
3.76
Al Cafe (ALDI)
7.01
3.71
4.22
3.88
3.80
3.80
Woolworths
6.52
3.49
4.13
3.56
3.33
3.36
Nature's Cuppa
6.25
3.50
3.00
4.00
3.50
3.50
Data: Finder Retail Brand Survey, 2020, Kantar. Metric out of 5 stars unless indicated. Methodology and more info.
What are the benefits of drinking instant coffee?
Instant coffee doesn't take long to make. It's also much cheaper compared to other kinds of coffee – you don't need any special equipment for the perfect cup. All you have to do is pour it into your favourite mug and add hot water. It's great for people with busier schedules who want their caffeine fix without any fuss.
Apart from having a longer shelf life than regular coffee, instant coffee contains antioxidants, which protect cells from free radicals. You can also choose from a wide array of blends without mixing them on your own. Some brands offer decaffeinated options, too.
Instant coffee is ideal for those who want to minimise their caffeine intake as well. Typically, one teaspoon of instant coffee only has 30-90mg, which is much lower than the caffeine content of ground coffee.
What to look for when buying instant coffee
Keep an eye on the following factors when shopping for the best instant coffee:
Consider if you want Robusta or Arabica. Arabica beans are more popular and considered better than Robusta beans. Apart from having less caffeine content, instant coffee made from Arabica is less acidic and has a higher sugar content than Robusta. Instant coffees made from Robusta beans are more bitter and more acidic. They also have higher caffeine content.
Select the best coffee roast for your personal taste. Instant coffees with a light roast have the most caffeine. They are also the most acidic. The medium roast is more balanced. Dark roast coffees have the least caffeine content, but it's the most bitter of the three roasts.
Check the label for the expiration date. Typically, the shorter the expiration date is, the better the instant coffee. It's because shelf life can be increased by adding preservatives, so an instant coffee with a shorter shelf life may have fewer preservatives in it.
Think about how the coffee is packaged. Instant coffee is usually packed in metal or glass jars, foil or vacuum packs. Its composition should be safe and kept fresh inside the packaging.
Ericka Pingol is a writer for Finder specialising in best guides. Using tested methodology, Ericka has been helping Australians choose the right product across hundreds of categories since 2020. Ericka has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of the East, Manila. As well as being passionate about helping people save money when shopping for their latest purchases, Ericka has a background in writing about property investment, personal finance and health. When not writing best guides, you can find her lost in the pages of a good book or experimenting with watercolour painting.
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