Any coffee lover can help me with this. I'm not exactly a coffee lover but am looking to try some higher quality coffee to see if they taste good.

I stopped drinking Nescafe Classic many years ago as it doesn't taste good to me. Too bitter and need to add a lot of sugar to neutralise the bitter taste. I find the Instant Coffee packs from various brands to be more tasty with a more aromatic flavour, especially the white coffee and hazelnut options. However, there are reports that these instant 3 in 1 or 2 in 1 coffee is not too good for health and may destroy the liver on the long run, something like that which does bring some concern.

I've narrowed down to Nescafe Gold and UCC coffee. I haven't tried any of these and just wish to buy 1 bottle to try out. Any recommendation on which tastes best? I know it's all subjective and up to individual taste or preference but do let me know which you prefer the most. I particularly prefer an aromatic milky flavour that is not too bitter. I will mostly add fresh milk and a bit of condensed milk or sugar to the coffee. I rarely take black coffee but may try with sugar if the taste is not so bitter like the terrible Nescafe Classic.

So far these are what I found on the internet, so many options.

UCC








Nescafe Gold (are all these the same or different?)







This post has been edited by Dwango: Apr 29 2020, 10:46 PM

I would say UCC coffee tends to be lighter..more towards the Japanese taste..more refined so not for those that like u kau kau.

All ucc is good but beware if u see the ucc bluemountain, yes it's a premium instant coffee but it has the mildest taste of all. Doesn't at all taste like coffee but more to pleasant acidic fruity tea, and u can forget about adding milk. It's best enjoyed as it is.

If u want the aroma of coffee to stand out despite adding milk then consider nescafe dark roast, or Bru original with chicory also goes well with milk. Tchibo gold from germany also quite nice, with or without milk. I particularly like Tchibo because it tastes very smooth with milk. I think it is by far my favorite.

This post has been edited by babybobby: Apr 30 2020, 03:08 AM

aku prefer nescafe gold

Nescafe taste like shit.
Ucc is meh.
Buy some tesco finest ground coffee powder and a ikea French press.
Or even cheap Aik Cheong with the same press.
Far better coffee than the above and cheaper too.

No particular fav, I tend to alternate between UCC114, Suiss Fusion, Nescafe Gold, Moccona Almond, Davidoff, and sometimes Boncafe and Aik Cheong without milk.
Nescafe Gold has the best aroma for me, ymmv of course.

Used to take the 3 in 1s, but heard its not so healthy in the long run. Come to think of it, is there any scientific evidence or studies done to indicate so?

This post has been edited by cablesguy: May 11 2020, 09:36 AM

Essenso is nice too.

Nescafe gold and Davidoff for me

An update. I have placed order for UCC Coffee No.
114 and 117 from Shopee currently waiting for the seller to ship.

While waiting for the shipment which I expect to be around 14 days if not more, for the first time I have bought Nescafe Gold. Trying in the first time and man, its actually not bad! Much better than Nescafe Classic. I should have tried this Nescafe Gold much earlier, like 20 years ago. Anyway better late than never.



This post has been edited by Dwango: May 11 2020, 07:04 PM

True
Food technologists who have worked on these 3 in1s tell me they wouldn't drink the stuff.

Better to be on the safe side of caution.

actually..u can just buy the refill packet..

much cheaper..

It's actually not that hard to figure out. Apart from the 3in1 having high sugar content what makes it even worse is the non-dairy creamer. It's the nasty chemical stuffs that renders non-dairy creamer unhealthy. While there's no specific evidence saying 3in1 is bad but there are tons of studies regarding the side effects of non-dairy creamer.

And it's not just 3in1 alone, even you can find non-dairy creamer in so freaking many commercial products. It could be your well-loved boba tea (except the fresh milk series), the condensed milk used in many beverages and desserts and that includes your favorite teh tarik and ice cream unless it is dairy-based ice cream imported from NZ (that's why they cost more), the creamer in Maggi curry, "milky" juice such as banana, papaya and honeydew milk, just to name a few here.

Once you've tried UCC, you won't go back to Nescafe Gold...

At first I like Nescafe Gold... until I've tried UCC and Davidoff... they taste much better and refined/smoother than Nescafe Gold.

If you can get the glass bottle 100g at around RM25, its a good deal.

I've tried 113, 114, 117, 118, The Blend (Blue Colour)... personally I'd prefer 113. Its good to have it on its own (black), or mix it with 3-in-1.

Stopped taking Nescafe Classic about 5 or 6 years ago as the coffee taste is too bitter. One will need to add a lot of sugar so that the bitter taste will not be felt too much unless one prefers the bitter taste of the coffee.

Nescafe Gold tastes a lot better than Nescafe Classic and it's not so bitter so you use less sugar or sweetened condensed milk. It's healthier in the long run as less sugar will translate to lower risk of getting diabetes. The taste of the coffee with Nescafe Gold is also nicer and more aromatic than Nescafe Classic. The only bad thing about Nescafe Gold is you will need to add more teaspoon of coffee granules since the taste is not as strong and bitter than Nescafe Classic. Say you use 1 teaspoon with Nescafe Classic, you would need to use 2 or 3 teaspoons with Nescafe Gold. In other words, the coffee will be used up quicker as you need to add more teaspoon with each and every cup of coffee.

