Let’s face it. A real cappuccino is never going to come in a sachet but the world of instant cappuccinos is growing rapidly, which means there must be a market for the stuff. Instant cappuccino provides an alternative to normal instant coffee at times when you are not in a position to lounge around in a caf? but fancy something a little different.
Grandos
Comes in at least three flavours, regular, amaretto and vanilla. We chose the latter. It certainly smelled and tasted of vanilla but not so strongly that it was a turn-off. The flavour of coffee was mild and the consistency a little weak, probably because when coffee comes in sachets it’s just not possible to account for everyone’s preference in terms of strength. You could do worse than this.
Froth factor: 3
Cost per cup: 16c
Overall rating: 3
Sionon
This was taken from the health-food section of the supermarket. Sweetened with fructose rather than sugar with less than 1g of fat, it is definitely aimed at the health conscious and bills itself as a low-carb alternative. Weak and lacking flavour, this is to instant coffee drinkers what instant coffee is to coffee aficionados. It may however appeal to the self-deprived who want to pretend they are still living life to the full. On a positive note it’s probably a worthy option for diabetics.
Froth factor: ½
Cost per cup: 22c
Overall rating: 1
La Festa Cappuccino Cremo
As soon as this was hit by hot water, a strong aroma of hazelnuts wafted from the cup and the foam looked promising. But it was a trick. When it was stirred and the spoon thickness test was carried out, there was little to write home about. An almost forgettable experience, but drinkable if you had climbed Everest and not had any coffee for a month. Available in other flavours.
Froth factor: 2
Cost per cup: 9.5c
Overall rating: 2
Ernesto
This is one of those instances where you get what you pay for. The froth consisted of a few bubbles floating in a muddy ocean. It was nothing more than a sachet of instant coffee and tasteless to boot. It reminded me of something I drank at a train station in Yugoslavia in 1984 minus the grains of sand at the bottom of the cup. This is not an option, not even if it turned out to be the last cup of coffee in the world. Hey, even instant coffee drinkers have some pride.
Froth factor: 0
Cost per cup: 8.5c
Overall rating: 1/2
Maxwell House
I was a little disappointed with this as I am a regular Maxwell, rather than Nescafe, drinker so I was expecting more from it. So far this appears to come only in caramel but the aroma was rather vague. It tasted like coffee and had that familiar (to me) smooth Maxwell taste but it was nothing special. Pity.
Froth factor: 2
Cost per cup: 12c
Overall: 3
Jacobs
We tried the regular unsweetened and the yummy-sounding Choco Cappuccino. As someone who sometimes drinks coffee with sugar and sometimes without, the former is a good option in the instant cappuccino range. Reasonably frothy, the sachets came with a little packet of chocolate sprinkles for extra flavour. The Choco version, boasting the inclusion of Lacta chocolate, was in loose form, preferable for those like to adjust the strength of their drink. Unfortunately it tasted far more like hot chocolate than coffee.
Froth factor: unsweetened 3, choco 1½
Cost per cup: unsweetened 17c, choco 6.5c
Overall rating: unsweetened 3, choco 2
Nescafe
Nescafe is King of the Instant Cappuccino when it comes to variety. I started with the decaf sachet knowing that if I tasted another type, the decaf would seem even worse. It made no difference. Don’t get me wrong. There was nothing wrong with it other than the fact that it was decaf. In fact you could practically walk on the froth. Nescafe regular was just that but it came in box so it’s easy to adjust for taste. I used the recommended four spoons but cheated a little by heaping them. The result: smooth, creamy with a definite coffee taste. A winner until we tasted Nescafe Caf? au Chocolat. Although not billed as a cappuccino, as far as we are concerned if it looks and acts like a cappuccino… It doesn’t necessarily taste like a cappuccino but neither do some called by that name. Rich, smooth and delicious. As a colleague said: “It’s just one step away from a Starbucks”.
Froth factor: Decaf 5, reg 4, chocolat 4
Cost per cup: Decaf 20, reg 11, chocolat 14c
Overall: Decaf 3½, reg 4, chocolat 5
