Lidl's 100% arabica instant coffee rivals Nescafé at half the price

Instant coffee: Lidl's 100% arabica that matches Nescafé at half the price

Instant coffee lives a textbook paradox. It is the format most scorned by those who claim to know about coffee, and at the same time the one that keeps half of Spain's breakfasts going. In a discussion that has run for more than eleven years, the starting point was an uncomfortable confession: using Nescafé out of habit, in a rush, or to stretch the milk, and being «fed up with its taste». The question was simple: is there something better without giving up the spoon and the hot water?

The short answer is yes, but with nuances that dismantle the brand narrative. The most frequently mentioned find points to a store-brand instant coffee, Lidl's 100% arabica, sold at €2.45 a jar versus the €4.35 of the equivalent Nescafé. The direct comparison, made by someone who has tasted them back to back, leaves the Lidl one «practically just as good», with slightly less aroma. The saving, however, is nearly double.

Which store-brand instant coffees pass the test

Not all store brands are chicory. That widespread prejudice falls apart once you try them. The Monte Santos instant coffee that Lidl used to sell at €2 a jar raised expectations because of recommendations read online and ended in disappointment for the person who bought it in triplicate: «nothing like the taste of Nescafé». The lesson is that store brands are not a homogeneous block and that the manufacturer changes without notice.

The Aldi case is the most telling. For a while it sold an instant coffee from a German manufacturer that, according to those who tried it, was «as good as or better than Nescafé» at a store-brand price. In March 2015 it replaced it with another one made in Spain, from the same supplier that supplies Carrefour, and the perceived quality plummeted. The packaging was identical. The contents were not.

There are more names on the table. The Consum instant coffee is made by Café Jurado in Alicante. The SPAR one gets the seal of approval from those who drink it black, without sugar, which is the acid test. The Hacendado classic natural did the job until it disappeared from the catalogue, leaving more than one person without their go-to option. And Mercadona's 100% arabica is mentioned without a clear verdict.

Nescafé vs Marcilla: what those who have tried both say

The hierarchy of instant coffees among the most demanding consumers has three tiers. At the top, Nescafé 100% Arábica Puro Colombia, described as «bloody brilliant» and with an aroma you notice as soon as you pour the hot water. On the middle tier, Marcilla, rated «the best» by some and «not bad at all» by others. Below, the rest.

The problem with Puro Colombia is the price: €4.80 versus the €2.45 of Lidl's Gold. Whoever has tried both back to back admits that the Nescafé stands out for aroma, but that «on the palate the Lidl one is almost just as enjoyable». The thrifty conclusion wins out: the indulgence is fine, but the difference does not justify spending twice as much.

Marcilla also has an unexpected champion: the jar. A metal container that, once empty, serves to store breadcrumbs, salt, sugar or noodles. The practical function outlives the coffee. And some remember La Estrella as a decent instant coffee that stopped being sold at their usual supermarket, forcing them back to Nescafé for lack of an alternative.

The calculation that demolishes capsules

The most striking economic comparison is not between instant coffees, but between instant coffee and capsules. The calculation circulating in the discussion starts from a specific figure: each capsule contains 5 grams of coffee and costs 36 cents. That works out at €72 per kilo. Branded coffee, in beans or ground, ranges between €12 and €15 per kilo; store brands, between €7 and €8.

The difference is multiplied by five. For someone who drinks one coffee a day, the annual spend on capsules is around €131.4; for two coffees, €262.8. With an espresso machine, those same two coffees would cost about €52.56 a year. The full breakdown, item by item, shows a difference of €210.24 a year which, projected over a decade, exceeds €2,100.

The case for capsules is not economic, it is about friction. Those who use them say they do not want to be «a slave to the numbers» or spend three hours cleaning coffee machines. The reply from lifelong coffee drinkers is that an espresso machine takes less than a minute to clean: a wipe underneath and a splash of water in the group head. The debate, at heart, is not about coffee. It is about time.

Kopi Luwak and other eccentricities

The most exotic part of the topic comes with Kopi Luwak, the most expensive coffee in the world, made from beans that have passed through the digestive tract of a civet. One participant recounts that his son brought him 200 grams for 20 dollars bought in Indonesia; the same product sells in New York for 129 dollars. He has not peine it. Another admits having tried it at a tasting in Denpasar and describes the local method: an extremely fine grind, boiling water, steeping, pushing the grounds down with a teaspoon and waiting. Verdict: good, but not for what it costs.

The discussion drifts into territory that has little to do with instant coffee. Someone has eaten duck egg with the fetus inside on the border between Cambodia and Vietnam, eyes closed, and came out accepted as one of the group. Someone defends cold brew, steeping for twelve hours cold, as a solution for those with no time. And someone maintains that drip coffee kept in an airtight jar in the fridge for a week is still better than any instant. The discussion gets stuck exactly there: on whether convenience justifies the taste, or whether taste justifies the time.