Haven't tried UCC Japanese coffee or Davidoff but since there are some recommendations here, will try them some other time.

This post has been edited by Volkswagen2: May 14 2020, 06:31 PM

No wonder my house owner said she prefers nescafe classic because it tastes stronger than neacafe gold. I guess now it does make sense.

But then judging the type of coffee granules of each, nescafe gold is extracted using freeze drying technology which yields better aroma as opposed to nescafe classic that still relies on old method of extraction. You will also notice many decent brands are using freeze drying process as a modern and more reliable method. The coffee granules are more uniform and aroma is well preserved.

I have a Ikea coffee grinder and french press, i tried the UCC Roast Master whole beans and it was very nice. I made normal black coffee despite the label says the beans are intended for latte. Either whole beans or instant coffee UCC is a good brand if you like nescafe gold.

So I guess this is richer in flavour compared to the classic? Is it that different?

That is good to know. The UCC coffee still hasn't arrived. Looks like it will be after Raya.

When you mentioned glass bottle 100g around RM25, are you referring to UCC coffee? The lowest price in Shopee for UCC 114 and 117 is RM20.55 for one bottle. 113 is less common. Will check out later.

Yes, richer coffee flavour and more aromatic with Nescafe Gold. Nescafe Classic is bitter and lack coffee aroma.

With Nescafe Gold, if you feel the coffee taste is not strong enough, you still can add half or one teaspoon to the cup of coffee and the taste won't be too strong or bitter. Just the aroma of coffee is stronger and nicer. Unlike Nescafe Classic, if you add more coffee into the cup, you will get bitter taste and as a result you add more sugar which will ruin your health in the long run.

This post has been edited by Dwango: May 21 2020, 03:29 PM

Yeah, I got it from the supermarket (not online); the cost is usually RM25 per bottle, or RM36.99 for 2 bottle (promo season).

Thus.. my benchmark is around RM25 per bottle, and it can last me 2 weeks (2 cups of black coffee per day).

If you can get it cheaper than RM25, good for you!!!

UCC coffee is something new to me. Good to know it's recommended and see if there's chance to try it sometime. Similarly avoided Nescafe Classic for a long time as the taste is not good.

The bitterness you find in these coffee is not solely due to the processes but rather the coffee beans used..

Bitterness is an indicator of robusta beans in the blends, the higher the content of robusta within the blends, the higher the bitterness (hence the so called "kaw")

The cost of robusta beans are much much cheaper than its peer(arabica)..

Just got the UCC 114 and 117 coffee. Perhaps I'm not very sensitive to the taste of these coffees as they don't taste very different from each other. After reading the description from the internet, it does appear that 117 has a stronger coffee flavour than 114.

Between UCC and Nescafe Gold, can't really say if they taste massively different. As said earlier, perhaps I'm not very sensitive to the different taste of the coffees. Nevertheless, I feel the 117 tastes closer to Nescafe Gold than 114. The UCC 114 has a milder and sourish taste compared you the stronger and bitter taste of 117 and Nescafe Gold.

It seems not a myth that Japanese people are serious about their coffee, they can spot the minor difference even between few batch marks. If you like something special maybe can try UCC sumiyaki or charcoal coffee. Tchibo coffee from Germany also not bad, it's my favorite and always gone like hot cakes.

Ever since dalgona gone viral and featured in boba shops, i think instant coffee is what many people looking into right now.

Does anyone happen to know which blend of instant coffee this UCC black full body is taken from? I bought one from FamilyMart and tested, really not bad. The roasted aroma was like a freshly brewed coffee. Added some brown sugar and it tasted just like a good americano.

Nescafe gold is so much better compared to the normal one.

The higher the number the more stronger. The 118 is preferred by the Starbuck lady in my office. The Charcoal one smell and has that charcoal taste and milder than that the 118. The supermarket that sell Japanese product usually can find these easily.

Update. I was shopping for spaghetti and Ahmad Green Tea on Shopee and spotted this premium Swiss coffee sold by the same seller. There are many flavours so I simply picked one to try. I just tried this coffee and I think this one tastes great! 2 teaspoon of this coffee with 1 1/2 teaspoon of sweetened creamer and a bit of Australian fresh milk. I liked it better than UCC and Nescafe Gold. The coffee does not have a bitter taste at all and the texture is smooth and creamy.

I wonder how the other variants taste like? Anybody tried this coffee and care to share your experience on the differences? After I finish this bottle I will try other flavours. Most likely I will pick a stronger aroma as this one has a rather light taste although the rating is quite high.

This is the one I bought:-


Other available flavours:-

The description of the coffee.

Haco supplies to Starbucks. Starbucks use Arabica beans only.

Anybody tried all the Haco options, and can give a review which one tastes most bitter and which one more aromatic etc.? I presume the red-coloured Espresso Dark Roast is most bitter with strongest coffee taste since it has the highest stars for body and roastiness? Not sure what is the difference between all the descriptions ie.

Aroma
Body
Roastiness
Overall Intensity