Compare instant coffee in New Zealand at Canstar Blue. Moccona, Avalanche, Woolworths, Nescafé, Jed’s Coffee Co and Gregg’s were compared on Overall Satisfaction, Aroma, Packaging, Taste, Texture/Consistency, Variety/Range and Value for Money.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Moccona is an instant hit with Kiwi coffee drinkers, and the winner of Canstar’s 2025 Instant Coffee Award.
Our review compares instant coffee on customer satisfaction, so you can discover what other Kiwis think about our compared instant coffee brands before you go ahead and make a purchase. Think of it like asking hundreds of your closest friends and family which brand of instant coffee they think is best.
Canstar Blue surveyed 977 Kiwis who had bought instant coffee to brew at home in the past three months and asked for their feedback on the coffee they bought.
Respondents rate their satisfaction with their instant coffee brands from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall Satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall Satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Find more information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.
Congratulations to Moccona, rated the No.1 instant coffee brand by Kiwi instant coffee drinkers.
Moccona is the stand-out instant coffee brand in our awards ratings. It’s the only brand to earn a 5-Star rating for Overall Satisfaction, plus it has more 5-Star ratings than the other instant coffee brands on our table combined, including for Taste and Aroma.
A brand owned by Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Moccona has a range that comprises, primarily, instant coffees, flavoured instant coffees and flavoured latte and cappuccino drink mixes. It also sells a limited selection of coffee capsules for use in Nespresso coffee machines
Second on our awards table, Avalanche earns the distinction of being the only other instant coffee brand apart from our winner to achieve multiple 5-Star ratings, for Aroma, Variety/Range and, importantly, Taste – which is the No.1 concern for the coffee drinkers in our survey.
Avalanche is a Kiwi owned and operated coffee brand that was founded over 20 years ago. It sells a range of fresh coffee beans and grinds, in addition to coffee capsules, for use in Nespresso machines, and instant coffee. Like the big international brands, it also sells its own range of flavoured milky coffee powders.
Woolworth’s range of own-brand instant coffees places it third, thanks to a strong set of consumer ratings, including a top 5-Star rating for Value for Money and 4 Stars for Overall Satisfaction. Woolies earns its lowest rating, 3 Stars, for Variety/Range.
The supermarket chain’s own brand of instant coffees covers freeze-dried, granulated and powdered coffees, plus flavoured milky coffee powders. In addition to instant coffee, Countdown also sells coffee beans and capsules, all at budget-friendly prices.
A jar of instant coffee made by the iconic international brand has long been a staple in Kiwi pantries. And in our ratings, Nescafé earns strong reviews from its legions of drinkers. It scores 4-Star ratings across all categories, except for Value for Money, for which it earns a 3-Star rating.
Nescafé is a brand that is synonymous with coffee. Its range comprises primarily of instant coffees, flavoured instant coffees and flavoured latte and cappuccino drink powders. It also sells coffee capsules for use in its sister brand Nespresso’s coffee machines.
Jed’s Coffee Co instant coffee earns an identical set of ratings as Nescafe: 4-Star ratings across all categories, except for Value for Money, for which it earns a 3-Star rating.
Jed’s Coffee Co is a homegrown brand that has expanded its range considerably over the past few years, since it became part of the Dutch company Jacobs Douwe Egberts.
Just like Jed’s whole coffee-bean roasts, its freeze-dried instant coffee comes in four strength levels: ranging from medium to extra strong.
Gregg’s earns predominantly 3-Star ratings, plus 4 Stars for Value. While not a top rating, 3 Stars is by no means a measure of displeasure, rather it indicated Gregg’s customers are happy sipping on their mugs of instant Joe.
Gregg’s is a name synonymous with quality, yet affordable supermarket staples. And while it’s not one of the more higher-profile instant coffee brands on the market, Gregg’s remains a popular instant coffee brand in New Zealand.
Not all brands in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Here are more brands to check out before making a purchase decision.
Robert Harris is one of the oldest coffee brands in New Zealand. It was founded over 70 years ago and has grown to include over 30 cafe franchises across the country.
