How we rate instant coffee

Freeze dried against spray dried is the fault line in instant coffee. Freeze drying keeps aromatics that heat destroys, and it is why two jars at the same price taste nothing alike.

What we can actually read: Process method is published by the makers who freeze dry, because it is their advantage. Silence usually means spray dried, but we record it as silence.

Scored from figures that predict it, because the thing itself is not published.

The 3 rules below score this criterion out of 10, and they add up to 10 exactly. That result is then worth 30 of the category's 100 points.

• Process6 of 10

  freeze

  6 pts

  microground, co-extract

  5 pts

  spray

  2 pts

• Tasting notes published2 of 10

  published at all

  2 pts

• Not flavoured2 of 10

  absent

  2 pts

10 of 10

The entire reason instant exists. Sticks travel, jars do not; cold-water solubility decides whether it can be iced.

What we can actually read: Packaging type, cold solubility and servings are published.

Scored directly from published figures.

The 3 rules below score this criterion out of 10, and they add up to 10 exactly. That result is then worth 20 of the category's 100 points.

• Format5 of 10

  Also read under Packaging & Shelf Life, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  sachet, stick

  5 pts

  tin, jar

  3.5 pts

  bag

  3 pts

• Dissolves cold3 of 10

  present

  3 pts

• Servings per pack2 of 10

  5 or less

  1 pt

  over 5, up to 20

  1.5 pts

  over 20

  2 pts

10 of 10

Instant is where origin transparency usually disappears. A named country, a named roaster or a certification is worth more here than in whole bean, because so little of the category offers any.

What we can actually read: Origin, roaster and certifications are published by a minority.

Scored directly from published figures.

2 of the 4 rules below are struck through in this category, because too few makers publish the input. The 2 that remain score this criterion out of 10 between them: a struck rule leaves the sum entirely rather than counting as a zero. That result is then worth 18 of the category's 100 points.

• Origin published3 of 10

  published at all

  3 pts

• Roaster or process partner namednot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 2.5 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  published at all

  2.5 pts

• Certifications2.5 of 10

  2 or more

  2.5 pts

• Direct tradenot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 2 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  present

  2 pts

10 of 10

Whether it reseals, which for a jar opened daily over two months is the difference between the last cup and the first.

What we can actually read: Packaging type and resealability are published.

Scored directly from published figures.

1 of the 2 rules below are struck through in this category, because too few makers publish the input. The one that remains scores this criterion out of 10 between it: a struck rule leaves the sum entirely rather than counting as a zero. That result is then worth 16 of the category's 100 points.

• Sealing6 of 10

  Also read under Convenience & Format, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  sachet, stick

  6 pts

  tin, jar

  4 pts

  bag

  3 pts

• Resealablenot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 4 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  present

  4 pts

10 of 10

Price per serving, not per pack, because a 5-stick box and a 150-serving jar cannot be compared any other way.

What we can actually read: Needs a published price and a serving count.

Scored directly from published figures.

Every rule below is struck in this category, because nobody publishes the inputs. Nothing here is scored from a specification. That result is then worth 16 of the category's 100 points.

• Cost per cupnot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 10 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  $0.75 or less

  10 pts

  over $0.75, up to $1.5

  8 pts

  over $1.5, up to $2.5

  5 pts

  over $2.5

  3 pts

10 of 10