What’s the best brew for your buck? – Consumer NZ reveal top instant coffee

The taste tests are in and Robert Harris has been crowned the instant coffee champion. 

In an experiment conducted by Consumer NZ, they put nine coffees from supermarkets in New Zealand to the test and found that higher prices didn’t mean better taste. 

Robert Harris Colombian Blend took out the top spot, with participants praising the coffee for its “chocolatey aroma” and “nice flavour”. 

If you are walking through the supermarket and looking for something a little cheaper, Pams Café Roast could be the one after being named ‘best brew for your buck’ – costing $3.19 per 100 grams. 

In second place was Nescafe Gold Original, which respondents found had a ‘coffee style whiff’. 

Despite one person describing it as smelling like “muddy football boots”, Pams Café Roast was ranked as the third-best instant coffee for its “high-quality taste”.  

At the other end of the scale, Consumer NZ investigative writer Ruairi O’Shea said to stare clear of Countdown’s granulated instant, which was ranked the worst, while Value instant Coffee Powder was not far behind. 

The most disappointing of the bunch would have to be Coffee Supreme’s Instant.

Because the coffee only comes in pre-measured sachets it makes it a bit of an outlier in the price compared to the other coffees.

At $76.14 per 100 grams, Supreme couldn’t make up for it in the flavour department, ranked sixth in the taste test. 

Moconna’s Classic Medium Roast, a brand used in the Newshub office, could only muster seventh in the rankings.