Product Review – 10 Best Japanese Instant Stick Coffees

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in Japan, giving you an energy boost any time you need it, and providing a welcome little break from work, studies, or chores.

Instant stick coffee is really big here, because it’s so easy to prepare, and in some cases stands its ground in taste tests against coffee house preparations. But there are so many different types of stick coffee, it can be hard to choose which ones to get. So I thought it would be useful to create a ranking of the best ones in Japan, all big sellers and popular among coffee aficionados here.

10. Blendy Stick Cafe Latory Rich Milk Cafe Latte

Made from concentrated milk, this mellow latte has a rich body, plenty of milk, and a sweetness that isn’t too persistent or cloying. Easy to drink even for those that don’t like sweet drinks.

9. Nescafe Excella Black

Excella Black doesn’t contain either sugar or milk, making it perfect for those who like their coffee black, or who want to add their own milk and sugar according to their own taste. Slightly charred, there’s a depth to the taste unusual for an instant coffee.

8. Blendy Stick Cafe au Lait Adult Horinga

Using carefully selected deep roasted coffee beans, this Blendy Stick features a more adult taste with a delicious bitterness balanced by just the right amount of milk and sugar. Not too sweet, which makes it nice accompaniment to go along with pastries and a proper break time.

7. Blendy Stick Unsweetened Cafe au Lait

A café au lait with no sugar added at all. Rare for an instant coffee stick, you can enjoy the subtle natural sweetness of thick milk matched with deep roasted coffee. For those who don’t like the sweetness commonly found in Japanese stick coffees, but still want a very easy-to-make café au lait, this is an excellent choice.

6. Blendy Stick Cafe Latory Assortment

For those who like variety and premium instant coffee, this assortment is a no-brainer. 4 different flavors are included: Rich Milk Café Latte, Bitter Café Latte, Caramel Macchiato, and Matcha Latte. Each of these flavors is excellent in its own right, and this variety pack is very popular in Japan.

5. Blendy Stick Cafe au Lait – Caffeine-Free

Whether you’re pregnant, breast-feeding, about to go to bed, or simply don’t like the effect of caffeine, this stick cuts out 97% of the regular caffeine content of a Blendy Stick Café au Lait, without compromising on the rich aroma and taste of coffee. This caffeine-free instant has a solid taste that will satisfy even coffee lovers. Sweet and dessert-like, it is not recommended for those who don’t like sweet drinks.

4. Blendy Stick Luxury Coffee Shop Blend

Made from the highest-grade coffee beans shipped from Brazil, locally inspected in Japan, and tested for any residual pesticides, this is one of the highest-quality instants out there, and a perennial favorite with the Japanese market.

3. Blendy Stick Café au Lait

The originator of the popular Blendy Café au Lait series, this coffee stick has been a hit since its launch in 2002, with the creamy and sweet taste the secret to its long popularity. Blendy Stick Café au Lait uses deep roasted coffee beans, as well as a powdered cream that gives it a richer, more milky taste and feel. Said by many to rival the quality of café au laits from specialty cafes.

2. Blendy Stick Original - Black

Blendy Stick Original contains no milk or sweetness at all, so it perfect for black coffee lovers and those who want to add milk and sugar their way. Similar to the Nescafe Excella Black, but using AGF’s unique roasting technology and spray dry method. Easy to dissolve in cold water or milk.

1. AGF Maxim Black Assortment

This is a premium assortment of 4 different AGF black coffees, for those that crave variety as well as quality. There is a Columbian blend with a rich aroma and mellow taste, a Kilimanjaro blend with a strong body and refreshing aftertaste, a Brazilian blend with good bitterness and deep body, and a Mocha blend with a sweet aroma and mild taste. Each of them are different, so you definitely want to enjoy and compare.

How to use Blendy Sticks and other stick coffees from Japan:

For a hot coffee: empty the contents of one stick into an empty coffee cup. Pour approximately 180 ml of hot water, stir well, and enjoy!

For ice coffee: empty the contents of one stick into an empty cup. Pour half the amount of hot water used for hot coffee (so that would be approximately 90 ml of hot water for ice coffee), stir, add 5-6 pieces of ice, and stir well until it becomes cold.

These are just some of the stick coffee options available in Japan, and of course everyone’s taste is different and unique. But I hope this blog post was helpful, and if you are interested in Japanese instant coffee sticks, please visit our Allegro Japan Japanese Coffee Collection. We ship Japanese coffees, teas, and much much more all over the world, directly from Japan.