Kenco Smooth Paper Refill: Recycling, Pouring and Storage

Kenco Smooth Paper Refill: topping up the jar you already own

A refill is the purchase you make after the coffee has already won its place in the cupboard. Its whole job is getting more of the same mild Kenco Smooth into the house without another jar coming with it.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Kenco Smooth Paper Refill: topping up the jar you already own, in summary: Kenco Smooth in a 150g paper pack for refilling a jar you already have. Pour it into a clean, dry jar straight away, use a dry spoon, and follow the recycling instruction printed on the pack.

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

A refill is the purchase you make after the coffee has already won its place in the cupboard. Its whole job is getting more of the same mild Kenco Smooth into the house without another jar coming with it.

The paper pack and your recycling

Kenco moved its instant refills to paper in 2024. The packs are over 85 percent paper and can go in home and kerbside recycling, and Kenco puts the saving at 97 percent less packaging per gram of coffee than a 200g glass jar. Collections differ from one council to the next, so the recycling instruction printed on the pack you receive is the one to follow.

The coffee is the same Smooth that fills the jars: a medium roast, gentle on bitterness and clean on the finish, with the published label listing instant coffee at 90 percent and roast and ground coffee at 10 percent. Nothing else is in the pack, no creamer and no sugar, so it behaves exactly like the jar you are topping up. It is a caffeinated coffee.

Pouring it without a mess

Getting the coffee from pack to jar is where a refill goes wrong, if it goes wrong at all. Have the jar washed and completely dry before you start, because any water left inside will set the first layer of granules solid. Stand it in the sink or on a tray, snip a corner off the pack instead of tearing the top, and pour slowly so the stream goes where you aim it.

Do it on the day the pack arrives. Instant coffee pulls moisture from the air, and a pouch folded shut and pushed to the back of the cupboard lets damp in steadily, so the coffee turns flat and lumpy long before it runs out. A screw-lid jar keeps the air out properly. After that, the routine is simply a dry spoon and the lid back on straight after each mug.

Mugs, measures and the gritty-cup problem

Dividing the 150g by a rounded spoonful of about 2g gives roughly 75 mugs. That is our own sum from the pack weight rather than a figure Kenco prints, and generous spooning soon cuts it. Smooth needs a proper rounded spoonful, because a mild coffee dosed lightly tastes thin rather than gentle.

If you find gritty bits at the bottom of the mug, the granules met cold milk before they met hot water. Put the coffee in first, add a splash of water from a kettle that has rested for half a minute, stir to a smooth paste, then fill up and pour the milk in at the end. Hot water dissolves the granules at once; cold milk barely touches them.

The packs we stock

Kenco Smooth Instant Coffee Paper Refill, 150g (barcode 8711000599358)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Kenco Smooth Instant Coffee Paper Refill, 150g names none of the 14 major allergens. Before topping up, check the refill pack: Kenco may change the Smooth recipe and allergen advice.

Ingredients, as published: Instant coffee makes up 90% and roast and ground coffee 10%.

Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. Whatever the jar says, the refill's own label decides.

What to eat with it

McVitie's Hobnobs Milk Chocolate Biscuits, 262g: A crunchy milk chocolate biscuit that suits a gentle mug with a splash of milk.
Maryland Cookies Double Chocolate, 200g: Plenty of chocolate beside a mild coffee that will not compete with it.
Border Dark Chocolate Ginger Organic Biscuits, 150g: Ginger and dark chocolate bring the bite that Smooth deliberately leaves out.

Elsewhere in the Kenco range

The full range is on the Kenco brand page.

FAQ

Are Kenco paper refills recyclable? They are over 85 percent paper and can go in home and kerbside recycling. Check the instruction printed on your pack for your area.

Does the Smooth refill contain milk or sugar? No. The published label lists instant coffee at 90 percent and roast and ground coffee at 10 percent, and nothing else.

Do I need my own jar? Yes. No jar comes with a refill, so have a clean, dry screw-lid jar ready before you open it.

How many mugs does a 150g refill make? Roughly 75, if each rounded spoonful weighs about 2g; that is our sum, not a claim on the pack.

What leaves grit in the bottom of the mug? The granules met cold milk before hot water. Make a paste with a splash of hot water first and add the milk last.

Curator's note: Pour it over the sink into a jar you dried the night before and you will not lose a spoonful. It is not an exciting buy, just a sensible one, and the coffee is the same gentle cup. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Kenco Smooth Paper Refill: topping up the jar you already own

Field	Detail
Brand	Kenco
Packs we stock	150g
Category	Instant Coffee
Allergens (as published)	Kenco's published ingredients for the Smooth refill include none of the 14 major allergens.
Caffeine	caffeinated
Needs	A clean, dry screw-lid jar
Recycling	Follow the instruction on the pack
Best with	A milk chocolate Hobnob