The range of Robert Harris coffees available in supermarkets includes single-origin beans, instant coffee, fresh ground coffee, infused ground coffee and coffee pods.
StarbucksStarbucks has to be the best-known global coffeeshop brand. Although it sells whole beans in its stores, Starbucks’ products available in supermarkets are limited to an instant coffee and a range of coffee capsules for use in Nespresso machines.
Coffee choices are very personal. Some like their coffee milky and sweet, others short, black and bitter. But whatever a person’s taste in coffee, one thing is paramount, the flavour of the coffee.
This is reflected by what our instant coffee drinkers say is important to them when rating their coffee choices: 40% of the respondents in our award survey cited Taste, double the number that said Value for Money, while just 10% said Aroma. But then doesn’t all coffee, whether instant or freshly ground and brewed, smell great?
Here’s the full rundown of what the consumers in our survey say are the main things they consider when rating their coffee picks:
Espresso is simply a shot of coffee, with no extra water added. To make an espresso, shoot boiling water under high pressure through finely-ground coffee beans and then pour into a tiny cup. The strong coffees are the purest coffee experience you can get, and while not for everyone, they can be a truly singular experience when you find a good brew.
This is simply a shot of espresso coffee with extra added hot water. The coffee style is said to originate from US soldiers in Italy during WWII.
A long black is made by pouring a double shot of espresso over hot water. This method retains the coffee’s crema (distinctive creamy head), which is lost if you add hot water to an espresso.
Lungo is Italian for long, and a Lungo is a shot of espresso that’s been pulled for longer – had more water pushed through the coffee grounds over a longer time period. It results in a more dilute, milder tasting coffee, yet with more caffeine and a slightly more bitter taste.
Possibly the most popular coffee in New Zealand. A flat white is made by pouring velvety steamed milk over a shot of espresso, with minimal froth.
Popular worldwide, though less so here thanks to our preference for flat whites, lattes consist of steamed milk and a small layer of milk froth. It’s like a flat white, only with a little more volume on top.
The frothiest and foamiest of the milky coffee triumvirate, the cappuccino is possibly the most popular type of coffee in the world. A cappuccino consists of three layers: equal parts espresso, steamed milk and foam.
Here in NZ, we tend to use a double-shot of espresso as the basis of all our coffee beverages. So our cappuccinos tend to have a little more kick than cappuccinos elsewhere.
A macchiato is a shot of espresso that is topped off with foamed milk dashed directly into the cup. Although it’s similar to a cappuccino, it’s usually stronger, as there’s no hot milk added. And it’s also smaller, usually served in an espresso-sized cup.
A mochaccino is just a latte with added chocolate powder or syrup, sometimes topped with whipped cream. If anything, this is a good entry-level coffee – existing in the world between children’s hot chocolates and adult café lattes.
About the author of this pageBruce Pitchers is Canstar NZ’s Content Manager. An experienced finance reporter, he has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in Australia, the UK and NZ, including ACP, Are Media, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. As a freelancer, he has worked for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority and major banks and investment companies on both sides of the Tasman.
In his role at Canstar, he has been a regular commentator in the NZ media, including on the Driven, Stuff and One Roof websites, the NZ Herald, Radio NZ, and Newstalk ZB.
Away from Canstar, Bruce creates puzzles for magazines and newspapers, including Woman’s Day and New Idea. He is also the co-author of the murder-mystery book 5 Minute Murder.
Use an espresso machine: 39%
Stick to one coffee brand: 36%
Buy the coffee that’s on special: 33%
Use a plunger: 31%
Have stopped buying takeout coffees to save money: 29%
Use non-dairy milks: 17%
Buy fair trade coffee: 15%
Use a stovetop espresso pot: 12%
Buy organic coffee: 10%
Buy the cheapest coffee brand due to high grocery costs: 13%
Canstar Blue surveyed 2508 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by PureProfile. The outcomes reported are the results from customers who who had bought coffee beans to brew at home in the past three months. In this case, 977 New Zealanders. Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criterion.
The past winners from Canstar Blue’s Coffee ratings:
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