INSTANT COFFEE LOVERS UNITE: 1 in 2 Aussies like instant coffee better than cafe coffee.

Fact: Aussies are obsessed with coffee. Some might even say we’re coffee snobs.

Also fact: How one enjoys their humble, steaming hot cup of coffee is both deeply personal and highly contentious.

Much like whether you eat your Vegemite toast with butter or without (the latter is weird, but each to their own, right?) or a pizza with or without pineapple, people know how they like their coffee and will say it’s the only way to drink it.

From a cafe-made coffee on the way to work to an instant enjoyed as a bit of me time before the day begins, the options are endless.

There's no right or wrong way to enjoy a coffee (unless you spit it in someone's face or dribble it down your white shirt), but a new stat from Moccona Barista Reserve says just over half the country (56 per cent of Aussies) prefer instant coffee to cafe coffee.

Cafe coffee drinkers might feel a tad skeptical about this stat, but maybe that's because they've never had the pleasure of meeting a really good instant coffee. While cafe culture is big on Instagram, there's a quiet population of instant coffee drinkers, sipping contently on their coffees in the comfort of their own homes.

Aussie actor, TV presenter and Moccona Barista Reserve ambassador Luke Jacobz is among them. He loves a cup of instant on the couch with his dog.

"I grew up with Moccona coffee in the house and that smell, and every time I smell it, it makes me think of home. It triggers memories of me as a kid and makes me feel all nostalgic," the former Home and Away and McLeod's Daughters star told Mamamia when we caught up with him on National Doona Day (yes, a day devoted to doonas and coffee!).

"I make [my coffee] with a bit of sugar and a touch of almond milk... for me, when you get that smell as soon as the hot water hits the coffee and you get the fragrance in the air, your body knows what it's in for and knows you're about to get that joy of the velvety taste."

 

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We asked you, our Mamamia readers, for your thoughts on the instant coffee versus cafe coffee stat.

Aside from realising people love getting fired up over coffee, we found a pretty even 50/50 split between those who aren't instant fans, and people who drink it exclusively for not just economic, habitual or circumstantial reasons, but because they genuinely prefer the taste.

One person even confessed they pretend to like cafe coffee, but deep down, they really prefer their faithful instant coffee.

If you've only ever consumed cafe-made coffee, you might not know how to make a good instant coffee. Thankfully, we got the goods from instant coffee lovers on why they drink it, and exactly how they make it. Don't knock it till you try it!

"Instant's cheaper and I still get to engage in the ritual of making a coffee without leaving the house/office."

"Yes, I much prefer instant. I make it like this: coffee, then water, then almond milk. I often find cafe coffee tastes burnt, dirty, and bitter. I do drink it, but always prefer the smoother taste of an instant."

"I found it just became too hard to explain to baristas what I wanted, so I stick to making my own. Two scoops of coffee mixed with a little bit of soy milk. I then stir that bad boy up, microwave for 15 seconds, then slowly pour in the boiling water while stirring so the soy milk doesn't break up."

"I only drink instant coffee. I prefer the taste and it’s so much cheaper. I also like that when I make instant coffee at home, I can taste and adjust it as I make it. Sometimes, I have it with milk, other times I have no milk. I add the coffee and sugar, then hot water, then either milk or cold water. I know I might be a weirdo, but my pocket is far better for it and I never have to feel guilty about using a disposable coffee cup!"

Well THIS looks like an ideal situation. Image: Getty.

"I love the Moccona Barista Reserve because it's the perfect at-home coffee. It tastes freshly brewed, so why would you need to go out for a coffee?"

"At risk of being in what appears to be the minority, I prefer instant! I like the taste better and I also find it doesn’t make me as jittery as cafe coffee. I have one to two cups a day with one-and-a-half sugars and a 50:50 ratio of milk to water."

"Baristas never make my iced latte with enough ice, hence why I make it at home. I make it with instant coffee mixed with a tiny bit of boiling water, filled to brim with ice, then milk to top it off. This way, it stays ice cold all the way to work and beyond."

"I 100 per cent prefer instant, it's not as bitter as cafe coffee and you can make it to whatever specifications you like. Order? Coffee, water, milk, sugar/honey. A 3pm, a cuppa chases away my afternoon droop."

"I say I like cafe coffee but I never finish them because I actually prefer instant. Plus it's way cheaper, tastes better and more convenient. I drink about four a day and I just have it white but you have to put the milk in before the water."

"I LOVE instant and really really look forward to it. I work from home so it's easier and I have around two or three a day. I love how hot it is, and I make it with one scoop of coffee into the milk first, then the water. It's also not as full on as a cafe coffee so feel I can have a few through the day without it making me too jittery. Obviously, it's a lot cheaper too. In saying that, I still also love a coffee from a cafe. Either way, COFFEE will forever and ever be our saving grace."

So it turns out we're all very specific about how we like our coffees. And for a lot of us, it's right at home, exactly as we want it. Preferably with a dog - or cat - by our sides.

Do you prefer cafe coffee, instant coffee, or both?