Kenco Classic Latte: What's in It and How to Make It

Kenco Classic Latte: What Is in the Plain Sachet

Skimmed milk powder makes up about a third of each Classic Latte sachet and instant coffee less than a tenth, which explains almost everything about the way it tastes. This is a milky drink with coffee in it, designed for places that have a kettle but no fridge.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Kenco Classic Latte: What Is in the Plain Sachet, in summary: The plain member of Kenco's latte sachets: sweetened milk powder with a small share of instant coffee and no flavouring. Make it hot or cold, mix a paste first to avoid lumps, and add plain instant for more coffee.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

Skimmed milk powder makes up about a third of each Classic Latte sachet and instant coffee less than a tenth, which explains almost everything about the way it tastes. This is a milky drink with coffee in it, designed for places that have a kettle but no fridge.

Reading the sachet: milk first, coffee second

Twenty sachets weigh 326g between them, so each holds a little over 16g of powder. The published list puts skimmed milk powder at 36 percent and instant coffee at 9.2 percent, with sugar in second place. Worked through, that is roughly one and a half grams of coffee a drink, less than a rounded spoon of plain instant, and it is why the cup comes out soft and mild rather than roasty.

No caramel, vanilla or seasonal flavour is added, which makes Classic the base that Kenco's flavoured sachets are built on and the easiest one to judge. It is still sweetened, though: sugar is the second ingredient. If what you want is a milky coffee rather than a dessert drink, this is the box in the family to pick, and it contains milk, so it is no use to anyone avoiding dairy.

Hot, iced and without lumps

Kenco's method is one sachet to 200ml of water, hot or cold, and if hot, not straight off the boil. The order you work in matters more than the temperature. Empty the powder into a dry mug or glass, wet it with a small splash and stir it smooth before filling; a heap of milk powder meeting a full mug at once is what causes lumps. For iced, loosen it the same way with cold water, then pour over plenty of ice.

Two small habits improve it. A quick, vigorous stir in the last few seconds beats in air and gives a visible head, whereas a slow stir throughout does very little. And if the coffee is too quiet for you, tip half a teaspoon of plain instant in with the powder. That adds roast without taking any milk away, while cutting the water simply makes the drink thicker and sweeter.

Where the Classic sachet earns its place

Its real rival is not a cafe but black instant or nothing. Anywhere with a kettle and no fridge, from a site office to a relative's spare room, sealed sachets beat a jar and a pint of milk, and because each stays closed until torn, nothing goes stale or clumps. Twenty to a box suits a daily habit; Kenco's eight-sachet Latte box is the smaller one if you want to try the format first.

Classic is also the yardstick for the rest of Kenco's sachets. The Iced Hot Salted Caramel and Vanilla boxes add flavour to the same milky idea and weigh a few grams more per sachet for it, while the Original Cappuccino covers the other cafe classic. The jars, Rich, Smooth and Decaf, belong in a kitchen with a fridge and a sugar bowl; the sachets are for everywhere else.

The packs we stock

Kenco Classic Latte Instant Coffee, 20 Sachets (barcode 8711000618455)

What to eat with it

McVitie's Hobnobs Milk Choc Jumbo Pack Biscuits, 431g: oaty crunch and milk chocolate give a mild, milky coffee something to push against, and they cope with a quick dunk.
Maryland Minis Cookies - Choc Chip 6 Mini Bags, 118.8g: sealed mini bags that can live in the same drawer as the sachets, for the same kettle-only moments.
Border Lemon Drizzle Melts Organic Biscuits, 150g: a sharp lemon note that lifts a soft, plain latte, and it is especially good beside the iced version.

Elsewhere in the Kenco range

The full range is on the Kenco brand page.

FAQ

How much coffee is in a Classic Latte sachet? Not much, by design. Instant coffee is 9.2 percent of a sachet weighing a little over 16g, so the drink is mild.

Can I make it cold? Yes. Kenco sells it as an iced or hot latte; stir the sachet into a little cold water until smooth, top up, then pour over ice.

Is it sweetened? Yes. Sugar is the second ingredient, even though no flavouring is added.

Why did mine come out lumpy? Too much water went in at once. Put the powder in the empty mug, add a splash, stir to a paste, then fill.

Can I drink Classic Latte if I avoid dairy? No. Skimmed milk powder is the main ingredient, so the sachet contains milk.

Curator's note: Keep a few in the work drawer and add a pinch of plain instant on a slow afternoon. It turns a mild sachet into a proper milky coffee without losing any of the convenience. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Kenco Classic Latte: What Is in the Plain Sachet

Field	Detail
Brand	Kenco
Packs we stock	20 Sachets
Category	Instant Coffee
Caffeine	caffeinated
Strength	Mild, milk first
Best with	A chocolate Hobnob or a lemon biscuit
Make it	Paste first, then fill; hot or iced