We love café coffee so why are we still drinking instant?

Australia loves to think of itself as a nation of coffee experts. We’ve embraced flat whites, argued over the best cafés, and happily adopted a coffee vocabulary that would have baffled our parents, but for all the talk of single-origin beans and perfectly textured milk, a new survey suggests many Australians are still starting the day the same way they always have.

With a spoonful of instant coffee.

Consumer insights company Vypr surveyed more than 3600 Australians and found seven in 10 drink coffee every day. More surprisingly, 55 per cent say instant coffee is still their primary brew at home.

Among older Australians, the numbers are even higher.

Nearly seven in 10 people aged 65 and over rely mainly on instant coffee, while almost six in 10 aged 55 to 64 do the same.

A long way from Blend 43

The findings arrive at an interesting time for Australia’s coffee culture.

As Starts at 60 recently reported in Emily Darlow’s story From Blend 43 to Mont Blancs: How Australia’s coffee culture became a $10-a-cup experience, coffee has evolved from a simple kitchen staple into something approaching an art form.

These days there are specialty blends, cold brews, nitro coffees and elaborate café creations that can cost close to $10 a cup.

But behind the baristas and social media-worthy coffee photos, many Australians appear to be keeping things wonderfully simple.

Perhaps that’s because coffee at home and coffee at a café serve two very different purposes. One is an experience and the other is a necessity.

The economics of caffeine

Few people would argue against the pleasure of meeting friends for a good coffee.

But with café prices continuing to climb, it’s no surprise some Aussies are becoming more selective about when they indulge.

A couple of coffees and a smashed avocado breakfast can quickly turn into a surprisingly expensive morning out and by comparison, a jar of instant coffee sitting in the pantry starts to look like one of the better bargains in modern life.

There’s also the convenience factor.

At 6.30am, before the day has properly begun, many people aren’t looking for a tasting experience; they simply want a hot coffee in their favourite mug.

The research suggests that’s particularly true among older Australians, who remain some of the country’s most committed coffee drinkers.

Not quite coffee snobs after all

That’s not to say Australians aren’t embracing newer coffee trends.

Pods and ground coffee are now the second most popular brewing methods, while younger consumers are increasingly interested in specialty products and sustainable options such as recyclable pods.

Still, the survey paints a picture that might surprise those who think Australia’s coffee culture begins and ends at the local café.

For all our enthusiasm for flat whites and café catch-ups, the humble instant coffee jar remains a fixture in households across the country. Maybe Australians aren’t coffee snobs after all, or maybe we simply know the difference between a special coffee and an everyday one.